UK Personal Injury Consumer Research Report

Clear Majority of Claims Are Valued at £5,000 or Less But Individual Awareness and Use of OIC is Very Low

The Personal Injury Consumer Research Report 2023 provides an analysis of results from a survey of 600 individuals going through the claims process in the last 18 months. Where possible in the report, the latest survey results are benchmarked against results from previous surveys in 2020, 2019, and 2018.

Selected findings:

• The Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal was introduced as a new free and independent service for people injured in a road traffic accident (RTA) to claim compensation without legal help (In England and Wales). Our latest survey shows that there is still a long way to go before many individuals abandon professional advisers and deal with a claim themselves.
• First, the percentage of individuals taking on a claim themselves has been very low in every year since our survey began in 2018 - fewer than 10% - and this has not changed in 2023. 
• Awareness of the OIC amongst individuals going through the claims process in the last 18 months is also relatively low, and actual use is extremely low, while many of those that have heard of it are likely to have come across it via their professional adviser. 
• Nevertheless, another survey result does show that a majority of individuals would be willing to complete the claims process themselves via an online platform offering some encouragement for increased personal use of the OIC in the future.
• A clear majority of claims in the 2023 survey - 58% - fell into the small claims limit, i.e. compensation received was £5,000 or less. However, the overwhelming majority of these will have been dealt with by professional advisers. Despite many smaller PI law firms and claims management companies (CMCs) leaving the small claims sector in the last two years, the key role played by professional advisers in these smaller claims remains. 
• While individuals have been reluctant to use online claims solutions directly so far, they have embraced digital sources and platforms to find a legal adviser. A mixture of sources has been used to find an adviser but the role of online routes is slowly increasing, especially search engines, direct online content from providers, social media channels, and consumer review sites. 
• Compulsory mediation is being proposed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) as part of attempts to reduce litigation. The incidence of effective mediation in PI claims has increased marginally in 2023, compared to the previous survey, but it is still only used in a minority of claims - 25%.
• Almost half of those responding say that they would be willing to undergo an online medical examination but there is still almost 4 out of 10 that would want to see a medical professional in person for an examination. Only just over a third would be comfortable undergoing an online rehabilitation programme