More than 1.7 million UK motorists would be prepared to make a fraudulent car insurance claim after an incident on the road.
According to a survey conducted by Gocompare.com, six per cent of people in the UK would consider making a personal injury claim even if they knew they had not been seriously hurt.
The research also discovered 63 per cent of people believe those involved in accidents should only make insurance claims if an injury directly affects their life or causes them to miss work.
In addition, four per cent of those polled think people should do everything possible to push for compensation from insurers. This is despite the fact two-thirds of respondents believe claims for minor injuries are unnecessarily inflating insurance premiums for all drivers.
Scott Kelly, head of motor services at Gocompare.com, said: “Unfortunately, it’s increasingly inevitable that a road accident will be swiftly followed by a claim for some sort of personal injury.”
The research comes just days after ministers called for an investigation into the number of insurance claims made for whiplash.