Road Traffic Accident Claims Cover Cyclists and Pedestrians too!
When people think of a road traffic accident claim, they'll probably imagine somebody driving a car and having another careless motorist crash into them, or somebody driving a car and hitting a section of road that hasn't been properly taken care of, resulting in a crash. They might even stretch this idea to cover passengers in a car which was involved in an accident, in which case it might be the driver of the vehicle they were in who is held responsible.
What many people don't consider is that there can be other people involved in a road traffic accident, not just those who were inside vehicles. A group that are frequently on the receiving end of injuries from careless driving are cyclists. They don't have the protection of a car, and people are often impatient when they get caught behind them and try to overtake them when it isn't safe to. Even if the cyclist wasn't the original vehicle that a car collides with, it's very easy for any wreckage, or even a whole vehicle, to skid into a cyclist and cause injury. When this does happen, the cyclist may well be entitled to road accident compensation.
Pedestrians are another group who are overlooked when it comes to road traffic accident claims. Just like cyclists, they don't have anything to protect them, but they have the advantage of having pavements available in most places. In situations where pedestrians are hit, either through careless driving or because of a lack of adequate footpaths, they too might be entitled to road accident compensation from either the driver, the authority responsible for maintaining footpaths, or both.
Whereas road accidents involving two cars sometimes result only in structural damage to the vehicles involved, leaving the drivers and passengers unharmed, accidents with a cyclist or pedestrian involved are much more likely to result in injury due to the fact there is very little protecting them. When you think about it in this context, it's hardly surprising that cyclists and pedestrians make up a significant proportion of road accident claims that are pursued each year.
What many people don't consider is that there can be other people involved in a road traffic accident, not just those who were inside vehicles. A group that are frequently on the receiving end of injuries from careless driving are cyclists. They don't have the protection of a car, and people are often impatient when they get caught behind them and try to overtake them when it isn't safe to. Even if the cyclist wasn't the original vehicle that a car collides with, it's very easy for any wreckage, or even a whole vehicle, to skid into a cyclist and cause injury. When this does happen, the cyclist may well be entitled to road accident compensation.
Pedestrians are another group who are overlooked when it comes to road traffic accident claims. Just like cyclists, they don't have anything to protect them, but they have the advantage of having pavements available in most places. In situations where pedestrians are hit, either through careless driving or because of a lack of adequate footpaths, they too might be entitled to road accident compensation from either the driver, the authority responsible for maintaining footpaths, or both.
Whereas road accidents involving two cars sometimes result only in structural damage to the vehicles involved, leaving the drivers and passengers unharmed, accidents with a cyclist or pedestrian involved are much more likely to result in injury due to the fact there is very little protecting them. When you think about it in this context, it's hardly surprising that cyclists and pedestrians make up a significant proportion of road accident claims that are pursued each year.
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