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10 People died today, and 100 more people suffered brain damage, loss of limbs or paralysis.

In fact, this happens every day on Britain’s roads. These are the cold statistics; but behind the facts for every person killed or injured on the road, there are friends and families whose lives are shattered by such an unexpected and horrifying event.

You may – perhaps rightly – think you are a good driver, and deaths and injuries are everybody else’s problem or fault. But every day normal people like us take risks, make mistakes, and end up causing loss of life. (Source: Green Flag)
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Claiming compensation for injuries resulting out of a relatively straightforward road traffic accident is simple.  Your claim can be over in a matter of weeks or months, and what’s best, with the right lawyer on hand, you won’t even have to go to that much effort – they will do all the work for you.

Prior to April 2010 claims for compensation from road accidents could take months or sometimes years.  The Defendant had a period of 21 days to acknowledge your claim and then a further 3 months to investigate it; and that was just to provide an admission or denial of liability. 

Things have changed thankfully.  Now, what is required is for you to submit what is known as a Claims Notification Form or ‘CNF’ through an online portal on the Ministry of Justice website.  Once your lawyers have done this on your behalf the Defendant must acknowledge the CNF within one business day and then they have a further 15 business days in which to admit or deny liability.  This is wholly different from before.  Liability could be admitted for your injuries within 16 days; whereas under the old system, investigations into your accident may not have begun at the same point.  It really is a fast and straightforward process nowadays and an injury lawyer will be more than happy to take you through the process and make sure everything is done correctly.
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Injured in a road traffic accident whilst a passenger in a taxi?

Have you been involved in a road traffic accident whilst travelling as a passenger in a taxi, and as a result of this sustained injury and/or incurred losses, you are not sure of your rights, or you are contemplating submitting a claim but do not know the process?

As a passenger you are seen to be an innocent party as you are not the driver of the vehicle and you are likely not at fault. You are entitled to submit a claim for compensation up to three years from the date of the accident whether it was the taxi driver at fault or another driver involved.
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Making a claim for compensation for injuries arising out of a relatively straight forward road traffic accident is both easy and fast.  Whereas a couple of years ago you could be waiting months, probably years for your compensation, it is now likely that you will receive your compensation in a few weeks or a couple of months.  This is because since April 2010 there has been a new system in place which has streamlined the claims process making it both more efficient and more effective.

Under the new system your legal representatives submit a Claim Notification Form to the negligent party’s insurers via a Ministry of Justice online internet portal.  The Claim Notification Form (‘CNF’) details your accident, your injuries, and the Defendant’s contact details amongst other relevant particulars relating to the accident.  This is submitted online and the Defendant’s insurer has 1 business day in which to acknowledge receipt of your CNF.  Once acknowledgment has been received, the Defendant’s insurer has a further 15 business days to admit or deny liability for your accident.  It must be stressed at this point that is quite common for admissions of liability to be received within just a few days.  Most insurers, where they know that the Defendant clearly was at fault, will just hold up their hands and admit liability as quickly as possible.  This means that your claim can be progessed much faster; but in any event, within 15 days you should know one way or the other whether you will be paid out or not.
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Motorcyclists make up less than 1% of vehicle traffic according to statistics, yet riders suffer 14% of total deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads (Source).  The most common type of motorcycle accidents involve right of way, loss of control on bends, and overtaking manoeuvres gone wrong.

The motorcyclist is vulnerable, and every year there are thousands of casualties following motorcycle accidents, of which many are sadly serious.

The most common compensation claim for motorbike accidents usually involves other vehicles where the drivers do not see the bikers; this is followed by pothole accidents (cases against councils for failure to maintain the roads that cause severe motorbike accidents), and then there are the cases where a spillage on the road has been the cause of the accident – with this type of accident usually claimed through the Motor Insurance Bureau as the vehicle responsible for the spillage cannot be traced.
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Firstly, make sure that you and your passengers are safe and that it is safe to leave the vehicle. However annoyed you might be, don’t lose your temper with the other driver; the reason we have insurance is because accidents happen.

Exchange details with the other driver. Make sure that you obtain the registration, make and model, including a brief description of the type and colour of the car and any obvious damage caused by the accident. Do not rely on the other person to provide the details – check that the registration number is correct. Ask for the name of the driver and who the owner of the car is. Exchange names, addresses, phone numbers and details of insurance companies. It is a legal requirement for a driver to provide this information after an accident.
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It’s estimated that there are between 1.5 million and 2 million uninsured drivers on the roads in the UK. What happens if one of these drivers causes or contributes to an accident?

The ‘Motor Insurance Bureau‘ (MIB) exists to prevent the injustice of an injured party being unable to claim compensation if they’re the victim of an uninsured drivers negligence.  The MIB steps in where the driver responsible for the accident has no valid insurance policy to cover the cost of the accident.  The role of the MIB is almost to act as the insurance company for the uninsured driver.

The cost of running the MIB is paid out of a central fund from contributions from all the insurance companies that provide motor vehicle insurance in the UK.
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If you have been injured in a road traffic accident which was not your fault, it is probably the last thing on your mind to think about making a claim for compensation.  At The Injury Lawyers, we totally understand this.  In all likelihood your car might need some serious repairs, or could have been written off, and you are not sure how you are going to get around without a car.  Even worse, you will no doubt be shaken up from your accident, and your injuries may be particularly serious, and all you want is to just get better.  That said, you may later want to make a claim for compensation, and, as long as you bring this claim for compensation within three years of the date of your accident, that is not a problem.
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Whiplash is the term used to describe a range of injuries to the neck that are usually caused by a very sudden movement of the head, forwards, backwards or sideways.

A whiplash injury is very common after car accidents involving a sudden impact; even those where the speed involved was quite slow. However, whiplash can also occur in other types of accidents such as sporting activities or trips and falls.

The symptoms of whiplash can be varied and may include tenderness and swelling in the neck, headaches, shooting pains from the neck and down your arms, difficulty moving your neck around, or even just pins and needles.
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For any drivers out there, you’re probably aware that priority is given to the circulating flow or traffic in the UK, and there are usually signs directing the traffic when approaching the junction to slow down and to give the right of way accordingly.

Roundabouts can reduce collisions compared to other junction types; however, this does not include those involving cyclists.  The most common accidents involving cyclists involve motor vehicles entering the roundabout and colliding with a cyclist who is already on the roundabout.  This is closely followed by the next common accident;  a motor vehicle leaving the roundabout and colliding with the cyclist who is continuing further on the roundabout.  As a result, some cyclists may feel safer walking their cycle round on the pavement or verge.
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