24 May 2012 / Mark Solon

Issue: 7515 / Categories: Features , Expert Witness , Profession

printer

mail-detail

Sticking your neck out?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Whiplash experts need more than ever to maintain their integrity or risk losing their career, reports Mark Solon

Whiplash has become a dirty word in the UK, as the practice of claiming for negligible injuries sustained in even the most minor of car accidents has become widespread. I even had a call from a claims agency myself, insisting I must have a pain in my neck as they had a record I have made a claim for a broken windscreen.

Shocking statistics

The debate is peppered with shocking statistics, including recent revelations from the Association of British Insurers director general Nick Starling, that there is one whiplash claim every minute. Insurers attest that whiplash claims costs their industry £2bn in total and add £90 to the average annual bill.

Unsurprisingly, the issue is moving up the government’s lengthy “to-do” list. In January, Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to prevent trivial claims from going ahead—including consideration of a minimum speed of 15mph for accidents resulting in whiplash claims—and branded Britain “the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

Sticking your neck out?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Whiplash experts need more than ever to maintain their integrity or risk losing their career, reports Mark Solon

Whiplash has become a dirty word in the UK, as the practice of claiming for negligible injuries sustained in even the most minor of car accidents has become widespread. I even had a call from a claims agency myself, insisting I must have a pain in my neck as they had a record I have made a claim for a broken windscreen.

Shocking statistics

The debate is peppered with shocking statistics, including recent revelations from the Association of British Insurers director general Nick Starling, that there is one whiplash claim every minute. Insurers attest that whiplash claims costs their industry £2bn in total and add £90 to the average annual bill.

Unsurprisingly, the issue is moving up the government’s lengthy “to-do” list. In January, Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to prevent trivial claims from going ahead—including consideration of a minimum speed of 15mph for accidents resulting in whiplash claims—and branded Britain “the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

SourceURL:

Links:

E-newsletter Sign-Up

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

London medical negligence practice strengthened by senior partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

Firm boosts professional risk practice with team hire in Manchester, led by partner Ben Parks

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Workplace law firm appoints new head of regulatory team

NEWS

NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap

A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing

NLJ this week: Court of Appeals wrestles with Mazur fallout

The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year

NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle

As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR

back-to-top-scroll