People need to take more responsibility for their safety in public, as accidents aren't "always someone else's fault," an industry expert has claimed.

Figures from the Irish Independent revealed today that local authorities paid out €54m in claims last year, with the vast majority related to trips and slips on footpaths.

Some 3,542 claims were made to councils last year, an increase of over 30% compared to the previous year.

Alliance for Insurance Reform CEO Brian Hanley said the year-on-year increase is troubling.

“It’s no wonder people are concerned about it,” he told The Pat Kenny Show.

“I think the increase is partly due to a COVID backlog of cases that needed to be settled and made their way through the system last year.

“Because overall, claim volumes have actually come down by about 35% between 2019 and 2023.”

Exaggerated claims

Mr Hanley said there’s “no doubt” that fraudulent or exaggerated claims are becoming an issue in Ireland.

“These liability claims are a vital issue because they impact us all and aren’t a victimless pursuit,” he said.

“The money paid to these claimants has to come from somewhere, which invariably means higher premiums for policyholders.

“We need to challenge certain types of cases because, although it might seem old-fashioned now, there is such a thing as an accident.

“When someone hurts themselves, it isn’t always someone else’s fault.”

Dublin City Hall. Image: Radharc Images / Alamy

He said people need to take “a certain degree of responsibility for themselves” when out and about.

“That isn't to say, obviously, that if there is negligence by someone and another person is injured as a result, they shouldn't be compensated,” he said.

“But I think it's important to remember that we are responsible for ourselves when we're out and about, and we should exercise a reasonable and proportionate degree of care.

“For example, if I leave a shop and want to head to my car, which is down an embankment, but instead of taking the provided steps, I choose to walk down the grassy slope and fall, it wouldn't be fair, reasonable, or proportionate to succeed in a claim against the business owner.”

Liability claims attitude

Mr Hanley called for a societal change in attitudes towards fraudulent liability claims.

“I would hope that there'd be a societal shift such that making a fraudulent or vexatious claim becomes as socially unacceptable as smoking indoors,” he said.

“That’s where we need to get to because it’s not a free pass to get a few grand and not worry about the insurance - just the insurer.”

Claims in the Dublin City Council area amounted to over €19m last year.

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Main image: An elderly woman about to slip and fall on a banana peel. Image: Akhararat Wathanasing / Alamy Stock Photo