Admiral Reveals UK Sees 405,000 Rear-end Bumps Each Year

CARDIFF, Wales, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Admiral research has shown there are a staggering 405,000 rear-end bumps in the UK each year*, accounting for one in four of all road accidents.

Leading car insurance expert (http://www.admiral.com/), Admiral looked at data from more than 200,000 of its accident claims in 2010 and found 27% of them occurred when one car hit another from behind. This is a 9% increase in the percentage of these types of accidents from 2009.

Many rear-end accidents result in whiplash for the occupants of the car, and whiplash alone costs insurers GBP1.9billion a year and accounts for 75% of all bodily injury claims**.

Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, said: "Rear-end shunts are all too common on our roads which I can only imagine is down to driving habits.

"Congestion means we often travel in slow moving traffic and many of us get frustrated and drive a little too aggressively. This can cause us to bump the car in front.

"On faster roads many of us don't leave enough space between ourselves and the vehicle in front. If the car in front needs to break suddenly, it's possible to go straight into the back of them."

An increase in crash for cash accidents is a worrying statistic that could explain the rise in rear-end accidents. Around 30,000 accidents are staged each year, with each claim averaging around GBP17,000***.

Sue Longthorn continued: "We have seen a significant rise in rear-end accidents in one year and included within this is the increased number of 'slam on' accidents reported by our customers. These are accidents where a fraudulent motorist will slam on their brakes unexpectedly causing the motorist behind to drive into the back of their vehicle."

As it is very difficult to prove incidents such as these, motorists are advised to be aware that they are on the increase, so it is important to be vigilant. There are unscrupulous drivers on the roads causing slam accidents so it's important for drivers to keep their distance from the cars in front.

Insurance fraud costs the industry GBP3 billion a year and the cost has to be met in increased premiums. In fact, it works out at an additional GBP44 on everyone's premium***.

Notes to Editors:

* Based on all UK accident claim figures from the Association of British Insurers.

** Estimates by the Association of British Insurers.

*** The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).

About Admiral:

Admiral, (a trading name of EUI Ltd) launched in 1993, and is part of Admiral Group plc. It was set up to target those motorists who traditionally pay higher than average premiums, including those under-35, living in cities or driving hot hatches. It now offers its unique Admiral MultiCar policy for households with two or more cars.

Admiral is proud to support Samaritans throughout 2011.

Admiral writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being:

Admiral Insurance Company Ltd, Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited and Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) plc.

    
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