The use of seat belts when driving or being driven in a vehicle has always been a message sent out to people whenever a road accident has been reported. We all know that we have to wear them for our own safety as well as the safety of others in the car and it is something which the police look out for when on the roads. Many of us, however,do not realise the consequences of not wearing a seat belt when it comes to a personal injury claim as a result of a road traffic accident.
If you have been involved in a road accident and it was not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. However, if a seat belt was not worn at the time of the accident, the potential compensation you are entitled to can be reduced by up to 25%. Many people become careless when travelling in a taxi or coach and neglect to put their seat belt on; the recent news story of a coach overturning in Norfolk carrying 48 passengers, yet having no fatalities, was put down to the passengers wearing seat belts.
Just to reiterate, the rules surrounding the use of seat belts are that every individual over the age of 14 must wear an adult seat belt. Children who are under the age of 14, depending on age and height, must wear a child restraint or an adult seat belt. There are exceptions to these rules and more in depth detail on the law in this area regarding the safety of children in the car is available at http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/index.htm.
If you have had a road accident, or any accident which was not your fault, it is very important to instruct a specialist injury lawyer to act on your behalf to fight for the maximum compensation you are entitled to claim for. This is an important point to highlight as your insurer may say that you have Legal Expense Insurance (LEI) on your policy, allowing them to instruct a solicitor on your behalf. We at The Injury Lawyers always advise against this route – all your insurance company does is sell the details of your claim on to the highest bidding law firm in their panel. The solicitor that buys your claim can end up wasting up to £800 of their budget on buying your case – leaving you with a poor service and maybe even less compensation; after all, with less money to fight for your claim, how can you trust that your lawyer has the funds to fight tooth and nail for the money that you deserve?
We always advise you to be in control of your own destiny by instructing your own independent solicitor to deliver a better service and a better outcome. We at The Injury Lawyers work hard to provide the highest levels of client care, and we always ensure to reward our clients with the highest possible compensation.
How do we know this? As an independent firm, we dedicate all of our resources on to our clients; we don’t waste money on middlemen and buying claims!
