As Christmas draws near motorists are urged to be safe as they make their way to their final Christmas destination
With fatalities on the road reaching a six-year high last winter, Thompsons Solicitors is urging motorists to stay safe while travelling over the Christmas period.
The festive period is traditionally the most stressful for motorists as they try to deal with winter weather, increased traffic volumes and family tension, while often driving long distances to visit extended family and friends. This, coupled with driving on unfamiliar roads and an increased chance of meeting a driver under the influence of alcohol, driving during the Christmas period can be fraught with danger and can result in a significantly higher risk of being involved in a road traffic accident.
Research from the Department for Transport (DfT) has found that there were 369 road traffic accident fatalities in November and December 2014, which was the highest rate for that period since 2008. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the number of pedestrian deaths nearly doubled from 39 in October 2014 to 73 in December the same year.
Tom Jones, head of policy at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “With all of the stress that people face during the festive period, it’s not a surprise that the number of road accidents can increase. With that in mind, we would urge motorists to take extra precautions when travelling at this time of year, as the combination of stress, bad weather and social events can all begin to mount up.
“However, the government needs to act too. It needs to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funds to keep roads in good condition and that police forces countrywide have resources to patrol those roads to catch any motorists flouting the law.
“Sadly it seems that the Tory government is more preoccupied with attacking road accident victims’ right to legal representation by increasing the small claims limit in motor cases from £1,000 to £5,000. This is one of countless examples where the lobbying power of the insurance industry is winning over fairness, unfairly punishing those who have genuinely been injured in a road accident.”
Injured on the roads? Help and compensation is close at hand.
If you’ve been injured on the roads in the last three years, Thompsons Solicitors' expert road traffic accident solicitors can support you with making a road traffic compensation claim.
Whether you were the driver or passenger in a car, lorry, coach, van, bus, truck, on public transport or were injured as a pedestrian or cyclist, you may be able to claim for damages.
If you have suffered injuries such as whiplash, bruising or a more serious injury following a road traffic collision on the motorway, country lane or city roads, our solicitors across the UK are ready to help you to make a claim and access any rehabilitation you require.
Unlike other firms, Thompsons only ever acts for the injured person – never for insurance companies. This means we will fight harder to secure the maximum level of compensation for your injuries, and don’t need to please motor insurance paymasters.
Contact us today for a free, no obligation assessment of whether you have a claim for compensation following a road accident.
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