New driving laws came into effect on 29^th January, which aim to give more protection to cyclists and pedestrians. The government hopes that this will decrease the number of cyclist accidents, and improve road safety. With the new guidance, the Government has set out a new “hierarchy of road users”. Therefore, those who are a greater risk to others on the road will have a greater responsibility to keep more vulnerable users safe. 

However, recent reports show that two in three UK drivers were unaware of the new changes. This could mean that there is an increase in cyclist accidents and other road accidents. 

The New Driving Laws 

The new “hierarchy” is included in H1 of the new rules, which looks to ensure a more mutually respectful and considerate culture of safe and effective road use. 

Rule H2 focuses on new priority at junctions – meaning motorists, horse riders and cyclists must give way to pedestrians waiting or crossing at a junction. 

The final major change, Rule H3, sets out new guidance for drivers and motorcyclists. It advises them to “not cut across cyclists going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane”. 

Motorists should “stop and wait” for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists if necessary. 

Safe passing distances have also been updated to account for the increase in protections of the most vulnerable road users. 

Drivers will now need to leave a minimum distance of 1.5 metres when overtaking motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at speeds under 30mph. 

When driving over the 30mph threshold, the safe overtaking distance is increased to a minimum of two metres. 

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport explained why the changes were being made. 

They said: “The proposed upcoming changes to The Highway Code will improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, with those who present the most risk to other road users given the greatest responsibility in creating a safer travel environment for all. 

“The Department has established a working group of key organisations to ensure that messages about the changes are as widespread as possible and our well-established THINK! campaign will continue to ensure all road users are aware both when these changes come into effect and beyond.” 

Cyclist Accidents 

Cyclists lack the same level of protection as car drivers if there’s a collision. They are susceptible to injury if a pothole throws them off their bike. We deal with thousands of cyclist accident claims every year, with injuries ranging from minor lacerations to life-changing impairment. With this in mind, we aim to make your cyclist accident claim as stress-free as possible. 

How We Can Help with Cyclist Accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes cyclist accidents. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts. 

A seven-year-old boy suffered “catastrophic injuries to his head” after a school minibus hit him. This is important for fatal children’s road accidents, as, according to reports, the inquest is still ongoing. This may help highlight road safety for children.

He had been travelling home from school on the bus with his brother and one other passenger on 13 January 2020, an inquest jury was told.

The minibus was operated by CDS travel on behalf of Monmouthshire Council.

It was driven by its regular driver, who was well known to the boy and his family.

The bus was running ahead of schedule and reached the boy’s home earlier than usual, meaning his mother was not there to meet it, the inquest heard.

The assistant coroner said the boy and his brother “opened and closed the minibus doors themselves” before the bus driver drove away.

The driver “heard a bump” as he drove away. He assumed was the minibus clipping the curb, he told the jury. However, the boy had been caught under the minibus.

The coroner added the boy’s mother was “scrambling to get her shoes on” to meet her sons off the bus, and when she got outside, she initially only saw the boy’s brother before seeing him lying on his side.

His mother “knew instantly” that the boy had suffered “catastrophic injuries” and he died shortly afterwards, the inquest heard.

Fatal Road Accidents

There are many causes of fatal road accident claims. However, at the Compensation Experts we have found that the most common cause of fatal road accidents is from another person’s careless driving. This includes errors, lack of concentration, driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, using mobile phones or other technology whilst driving, and not taking care of lights and signs whilst driving.

A fatal car accident or fatal motorcycle accident can also be caused by poor conditions. These include

• Inadequate lighting
• Large potholes
• Unclear signs
• Other distractions such as smoke from a bonfire in a neighbouring field blowing across the road

Motor Insurers Bureau Claims

If the fatal road accident was caused by an uninsured or untraced driver, you may still be able to make a claim. This claim is from the Motor Insurers Bureau. The Motor Insurers Bureau is an organisation that insurance companies pay into in an accident with these drivers. This would be the case if the driver drove away from a fatal road accident, or if they were uninsured. A fatal car accident must be reported to the police at the time of the accident, or soon afterwards. The Motor Insurers Bureau will then pay the compensation rather than the insurance company.

How We Can Help With Children’s Fatal Road Accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes fatal children’s road accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

According to recent reports, e-scooter injuries are costing the NHS an average of £1k per patient in Bristol.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) has been investigating e-scooter safety across the UK.

Under current UK law, privately-owned e-scooters, of which Pacts estimates there are 500,000 in the UK, are classed as motor vehicles and are illegal to use on roads or in public places without insurance and registration.

But in 2020 the government authorised official trial rental schemes of e-scooters and some 50 local authorities have introduced them.

Pacts estimates private companies have distributed about 20,000 of them across the UK. This is including cities such as London, Nottingham, Derby, Portsmouth, Oxford, Cambridge, Coventry, Sunderland, and Southampton.

It said it was hard to find exact figures of e-scooter accidents because of the way individual hospitals record injuries, but “casualty numbers are growing, and the severity of some casualties is high”.

In the first 10 months of 2021 PACTS found nine deaths involving e-scooters and more than 300 casualties.

E-Scooter Injuries in Bristol

A new report by transport safety charity Pacts shows 90 e-scooter riders went to A&E units in Bristol for treatment in four weeks between May and June. Of those people, 96% were the e-scooter rider, and 80% of that group had been riding hired scooters.

The majority of those injured (71%) fell rather than collided with a pedestrian or other vehicle.

About a fifth came in with head injuries. Three patients had either a traumatic brain injury, haemorrhage or a fractured skull.

Professor Edd Carlton, a consultant in emergency medicine at North Bristol NHS Trust and an associate professor at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told the Pacts report: “Across emergency departments in Bristol over 40 per cent of patients who are treated after e-scooter accidents have fractures, a number also suffer life-changing injuries.

“The average cost of treatment to the NHS for these injuries is nearly £1,000 per patient.”

E-Scooter Accidents

Due to the fact that E-scooters must meet the same standards as motor vehicles, if you have an accident involving an electric scooter then you may be able to make a claim. If you have an electric scooter accident as a passenger, then you may be able to make a claim. You may also be able to make a claim if you were riding an e-scooter and you have an accident involving a car. There are other examples where the person riding the scooter is uninsured or untraceable. In these cases, you may still be able to make a claim. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau deal with compensation claims for people who have accidents with uninsured or untraceable drivers.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes e-scooter injuries. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

For some workers, nothing is worse than the morning commute. The dragging grind as you go from station to station in a packed metal tube, surrounded by people just as tired as yourself, everyone eager to reach work and make that much needed second morning coffee.

Of course, that’s assuming your train arrives on time or turns up at all. While the UK might have one of the biggest and most complex rail networks in Europe, it’s by no means the most efficient. Not a day goes by where at least one train isn’t delayed: and if you’re in London, it’s more like four or five minimum.

But which UK train station is the worst station for commuter delays? We put our team to the task of discovering this, listing the top stations you should aim to avoid (if possible) during your daily commute.

Using the data available on ontimetrains.co.uk and the government’s statistics for station usage, we were able to work out the busiest stations in the UK, the percentage of trains delayed during peak hours, and the percentage of trains cancelled, for 2019-2020. We then ranked all stations from best to worst based on the data.

With all the data analysed, here are the worst stations to commute from in the UK.

Revealed: the UK’s WORST train station for delays

Unsurprisingly, the worst UK station for delays and cancellations is in London. If you want a quick commute, you should aim to avoid using City Thameslink at all costs. On average, an absolutely staggering 66% of all trains that pass through City Thameslink are delayed between 7am and 9am, with 67% being delayed between 4pm and 6pm.

Fortunately, while its cancellation rates are above average, they’re not overly egregious at 4.5% for both peak times. Still, few other stations on our list compared to such levels of delay, making it somewhat of a miracle that any of the City Thameslink’s 8 million daily users arrive at work on time.

Other UK stations workers should avoid on the daily commute

Of course, while City Thameslink might be the worst offender for delays, it is by no means the only station guilty of poor train services. Willesden Junction sits in the ignominious second spot with 37.5% and 32% of the peak trains being delayed across the year. It’s not delays, however, that rank Willesden so low. Out of all trains that passed through Willesden Junction in 2019-2020, a full 6% were cancelled in the morning and a shocking 9.5% in the evening. This makes Willesden Junction potentially the worst station for cancellations out of all the stations we ranked.

For the third spot, we actually move out of London to Birmingham, specifically Snow Hill. Delays from Birmingham Snow Hill actually sit rather low compared to other stations at 22% and 38% respectively. However, much like Willesden, Birmingham Snow Hill is the other contender for worst UK station for train cancellations. While only 4.5% of trains are cancelled in the morning, 11% were cancelled between 4-6pm.

Interestingly, the number of commuters for the UK’s 3 worst stations for delays sits below 10 million for each. The fourth position, however, has over 25 million users. East Croydon saw 39.5% of its 7-9am trains delayed over the year, made worse by the delays experienced by 54.5% of its 4-6pm services. East Croydon’s only saving grace is that its cancellations sit at a relatively average 4%.

Lasty, we come to Coventry. Much like East Croydon, Coventry’s cancellation rates are relatively low, 2% and 4.5% for the year. Unfortunately, Coventry is an even worse suspect for train delays. 47.5% of morning commuters experienced delays across the year, but this is overshadowed by the horrendous 58.5% of delays occurring in the evening.

Of course, these are only the top five stations to avoid using on your morning commute. Plenty of other stations barely scraped above the top spots, including Birmingham Moor Street, Milton Keynes Central, St Albans City, Shepherd’s Bush, and Gatwick Airport. All these stations had between 20% and 45% of their trains delayed, as well as having a cancellation range of up to 8.5% over 2019-2020.

The UK’s best stations for commuting

So, if City Thameslink is the worst station for delays in the UK, which is the best? Well, given the fact that many of the worst stations for delays sit in and around the London area, you might be surprised to find out that London Fenchurch Street holds the number one position. Across the entire 2019-2020 year, only 5% of their morning and 11.5% of their evening commute trains were delayed. But even better than that, only 1% and 1.5% of their trains were actually cancelled across the year.

Other notable stations for good service include Ilford, London Liverpool Street, London Marylebone, and Romford, which just goes to show how wide an experience commuters receive in and around the capital.

Even though the daily commute can be frustrating, and delays can make you want to rush, you should always be safety aware when in a station or walking to work. For information and expertise on how to stay safe on your commute to work, you can head over to our blog.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man in his 60s was seriously injured when he was hit in a hit and run accident by a stolen moped in Leeds.

The man was crossing the road on South Parkway at a junction on Wednesday 8 September when the moped overtook a bus at about 50mph and hit him. Police said he went to hospital with serious head injuries and a number of broken bones.

The passenger on the moped was subsequently arrested. Police have now issued a CCTV image in a bid to identify the rider “who was wearing a distinctive helmet”.

Motor Insurers Bureau Claims after A Hit and Run Accident

If the cause of the road accident was an uninsured or untraced driver, you may still be able to make a claim. This claim is from the Motor Insurers Bureau. 

The Motor Insurers Bureau is an organisation that insurance companies pay into in an accident with these drivers. This would be the case if the accident was a hit and run accident. The Motor Insurers Bureau will then pay the compensation rather than the insurance company.

If a vehicle hits you and you did not get the details of the driver, you may also be able to make a claim for compensation from the Motor Insurers Bureau.

You can also make Motor Insurers’ Bureau claims if you have an accident involving a driver who is uninsured.

MIB Minor Injuries Claims

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau also includes claims following the whiplash reforms. They launched the Official Injury Claim portal. This is a free and official service for people who suffer road traffic accident related minor injuries, such as whiplash, to claim compensation without the need for legal representation.

Developed on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, this easy-to-use online service guides someone through the process of making a claim, obtaining a medical report, managing that claim and, if their claim is successful, receiving compensation.

They state that someone who has an accident can use Official Injury Claim for claims up to £5,000 for a personal injury. They rise to a total of £10,000 for all losses related to the accident. This includes loss of earnings and damage to your car and property.

The MIB built the new service to make the claims process inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes a hit and run accident claim. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

August was designated National Road Victims Month following the death of Princess Diana on 31st August 1997, and to commemorate the first death by a motor vehicle – Bridget Driscoll in 1896. Since then, well over half a million people have been killed on the roads in Britain.

And over the last decade, the number of people killed on Britain’s roads has stayed at the same level year on year. Five people are killed every day, and over 60 are seriously injured. This is why road traffic accident claims are important during National Road Victims Month.

Road Traffic Accidents and National Road Victims Month

If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, then you may be able to claim compensation. This is especially true if someone else was at fault for your accident. National Road Victims Month recognises people who have had road traffic accidents as a passenger, driver, pedestrian, motorcyclist, cyclist, and more.

You could claim road traffic accident compensation for an injury, if you were not at fault. The most common reasons for road traffic accident claims are:

• Another driver’s error or lack of concentration
• Poor conditions due to inadequate lighting or large potholes
• Unclear signs
• Other distractions such as smoke from a bonfire in a neighbouring field blowing across the road

Road traffic accident or Motor Insurers Bureau claim?

If you are the victim of a road traffic accident and you did not get the details of the driver, you may still be able to make a claim for compensation from the Motor Insurers Bureau.

The Motor Insurers Bureau is an organisation that insurance companies pay into, in the event of an accident where one of the parties is an uninsured or untraced driver. This would be the case if the driver involved in your pedestrian accident either drove away or they were uninsured.

However, you must report all road traffic accident to the police at the time of the accident, or soon afterwards. The Motor Insurers Bureau will then pay the compensation rather than the insurance company.

National Road Victims Month: Claiming on behalf of a child

If your child has had an accident on the road, you can make a claim on their behalf. Children are the most vulnerable road users, so it is likely that the driver may be responsible for any road accident.

A child has longer to claim for a road accident than an adult; usually, you have three years, but a child would have until they turned 21 to make a claim. A parent or guardian can make the claim until the child turns 18. They then have until they turn 21 to make a claim themselves.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes road traffic accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

According to recent reports, a 70-year-old man has been involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. He was killed in a crash with a car.

Police were called to the crash between a motorcycle and a silver Vauxhall Astra in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The motorcyclist, from Wilmslow, died at the scene and the police informed his next of kin following the accident.

Fatal motorcycle accidents may not be any more common than car crashes. However, the lack of vehicle protection leaves riders incredibly vulnerable to catastrophic injury. Even the most responsible rider who follows the Highway Code and wears the correct protective clothing may have an accident.

Motorcycle Accidents

Nearly three-quarters of all motorcycle accidents involve a car, van, or lorry.

The biggest reason behind motorbike accident claims, accounting for nearly two-third of all cases, is the driver of the other vehicle ignoring the motorcyclist’s right of way. This either occurs because they have not seen the motorcycle until it is too late, or because they are unaware of the laws about motorcyclists rights on the roads.

The number one cause of motorbike accident injuries, however, is another vehicle making a left turn in front of the motorcyclist at a junction. Other common examples of motorcycle accident claims include:

• Drivers may misjudge the speed of an oncoming motorcyclist. A collision can lead to serious motorbike injuries, with the rider much less protected than the driver.
• A motorcyclist may not be in a driver’s direct vision. If a rider is in a car’s blind spot, a driver may unintentionally swerve and cause a motorcycle accident.
• Drivers may not make sure to check for oncoming motorcyclists before opening their car door.
• A driver or motorcyclist may underestimate or potentially not be aware of adverse road conditions.

Some of the most common examples of motorcycle injuries are:

• Fractures
• Whiplash
• Head and spinal injuries
• Fatalities

Causes of Fatal Motorcycle Accidents

There are many causes of fatal motorcycle accidents. However, at the Compensation Experts we have found that the most common cause of fatal road accidents is from another person’s careless driving. This includes errors, lack of concentration, driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, using mobile phones or other technology whilst driving, and not taking care of lights and signs whilst driving.

Poor conditions on the road may also cause a fatal motorcycle accident. These include inadequate lighting, large potholes, unclear signs, and other distractions such as smoke from a bonfire in a neighbouring field blowing across the road.

If a loved one has suffered a fatal motorcycle accident, then you may be able to claim on their behalf.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes fatal motorcycle accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

The UK has a long-standing love affair with cycling. In fact, there are over 7.5 million Brits who partake in the sport. And with city congestion making road travel as slow as ever, it’s becoming increasingly tempting to navigate the urban jungle on two wheels rather than four. But which UK towns and cities are the most cycle friendly?

We’ve conducted research, to determine the areas that see the fewest cycling accidents, endure the least bike thefts, enjoy the most manageable traffic, and demonstrate the most enthusiasm for the sport. With this data, we’ve managed to rank and reveal the UK’s city-cycling hotspots.

The UK’s top 15 cycling cities revealed

Leading the way as the UK’s top city for cycling, Cambridge comes away with an impressive index score of 3.248 out of 4.000. This is helped, in part, by the city outranking all other UK locations for cycling enthusiasm, far ahead Oxford and York who take second and third, respectively, for this category.

Oxford is also the overall runner up, placing as the second-best city across the UK for cycling, with an index score of 3.078. Next up, there’s clearly a cycling hub in the North-West, with Wigan (2.996), Stockport (2.965), and Bolton (2.953) each claiming places in the top five. In fact, Bolton and Wigan are also statistically the safest two towns to ride your bike, seeing fewer road accidents involving a cyclist than anywhere else in the UK.

Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent claims sixth on the list, with an overall index score of 2.936, followed by the South Yorkshire town of Barnsley (2.924). Interestingly, Barnsley is also the UK location that records the fewest bike thefts, followed by Rotherham and Plymouth.

In eighth, we head to the Lancashire coast and the seaside town of Blackpool, which comes in with an overall index score of 2.909, helped along the way by also being the place with the lowest amount of static or slow-moving traffic in the UK. Placing ninth, by the slimmest of margins, we have the northeast of England’s first representation, with Sunderland achieving an index score of 2.908, while Rotherham (2.900) takes tenth.

In 11^th, we have Coventry (2.897), followed by West Yorkshire’s best cycling city in Bradford (2.896), which beats neighbouring Leeds considerably (placing 32^nd nationwide). Rounding up the top 15 towns and cities for cycling, our index places Leicester (2.893) in 13^th, Middlesbrough (2.883) in 14^th, and Doncaster (2.876) in 15^th.

Notably, London ranks lowest across each of our indexed cities, because of the intense city-wide traffic and high number of bike thefts (over ten times that of number one ranked Cambridge). Curiously, the cities of Hull, York, Bristol, and Brighton see more cycling accidents than any other, including the Capital.

Methodology

To index and rank each city, we first had to collect relevant cycling data, including the average cycling casualties per city, a city’s traffic rate, the cycling enthusiasm across the town and its people, and the recorded number of bike thefts within the area. 

After gathering the above data, we ordered each city for each category and assigned a score between 0.000-1.000 depending on position. To give a final index total, we combined all four category scores, giving an overall figure between 0.000-4.000. We then ordered each city, depending on its final index score to give us our top 15.

Cycling is a great way to exercise, socialise, and enjoy competition, and with countless beautiful routes running through the nation’s towns, cities, and countryside, the UK really is a biking haven. For even more interesting insight and the latest in our world, head on over to our blog.

When you have a road traffic accident, it can be bad enough. But if the accident was a hit and run, then it can make you feel even worse. You may not know where to turn, or if you can make a claim for hit and run accidents at all. However, The Compensation Experts are here to help.

There have been recent reports of hit and run accidents in the UK, involving both drivers and pedestrians. If you have a hit and run accident, there are certain rules you must follow. For example, you must report your accident to the police. You must do this when the accident happens, or soon after.

Motor Insurers Bureau Claims after Hit and Run Accidents

If the road accident was caused by an uninsured or untraced driver, you may still be able to make a claim. This claim is from the Motor Insurers Bureau. 

The Motor Insurers Bureau is an organisation that insurance companies pay into in an accident with these drivers. This would be the case if the accident was a hit and run accident. The Motor Insurers Bureau will then pay the compensation rather than the insurance company.

If you are hit by a car as a pedestrian and you did not get the details of the driver, you may also be able to make a claim for compensation from the Motor Insurers Bureau.

You can also make Motor Insurers’ Bureau claims if you have an accident involving a driver who is uninsured.

MIB Minor Injuries Claims

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau are also covered for claims following the whiplash reforms. They recently announced the launch of Official Injury Claim, a new free and official service for people who suffer road traffic accident related minor injuries, such as whiplash, to claim compensation without the need for legal representation.

Developed on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, this easy-to-use online service guides someone through the process of making a claim, obtaining a medical report, managing that claim and, if their claim is successful, receiving compensation.

They state that Official Injury Claim can be used for claims up to £5,000 for a personal injury, rising to a total of £10,000 for all losses related to the accident (such as loss of earnings and damage to your car and property).

A claim can be made if:

• someone is aged 18 or over
• the accident happened in England or Wales
• the accident happened on or after the 31st May 2021
• someone was inside a vehicle
• someone believes the accident was not their fault

The new service has been built to make the claims process inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible.

How We Can Help with Claiming for Hit and Run Accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience in personal injury claims. This includes hit and run accidents, and other uninsured or untraceable driver claims. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.