Staged Accident Claims Up 46% in the States

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB; I can already see Bruckheimer behind this) reports that "staged accident questionable claims", or QCs, grew a whopping 46% over the years 2007-2009 (probably due to the recession).

As proof that something is awry, BI (Bodily Injury) and PIP (Personal Injury Protection) claims have decreased.

Here's what the report revealed:

"The top five states that generated the most staged accident QCs were: (1) Florida, 3,006; (2) New York, 1,680; (3) California, 1,619; (4) Texas, 792; and (5) Illinois, 433.

The five cities that generated the most staged accident QCs were: (1) New York City, 1,304; (2) Tampa, 562; (3) Miami, 511; (4) Orlando, 422; and (5) Houston, 376."

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Average CO2 Emissions of New Cars in Europe Fall 12% in 6 Years

Average European new car CO2 emissions have fallen by around 12% since 2003, according to a new study from auto consultancy JATO Dynamics. The volume-weighted European new car average is now 145.9 g/km, almost 20 g/km less than 2003, when JATO began collating European CO2 emissions data.

In addition, the study finds that half of all new cars sold in the 21 European countries analyzed by JATO had official CO2 emissions of 140g/km or less, compared to only 23% in 2003.

"The pace of improvement is remarkable and shows just how rapidly the industry has reacted to environmental demands," said David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult.

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