The number of personal injury claims in the UK in the 12 months ending 31 March 2003 increased by 2.6%, revealed a report from research company Datamonitor.
It said the growth had been driven by a rise in the number of claims for diseases, as accident claims had risen by only 0.2%.
Public liability claims increased by 8.7% in 2002-03, said Datamonitor, the highest rise for those sectors covered by the research. It said the figure highlighted the rise in claims for `slips and trips' and the problems facing local authorities.
The report also found that the cost of personal injury claims to motor insurers had increased by 9.9% over the past decade. It estimated that the personal injury bill totalled £4bn in 2002, accounting for almost half of all motor claims costs.
Employers' liability claims costs had increased by an average 22.1% a year over the past five years, said Datamonitor. Between 2001 and 2002, they increased by 34.8%. However, the number of claims made between 2001 and 2002 only increased by 7.5%, highlighting the problem of claims costs inflation for employers' liability insurance.
The research found that the National Accident Helpline was the current accident intermediary market leader, dealing with 2,500 cases a month, and with a market share of 4.2% in 2003.
Datamonitor said the collapse of The Accident Group and the withdrawal from the market by several major players, including NIG, GoshawK and HBOS had had an adverse affect on the market. It said the personal injury market was likely to be difficult in January 2004.
