Warning after ‘cash for crash’ attempts in Telford

Officers say there have been a number of reports involving different vehicles this week at roundabouts along the A518 between Donnington and Newport.

No actual collisions have been reported to police but a number of motorists say they have been involved in near misses.

PC Lee Thomas from the Newport Safer Neighbourhood Team advised drivers to be cautious, especially at junctions and through the many roadworks around town, and keep a safe distance between themselves and the vehicle in front.

“Cash for crash collisions happen when a driver undertakes a deliberate action, normally braking very hard for no apparent reason, causing another motorist to collide with them.

“Roundabout or wide junctions are common places for these type of incidents where the following driver can clearly see there is no oncoming traffic and so is expecting the car in front to keep moving and not stop suddenly.

“Subsequent damage and injury claims submitted to insurance companies are massively over-inflated in the hope of receiving a substantial payout.

“It can be very difficult to disprove the generally accepted rule that if you crash into the back of someone it’s your fault.

“With individual collisions, it’s often very difficult to work out if the incident is a genuine driver error on the part of one motorist or another and so police and insurance companies have to look for patterns of behaviour to establish if a crime has been committed.”

The number of collisions on UK roads has actually fallen since 2006 but between then and now there has been a 60% rise in the number of road-related personal injury claims despite the fact that cars are better designed and provide far better protection to occupants in the event of a crash.

Over half a million whiplash claims are made in the UK every year and insurance company experts estimate around 60% of these are fraudulent. The latest industry figures suggest ‘crash for cash’ is a £1billion-a-year scam.

PC Thomas added “With the majority of road traffic collisions, where there is no injury disclosed at the time or damage caused to anything other than the vehicles themselves, the police do not need to attend and it’s left to insurance companies to sort out.

“However, if you believe you have been the victim of a cash for crash incident, we advise you to always call 101 and tell the operator your concerns in order that an officer can be sent.

“Be wary if the other driver already has their personal and insurance details written down when they get out of their car and if you can, take photographs of both vehicles in situ, especially any damage caused and the other people involved for future reference.

“Take witness details yourself and ignore anyone who may claim that they saw everything and so you don’t need anyone elses info. The people involved in these scams can often have planted witnesses who later on will suddenly side with the other driver."

PC Thomas also recommended that drivers invest in a dashboard mounted camera or ‘dash cam’.

“Dash cams are now widely available, start at a very low cost and produce some good quality footage which could be invaluable in the case of any claim or investigation, either by your insurance company or the police.”