There was a chaotic night on the roads in Bristol recently, when accidents closed two arterial routes resulting in four-hour journeys home from many commuters. Congestion like this is an ever-present problem for most of us, wherever we are in the country.
Considering there is one car for every two people nationally, the statistics stack up. With one in six drivers making a claim against insurance every year and the same number caught speeding, there is no doubt a link between bad driving and the likelihood of being involved in an accident.
The cost of car insurance itself may also lead to some drivers taking a risk and not insuring themselves as a money saving measure – with the result that there were 300,000 convictions for no insurance each year, which cost the UK £500 million and £30 added on average to every premium.
With a total 2.2 million accidents of all types reported every year and an average repair bill of £2,000 the message is clear: make sure you are covered (something that the owner of a McClaren F1, damaged in a single vehicle accident and resulting in a repair bill of £910,000, was no doubt grateful for). The penalties for being caught without insurance are high: a fine of at least £300 and six penalty points – for a newly qualified driver, this is enough to lose their licence. The police also have the power to seize and destroy vehicles that are found being driven with no insurance.
For more information on any of the issues raised in this article or if you believe you have a road traffic accident claim, contact our Personal Injury and Accident Claims team or call 0117 904 6000.
