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.