CAR ACCIDENT INJURY COMPENSATION CLAIM

It's a sad fact of modern life that road traffic accidents are a prominent cause of suffering, injury and death. Each accident and each victim’s story is unique and statistics may seem meaningless, but they give an indication of the scale of the problem. Each year almost 3,000 people are killed on the roads in the UK and 40,000 others suffer severe injuries. There are over 250,000 less serious injuries from over 200,000 accidents resulting in a staggering 300,000 casualties ever year. It is estimated that the most common cause of legal action, representing over a half of all claims that are settled, is a car accident injury compensation claim.

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Driver Errors

Why is this problem so severe? Over 90% of accidents result from driver errors which can relate to carelessness, recklessness, drink driving, driving whilst tired and speeding. It may be surprising to learn that driving when tired is a frequent contributory factor, but this is the case – with high rates of accidents in the early hours of the morning. A shocking 15% of accidents are alcohol-related and this figure is rising. Speeding is probably the most serious aggravating factor which contributes to over 30,000 serious injuries and the majority of the fatalities every year.

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Contributory Negligence

What underlies these errors? Men over the age of 30 are most inclined to have accidents relating to excessive speed, but it is younger men — those under 25 — who are inclined to drive whilst under the influence of alcohol. It may also be surprising to hear that the failure to use seatbelts is also a significant factor in the severity of injuries sustained in road traffic accidents. Over 10% of drivers and passengers in the front seat neglect to use seat belts or child restraints which does have a significant impact on compensation awarded in a car accident compensation claim on the basis of contributory negligence by the injured party with deductions from damages typically in the region of 25% for those who fail to wear a seatbelt.

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Vulnerable Individuals

Those who are vulnerable on the roads are more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents and this includes children, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists. Approximately 200 children, 600 motorcyclists, 100 cyclists and 700 pedestrians are killed on our roads each year. Young drivers, perhaps due to inexperience, are also more liable to be involved in road accidents with drivers aged 17 to 21, who make up only 7% of licence holders, being involved in 15% of accidents.

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Ecomonic Cost

It is an often overlooked fact that despite representing a human tragedy, road traffic accidents are an important and damaging threat to the British economy and not only for the damages awarded in car accident injury claims. The other indirect costs of death and injury on the road surpass £3 billion each year and correspondingly the government has an extra motivation to undertake measures to ensure safer roads. To some extent they have been successful, as over time the correlation between road deaths and overall numbers of cars on the roads has decreased. In the 1930s, when there were only 2 million cars in the UK, over 7,000 deaths in road accidents were reported. Now there are 30 million cars, but the number of deaths has reduced to less than 3,000. However no-one would deny that the roads must still be made safer and various campaigns have been initiated to achieve this aim. The government has been looking to partner with local authorities, the police, voluntary groups, road user associations, motor manufacturers and road users to improve the safety of our roads.

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Specialist Personal Injury Solicitors

If you would like to talk to a no win no fee lawyer who specialises in personal injury compensation claims without any charge or further obligation just use the helpline or complete the contact form and an experienced solicitor will speak to you on the phone. Our advocates operate on a no win no fee basis which means that you pay nothing, regardless of the result and your compensation will be paid in full. Win or lose there is no charge.