MASS in the Media
September 2023
Legal Futures, 21st September 2023
Government policy to blame for OIC shortcomings, say claimant lawyers
August 2023
Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 61
Good Corporate Governance
July 2023
Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 60
Transparency with E-Scooter Regulations
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau believe that accidents with cars and uninsured e-scooters add 3% or 4% to the cost of motor insurance premiums. MASS Chair, Sue Brown, highlights an urgent need for this estimate to be published. “We deserve full transparency and disclosure of these figures so motorists can see what they’re paying for.”
June 2023
Insurance Post, 14th June
Motor accident solicitors back calls for compulsory e-bikes and e-scooters insurance
Sue Brown, Motor Accident Solicitors Society chair, told Insurance Post: “Stricter regulation of e-scooters and other light mobility vehicles is long overdue. The government urgently need to get on with the necessary new regulations to protect the victims of accidents.
May 2023
Insurance Post, 17th May
Trade Voice: Mass’s Sue Brown on what’s holding back the digitisation of claims
Sue Brown, chair of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society, outlines what needs to change in order to make dreams of a digitised civil justice system a reality.
The (London) Evening Standard, 4th May
Lives lost while we wait for new e-scooter rules
There have been six deaths in the capital linked to e-scooters since 2021, including a 14-year-old girl.
The Motor Accident Solicitors Society called for a “robust regulatory regime” for rental and privately-owned e-scooters.
“We support the Government’s plans to create a new low-speed zero-emission vehicle category which could provide the opportunity to address many of the issues around the use of e-scooters,” it told the Commons transport committee’s inquiry into e-scooters.
“But we are concerned that the continued delay in bringing forward these regulations is causing unnecessary injuries and loss of life.”
April 2023
Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 59
Stability in the Personal Injury Sector
MASS Chair, Sue Brown – “After years of dramatic change, the personal injury sector needs a period of stability. The changes that have been implemented need to settle before further new procedures are dropped onto the system.” Read more
February 2023
Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 58
A Ruling on Mixed Injury Personal Injury Damages
MASS Chair, Sue Brown, considers the guidance given by the Court of Appeal helpful to professionals but, for unrepresented claimants, the whole exercise may prove slightly bewildering.
Insurance Post, 14 February 2023
Trade Voice: Mass’s Sue Brown on why the OIC portal has been a resounding failure
Sue Brown, chair of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society, argues that the criteria by which the success of the Official Injury Claims portal has been judged have continually shifted and takes aim at what she sees as the MoJ’s latest excuse.
January 2023
Law Society Gazette, 21 January 2023
Mixed claims: Insurers fume while PI lawyers toast ‘major victory’
Claims Media, 20 January 2023
Court of Appeal issues ruling in mixed injury test cases
December 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 57
The Court of Appeal rule on Belsner v CAM Legal Services Limited
MASS Chair, Sue Brown, reflects on the recent judgment.
November 2022
Claims Media, 16 November 2022
APIL and MASS intervene in whiplash ‘mixed injuries’ test cases
Legal Futures, 11th November
Court of Appeal expedites hearing of whiplash mixed claim test cases
The Court of Appeal is to hear the expedited appeals in the first two cases on mixed injury claims – those involving both whiplash and non-whiplash injuries. Both APIL and MASS have been given permission to intervene in the test cases.
MASS Chair, Sue Brown, comments:
“Our concern, and that of the wider stakeholder group, has always been that the Court of Appeal is given the opportunity to consider the full range of scenarios that will affect those making a claim for whiplash and non-whiplash injuries.
Our intervention will provide the court with the opportunity to consider these wider points and give injured people the certainty they deserve.”
Solicitors Journal, 11 November 2022
APIL and MASS to intervene in Court of Appeal whiplash ‘mixed injuries’ test cases
Insurance Post, 11th November
Court allows legal bodies to intervene in whiplash test cases
Press Release, 10th November
Whiplash ‘mixed injuries’ urgent intervention at the Court of Appeal
October 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 56
The tariff of damages must be reviewed
MASS Chair, Sue Brown – now we have plenty of hard data on the impact of the reforms, it’s not about denial of the legislation’s policy objectives, but about a better balancing of the system to preserve access to justice. The tariff of damages should be reviewed without further delay.
Legal Futures, 7th October
OIC: Under-settlement fears as system problems grow backlog
September 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 55
E-Scooter Regulations – When we can expect to see change?
MASS Chair, Sue Brown considers that, given the proliferation of privately owned e-scooters and the practical difficulties already encountered around enforcement of their use in public places, the regulatory regime for privately-owned e-scooters urgently needs to be clarified.
August 2022
Insurance Post
Trade Voice: MASS chair Sue Brown on the need for e-scooter regulation before injuries and deaths rise even higher, 25th August
July 2022
The MIB published the latest quarter of data (1 April – 30th June) on 11th July, which prompted MASS to make the following comment:
“The trends of the new claims process are now firmly established – and we have a number of concerns around the ability of accident victims to get the support they need to pursue a claim. We have voiced these concerns to Ministers, officials and other political stakeholders.”
This quote featured in an article in Insurance Post, 13th July
Concerns grow for unrepresented claimants as trends appear in OIC figures
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 54
The Efficacy of the OIC
Having now passed the first anniversary of the launch of the Official Injury Claims Portal, Sue Brown, MASS Chair, says it’s appropriate to review the state of the new claims process.
May 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 53
Highway (Code) to Hell?
MASS Chair, Sue Brown, comments on the host of rule changes and clarifications that came into force at the end of January.
April 2022
The MoJ published the third quarter data from the Official Injury Claim service which prompted a flurry of press coverage along with our own press release:
Press Release 11th April
OIC 3rd Quarter Data Published
Responding to publication of the latest set of claims data from the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal, Sue Brown, MASS Chair, comments.
Insurance Times
Latest OIC portal data shows claims being made through the system are still ‘very low’, 11th April
Insurance Post
Fears OIC portal is not meeting objectives as unrepresented claimants make up less than 10% of users, 11 April
Legal Futures
Latest OIC portal data shows lengthening settlement times, 12 April
Law Society Gazette
Whiplash portal ‘needs saving’ with claim numbers still low, 12 April
March 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 52
Fixing the system
Legal Futures
Continued whiplash portal problems “a real cause for concern”, 22nd March
MASS Chair, Sue Brown, identifies operational and structural issues with the OIC Portal that are concerning.
January 2022
Modern Insurance Magazine, Issue 51
Early Trends Require Scrutiny
Following publication of OIC data covering June to August of operation, MASS Chair, Sue Brown, acknowledges that, whilst we cannot draw any final conclusions from this first set of data, there are some early trends that will require close scrutiny as the system develops and new data is published.