Jonathan Scarsbrook, immediate past president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) said:

“There has been a 71 per cent increase in motor insurance premiums since the reforms were introduced despite an 11 per cent decrease in the cost of injury claims settled by car insurers*. The evidence has always pointed to repair costs being behind rising premium prices. It’s time the Government focussed on these costs and the cost of hire vehicles rather than removing the right to full compensation for physical and psychological harm.

“Slashing compensation for painful, avoidable whiplash injuries to a fraction of their actual value made a mockery of compulsory insurance which is designed to compensate people properly for avoidable injuries. 

“This is a lose-lose situation for consumers, and they should be furious. They are spending more than ever for compulsory insurance on the understanding that they will be looked after if anything goes wrong. While vehicle damage can be inconvenient and worrying, bodily harm is the worst possible thing that can happen to someone.”

*APIL analysis of Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Association of British Insurers (ABI) data