Road compensation claims in 2011
Despite the fact that the number of road traffic accidents fell by 11% from 2010 to 2011, the number of compensation claims in the same period has risen by 18%. One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that the most common claim continues to be for whiplash.
So who are involved in these accidents? There are no statistics available about which car models are involved in the most accidents, but we do know what colour is the most dangerous. Studies have shown that black cars are involved in the most accidents, while white, gold or yellow coloured cars are the safest. The reasons for this are obvious – dark cars may be harder to see in poor light, while brightly coloured yellow cars can’t help but stand out.
While newer cars can boast technology that helps cut the chances of being involved in an accident – such as intelligent breaking – other innovations have sometimes been at fault for causing more distractions. While satellite navigation systems have been a godsend for people tired of having to rely on their poor map-reading skills, they can at times be a distraction, especially when drivers attempt to change their route rather than concentrating on the road of them.
Even more alarmingly, research suggests that as many as 50% of young people text while driving. To combat this growing trend a series of adverts highlighting the potentially fatal consequences of something as simple as texting while driving is set to be targeted towards young drivers. Road Accident compensation claims are usually straightforward in cases where a distraction has caused an accident since it is obvious who is to blame for the collision.
Car drivers aren’t the only ones at risk of accidents however. While motorcyclists account for only 1% of British traffic, they make up almost 1 in 5 deaths and serious injuries. Meanwhile almost 20,000 cyclists were reported as being injured or killed on roads in 2011, with a fifth of these being children.
Read more articles about Driving and Car Insurance Drive.co.uk/Car-Insurance