Injury Claims Cause Car Insurance Premiums to Soar

Injury Claims Cause Car Insurance Premiums to Soar

Statistics from the Department of Transport have provided welcome news to motorists with road casualties down by eight per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

Yet despite this, the AA British Insurance Premium Index reports that there has been a 3.5 per cent rise in the average cost of a comprehensive car insurance premium during the April-June 2009 quarter. This is the fastest rate rise for nearly a decade.

Why premiums are rising

Despite the encouraging figures and the falling accident rates on the UK’s roads, the number of personal injury claims received by insurers has continued to soar.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) there has been a steady, and often unnecessary, increase in the number of claims, which topped £9.6billion last year – up from £8.8billion in 2006. Its statistics show that there were 1,200 whiplash claims per day last year – costing £1.9billion in personal injury payouts.

It seems that drivers are more inclined to make personal injury claims primarily due to the ongoing recession. With fuel prices rising, and more people out of work, traffic volumes actually fell by two per cent last year. Yet those that are involved in accidents are more likely to make a claim even for relatively minor injuries such as whiplash that could be cleared within a few days.

How to stop your premiums soaring

Ironically it is unnecessary claims that could have a direct impact on a motorist’s car insurance premiums. Most insurers offer no-claims discounts which get higher the longer you go without making a claim – so making an unnecessary claim could wipe out this discount.

Safe drivers are rewarded by insurers – most offer cheaper premiums to those who stay accident and conviction free. Further savings can be made by enhancing the security of your vehicle; driving a car with a smaller engine; agreeing to a mileage limit; and increasing your voluntary excess.

Motorists are also advised to shop around for cheap car insurance every year rather than accepting a renewal quote from an existing provider. Most car insurance companies hike their prices every year while offering discounts to new customers – so it makes sense to capitalise on these deals.

Teacher claims she was suspended from job because she’s transgender

Laura Jane Klug has worked as a substitute teacher in the Lumberton Independent School District in Texas, but was recently suspended from her job after parents started to complain. Why the complaints? It doesn’t appear that it had anything to do with Klug’s capabilities as a teacher, but rather becauseshe’s transgender, as KBMT 12 News reports.

(KBMT)

KBMT spoke with Ms. Klug. She says that the district’s superintendent, John Valastro, suspended her and that whether she would continue working within the school system would be a matter decided by the school board. Klug says she has substituted before without issue and doesn’t know what instigated her suspension. She told KBMT, “I have always conducted myself in a professional manner and would never discuss my gender identity in school.”

(KBMT)

The complaints are coming from parents like Roger Beard. Beard spoke with KBTV Fox 4 News and said that he wasn’t comfortable discussing transgender people with his child. He told the station, “Within an hour of them being exposed, or dealing with this, there’s a few issues here, that I think is too young, these kids are too young for this issue.” He also told KBMT, “There’s some things we can accept in society, that children are not going to accept the same way that we do.” Neither station mentioned whether Beard felt like he was hindering his child’s ability to “accept” a transgender person by demanding one’s removal from their position.

(KBTV)

Other people in the Lumberton area are displeased that Klug has had to deal with any of this. Donna Jackson told KBMT, “I think it’s awful. My heart goes out to this woman and I’m really sad that things like that still go on.” Jammie Marcantel, the mother of a 5th grader echoed Jackson’s sentiments in her interview with KBTV, saying, “My son knows who he is and I don’t think any outside influence is going to change that. I’m more concerned about straight predatory teachers rather than I am of somebody who lives an alternative private lifestyle.”

(KBMT)

As for Klug’s fate, the Lumberton ISD school board will make a decision whether to fire her, but believes there will be plenty of conversation over the matter at an open forum on Thursday’s school board meeting.

More info: KBMT, KBTV

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