ACSO comments on CRU data for 2023

The latest data from the government’s Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) shows record lows for personal injury claims on the roads in England and Wales, despite annual mileage rates returning to pre-Covid levels. The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) obtained the data after a Freedom of Information request.  

The last quarter (Q4 2023) shows an all-time low for motor injury claims at 83,050 and an all-time low for the year at 352,230. The previous low was 84,257 for Q4 2022, while the previous annual low was 370,645, also for 2022.

The falls contributed to the overall figure for personal injury claims being at their lowest-ever level of 476,702, beating last year’s record low of 484,969.

Commenting on the data, Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of ACSO, said: “On the face of it, there are fewer people reporting accidents and so that should be welcome. However, our view is that the number of RTAs hasn’t changed much, it’s just that in the face of a litany of government reforms, fewer and fewer people are choosing to claim for their injuries.

“Even the insurance industry cannot now claim that lower-value personal injury claims are responsible for rising motor premiums, which shot up by 30 per cent last year according to the ABI and 58 per cent according to Confused.com. The Financial Conduct Authority’s review of whether savings from the whiplash reforms have helped reduce premiums, due later this year, will make for interesting reading.”

He also noted that a case coming before the Supreme Court on 20 February will see insurers trying to reduce the amount consumers receive when they suffer multiple minor injuries.

Maxwell Scott said: “It all adds up to a sustained campaign by insurers to reduce their cost of claims even as average premiums soar. Given the dramatic fall in injury claims numbers, we need to ask what the value of cover is when it brings fewer and fewer benefits.”