Insurance Services Office (ISO), the personal injury and anti-fraud specialists, has launched a benchmarking service for insurance companies to assess their handling of whiplash claims.
ISO said its research had shown that whiplash claims are becoming more complicated, with at least 50% of those claims no longer being `pure whiplash' claims. Research from Thatcham, the UK Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, whiplash claims are costing UK insurers £1.6bn each year.
ISO said its Whiplash Benchmarking Service would allow insurers to see how their whiplash claims compared with industry benchmarks and how they impact their profitability.
Mark Strang, account executive at ISO said: "There is no longer such a thing as a simple 'pure whiplash' book of claims as medical reports increasingly include contusions, fibromyalgia, aggravation of pre-existing conditions, accelerated onset of symptoms and other medical conditions."
"These increasingly complex whiplash claims can no longer be managed by a 'one settlement fits all' approach. Insurers need to assess their handling of whiplash claims and the cost to their business."
