The roads today are busier than ever. Most people have a car and a lot of families have two or more cars. Not only are there more cars on the road today, but people are also much busier. There are always places to go, and people to see; the rush hour in the morning going to work and the rush hour coming home, the school runs and the runs to the shops. People are rushing around, driving faster, with more things on their mind and therefore driving more carelessly. It is therefore no surprise that road traffic accidents are on the increase.
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident and it was not your fault then you may be entitled to compensation. However, if you were not wearing your seatbelt during the accident then your compensation can be reduced by up to 25%. This is due to a legal term known as Contributory Negligence, whereby the court may deem that your injury symptoms may not have been as serious if you had been wearing a seat belt.
The laws regarding wearing seat belts are simple for individuals over the age of 14 – the law being that all must wear a seat belt. However, for children below this age they can be more complicated. This is due to the fact that it depends on the child’s height as to whether an adult seat belt or child restraint should be used. More information regarding this can be found at http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/index.htm.
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident and it was not your fault, it is important to seek out a specialist personal injury solicitor to deal with your claim. It is advisable that this is done directly with a solicitor and not through referral agents (e.g. your insurers or a claims company). Referral agents are not solicitors, they are companies which sell on your claim to a solicitor. This means that the person handling your claim may not be the person who can give you the best service, but simply the person who has paid the most for your claim. Leave the destiny of your claim in the hands of the person who not only knows the claim the best, but also the person who will be most likely to make sure that it lands in the hands of the best firm of solicitors – this person is you.
The Injury Lawyers do not use referral agents, all our clients come to us directly.
