Although common anyway, according to sources from the Telegraph (source), wider cars are a “major contributory factor” in minor accidents on rural roads. They are also reportedly an issue in urban streets where houses have been turned in to flats, causing cars to line the streets. The widening of vehicles is the result of added safety features that manufacturers have installed on their vehicles, with some models being widened by inches!
An example in the report details the BMW 3 Series which has expanded by around 7 ½ inches since 1992, and the Volkswagen Golf has increased by just over 4 inches! This is quite a difference! To be honest, I have noticed myself that smaller models of cars appear to be getting bigger; I personally surmised it was something to do with smaller models going out of fashion. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed it, but the size of Ford KA’s seem to look a lot bigger than they used to…
The report goes on to say that the issue has been managed on main roads with mandatory carriageway widening; but the issue remains on rural roads which, for anyone living in rural areas will know, are on occasions just way too small! I was in Wales over this past weekend and couldn’t believe how small the width of some of the country lanes where! They could barely support the size of one average sized car, with lay-bys dotted around to allow traffic to pass, let alone two-way traffic. And if someone came too fast around the hedge lined bends, a car accident would have been guaranteed.
So we could be set to see an increase in accidents on country / rural roads, which currently make up around 1 in 40 road traffic accidents, according to the report. But it’s certainly not classed as one of the more unusual road traffic accident types I have ever come across:
In another Telegraph report (source), a crash in America which sadly left one person dead and another airlifted to hospital resulted in 17 million bees loose on the highway! Rescue workers were forced to use fire hoses to force the angry swarms that were released as a result of the crash to fly away; in which one vehicle involved was transporting 7000 bee hives. The report states that it is unclear exactly how many bees got away, but several rescue workers were stung. An unusual story to say the least…
The stories above show just how common road accidents are – primarily because there are so many ways they can happen. Most road accidents are a little more straightforward however, and are generally the result of one or more drivers’ negligence on the road; and it’s so easy for a driver to be negligent and cause an accident.
When it comes to claiming for compensation car accident claims, are generally the most straightforward sorts of accidents there can be. This is because in most instances, it is relatively easy to ascertain which driver(s) the fault lies with.
The best advice I can give you is to contact a specialist independent injury lawyer for the best advice and the best representation when it comes to claiming.
Only an expert solicitor is fully qualified to deal with your claim, and ensure you get the maximum compensation in the shorted possible time.