Delays in road traffic accident claims

Claimants for compensation on road traffic accidents are having to wait for more than a year before being heard in court.

The existing backlog in UK courts has only been aggravated by the pandemic, and a UK Insurer has calculated that around £240m worth of current claimant damages have been tied up in the litigation process for more than a year.

Annually, there are approximately half a million whiplash injury claims logged in the UK, with an estimated value of around £3,000 per case.

The industry is calling on the Government to publish the rules and procedures for the new Litigant in Person (LiP) portal. It is hoped this will enable them to ensure that all systems and processes are prepared and tested ahead of the scheduled April 2021 launch date.

The Litigants in Person (LiP) portal

The  LiP was launched in April 2020. Forming part of the Civil Liability Act, which gained Royal Assent in December 2018, the LiP portal enables claimants to process their own personal injury claims online, up to a revised £5,000 limit, without the aid of a solicitor.

Insurance plays a vital role in supporting people through some of the most difficult times, particularly when it comes to ongoing health and wellbeing costs following personal injury, and an easy dispute resolution system will help the current court backlog.

Although the pandemic has caused many delays and problems, it has seen an increase in the use of technology to overcome the need for social distancing. It is hoped that the improvement in online services will help the current problem, and solicitors are looking at ways of reduce time delays by providing a digital service.

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