CarBuyersNoteBook

When vehicles get into accidents you can be assured that insurance claims can be processed faster depending on how safe the vehicle is. Now how is that done? Well technically, it all depends on the safety features that a car has.

A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) details the steady incorporation of front and side airbag systems in motor vehicles and documents the beneficial impact of this trend on auto injury insurance claim costs. The study examined the type of passenger restraint system found in insured vehicles in a sample of 2007 closed auto injury insurance claims and looked at differences in the extent of injuries and subsequent claim payments.

“Motor vehicles are becoming safer, and these improvements are having a noticeable impact on the seriousness of injuries and the ultimate cost of auto injury claims. These favorable trends have helped offset some of the pressure caused by the accelerating cost of medical treatment for auto injuries,” said Elizabeth Sprinkel, Senior Vice President of the IRC.

The report, Vehicle Characteristics and Auto Injury Claims, is based on more than 14,000 first-party auto injury insurance claims with valid vehicle identification numbers (VINs). VIN analysis was provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Twenty-two insurers, representing 57 percent of the private passenger auto insurance market in the United States in 2006, participated in the study.

(Source) Press