Motorists who feel anxious about being involved in a road traffic accident have been given yet more cause for concern, as recent statistics show that road traffic injury claims for compensation increased significantly over the past 12 months. According to figures released from a report by the Actuarial Profession, despite a fall in actual accidents of 11% in 2011 compared to the figures released for the previous year, the number of claims is up by an astonishing 18%, with a range of factors behind this perplexing data.
Reasons for increasing road traffic injury claims
1. The severity of road traffic accidents
. A rise in the severity of road traffic accidents could be a reason why road traffic injury claims have gone up. That could explain why the insurance industry was hit with a combined £400 million bill over the course of 2011, with many injury claims being made in urban environments such as East London, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Manchester, where road traffic accidents tend to be more common. However, improvements in road safety seem to have been made in big cities, especially as there seem to be more motorists in those areas.
2. Correlation between firm locations and accident spots
Some believe that there may be a correlation between the location of offices of injury claim management firms and accident hotspots, which could go some way towards explaining why there has been a rise in the number of claims. However, the fact that claims have been on the increase in the past year or so may hint at something different, possibly that there may be growing awareness of the fact that, in the event of injury, people are able to make compensation claims with the help of companies such as Medicalsolicitors.co.uk
3. Increasing the number of road traffic injury claim management firms
In the past few years, a number of injury claim firms have gone into the business of filling the void left by insurers who may seem reluctant to help victims of road traffic accidents get the resources needed to help them recover without having any financial problems. What many injury claim firms say they do is to help victims of road traffic accidents who may find that their health and finances will suffer through no fault of their own file a compensation claim against the negligent motorist.
Although it’s rare for people involved in accidents on the road to claim, the fact that more people seem to be doing it shows that negligible accidents are being cut out or that more people are looking into claiming compensation directly from the motorist at fault for their injuries rather than going straight to their insurer for help. Whether this growth in the number of road traffic injury claims will continue is unknown for now, but it will depend on how far the total number of accidents will rise or fall.
Here are some situations wherein you can apply for a road traffic injury claim-
Car accidents as a passenger
If you are a passenger involved in a car accident, you can claim a compensation for the same. Car accidents as a passenger are the most common type of road traffic injury claims that firms come across. Depending on the severity of the road accident, you may be able to get a claim through the RTA claims process.
Coach accidents as a passenger
Coach accidents or accidents involved in buses are comparatively less frequent, but you may still be able to receive compensation as a passenger in a coach accident. If the accident is caused due to the negligence of the driver, then a compensation claim will be raised against the driver. If the accident happened because of poorly maintained roads, then the compensation will be raised against the council of that area.
Accidents as a pedestrian
Even if you aren’t in a car or bus, you still run the risk of being hit on the road as a pedestrian. Sure, the number of careless drivers has been increasing incessantly. Therefore, if anyone’s driving has caused you an injury, then you can raise a compensation claim against them.
Bike and motorbike accidents
If you own a bike or a motorbike, you run the risk of being injured by others on the road. If you have had an accident due to negligent driving of another driver or rider, you can definitely raise a road traffic injury claim against them. If the accident has happened due to bad or mismanaged roads, you can raise a compensation claim against the responsible party.
Final words:
Although most modern cars are seen as being safe to drive, and road safety has in general improved considerably in recent years through government campaigns and efforts made by car manufacturers to make their products less hazardous, reckless drivers are still present on the road. Although there are laws in place to punish anyone driving dangerously for whatever reason, they still exist and can cause serious accidents that often end in severe injuries that may form the basis of a road traffic injury claim.