Research Publications | Insurance Research Council

Auto Injuries: Claiming Behavior and Its Impact of Insurance Costs

This book reports results of a countrywide survey of nearly 62,000 auto injury claims paid by 61 major auto insurers in 1992. It discusses characteristics of the accidents and of those injured, trends in losses incurred and payments received, incidence of attorney involvement and its effect on claim costs, and variations by city and state in these and other factors. Comparisons are made between the 1992 data and similar studies conducted in 1987 and 1977. Also available: 1987 closed claim and consumer panel study, Compensation for Automobile Injuries in the United States, March 1989, 187 pages; and 1977 closed claim study, Automobile Injuries and Their Compensation in the United States, March 1979, 254 pages plus 409 pages of tables in Vol. II.

Paying for Auto Injuries

This study examines the auto injury reimbursement process from the claimant's perspective, providing information on 5,503 recent auto injury victims. This consumer panel survey, a comprehensive update of similar IRC studies conducted in 1977 and 1986, reveals current patterns in the economic cost of injuries, types of medical providers used, different sources of reimbursement, and attorney involvement in injury claims. The study also reports on consumer satisfaction with settlement amounts as it relates to the other variations in claim circumstances.

Catastrophic Auto Injuries

This survey of auto injury claims with unlimited no-fault medical benefits in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania provides detailed claimant, accident, injury and payment data for 1,061 claims with expected total payments of $100,000 or more. In addition, the report documents changes in the reported expected value of these claims over time, and differences in claim characteristics from earlier samples of catastrophic PIP claims and a broader sample of PIP claims with all types of injuries.

Automobile Injury Claims in Hawaii

This closed claim study examines characteristics of 712 auto injury claims closed in 1990, documenting Hawaii's high attorney involvement and the use of lengthy medical treatments for neck and back sprains to defeat the state's $7,000 no-fault threshold.

Adequacy of Motor Vehicle Records in Evaluating Driver Performance

A survey of 27,627 reportable auto crashes in 40 states found only 40% of them were recorded on reports obtained from state motor vehicle departments, indicating millions of records cannot be obtained by employers and auto insurers to identify high-risk drivers. Results for each state and 26 major cities are reported.

Trends in Auto Bodily Injury Claims

Auto Insurance Reform: Public Views of Ideas for Reducing Costs and Speeding Settlement of Auto Insurance Claims

A countrywide survey conducted by The Gallup Organization, Inc. explores public acceptance of key auto insurance reform ideas being discussed by legislators and other public policy decision-makers. The survey found substantial public support for limiting lawsuits in minor injury cases.

Claimant Satisfaction in Auto Accident Cases

This countrywide survey of more than 2,800 households focuses on their recent experiences with auto accidents. It explores satisfaction with the overall handling and settlement of claims as well as particular aspects of the claims process.

Catastrophic No-Fault Auto Injury Claims

Over 5,000 no-fault (PIP) claims with expected payments of $100,000 or more were identified in a survey of 22 auto insurers in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The study also continues to track claimant condition, mortality and payment amounts for 420 such claims first identified in a 1977 survey, Compensation for Automobile Injuries in the United States. Additional follow-up surveys were conducted on the 420 claims in 1980 and 1982.