A leading UK insurer has blamed claimant personal injury solicitors for a rise in whiplash claims despite a fall in the number of collisions.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, also suggested that law firms are partly responsible for spiralling motor insurance premiums.

The Law Society has hit back at the claims.

The AA British Insurance Premium Index shows that the average cost of comprehensive motor policies rose to £892 in the first quarter of 2011, 40% more than the same period in 2010.

Douglas also noted that between 2008 and 2009, the most recent years for which figures are available, the number of collisions on Britain’s roads fell by 6%, while the number of road traffic injury claims rose by 13.3%.

‘It’s tempting to make these claims, with the huge number of accident management law firms using cold-call marketing techniques,’ he said.

Douglas said more than 200 whiplash claims are made every day, often for accidents that happened up to three years previously, for which no mention of personal injury was made at the time.

He said the AA had received reports of solicitors promising payouts of at least £3,000 if car accident victims take legal action, and pursuing accident victims who change their mind about claiming.

A Law Society spokesman said solicitors were highly regulated and prohibited from making cold calls.

He urged insurers to distinguish between solicitors and claims managers.