New stats reveal that the majority of whiplash claims from December 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, were from represented people.

Concerns have been raised that some injured people are not using the whiplash portal because they are unsure about how to make a claim, reluctant to make a claim without representation or are unable to pursue a claim through the Official Injury Claim (OIC).

OIC has shared its third set of user data and it showed that of the 95,266 claims made in the period, 91 per cent came from people with representation, with around three quarters using a law firm.

Liability decisions were made in approximately 62,000 claims, with almost 12,000 claims exiting the portal.

The figures, which come 10 months after the portal launch, indicate long-term trends and show concerning features of the new system.

The Ministry of Justice created the OIC on the basis that more claimants would be able to represent themselves. Pre-portal estimates suggested the proportion of litigants in person might be as high as 30 per cent, but just 9 per cent of claims have come from this group.