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Debunking the myth of rampant compensation culture

Debunking the myth of rampant compensation culture – why dodgy insurance claims are few and far between.

Britain’s tabloid press love to run a sensationalist headline about ambulance-chasing solicitors and fraudulent accident claims, but if you scratch below the surface of these stories, you will find that dodgy claims are in fact, very rare.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has a long record of feeding the media with stories about the staggering number of dubious accident claims. Underpinning these stories is the false premise that rising insurance premiums are somehow nothing to do with profit-seeking insurance giants but caused by an epidemic of fraudulent claims that cost millions of pounds to the industry.

The latest example of this kind of fake news is the ABI’s claim that 1,300 insurance scams are uncovered every day. This is an undeniably striking figure, conjuring up images of British drivers weaned on the compensation culture, ready to make false claims at the slightest opportunity. However, dig beneath the surface and the statistics tell a very different story.

In fact, 98,000 cases of fraudulent claims were detected last year, which breaks down to 268 claims a day. But even this number paints a false picture.

If you check out the small print at the bottom of the ABI press release, it states that these cases relate to scenarios where it is believed ‘fraud is likely to be involved’. The figures are actually generated from cases where insurance firms report that claims have been dropped or successfully challenged and can include those which ‘may have an innocent explanation’, landing us firmly in the maybe, might, perhaps territory.

So, sticking to the actual facts rather than hearsay, 268 insurance scams are reported every day, of which a small proportion are unjustified claims, some of which may have a completely innocent explanation.

Perhaps a more pertinent statistic is this one. According to the ABI’s own figures, just two people a week are convicted of insurance fraud. That’s two people in a country of 66 million. Or, put another way, one in every 16.5 million people with a UK driving licence. Sadly, that makes for the kind of dull reading that will never generate any tabloid headlines. 

If you have been involved in a traffic accident that is not your fault, then you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Please contact Swindon Accident Solicitors for a FREE, no obligation assessment of your right to accident compensation on 01793 425595.