Foil’s Tim Oliver gives his take on the road traffic accident portal
The road traffic accident (RTA) portal has been successful in simplifying the claims process and speeding up resolution. This must be good news for consumers.
However, extending it to employers’ liability (EL) and public liability claims will be a challenge for insurers to deliver, unless time limits are significantly longer than those in RTA. The abolition of referral fees and undoubtedly the reduction in recoverable fees by a claimant’s solicitor will benefit insurers and should hopefully remove cost out of the system, resulting in a decrease in premiums for consumers.
In five years’ time, I suspect there will be even more of a move towards strict liability in EL cases. The more routine cases going into a portal, if that’s what happens, will be settled quicker and more cost effectively than by litigating them. We will see an acceptance that certain types of claims will be settled early on in the process.
Tim Oliver is president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.
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