'Cash for crash' attempts in Telford spark police warning
A series of "cash for crash" attempts have been reported to police along a busy road in Telford.
Officers have warned motorists to be vigilant after a spike in reports along the A518 between Donnington and Newport.
No actual collisions have been reported to police but a number of motorists say they have been involved in near misses.
Constable Lee Thomas, of West Mercia Police, urged drivers to be cautious and keep a safe distance between themselves and the vehicle in front.
He said: "Cash for crash collisions happen when a driver undertakes a deliberate action, normally braking very hard for no apparent reason, causing another motorist to collide with them.
"Roundabouts or wide junctions are common places for these type of incidents where the following driver can clearly see there is no oncoming traffic and so is expecting the car in front to keep moving and not stop suddenly.
"Subsequent damage and injury claims submitted to insurance companies are massively over-inflated in the hope of receiving a substantial payout.
"It can be very difficult to disprove the generally accepted rule that if you crash into the back of someone it's your fault."
More than half a million whiplash claims are made in the UK every year and insurance company experts estimate around 60 per cent of these are fraudulent.
The latest industry figures suggest "crash for cash" is a £1 billion-a-year scam.
Constable Thomas added: "With the majority of road traffic collisions, where there is no injury disclosed at the time or damage caused to anything other than the vehicles themselves, the police do not need to attend and it's left to insurance companies to sort out.
"However, if you believe you have been the victim of a cash for crash incident, we advise you to always call 101 and tell the operator your concerns in order that an officer can be sent."
He urged drivers to be wary of motorists with personal and insurance details already written down when they get out of their car.
