Motor

Successive governments, working with the insurance industry, have strived to make the claims process fairer and more efficient for all – for claimants, defendants and motor insurance customers. Whilst reforms to Civil Justice and the fixed costs regime have gone some way towards achieving this aim, there is still work to be done.

As a leading supplier of legal services to the defendant motor insurance market, we have over 400 specialist lawyers handling over 30,000 motor claims each year. We act for over 35 insurers and are, by far, the largest professional services provider in this sector throughout the UK and Ireland.

Shaping the law: consultation responses

Our legal specialists continually monitor developments affecting the motor insurance claims landscape. We not only track developments, but actively participate in consultations to help shape and influence the law.

Most recently, this has included the Law Commissions’ consultations on Automated Vehicles (AV) seeking views on a new regulatory framework for AVs, as well as the Department for Transport’s call for evidence on Automated Lane Keeping Systems. Prior to this most recent work, BLM’s consultation response on a proposed change to the law regulating ‘advanced driver assistance systems and automated vehicle technologies’ was expressly cited with approval in the Government’s response:

[3.9] We have changed our proposal in response to feedback that identified issues relating to the co-existence of product liability with the compulsory motor insurance framework... BLM, who represent a number of insurers, noted specifically that: ‘Current product liability law and insurance practice have inherent restrictions which would not easily enable the underlying policy objectives in respect of motor accidents to be met.’

Please contact us to discuss any aspect of our ongoing work on AVs, or to consider our responses to these consultations.

A partner to the industry

In addition to being the legal partner for motor insurers in the UK and Ireland, we have been engaged as a strategic partner by the Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) Automated Driving Insurance Group, since its inception in late 2015. We also have a longstanding relationship with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) which represents the interests of authorised motor insurers.

We have, for decades, written Bingham and Berrymans’ Personal Injury and Motor Claims Cases, an industry-wide recognised source and standard reference work in the field of motor and personal injury litigation. The Supplement to the 15th edition was published on 26 October 2020.

Our full package of motor legal advice and support covers cross border road transport, credit hire, regulatory advice, policy coverage, counter-fraud investigations, recovery of insured and uninsured losses and the defence of motor prosecutions. We also use the latest MI and business intelligence technology to provide analysis and identify new market trends. Foresight – BLM’s liability tool – deploys explainable Artificial Intelligence into the decision making process by recommending a particular course of action based on defined parameters. Through early decision making, insurers’ indemnity spend and cycle times are controlled and reduced, respectively.

Keep up to date

You can keep up to date with the latest developments and updates from the team by joining our mailing list here. In addition to our Automated Vehicles hub, we also produce regular content on our e-scooters hub. How, if at all, to permit and effectively regulate the use of e-scooters in public has taken on particular significance since the COVID-19 pandemic. On 1 July 2020, the Government set out the changes in the law required for escooter trials, via the Electric Scooter Trials and Traffic Signs (Coronavirus) Regulations and General Directions 2020. Their road use is currently limited to authorised hire schemes only, and it appears the insurance arrangements require fleet-level motor insurance, rather than cover by way of individual policies. Privately bought and owned e-scooters currently remain illegal for road use.

On demand training content covering the whiplash reforms is now available to view on BLM Player, where you can register for an account.