Overview of motor accidents

There are thousands of motor accidents on the UK’s roads each year. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a motoring accident, you are likely to be involved in a subsequent insurance claim and, possibly, a claim for compensation.

What to do if you’re in a motor accident

The first thing to do is to look after any injuries you, or other drivers and passengers, may have.

After this, it is a good idea to jot down as much information about the accident as possible, and take photos. Anything that you notice should be written down, as it may be relevant at a future date when your memory will not be fresh. Also, notes taken at the scene of an accident have a greater authenticity than those that have been written at a later date.

The sort of information you might look for includes: contact details for passengers, drivers, pedestrians and passers-by; the name of the employer if one of the drivers is driving as part of his job, for example, a tradesperson or travelling salesperson; descriptions of the driver, location and any distinguishing feature.

You should record the time and date of the accident, and details of vehicles involved, such as the number of passengers, make and model of car, registration number and whether the driver had indicated or had their headlights on. The weather and lighting conditions could be relevant to any claim.

Try to take the number of any police officers who attend, and make notes of any injuries and damage —including what side of the car is damaged.

You may want to make a sketch showing the vehicles’ positions on the road, and any obstructions or road markings.

Accidents must be reported to the police within 24 hours, and you should inform your insurance company of the accident as soon as possible. Your policy may state a time period for this.

It is an offence to refuse to give details to the other driver following an accident, if there has been injury or property damage. 

Pursuing compensation

You may be able to claim personal injury compensation for injuries sustained in a motor accident. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries.

Many personal injury lawyers do nothing but motor accident claims, and are highly skilled in this area of law. They will often take cases on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, which means you don’t need to pay them unless you win.

There is a professional association of motor accident lawyers in the UK, called the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS). This is a non profit-making organisation of solicitors, which aims to share expertise among its membership, campaign for reforms to the law, and assist victims of motor accidents. They can recommend a motor accident solicitor.

Be wary of unqualified claims handling companies, which may not give you the best advice and may not be upfront about the costs involved.

If your injuries are caused by an uninsured driver or you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident, then you may still be eligible for compensation. In this case, your claim would not be against the other driver’s insurers, but through the Motor Insurers Bureau. The Bureau has dedicated claims handling staff, who manage more than 30,000 claims every year involving uninsured drivers.

According to the Bureau, three people every hour are injured by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers in the UK.

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