Road traffic accidents

Road traffic accidents, car accident, car crash, car wreck, fender benders are all names for when an automobile collides with something that damages the automobile. Whether that is a building, tree, another car or even a human. Road traffic accidents kill around 1.2 million people a year and cause injury to about 40 times the people killed.
Most countries require road traffic accidents to be reported and this information is used to statistics to be produced about injuries, deaths and the circumstances that caused them. Accidents are usually caused by a combination of factors including weather conditions, road conditions, driver behaviour and pedestrian behaviour.
Another major factor that can lead to accidents is the condition of the vehicle, a well maintained car with good breaks, tires suspension will be able to cope better in an emergency situation and also be better suited to avoid collisions. Some countries have mandatory inspections to check whether vehicles are road worthy, these include the TUV conformance inspection in Germany and the MOT test in the UK.
Vehicle design has made leaps and bounds over the years with regard to safety features, with many features improving protection after collision. These improvements have been made after consumer pressure and government legislation has forced the car manufacturers to make changes to their cars designs. These improvements include stronger frames, thicker pillars and safety glass. The outsides of vehicles have also been improved with smoother exteriors to reduce injury to pedestrians involved in road traffic accidents.
While cars have improved and have better safety systems, motorcyclists have little protection other than specialised safety clothing. The difference can be seen in the statistics, with motorcyclists twice as likely to suffer severely after an accident.
Research shows that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death in a traffic accident by around two thirds and that certain types of accidents lead to more serious consequences. Rollovers, which are more common in top heavy vehicles like people carriers are often cause fatalities especially when the passenger is not wearing a seat belt. These accidents have caused vehicle manufacturers to produce trucks and vans with lower centers of gravity and better suspension and stability control.
Drivers attitudes can be the cause of a lot of accidents, but surprisingly most drivers consider themselves to be good drivers. But these good drivers can sometimes be more dangerous because they have an over confidence and will take more risks in dangerous situations believing they can handle whatever the road throws at them. Sometimes it is better to be a bit more cautious.
If you have been injured in a road accident, whether as a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist, you may have a Accident Compensation Claim against the driver responsible or even partly responsible for the accident. Vehicle users are required by law to have insurance and the Road Accident Claim is most likely to be dealt with by the responsible driver's insurance company. Even if there isn't a police prosecution, you may still have a Road Traffic Accident Claim. Even if the responsible driver is not insured you may still claim against the Motor Insurers Bureau, an organisation established to compensate the injured victims of uninsured and untraced drivers.
For more information about injury claims and road traffic accident claims, please contact Claims for You.

About the Author

This article was written by Ashley Gilmour on behalf of Claims for you Accident claim online and road traffic accident claims