ACSO comments on the latest CRU claims data

Commenting on the latest accident claims statistics released this morning by the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU), the official government source, Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO), said:

"The government says the country is returning to pre-pandemic normality,  but for motor accident claims the numbers suggest we could still be in lockdown. The 97,099 motor claims registered in the first quarter of 2022 is very similar to the 94,973 in April to June 2020, when we were at the height of the pandemic and few people were out driving.

"If traffic levels now are back to where they were, albeit perhaps less at peak hours, it means injured people are not claiming, or their claims are lost in the system. Whatever the reason, it is worrying that people injured in accidents that weren't their fault are not receiving the help and recompense they are entitled to.

"The overall numbers for motor injury claims over the last year remain at historic lows, while claim volumes for employer liability and public liability are slightly down on the previous three months, though flat compared to the same period in 2021, reflecting that fact that many of us are still choosing to work from home. Clinical negligence claims have ticked up 8.4 per cent to just over 4,000 on the quarter.

"Our view that the system is letting down injured people hasn't changed. They are getting less compensation, and the claims process in the form of the new Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal, which the government says is user-friendly, doesn't work at all well. If consumers do want to fight for justice in court, they face a delay of more than a year. The government said it wanted to fix a broken system through the Civil Liability Act, but it is perhaps more broken than ever."