PAYING FOR AUTO INJURIES - A CONSUMER PANEL SURVEY OF AUTO ACCIDENT VICTIMS, 1999 EDITION

In 1995, over 34 million motor vehicle accidents occurred in the United States. Persons injured in these accidents suffered losses in the form of medical bills, lost job wages, and other related expenses. While there are protections in place to compensate victims for accident-related losses - most notable, auto insurance and health insurance - paying for the damages caused by auto-accident injuries presents a formidable national problem. Observed trends in auto injuries are contradictory. On the one hand, public awareness of auto safety measures has increased. There have been social and technological changes, such as increased use of seat belts, and the passage of more stringent drunk driving laws. Still, auto insurance claim payments are staggering, and amount to over $70 billion per year. And while recent Insurance Research Council (IRC) closed claim research suggests that the severity of auto accident injuries has decreased somewhat in recent years, the same research also indicates that the proportion of auto claimants reporting soft-tissue injuries (i.e., sprains and strains) has increased. This study is part of an ongoing series of reports by the IRC that documents trends in auto injuries and the reimbursement of injured persons for accident-related losses. This analysis focuses on these issues from a consumer's perspective, and provides evidence that some of the more alarming trends observed in auto accident loss and reimbursement in the past 20 years are losing momentum. Throughout this report, consumer panel findings are compared with data contained in the IRC auto injury closed claim research.

  • Corporate Authors:

    Insurance Research Council

    718 Providence Road, PO Box 3025
    Malvern, PA  United States  19355-0725
  • Publication Date: 1999-9

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 119 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00782248
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jan 9 2000 12:00AM