Research Publications

This closed claim study updates the IRC’s ongoing research on injuries in auto accidents based on a sample of more than 42,000 auto injury claims paid by major auto insurers countrywide. The report explores auto injury claim patterns under each of the five principal private passenger coverages, comparing 2007 data to results from similar studies conducted in 2002 and earlier. The study examines trends in injury claim patterns, including characteristics of the accidents and those injured, medical treatment, losses and payments, the claim settlement process, and the impact of attorney involvement.

This IRC report investigates the utilization and cost of alternative medical treatment in BI and PIP auto insurance claims. The report also documents the wide variation in the utilization of alternative treatment in different states.

This IRC study examines regional differences in New York’s auto injury claims using data from 2002 and prior years. The study shows several aspects of claiming behavior in which New York City area claimants were different from upstate claimants, including frequencies of the presence of fraud and buildup indicators.

Auto injury claimants from four states seek different types of medical treatment, even though they report similar injuries. A new study of insurance claims by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) examined auto injury claiming behavior in California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. Comparing auto injury claims from these four tort states, IRC finds that California claimants go to chiropractors most often, Illinois claimants are most likely to see an emergency room physician, and Washington claimants are most likely to go to general practitioners, as well as alternative medical providers, such as massage therapists. From 1997 to 2002, per-claimant medical expenses increased the most in Texas, compared with the other three states.