CAR ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM

It is a sad fact of modern life that road traffic accidents are a prominent cause of suffering, injury and deaths. Each accident and each victim’s story is unique, so statistics may seem meaningless, but they at least give an indication of the scale of the problem. Each year over 3,500 in the UK are killed on the roads and 40,000 face severe injuries. There are over 250,000 less serious injuries from nearly 240,000 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 personal injury claim.

So 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 that driving when tired can be 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 sadly this figure is rising. Speeding is probably the most seriouis aggravating factor which contributes to 36,000 serious injuries and over 3,000 deaths every year.

So what underlies such errors? Well, men over the age of 30 are most inclined to have accidents relating to speeding, but it is younger men—those under 25—who are inclined to speed or drive under the influence of alcohol. Sadly, even nowadays the failure to use seatbelts is also a significant factor. Ten per cent of drivers and passengers in the front seat neglect to use seat belts or child restraints which does have a significant impact on the amount of compensation awarded in a car accident personal injury claim.

Those who are vulnerable on the roads are also likely to be involved in accidents, and this includes children, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Over 200 kids, 600 motorcyclists, 130 cyclists and 700 pedestrians are killed each year. Young drivers, perhaps due to inexperience, are also liable to be involved in road accidents, although their tendency to do so reduces over time. Young drivers of 17 to 21, who make up only 7% of licence holders, tend to be involved in one in every seven accidents.

It is often overlooked fact that despite representing a human tragedy, road traffic accidents are an important and damaging threat to the British economy not only for the damages ordered in a car accident personal injury claim. The other direct 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 has reduced. In the 1930s, when there were only 2 million cars in the UK, a quite staggering 7,000 deaths in road accidents were reported. Now there are 30 million cars, but the number of deaths has reduced to 3,500.

However no-one would deny that the roads must still be made safer. Various campaigns have been initiated to achieve this aim, and 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.

If you would like to talk to a solicitor who specialises in road traffic accident cases without any charge or further obligation the network will put you in touch for free. Use the helpline or complete the contact form and an experienced solicitor will call you as soon as possible. All solicitors in the network are committed to helping victims and their families get the financial support they deserve and operate on a no win, no fee basis. This means that you pay nothing, regardless of the result and that your compensation will be paid in full without any deductions.