It has been reported, that in the UK, a staggering 1,200 people will make a claim for whiplash injury every single day – and this figure has increased over the last 5 years by 25%. The number of whiplash injury claims on car insurance totaled 430,000 in 2007 and this cost the insurance industry an outrageous sum of £1.9 billion in policy settlements - this fact really does take some believing.



Obviously, the insurers have to find the funds to pay for these settlements and sadly it is other car insurance customers in the UK who have to pay. It is estimated that each individual policy is pushed up by around £66, according to the AA insurance. This figure equates to more than double the cost of claims for accidents with uninsured drivers which I think we would all expect to be the biggest cause of premium increases.

It is, therefore, very likely that in the future whiplash claims will be a major influence on premium increases across the board and already in the last year there has been an average rise of 8.7% on quotations from various insurers. The question is, is it possible for drivers to safeguard themselves and prevent putting any more strain on premiums and ultimately their pockets?

Firstly, it is recommended that any incidents are, if possible, avoided altogether. It would be ridiculous to say that anyone would not try to avoid doing so, but risk can always be reduced by regular vehicle maintenance and adhering to road rules at all times and, of course, you can never guard against or prepare for another person's actions. It is obvious advice to stick to the required speed limits and be sensible about stopping distances between your car and the car that is in front of you – normally this is two seconds but, should be adjusted according to road conditions.

You can avoid whiplash, in the event of an accident, by making sure that your head restraint is in the correct position in whatever vehicle you may be driving. The top of the head restraint should not be below eye level at any time and should be level with the top of the driver's head.

These recommendations might seem very obvious and common-sense but they still have to be said and it is surprising how many people do not regularly maintain vehicles, adhere to the rules and regulations of the roads or, know how a head restraint should be properly adjusted to prevent whiplash.

It is however, probably safe to say, that most people do not realise just how many claims are made for whiplash each year and, what a profound effect it has on every single car insurance policy holder's premium. Without doubt, if they did there would more than likely be more vigilance when we get behind the wheel of a car.