Distracted driving is causing a surge in road accidents in Barbados, with insurers paying out $87.6 million in claims for death and serious injury last year, the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB) said on Wednesday. The association warned that the frequency of accidents remained alarmingly high and called for urgent action to reduce incidents and save lives.“The motor claims for last year, they crept up a little bit to 87.6 million. Before, it was $86 million. A million-dollar difference. I can’t say it had any spike in the claims; but the numbers are still too high overall,” GIAB President Randy Graham told Barbados TODAY on Wednesday.Although the payout was just $1.6 million more than for 2023, and well short of the $100 million which officials had predicted for the whole of 2024, the insurance industry is still “deeply” concerned over the loss of life and the number and frequency of road accidents in a small country such as Barbados, he said.Claims costs had surged from $59.1 million in 2020 to $83. 1million in 2022, prompting concerns about a potential $79 million payout in 2024.
