Britain dubbed the ’whiplash capital of the world’

A steep rise in the number of whiplash claims in the UK adds around £90 to the average insurance policy and has led to Britain being dubbed the ’whiplash capital of the world’. There are some 1,500 whiplash claims in the UK every day and insurers have warned the Government that the cost of car insurance will only fall if an independent medical panel is set up to assess injuries and make it easier for firms to challenge claims. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has told the House of Commons Transport Committee that the motor insurance industry paid out £10.7 billion in claims in 2011, of which whiplash claims cost around £2.2 billion.