British Prime Minister Launches Initiative Against False Whiplash Claims

Labeling England the "whiplash capital of Europe," Prime Minister David Cameron told a summit on Wednesday that his government "determined to tackle this damaging compensation culture which has been pushing up premiums" and stop "trivial claims."  Among the proposals on the table are a minimum speed limit a driver must have been travelling before claiming whiplash injuries, a threshold for the level of claims, more medical evidence in whiplash cases in order to be eligible for compensation, and a reduction of the £1,200 fee that lawyers can earn from small value personal injury claims.  According to a BBC story, there has been a 70% rise in motor insurance injury claims in the past six years, at the same time that casualties caused by road accidents have dropped 23%. Average car insurance premiums soared by 40 percent in the year to March 2011, according to Reuters. The Law Society of England and Wales complained that the Cameron government rejected their offer to help address the problem.