Fewer Collisions Equals Fewer Claims

The coronavirus that continues to ravage the nation has impacted the economy and every known field has been adversely affected in one way or another. The field of law as well as insurance claims is no different. During the months of March through May, there was a noticeable drastic decrease of road traffic across the country as state-mandated lockdowns kept nonessential businesses locked up and people indoors for the foreseeable future at the time.

This also means that there were fewer car accidents. While this does mean safer roads, it also means fewer personal injury claims, which means some law firms may struggle in the increasingly competitive arena in bidding for case representation.

Statistics on Car Accident Claims
An Auto Claims Snapshot revealed that auto claims in states from coast to coast were down 25% on average in the month of June. This was the truth for every state except South Dakota, which had been ravaged by severe hailstorms, increasing claims by 73%.

By Memorial Day, however, claims began to increase as states reopened their economies. With the ailing economy, people were eager to get back to work and catch up on paying their bills. For the more well-off, annual family vacations and summer travel had also driven up road activity on freeways and major interstates. Even though many states had imposed and continued to maintain some restrictions, it seems that people would still find it preferable to be locked up somewhere else in another city instead of being locked up at home. This is especially considering that all of America had been doing just that already for so long.

States like California, Florida, Texas and Arizona saw sharp increases in claims, but today, those same states are considered our America’s biggest hotspots of the virus and thus California has reinstated phase 1 opening restrictions, shutting people inside once again. While neither the Texas nor Florida state governments have followed suit, citizens have taken matters into their own hands and once again begun staying inside and staying off the road resulting in another downward trend in claims yet again.

The Future of Claims
Insurance companies think this will all change in August as kids start going back to school. As the state government has largely agreed to reinstate in-person schooling, this will definitely put drivers on the road again. The increase of personal injury claims back to “normal” levels will also depend on whether or not citizens are able to return to their normal schedules.

It’s thought that if kids aren’t going to school in-person, it’s more likely that parents won’t be commuting to an office or workplace at rush hour which may keep personal injury claims low for the rest of the year.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, contact a lawyer, like a car accident lawyer Kansas City, MO relies on from Royce Injury Attorneys, today.