Did You Know?

Britain's 33 million (+) insured road users are totally unaware that if they are one of the 270,00 people injured in a road traffic accident each year*, the insurance company, breakdown recovery company or broker who sold them their car insurance is set to earn up to £600 or more if the insured is not at fault by selling their personal injury claim to one of the motor insurer's listed call centre operations.

Because of this upfront cost, the person they refer the accident to (who may or may not be a solicitor) is then unlikely to be able to give the case the amount of time it deserves.

Everyone in this country is meant to have the right and freedom to choose a solicitor of his or her own choice, a solicitor in their town, city or region. However, this system is denying the accident victim the right to choose a solicitor of their choice. The accident victim might not want to instruct that particular solicitor but the insurer has taken their choice away. Without access to an independent solicitor, the accident victim can be exploited.

A solicitor is professionally duty bound to act in the best interests of their client, to maintain their independence and their ability to advise their client fearlessly and objectively, without interference from any outside force.

The insurer has made additional profit from their policy holders' misery. They sold the car insurance policy (a policy everyone has to take out to be allowed to drive on our roads) and are now making secondary undisclosed profits as a result of their policy holders' misfortune. We would rather not have the enrich ensurers.

We give £250 to the victim of the accident.

Based on Department for Transport statistics, this trade in misery is worth to the insurance industry somewhere in the region of £250 Million** or more a year. The actual figure could be a lot higher (especially if you include the money that they receive from vehicle repair companies and medial clinics) but the insurance industry are not keen to let this information enter the public domain - Remember, these sums are in addition to the revenue the industry generates selling motor insurance policies.

Critical to maintaining this additional revenue stream is that the policy holder uses the insurer's solicitor, the one that has agreed to pay them for the referral of the claim. We believe that there is institutionalised bullying and hoodwinking of personal injury victims by their insurers. Accident victims are being strong-armed into accepting the solicitor of the insurer's choice, not withstanding that they might be on the other side of the country, with threats (implied or express) that failure to cooperate will deny the victim the benefit of their cover.

* For the Department For Transport Raod Casualties Report 2005 click here.

** Figure based on following assumptions: (Avg no of casualties per year) 250,000 X (avg. payment made by insurance panel solicitor per case) £600.