I AM glad that lawyer Jack Pappas has volunteered to break my arm and watch “”bear the pain and suffering like a man”, because it gives me a chance to revisit the third-party motor insurance debate.
For a change, I was basically supportive of the Law Society’s position that it would be a mistake to replace common-law damages with a capped, part-administrative scheme as in many states. Such schemes invariably are worse for the catastrophically injured, especially those on medium and high incomes with families to support (yes, they have rights, too).
Something has to give in the third-party equation. The reserves will be chewed up soon, so either premiums will have to rise, or benefits fall. Politicians, being politicians, will avoid inflicting broad-based pain like increased premiums when they can inflict pian on a disparate, nebulous group like those who might be injured in future car accidents.
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