Road Traffic Accident Claims!

Are people fully aware of the options after a road traffic accident?

Every year, thousands of people in the UK are affected by road traffic accidents that were not their fault. Many are left unable to go back to work or carry on with their lives as they did before the accident, and in more serious incidents, the repercussions can go on for years. The public is now far more aware of their rights to compensation after an accident, particularly if blame can be apportioned to a third party through to negligence, bad driving or just through failing to take reasonable preventative measures to avoid the accident in the first place.

But despite the growth of the road traffic accident claims market over the last few years, particularly since the introduction of ‘no win, no fee’ agreements, some specialist solicitors still think that more can be done to educate the public about the alternatives available to them in the claims process. “It’s still a case that many people will assume that compensation will come from their insurance companies, and not through a private action for compensation,” explains Nicholas Jervis, managing director of specialist claims company, 1stClaims. “While your car insurance may compensate you for damage to your vehicle, it doesn’t cover the loss of earnings or cost of treatment you may need for any injuries. Plus, people are worried that claiming against their insurance will affect their no-claims bonus or put up their premiums which of course it will. That’s where a road traffic accident compensation claim comes in, which if successful, protects your no claims bonus,” he adds.

It is estimated that around 69% of people who suffer an injury in a car accident don’t put in a claim for compensation. While not every accident results in injury and so therefore some of that statistic may be discarded as irrelevant, it still leaves a proportion of people who have been injured but, for whatever reason, are choosing not to pursue a claim. “We’re not saying that you should put in a spurious claim just for the sake of claiming - this is not a case of solicitors trying to drum up more business,” says Nicholas. “But what we are concerned about is that there are people who are fully entitled to compensation for very real injuries that impact on their lives. It’s these people that we need to educate as to what exactly their rights are. I don’t think that the legal profession has done a very good job of that up to now,” says Nicholas.

What Nicholas Jervis and road traffic accident claims solicitors are calling for is a programme of education for the general public, informing them of their rights in a way that can be clearly understood by everyone. “Almost everyone has seen the adverts on TV or in the papers, encouraging you to make a claim after an accident. But what is stopping many people from pursuing a claim is the jargon that surrounds the whole process,” he explains. “What we’re looking for is clarity and reassuring people that not only do they have the right to put in a claim for compensation, but that the process is not as scary or as complicated as often comes across on the adverts,” he adds.

Whilst awareness of the ability to claim compensation after a road traffic accident is much higher now than it was a few years ago, there still seems to be a reluctance to pursue claims because of the worry of how it will affect insurance premiums and so on. “What people need to be shown is that making a compensation claim will not affect your motor insurance because it has absolutely nothing to do with your standard motor policy,” explains Nicholas. “Perhaps once people start to realise that it is a completely separate process, they may be a little more willing to claim what is rightfully theirs,” he concludes.

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What "No Win No Fee" really means and how to ensure you do not get caught out
Whether a Claims Company or a Solicitor is the right choice for you
What does it mean if you have Legal Expense Insurance (and do you have to use the solicitor that they tell you too if you do not want to)?
How to obtain private treatment for your injuries at no cost to you
How to quickly obtain a replacement car or motorcycle if you need to
Why accepting an offer directly from the other driver's insurance company could cost you thousands of pounds and lead to longterm injury problems

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