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I was recently at Hull fair a few weeks ago (it travels around the country, and was recently in Nottingham as Goose Fair) and it got me thinking about the strict health and safety legislation operators and ride manufacturers must adhere to.

I think it would be hard to find anyone who isn’t a fan of amusement parks and fairground rides. There are of course some of us (myself included) who are a little more inclined to the bigger and scarier rides to quench a thrill seeking thirst!

So it probably goes without saying that all rides (in particular the big ones!) are put through stringent health and safety checks to ensure nothing can go wrong. And there have been stories recently and in the past whereby negligence has resulted in ride users being seriously injured, or worse. Not to put anyone off the big ones of course!
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In recent articles we have discussed the dangers of the turning weather as winter sets in and conditions for driving worsen.  And according to BBC reports, it’s not just the physical environment that’s taking its toll on the safety of Britons roads …

Cash strapped motorists in the credit crunch are neglecting the importance of safety when it comes to maintaining their vehicles according to BBC sources from the AA.
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The clocks have all gone back and whilst we all appreciated the extra hour in bed and the nights are drawing in and it’s that first sign that Christmas is on its way; what is happening out there on our roads?

Every autumn when the clocks have been put back there is an increase in road traffic accidents, but why? We’ve all got headlights on our cars to guide the way in these early evenings and surely our driving skills have not been taken away just over night!

It is often the case that these early evenings suddenly creep up on us and we can all probably admit to jumping in the car after a long day at work and forgetting to turn on our headlights, or being caught out by those slippery leaves all over the roads! 
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It appears the number of news articles centred on dangerous motor vehicle incidents are on the rise at the moment. Of course these stories are never nice to read about, particularly with the onset of the winter weather and driving conditions worsening.

You may have heard in the news recently of the police officer’s joyride that resulted in the tragic death of a grandmother, BBC news reports (source).
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Bad news for motorists! According to the AA, car insurance costs are rising faster than at any time over the past 15 years.  Average premiums have risen by 14% since last October 2008.

The increased cost of car insurance has been particularly brutal on young drivers, with premiums for third party, fire and theft policies rising by 17.6% over the year to an average quoted premium of £1,059 according to The Guardian.
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Unfortunately there are still people out there who take the wrong decision to jump behind the wheel of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or narcotics; and it’s no secret that it’s a major cause of road traffic accidents around the world.

So what are the rules and legislation regarding being under the influence and on the road? It depends on the circumstances of course, but the gist Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 details clearly that a person found to be under the influence or alcohol or narcotics is guilty of offence (source – opens as a pdf).
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Despite numerous TV campaigns surrounding the issue of the importance of wearing your seatbelt many accidents are still far more serious than they should be just because people fail to wear their seatbelts!

What is the law surrounding seatbelts?

There are various groups dictating who must wear a seatbelt and who is responsible for the belt being worn and the following is a brief guide:
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Let’s face it, we all sometimes get it! That fleeting moment of fury that takes over us when a fellow road user cuts us up at a roundabout or pulls out from a side road in to our path.

And it’s not difficult to comprehend that road rage is a major cause of road traffic accidents worldwide. And as winter approaches and the weather worsens, the conditions of Britain’s roads over the course of the following months will slowly deteriorate as the cold, wet weather makes driving conditions more difficult and slows traffic down.
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You may have seen or heard of him in the news; he’s the acclaimed rock climber who knows no fear when it comes to dangerously scaling any large construction he can chalk his hands on!

And once again the Frenchman known as the “French Spider-Man” or “the Human Spider” has wowed audiences of onlookers by scaling the Ariane building in Paris (8th October 2009) with nothing but his bare hands and some sturdy rock climbing shoes, (source).
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What do you expect when you speak to your lawyer, not just for the very first time but every time you speak to them in relation to your claim?

Some would say rude, abrupt and even arrogant but is this really what you should expect and more to the more to the point, what you should stand for?

In short…No! So, what should you expect from your lawyer and their telephone manner?
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