Compensation claim news
02/08/2011

Drivers make false car accident claims to get damages

It has been revealed that more than one million drivers in the UK have deliberately caused or invented a road traffic accident in order to claim for car accident compensation, or have considered doing so.

The survey was carried out by a price comparison website and shows that 4% of motorists (1.3 million individuals) said that they would make a fraudulent claim, while 2% stated that they had already done so.

Ten percent of those who admitted to considering or making a fraudulent claim were from London. This makes them the most likely to stage a false car accident, while drivers in Wales are reportedly the least likely to pursue a fraudulent insurance claim.

The research also revealed that young drivers were involved in making false claims too, with one in 20 younger motorists admitting to successfully staging or pretending to have been involved in an incident.

A spokesman for the price comparison website warned drivers against this kind of behaviour, stating, "Any motor insurance claim proved to involve an organised accident will be considered as fraudulent by an insurer, and is likely to have drastic, long-term effects on your motoring as a consequence."

Motorists found guilty of intentionally causing a road traffic accident in order to claim for car accident compensation could face a prison sentence and a driving ban.