FLEET managers must practice accident claims management and not claims handling, according to Geoff Bullen, general manager and director and Motorcare Services, Europe's largest accident management company. In outlining the so-called Woolf Reforms - Lord Woolf's review of the rules and procedures of the civil courts which came into effect on April 26 this year - Bullen said a failure to act promptly could be costly.

Effectively the changes brought in new rules designed to cut the costs of litigation and speed up litigation in the event of incidents such as a car accident. Speaking at the recent Institute of Car Fleet Management conference, Bullen said: 'Fleets must understand the changes to avoid harming their case. The reforms will reward fast and efficient claims management, while punishing slow or protracted claims handling.'

Copies of the Fleet News Guide to the Woolf Reforms published in August in conjunction with Amery-Parkes Solicitors and CGU Insurance are available from Charmaine Stark, Fleet News, Wentworth House, Wentworth Street, Peterborough PE1 1DS.