Research Publications

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.

Public Attitude Monitor 1993

This survey explores consumer expectations from auto insurers, and investigates when and why people hire lawyers for auto claims. The survey also examines attitudes regarding insurance fraud, affordability of auto insurance, insurance company access to motor vehicle records, employee perceptions of safety in the workplace, managed health care in auto insurance and workers' compensation, and responsibility for adequate homeowner's insurance.

Public Attitude Monitor 1992

This survey explores public attitudes on insurance fraud in workers' compensation and disability claims, affordability of auto insurance, effects of attorney advertising, traffic safety issues, earthquake risk, and other insurance topics.

Fighting Fraud in the Insurance Industry

Estimated Cost of Compliance with 1991 Building Code Seismic Requirements

This report prepared by the National Association of Home Builders for IRC shows that builders can construct homes providing for life safety in earthquakes at an added cost of less than 1% of the purchase price of a new home.

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.

Small Business Attitude Monitor 1991

Surveys of small businesses released in 1991 and 1989 explore attitudes and beliefs about insurance-related topics as they apply to U.S. businesses having between 2 and 49 employees. Topics covered include insurance coverages held, shopping patterns, availability/cost of business insurance, and claim satisfaction. The more recent study also reports on perceptions about the relative costs of business insurance and attitudes and beliefs about fraudulent insurance claiming behaviors.

A Comparative Study of Liability Law and Compensation Schemes in Ten Countries and the United States, Werner Pfennigstorf with Donald G. Gifford

This book compares principles and applications of liability law in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Foreign perspectives are provided by Werner Pfennigstorf, who served as research attorney and project director of the American Bar Foundation 1973-86 and now is in private law practice in the Federal Republic of Germany. American perspectives are provided by Donald G. Gifford, Dean of the College of Law, West Virginia University.

Public Attitude Monitor 1991

This survey examines insurance fraud issues including: the acceptability of various activities in which some facts are misrepresented when filling out an auto insurance application or filing a claim, penalties by insurers and courts for various acts, ideas to reduce the number of dishonest claims, claim padding, and fraud in circumstances other than insurance. The survey also addresses public understanding of the workers' compensation system and the likelihood of hiring a lawyer in connection with a workers' compensation claim, acceptability of speeding and effectiveness of driver improvement courses, consumer confidence in the financial stability of a variety of industries, and views on the cost of auto insurance.