Common Motorway Crashes

Accidents on a motorway (as opposed to other roads) are potentially more serious due to the speeds often involved. It is said that one minor mistake on a motorway can lead to death and serious injury. We deal with many claims for injured victims following accidents on motorways. The most common accidents include rear end shunts, concertina collisions and accidents due to vehicles changing lanes. A concertina collision is basically a multi-vehicle collision. This can be best illustrated by an example – Vehicle A collides into the rear of Vehicle B, which in turn causes Vehicle B to collide into the rear of Vehicle C, which in turn causes Vehicle C to collide into the rear of Vehicle D, etc. This is a concertina collision. Concertina collisions are more common on motorways due to the speed involved and also due to the lack of space often left between vehicles.

Accidents on motorways can often be avoided if road users follow the basic principles and rules. These include leaving a sufficient space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front, only changing lanes when you are sure you have the time and space to do so safely, travelling at the correct speed etc. Motorway crashes can often be fatal so these basic rules should always be adhered to.

When you travel on a motorway you often see some common, basic problems. For instance, when the speed limit is reduced to 50mph for a stretch of road, road users often fail to follow this instruction. Unless road users can actually see a problem in the road ahead of them, most drivers continue at 70mph or even faster. This is another point I really don’t understand. The speed limit on motorways is set at 70mph. However we all know that many vehicles travel at 80mph, 90mph or more. It really makes a mockery of the actual speed limit. It was in the press a while back about potentially raising the speed limit on motorways to 80mph. Whether or not this would be a good thing or not is a debate in its own right.

If you have been involved in an accident on a motorway then you may be entitled to claim compensation. If you were a passenger in a vehicle, then barring exceptional circumstances, you are likely to have a genuine claim. If you were the driver but the accident was not your fault, then you are also likely to have a genuine claim for compensation.  Accidents on motorways are less common than accidents on other roads, but the consequences of an accident on a motorway is often far greater. Unfortunately accidents on motorways often lead to death or serious injury.

If you would like to enquire about a potential claim, do not hesitate to contact The Injury Lawyers today.