1. Research Publications
  2. Research Publications

Research Publications

Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2004 Edition

This report documents changes in auto accident and injury claim rates for the nation and each state from 1980 through 2003 under separate auto insurance coverages. The study also examines total injury claim costs for the country and each state from 1987 through 2001.

Fraud and Buildup in Auto Injury Insurance Claims, 2004 Edition

The Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates in a new report that fraud and buildup added between $4.3 and $5.8 billion to auto injury settlements in 2002, which represents between 11 and 15 percent of all dollars paid for private passenger auto injury insurance claims in that year. This estimate is somewhat lower than in an IRC study of claims paid in 1992. In the previous study, the IRC found that fraud and buildup added between 17 and 20 percent of total claim dollars paid in 1992.

Analysis of Auto Injury Insurance Claims From Four No-Fault States

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) finds that claimed losses for auto injuries have escalated at vastly different rates across four states with no-fault auto insurance regulations. From 1997 to 2002, the average amounts that personal injury protection claimants reported for expenses stemming from their injuries increased 122 percent in Colorado, 60 percent in New York, 37 percent in Florida, and just 2 percent in Michigan. The study finds escalating medical costs are the key factor behind the growth in losses in Colorado, New York, and Florida. Skyrocketing claim costs contributed to the 2003 Colorado decision to end the state’s no-fault auto insurance system.

Paying for Auto Injuries: A Consumer Panel Survey of Auto Accident Victims, 2004 Edition

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) finds that people injured in an auto accident who hire an attorney are less likely to be satisfied with their total payment than injured people who do not hire an attorney. Almost three-fourths of those without an attorney were satisfied with their total payment, compared to less than half of those who hired an attorney. Among people with the highest accident expenses, who usually incurred the most serious injuries, two-thirds of those who did not hire an attorney were satisfied with their total payment (Figure 1). In contrast, among people with the highest losses who retained an attorney, fewer than four in ten were satisfied. These findings are unchanged from a similar IRC study conducted in 1998.

Auto Injury Insurance Claims: Countrywide Patterns in Treatment, Cost, and Compensation, 2004 Edition

This closed claim study updates IRC’s ongoing research on injuries in auto accidents based on a sample of more than 70,000 auto injury claims paid by major auto insurers countrywide. The report explores auto injury claim patterns under each of the five principal private passenger auto insurance coverages, comparing 2002 data to results from similar studies conducted in 1997, 1992, 1987, and 1977. The study examines trends in injury claim patterns including characteristics of the accidents and those injured, medical treatment, losses and payments, the claim settlement process, and the impact of attorney involvement.

Auto Insurance Claims in California: A Research Perspective on Regional Differences

This report documents variations in claim frequencies, claim severities, and claim loss costs among California regions under the bodily injury liability (BI) and property damage liability (PD) coverages. The report also examines regional differences in the use of medical treatment, losses and payments, and attorney involvement among BI claimants with minor injuries. The data underlying this report are from the California Department of Insurance and IRC’s 2002 closed claim auto injury study.

Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2002 Edition

This closed claim study updates IRC’s ongoing research on injuries in auto accidents based on a sample of more than 70,000 auto injury claims paid by major auto insurers countrywide. The report explores auto injury claim patterns under each of the five principal private passenger auto insurance coverages, comparing 2002 data to results from similar studies conducted in 1997, 1992, 1987, and 1977. The study examines trends in injury claim patterns including characteristics of the accidents and those injured, medical treatment, losses and payments, the claim settlement process, and the impact of attorney involvement

Accuracy of Motor Vehicle Records: An Analysis of Traffic Convictions

This report examines over 50,000 traffic convictions in four states to study the accuracy of MVR. It also contains details about traffic schools and other conviction avoidance methods across the United States that restrict how complete a picture of driving histories MVRs may provide.

Auto Injury Claiming Behavior in No-Fault States: An Analysis of Florida PIP Trends

Motivated by the growth in average loss costs for PIP claims in Florida in recent years, this report examines some of the ways in which claimants in Florida—particularly the Miami area—differ from claimants in no-fault states around the country. In many respects, including the pattern of reported injuries, the high utilization of medical resources, and the extent of attorney involvement, Florida and Miami claimants demonstrate many of the objective factors found to be associated with auto insurance fraud and buildup.

Auto Injury Claiming Behavior in No-Fault States: An Analysis of New York PIP Trends

The soaring loss costs in New York PIP claims have led many observers to seek explanations for the deteriorating performance of the no-fault system in the state. This report details the claiming behavior of claimants in New York and especially the New York City metropolitan area -- showing higher incidence of sprains and strains, higher use of some medical professionals and procedures, and higher rates of attorney involvement. This aggregate behavior suggests that fraud and buildup in auto injury claims may well be a factor in the recent New York experience.