Manchester may have a couple of half decent football clubs. Blackpool may be famous as a place of illumination. Chester may have streets that get cleaned occasionally. Oldham may have something or other that doesn’t immediately spring to mind. But Liverpool (European Capital of Culture 2008, International Capital of Pop 1963, World City of Polyester 1982, etc etc) has set itself apart yet again by clinching the prestigious UK Capital of Third Party Personal Injury Claims for a record umpteenth year running.
That’s right: according to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries just 45% of Street Traffic Incidents (STI) occurring in the former port city do not result in a personal injury claim. Liverpool’s 55% STI to claim conversion rate compares extremely favourably with a national average of just 30%, while some parts of Scotland and South Western England have rates as low as 10%. Pitiful, really.
Liverpool, famous as the city that invented popular pop combo the Beatles, and as the setting for hit TV shows including Brookside, Grunge Hill and Live Birds, is once again leading the way forward as the STIs to claims ratio has risen nationally by an impressive 1.5% following a regrettable slump in 2013 following the imposition of the so-called LASBO reforms.
To the Culture Capital’s credit, it should be noted, the Institute stress, that Liverpool’s STI claims ratio proved exceptional resilient during the lean year of LASBO, barely dipping below its pre-reform level, while many other areas saw a dramatic downturn.
Institutional spokesman Dave Brown said this week he expected insurers would want to increase premiums across the board so that the vast minority of decent honest motorists in high PI postcodes could suffer from the actions of an irresponsible majority.
The pressure to increase premiums, Dave predicted, would be highest in those areas of the country with the strongest STI-PI ratios. “Here,” he confirmed confidentially “I fear that Liverpool is front of the queue.”
That’s right, Mr Brown, you be afraid! Be very afraid. Because Liverpool’s flying the flag for neck pain sufferers everywhere. Nothing to apologise for there.
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