Whiplash fraud given cold shoulder
Falsifying injuries on a motor insurance claim is as unacceptable as drink-driving, according to new research.
The study for insurers Aviva, indicates that 87% of Brits reckon it’s unacceptable to make a false whiplash claim, compared to 88% who say the same about drink-driving.
Aviva, which is investigating around 14,000 suspect whiplash claims, says one in nine whiplash claims are tainted by fraud, adding £93 to the average motor insurance premium.
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“It’s great to see that false whiplash claims are completely unacceptable for the vast majority of Brits, however there’s no such thing as victimless crime and it just takes a few bad apples to spoil it for the rest of us,” said Rob Townend, Claims Director, Aviva UK General Insurance.
The research also explores Brits’ attitudes to, and behaviours around, a variety of situations and their perceived consequences, in order to better understand why the compensation culture around whiplash is so prevalent in the UK.
| Attitudes and Behaviour | % Acceptable | % Indifferent | % Unacceptable |
| Downloading or streaming a movie/music illegally | 22% | 27% | 51% |
| Buying tickets from a tout | 19% | 24% | 57% |
| Lying on a job application | 13% | 20% | 67% |
| Speeding in a 30 mph zone | 11% | 18% | 71% |
| Dodging a train fare | 10% | 11% | 78% |
| Purchasing stolen goods | 8% | 13% | 79% |
| Cheating on an exam paper | 7% | 10% | 83% |
| Falsifying injuries to make an insurance claim | 5% | 8% | 87% |
| Driving while over the alcohol limit | 5% | 7% | 88% |