Car Insurers Fightback With The Whiplash Test

The car insurance industry is attempting to stem the rise of whiplash complaints by launching a machine which has been nicknamed the 'whiplash lie detector test'.

For years car insurers have witnessed an increase in whiplash claims from drivers and passengers represented by 'no win, no fee' lawyers after their cars have been involved in road traffic accidents.

Now insurers believe that they have made a break through in veryfing who is telling the truth thanks to the WITkit, otherwise known as the Whiplash Injury Tool kit.

Tests have been taking place of the WITkit at the Thatcham Automotive Test Centre in Berkshire and the chief executive Peter Shaw is enthusiastic about the results.

Mr Shaw said: 'Early indications are very positive, the feedback we've had is that it can accelerate the claims process.'

The test works by measuring the details of the incident which are fed to the machine. Information such as the crash speed, the speed of the cars as well as the type and weight of the cars involved are used by the WITkit to work out how badly the injured party has been hit by whiplash.

However, the WITkit is not an exact science due to doctors being unable to ascertain for definite as to how seriously injured a driver has been.

Richard Cuerden, the technical director for vehicle safety at the Transport Research Laboratory said: 'You're unlikely to see any evidence because, if it's there, it's all in the soft tissue.

'It'll be able to say that, for these five per cent, pay out straight away. And for those five per cent, don't. But for the 90 per cent in the middle, we just don't know,' he added.