RTA small claims portal website goes live

The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) has unveiled the online portal for small injury personal injury claims ahead of the service’s launch on 6 April 2020.

Official Injury Claim was established to deliver the Civil Liability Act, which received royal ascent on 20 December 2018 and related to RTA whiplash claims and the personal injury discount rate.

The reforms were brought in to address the rising number of whiplash claims and consequent cost to consumers via inflated insurance premiums.

The service relates to road traffic accident related personal injury claims under £5,000 and claimant representative and compensator organisations can register ahead of the 6 April launch.

Once registered, organisations will be able to set up their organisation, create accounts for web users and facilitate testing of their integration to the service.

Claimants injured in an accident on or after the launch date are then able to choose to claim through this service direct, without the need for legal assistance.

MIB chief executive Dominic Clayden said: “By opening up the registration window [yesterday] we are able to give organisations the chance to choose a registration time that best suits them in the coming weeks. There is still much to do ahead of launch but from an MIB perspective, work on the build has gone well and overall delivery is in good shape.”

The launch follows the first testing phase that took place in November to inform the development of the service. The second phase of testing is currently underway and results are tabled to be published in the “coming weeks”, according to the MIB.

“The website you can see today will be updated at launch to put consumers centre stage – and support and guide them simply and quickly through the new process”, Clayden added.