Ministers urged to speed up a crackdown on young drivers

Ministers are putting hundreds of lives at risk by delaying a Green Paper on tackling young driver safety - a coalition of insurers, police chiefs and farmers warns today.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, published today, campaigners urge the Government to live up to a promise to launch consultation on measures such as night-time curfews on young motorists, minimum one year learning periods and a zero tolerance on alcohol.

Ministers promised in March to publish proposals by the end of the Spring. Campaigners are worried the Government will not only miss the self-imposed deadline but that they end up watering down the plans.

The ABI, Association of Police Chiefs, road safety charity Brake, and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs have now grouped together with other organisations in the biggest ever collective call for action.

The ABI's Louise Hanson, assistant director for strategy, said: "If this Government doesn't act we will continue to see young lives being wasted."

She added support of the Farmers Clubs and ACPO in the call for action should silence critics who claim a crackdown would not be supported in rural areas - and would be impossible to police.

Nearly, 2,500 people aged 16 to 25 were killed in 2011 or suffered serious injuries on Britain's roads while driving a car or being driven by another young motorist.

In the letter the 8 organisations say:

"Despite each casualty being a needless waste of life and heart-breaking for families, successive governments have failed to take decisive action to stop this tragic loss of young lives.
We welcome this Government's interest in improving driver safety and are calling for it to seize the opportunity.

"We need a genuine and open debate about the combination of changes to the testing and training system that has the best chance of making our roads safer for young people and everyone one."

The ABI last summer called for under 25s to be forced to learn to drive for a minimum of 12 months and for a controversial curfew on night time driving in a bid to tackle accidents by younger motorists.

Other measures included limiting the number of passengers allowed in a car with a new young drivers.

The ABI vowed its members would cut the cost of insurance for young motorists if it's measures were implemented in full.

Insurers claim that younger drivers make up just 12 per cent of licence holders but are involved in a quarter of all road deaths and serious accidents.

Campaigners believe the Government is worried about the effect a crackdown on young motorists would have on mobility, particularly in the countryside.

But a Michelin study revealed by the Daily Telegraph in May showed 17 to 25 year-old drivers were twice as likely to crash on rural roads.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of road safety charity Brake added:

"The longer the Government leaves this the more people will lose their lives, the more people will suffer injuries.
We have been campaigning for years but in the past all we have seen is people talking about tinkering with driving tests. That's not enough, we need to see bold action and as quickly as possible."

End to compensation culture as government announces cracks down on ambulance chasing law firms

- Ambulance chasing law firms facing crackdown by ministers in move that could see insurance premiums drop

- Justice Secretary Chris Grayling wants to 'turn the tide on Britain's compensation culture'

- The fees lawyers can make for processing minor injury claims are to be reduced by more than half

- New limits will be placed on 'no win, no fee' cases

- The cost of car insurance could fall 10-15 per cent as a result of reduced payouts

Insurance premiums are expected to fall as ministers attempt to halt the gravy train for 'ambulance-chasing' lawyers.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling will say today it is time to 'turn the tide on Britain's compensation culture' as he sets out reforms designed to slash rip-off legal fees and prevent insurers, claims firms and garages selling on details of accident victims.

So-called 'referral fees' are being banned, and the fees lawyers can make from processing basic claims for minor injuries suffered in road accidents will be cut by more than half from £1,200 to £500.

The Government is also imposing new limits on what lawyers can earn from controversial 'no win, no fee' cases.

Experts predict a 10 to 15 per cent drop in motoring premiums over the next 12 months as the changes take effect.

The existing system has pushed up legal costs and damages, and is blamed for a boom in whiplash injury claims, making car cover more expensive for all.

Ministers say it has also forced up insurance premiums in other areas, leaving schools, community groups and local authorities fearful of staging events and activities.

Mr Grayling told the Daily Mail: "We are turning the tide on the compensation culture. It's pushing up the cost of insurance, and making it more expensive to drive a car or organise an event. It's time the whole system was re balanced."

Referral fees were legalised in 2004 by the last Labour government, leading to a boom in the claims management industry. The cost of personal injury claims doubled to £14 billion in ten years.

Police, insurance companies, unscrupulous lawyers and breakdown firms have been accused of conspiring to profit from unsuspecting members of the public.

Fees are paid to claims management companies, garages and insurance firms which provide details of accidents to personal injury lawyers in a business estimated to have been worth £3 billion a year.

Claims managers then bombard motorists with texts and phone calls offering to help them to pursue compensation claims for alleged injuries.

The practice of referral fees has also left many hospitals, local councils and businesses with large legal bills.
Personal injury work is worth around £1.8 billion a year for solicitors, while the NHS is paying more than £1 billion a year in damages

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, which has just come into effect, prohibits payment and receipt of referral fees in personal injury cases by solicitors, claims management companies and insurers.

Claims firms are also being banned from offering upfront cash incentives or other gifts to those who bring cases to them.

Mr Grayling said that fees in 'no win, no fee' cases in the civil courts would also be limited. Previously, it has been possible to claim a 'success fee' on top of damages from defendants, often doubling what lawyers earn. Now, defendants will have to pay only the damages and the lawyer's basic fee.

From July, Mr Grayling said, a system used to settle payouts for road accidents quickly and simply without expensive court cases will be extended to also include claims for accidents at work and in public places.
The so-called 'claims portal' will also start handling claims up to the value of £25,000, up from £10,000 now.

The minister also promised action to crack down on the spiraling number of whiplash claims.

The Ministry of Justice has consulted on proposals to set up independent medical panels to improve injury assessment and allow the more questionable claims to be more easily challenged in court by insurers.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: 'The reforms should go some way towards bringing "no win, no fee" type whiplash injury claims under control and will thus reduce the costs of claims.'