What is this #RepairTheRightBody campaign?
The #RepairTheRightBody is a campaign to raise awareness that the government plan to reduce compensation payouts for whiplash injuries from road traffic accidents. Reduce it to the point where your car can receive more compensation towards its repairs.
What is whiplash?
Whiplash is the most common injury suffered in road traffic accidents. In a car crash, the impact causes the neck to jerk violently. This overstretches the tendons and ligaments in the neck and back, causing pain and stiffness in the affected regions. The symptoms of whiplash are not always immediately apparent and can become noticeable a couple of days after the accident.
Why are we campaigning?
The proposed changes by the government could slash your payout by £1,850. This means you could be entitled to as little as £250 compensation for suffering whiplash in a road traffic accident.
We are talking about an injury that can cause a loss of income because you cannot work. This is an injury that makes your daily chores very painful and difficult. In many cases you may need treatment such as physiotherapy.
The proposed changes would mean you get a measly £250 (87% cut in compensation) for an accident that was not your fault. The worst part, or rather, the most insulting part of the proposed changes is that the government is happy for you to receive money as long as it goes towards your car repairs. Yes… you heard that right! The government is essentially putting motors before motorists, and that is why we are campaigning.
Why are the government making changes?
The motor insurance industry claim there are too many claims being made, and therefore they are being forced to pay too much in compensation. The insurance sector also uses this as the reason for increasing your premium year on year, rather than admit it is all for profit. After all, insuring is a business and as a business, their first priority is to make a profit; and protecting (the interests of) drivers is actually their second priority!
We disagree with their claims and believe there is little evidence to prove their statements. Our stats, courtesy of the Government’s own Compensation Recovery Unit, show road traffic accident claims have actually fallen and are at the lowest level in a decade.
Unfortunately, the Government are heavily swayed by the motor insurance industry. After much debate, they have reached a compromise whereby the Government wants to cap compensation payouts for whiplash injuries in road traffic accidents.
Who loses out?
Unfortunately, you do, if you are ever involved in a road traffic accident. Whilst insurance companies will save money and boost their profits, the innocent drivers who are injured through no fault of their own will lose out.
Not only is your compensation reduced, but the new deal means motorists are worth less than the cost of repairing their cars. The proposed reforms will devalue YOUR motor insurance and REMOVE YOUR RIGHTS to seek support for access to justice.
These cases are classed as ‘small claims’ because the compensation award is very low. As a result, the government know that many personal injury solicitors may not take on such cases. Without our legal support and assistance, you will be forced to fight your claim alone against these insurance companies and probably their lawyers too.
What can YOU do?
We want to promote this campaign as the reforms are still under consideration and are not yet finalised. The new reforms are proposed as part of the Civil Liability Bill, which starts in April 2019.
Under the new reforms, it is possible to receive far less compensation for your injuries than your car repairs. We do not believe this is right. The cost of repairing the human body should not be less than the cost of repairing our vehicles. For that, we ask the Government to #RepairTheRightBody.
The #RepairTheRightBody campaign is urging members of the public to contact their MPs to protest against the government’s plan to reform personal injury claims. You can find the details for your local MP here: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
If you agree with us, please share and spread this message on social media to other fellow drivers. We need your help and together, we can try to change the Government’s mind.
The #RepairTheRightBody campaign is by First4Lawyers and we fully support their campaign.