18/05/2011
By Shane Gladstone
If you find yourself involved in a rear end-end bump remember you are not alone, according to research.
Figures have shown that 405,000 such collisions occur in the UK every year - suggesting that many people have had to submit a car insurance claim over such an incident.
Insurer Admiral looked at 200,000 of its accident claims made last year and found that 27 per cent were made after a rear-end bump.
This was a 9 per cent increase from 2009 - suggesting that more people are driving into the back of other cars.
Many people involved in such accidents suffer whiplash, which costs insurers £1.9 billion a year and accounts for 75 per cent of all bodily injury claims.
Experts have suggested that the trend for staged accidents - of which 30,000 occur each year - could be behind the rise in rear-end crashes.
Sue Longthorn said: "We have seen a significant rise in rear-end accidents in one year and included within this is the increased number of 'slam on' accidents reported by our customers. These are accidents where a fraudulent motorist will slam on their brakes unexpectedly causing the motorist behind to drive into the back of their vehicle.
"It's very difficult to prove incidents such as these so we would advise all motorists to be aware they are on the increase and be vigilant. There are unscrupulous drivers out there causing slam on accidents so it's important to keep your distance from cars in front."
