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Swindon Accident Solicitors oppose legal reforms that mean victims of road accidents will be denied justice.

When the Association of British Insurers pumps huge sums of money into a campaign for legal reforms aimed at denying compensation to whiplash victims it raises a clear question. Whose interests do they have at heart? Is it a) innocent victims of road accidents or b) the bean counters at the UK’s insurance giants?

Swindon Accident Solicitors have no doubts about the answer, and it is not one that favours law-abiding, careful drivers who are the victims of accidents on Swindon’s roads.

Let’s be clear about one thing. Whiplash is not a minor “pain in the neck”. It is a serious neck injury that can require physiotherapy or surgery to put right.

When it is caused by someone else, you should be compensated. It’s a simple matter of justice. But insurance companies aren’t too keen on justice. What’s justice when set against the interest of the shareholders and bonus driven executives?

Government consultations on the legal reforms closed last week. They would see pay outs capped at £400 for whiplash injuries with symptoms lasting six months. For serious cases of whiplash, that could mean £400 for six months of pain, inconvenience and time off work. What kind of justice is that? Under the proposals, innocent victims of accidents will also face the added stress of going through the small claims court for any claim worth less than £5,000.

Removing damages for genuine victims of whiplash and making claimants jump through hoops is morally wrong, and needless to say, the government is incredibly naïve if it thinks insurance companies will pass on any savings to policyholders. The insurance industry has saved £500 million a year since the last round of reforms three years ago yet premiums have gone up by 8% in the same period.

Insurers will make the savings and keep them. Effectively, vulnerable injured people will subsidise an industry that already makes vast profits for its shareholders. Like thousands of our legal colleagues across Britain, Swindon Accident Solicitors urges the government to reconsider these ill-conceived and fundamentally unfair reforms.

Swindon Accident Solicitors have been helping local families with compensation claims for over 20 years. If the worst does happen and you need to make a claim, we will work hard on your behalf to ensure that you get the compensation you need and are entitled to.

If you have been injured, speak to a specialist solicitor. The advice above should help your claim proceed with ease. Call SAS today on 01793 425595.