Industry puts the brakes on motor insurance fraud

‘Crash for cash’ fraudsters have conducted a demolition derby on UK roads in recent years, creating a menace for innocent drivers who they cause to ram into the back of their vehicle so as to make claims on the victim’s policy. But insurers are fighting back. Stephen Dalton, head of intelligence at the Insurance Fraud Bureau, tells Esther Martin the latest developments.

What use are all those stiff upper lips when the British apparently suffer from such weak necks? The UK has been dubbed the “whiplash capital of Europe” because of the 1,500 such injury claims filed every day – and must stump up an extra £50 on motorists’ average annual insurance bill to pay for them.