London, England - This is the moment an insurance fraudster risked motorway carnage in a £75 000 (R1.36 million) whiplash scam.
The driver of the Ford Galaxy swerved across the path of a lorry travelling at 90km/h on the M25 and braked.
The truck driver was forced to slam on his brakes but could not avoid crashing into the back of the car, which then veered into the next lane.
Incredibly, the Galaxy’s driver and passengers filed four whiplash claims - a total of up to £75 000 - insisting the incident was the truck driver’s fault.
But footage captured by the trucker’s onboard camera proved the car had deliberately driven into its path, making the insurance claims fraudulent.
Industry experts estimate about 60 percent of the 550 000 whiplash claims filed each year in the UK are ‘crash for cash’ scams, netting the equivalent of R18 billion a year.
According to the AA, since 2006 there has been a 60 percent rise in personal injury claims while the number of reported accidents on UK roads has fallen by 20 percent over the same period.
Fraudsters running crash scams, which stage car accidents and then file claims for injury and damage, have blighted the insurance industry. Whiplash claims, boosted by no-win, no-fee claims, are adding up to £90 (R1600) to the average UK policy.
But some motorists have been able to reduce their insurance premiums after fitting cameras to their windscreens.
Powered by the car’s cigarette lighter, they record the driver’s view of the road ahead and monitor location, speed, braking and the force of any impact.
Simon Marsh, of SmartWitness, which supplied the camera used by this trucker, said he’d seen a 40 percent surge in sales in the past year, as motorists try to protect themselves against bogus insurance claims.
“This is a real problem, particularly for truckers and fleet managers who could be targeted by these fraudsters every week,” he said. “This video perfectly illustrates the problems. The lorry driver was travelling well within the speed limit when the MPV swerved.
“Drivers can often feel they are on shaky ground when they go into the back of another vehicle, particularly if there are no reliable witness to explain what happened.
“Blame is nearly always attached to the driver who hits the vehicle from the rear. Who knows what would have happened if these cameras hadn’t been there to reveal the truth.”
Daily Mail