Road Traffic Accidents - An Insight

Road traffic accidents are an unfortunate part of modern life. The lifestyle and culture we have created for ourselves requires that we use cars and motorbikes to get to our destinations quickly, and lorries for moving our staple requirements such as wheat, milk, paper, and anything else you can imagine. The road network in the UK is huge, and there are plenty of hazards out there to snare an unwitting driver. Statistics indicate that in 2001 there were nearly 205,000 road traffic accident in the UK alone, fatalities are unknown, but of course, there will be a number of those accidents that resulted in the loss of life.

The sad fact is that peoples lives are destroyed daily on our roads, and their ability to maintain a 'normal' life following a crash can be taken away from them in an instant. People unfortunate enough to have suffered on the roads need compensation from the guilty party to help keep their quality of life as much as possible, and determining fault can be a tricky and lengthy exercise. Personal injury solicitors deal with thousands of cases a year, helping victims receive compensation for their injuries, but also the on-going costs for after-care.

In terms of the claim process itself, a motorist owes a "duty of care" to other road users, that is a duty not to hurt other people, whether other drivers, passengers (including passengers in his/her own vehicle), pedestrians, cyclists etc. In simple terms, what has to be shown if your claim is to be successful is that the motorist has been at fault because he or she has failed to drive with reasonable care - for example if your car is hit by a car from behind.

Where the motorist who is at fault is either uninsured or untraced, then a safety net for innocent victims is provided by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (the MIB), which provides a fund that can be claimed against in these circumstances.

In assessing fault, the content of the Highway Code is a useful tool, and some of the most common aspects of fault in driving relate to speeding, careless overtaking, failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to keep a proper distance from the vehicle in front and taking inadequate care emerging onto a main road from a side road.