Analysis of Low Speed Vehicle Impact Damage

Abstract

Disputes resulting from low-velocity vehicular collisions have increased dramatically in number during the recent decade. According to the California State Insurance Department, staged auto accidents have risen at an average annual rate of 38% since 1986. Hard figures are not available, but most experts say 10% to 15% of all claim dollars paid out on car insurance result from some form of fakery. According to the Insurance Information Institute, that works out to between $5.4 billion and $8.1 billion of the $54 billion in claims paid last year. An Insurance Research Council study shows that in 1989 insurers paid 55.7 injury claims in California for every 100 auto property damage claims, and 57% of those making bodily injury claims were represented by an attorney. Litigators frequently utilize the assistance of the forensic engineering expert to resolve the legal issues involved in these disputes. Available reference materials for the analysis may be minimal, consisting only of c