We are personal injury solicitors specialising in claiming compensation for clients injured in road traffic accidents. Catherine Smith has experience with all types of claims, and introduces our services in this short video.

Read more about road traffic accidents below, or use our free legal advice service opposite to ask us a question or to get started making a claim.

Road Traffic Accident Claims

With Britain's roads busier than ever, and weather conditions increasingly unpredictable, it should be no surprise that any job which involves large amounts of driving presents a very high risk of serious injury or death to drivers, passengers and the general public. Indeed, road traffic accidents involving work vehicles are the single biggest cause of work related fatalities today, according to data from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC). There are an estimated 3 million company cars on Britain's roads, apart from other work vehicles, and statistics show that over a third of these vehicles will be involved in an accident every year. In March 2010 the Road Safety Minister, Paul Clark, acknowledged common estimates that roughly 40,000 road traffic accidents every year are work related, resulting in around 1000 deaths and around 100,000 serious injuries. The TUC has quoted the annual cost to UK business resulting from such accidents as being in the region of £3.5 billion.

Who Is Affected By Road Traffic Accidents?

Work related traffic accidents occur in a wide variety of circumstances, and affect a correspondingly broad range of people. Apart from company cars, work vehicles on Britain's road include lorries and other LGVs, vans, tankers, taxis, coaches, buses, emergency service vehicles, construction and agricultural vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. The vast majority of larger vehicles (and indeed all other vehicles apart from cars) on the roads are present in a work capacity. Victims of road traffic accidents include drivers, passengers, occupiers of other vehicles, pedestrians, and those working on or near the road, such as highway maintenance workers, traffic police and postal workers. According to an authoritative study, six particular types of vehicle account for 88% of all road traffic accidents: company cars, vans/pickups, lorries/LGVs, buses/coaches, taxis/minicabs and emergency vehicles. The remaining 12% includes other vehicle types, as well as people working on or near to roads.

Typical Causes Of Road Traffic Accidents

The same study also analyses the causes of accidents involving different types of vehicles and corresponding 'blameworthiness' of the drivers. With company cars excessive speed is the primary cause of accidents whereas with vans and pickups, accidents usually result from a lack of observation on the driver's part. Lorry/LGV accidents are most often caused by driver tiredness and poor vehicle maintenance. In each of the other three categories accidents are not primarily the fault of the driver, but most often result from the failures of other drivers. The underlying causes of road traffic accidents are more diverse. Drivers, especially those with passengers or making deliveries, are often under pressure to reach their destination within a specified time frame, and are often monitored via computer in this respect. Their pay may also be related to meeting such targets. This sort of pressure can lead to stress, fatigue (40% of tiredness accidents on the roads involve commercial vehicles), loss of concentration and increased risk taking. Other factors include higher powered engines than average in company car fleets, and distractions such as eating, drinking and talking on mobile phones. It has also been speculated that work drivers are psychologically more aggressive and extrovert than other drivers, due to the frequency with which they use the roads.

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Employers Must Take Steps To Prevent Accidents At Work

Compensation claims for work related road traffic accidents may be directed against other drivers, employers or contractors involved in loading or maintaining vehicles. An employer has a legal duty of care to ensure that all driving tasks are risk assessed (in case of treacherous road conditions for example), and suitable measures put in place to prevent accidents as far as possible. An employer must provide adequate vehicle maintenance, and ensure that loading procedures are safe and observed by employees. Training must be provided to all drivers, and journeys planned to avoid unnecessary hazards. In the case of construction, building and farming, the employer must also ensure that site entrances and surrounding roads are cleared of dangerous debris. With heavy vehicles such as tractors for example it is essential to ensure that tyres are cleaned regularly to prevent excessive slippery mud being deposited on roads.

Road Traffic Accident Claims And Compensation Awards

If you have been involved in a work related road traffic accident in the past 3 years which was not your fault you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Employers are required by law to have employer's liability insurance, and all individual drivers must be insured. Where a driver is uninsured you can still bring a road traffic accident claim through the Motors Insurance Bureau (MIB), which pays compensation to victims of accidents caused by uninsured or untraceable drivers. Bartletts Solicitors are specialists in the field of road traffic accident claims. We work on a no win no fee basis meaning if you win your case the relevant insurance company will pay all of your legal fees.