Whiplash claims lie detector to be launched soon
A new whiplash lie detector is in development to stamp out those shady whiplash claims for good.
The UK has seen tons of examples of fraudsters pretending a crippling neck injury following an accident.
But a new Whiplash Injury Toolkit (Witkit), being developed by car security research centre Thatcham and six insurers, will be able to help the authorities to detect the authenticity of an injury.
The software uses an info database on every car. Details of the accident – such as the claimant’s gender, weight and height, number of passengers in the car during the accident and whether luggage was present during the accident– are entered and the system then indicates if there is a possibility of a neck injury.
As well as speeding up the handling of legitimate whiplash claims, the new software would help to identify false ones, too.
This seems to be the top priority for cover providers, as figures show that 1,200 whiplash claims are made on a daily basis. As it’s very difficult to prove whether someone is in genuine pain, insurers usually chose to pay out the compensation than go to court.
A similar system used in Germany has already reduced payouts by a massive 30% – so UK insurers also expect to see premiums reduced too.
One of the companies working on the kit said that is currently "in the last stages of testing. The programme is accurate and customisable. It’s the first time a bit of science has been used in this area."
Updated on 10/19/2009