A large number of people are injured in traffic accidents. Finance Norway keeps statistics on how many people receive compensation from insurance companies. The statistics show that approximately 5,000 people receive compensation after traffic accidents each year.

Anyone injured by a vehicle in traffic shall receive full compensation from the insurance company responsible for the damage.

Many injuries but fewer fatalities

Around 600 people are seriously injured in traffic accidents every year, while approximately 100 are killed. Fortunately, the number of fatalities is falling rapidly. Median barriers and the expansion of motorways are helping greatly.

Statistics show that men are more prone to traffic accidents than women. More than 400 of those who are seriously injured each year are men, and it is young men in the 25–44 age group who are most severely affected by traffic accidents.

Statistics show: Still a large number of whiplash injuries

Whiplash injuries account for a large proportion of compensation payments. By whiplash injuries, I am primarily referring to so-called soft tissue injuries where no objective findings can be detected on an X-ray.

The report Whiplash Injury Diagnosis and Evaluation, prepared by Sintef Unimed on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, states that there are approximately 2,000 new cases annually in Norway of soft tissue injuries to the neck (WAD grades I and II) caused by car accidents:

Despite some other findings (9.67), the incidence of whiplash injuries in collisions between two vehicles appears to be fairly similar in Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and Canada: 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year in rear-end collisions and approximately 50/100,000 per year regardless of how the collision occurred.This means around 2,000 new cases per year in Norway of soft tissue injuries to the neck (WAD grade I and II) caused by car accidents.

Whiplash injuries that result in compensation account for around 25% of the number of payments. No other injuries or diagnoses result in as many compensation settlements.

Proper compensation

The injured party shall be compensated in full for their loss. The goal of a compensation settlement is always full compensation. 

Most compensation settlements involve relatively small amounts, where payment from the insurance company goes smoothly. Problems tend to arise in cases where the damage is long-term and the amounts involved are large.

For many, insurance companies are adversaries who are unwilling to cover the full extent of the loss. It is therefore important that you, as the injured party, have the assistance of lawyers with experience in compensation settlements.

The author of the article, lawyer Einar I. Lohne, is a partner at the law firm Langseth. Lohne is admitted to the Supreme Court and has handled several hundred compensation cases for injured parties in courts throughout the country. He regularly gives lectures to lawyers and injured parties, and in 2020 published the book Erstatningsoppgjør (Compensation Settlements) with Gyldendal publishing house. Lohne is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association's legal committee for compensation.