Injuries Board awards €157m for motor accidents in 2012

Friday is the most dangerous day of the week for road accidents that result in personal injury claims and November has the highest award frequency, according to an analysis of 2012 motor liability awards released by the Irish Injuries Board.

The Injuries Board delivered compensation of €157.2m for motor liability awards in 2012 which represents a 2.2% increase on the €153.7m awarded in 2011. The volume of awards for motor accidents last year increased by 1.3% to 7,622, compared to 7,521 the previous year.

Motor liability awards account for three in four of all personal injury awards processed by the Injuries Board.

As always the most prevalent injuries sustained in the vast majority of motor claims include soft tissue injuries (neck and back), and orthopaedic related injuries (fractures etc).

Other key statistics from the Injuries Board analysis of motor liability awards in 2012 include:

• Over half (51%) of awards were for accidents involving female claimants, while men accounted for 49%. Year-on-year, there has been an almost 1% reduction in the number of women claiming for motor accidents.
• The average award for a motor accident was €20,631 (2011: €20,438). The average award for women was slightly higher at €21,103, while men received an average award of €20,133.
• As has been the case historically, the majority of personal injury awards are motor related with almost seven in ten (68.4%) coming in under €20,000. More serious/complex cases are typically far less prevalent. The highest award made in 2012 in respect of a motor claim was just under €700,000.
• Road users over the age of 55 proved the safest on Irish roads with only 4% of awards made for road accidents in respect of over 65’s and 7.5% of awards in respect of the 55-64 age group. The 25-34 age group accounted for over one in four (26.8%) awards while 35-44 year-olds represented a further one in five (20.7%).

Contact our Injury Solicitors in Scotland

For specialist personal injury claims advice in Scotland, including advice on road traffic accident claims, contact us today: click here to make an online enquiry or call us on 0800 027 1480.