The number of road traffic accidents in the UK (and worldwide) has been increasing. Our motorways and city roads are busier than ever before and it can often only take a small loss of concentration to find yourself in a collision with another vehicle.
The top causes of traffic accidents are:
- Being Distracted: This includes anything which takes your attention away from driving. It can be something happening off to the roadside, your mobile phone springing to life, even your kids misbehaving on the back seat. Tiredness can also cause your attention to waver.
- Speeding: Drivers in a hurry to get from A to B may think they’re in control but the evidence tells a completely different story.
- Drivers Over the Limit: Whether it’s drugs or alcohol, being over the limit is the cause of a large number of accidents each year, many of them fatal.
- Dangerous Driving: It’s not just speed that kills. Drivers who don’t operate to the rules of the road can cause traffic accidents, including those who weave in and out of traffic.
- Poor Weather: While the advice is to ease off the accelerator during heavy showers and wet or icy conditions, it’s surprising how many drivers don’t follow it.
There are a couple of reasons that you need the help of a solicitor if you have been in a road traffic accident. The first is if you have been involved in an incident, suffered an injury and it wasn’t your fault. If the injury is serious enough, you may have a right to claim compensation. This can help cover the cost of recovery or make up for time that you had to take off work because you were incapacitated.
The other reason that you might need a solicitor is if the accident was your fault and you are likely to be prosecuted for dangerous driving, being over the limit or exceeding the speed limit, for example. Road traffic accidents don’t just involve other cars. There can be motorbike riders, cyclists and pedestrians involved in the incident. These can be complex cases and may involve a prison sentence if the accident is thought to be serious enough.
Making sure you get the right legal advice as early as possible is, of course, vital in dealing with any road traffic case. Even if you are not liable for criminal prosecution, you can always have a civil case brought against you if it’s believed you acted negligently or breached the Highway Code in some way.
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault, it will certainly be a traumatic time for you. At Forster Dean we operate a no win no fee service which means that you don’t have to worry about paying for legal advice from the outset. Whether you are pedestrian, cyclist, passenger or even the driver, you have the right to legal representation if you feel you have a valid claim to make.
Our team will be able to provide you the support you need, whatever the circumstances. Contact us today to find out more.