Flooding Fears: Your Legal Friend finds that nine in 10 road users are concerned after severe weather

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Britain has the most congested roads in Europe*** and this, combined with poor road quality must be a major contributing factor when it comes to accident rates.

(PRWEB UK) 26 August 2014

Drivers should be ultra vigilant following the weekend storms* as nine in 10 (86%) road users believe their local roads worsen as a result of flooding. As areas such as Brighton, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire face severe weather warnings, a new study by Your Legal Friend, a leading firm of personal injury solicitors, highlights the impact of localised flooding on the nation’s roads.

The study found that deteriorating road conditions in the aftermath of flooding were particularly experienced by road users in Glasgow (95%), London (93%) and Newcastle (88%)**. The Your Legal Friend Road Report highlights the need for road users to be careful in the current poor weather conditions as nearly half (49%) of road users have been involved in a traffic accident in the past and 45% of these collisions have resulted in a personal injury.

As well as pointing to significant accident rates across the country, The Your Legal Friend Road Report highlights particular accident hot-spots when it comes to major cities. Road users in Leeds have experienced the highest number of road traffic accidents (RTAs) with more than half (55%) being involved in a collision. Drivers in Edinburgh and Birmingham aren’t far behind, with 54% and 53% having been in road traffic accidents respectively. The lowest number of accidents were experienced by drivers in London where two fifths (40%) had been in a collision.

Philip Waters, solicitor at Your Legal Friend commented: “Britain has the most congested roads in Europe*** and this, combined with poor road quality must be a major contributing factor when it comes to accident rates.

“Accidents can have a devastating effect on the people involved, including a financial impact if people are left with injuries that mean they cannot work or need to pay expensive medical and care costs. However with the Government still consulting on plans to change the small claims limit and recent amendments to legal aid, many victims may find their ability to claim damages restricted.

The Your Legal Friend Road Report found two thirds (66%) of road users who have been involved in an accident believe they were not to blame for the incident. In addition, two thirds (67%) of road users believe innocent victims should be allowed to seek financial redress if they suffer injuries as a result of an accident that wasn’t their fault.

Mr Waters continued: “With so many people involved in accidents, there is a clear need to ensure those who have been injured as a result still have access to legal support and can be compensated for any losses they suffer.”

-Ends-

*40mm of rain fell on Monday 25th August 2014 according to the Met Office

**Top 10 city road users that believe their roads have worsened after flooding:
1.    Glasgow (95%)
2.    London (93%)
3.    Newcastle (88%)
4.    Birmingham (87%)
5.    Bristol (87%)
6.    Sheffield (86%)
7.    Edinburgh (82%)
8.    Leeds (81%)
9.    Liverpool (78%)
10.    Manchester (76%)

*** According to the World Bank, there are 77 vehicles per kilometre of road in Britain – 76% more than the European average [January 2014]

Your Legal Friend commissioned this research among a panel of 2000 UK road users aged 18+. The sample is broadly representative of the UK across age, gender and UK city. Respondents were interviewed between 4 – 17th July 2014.

The research was conducted online on behalf of Your Legal Friend by independent research company One Poll.

Your Legal Friend is one of the UK’s leading litigation firms, offering a range of legal services and advice to the victims of Personal Injury, including motor vehicle accidents, cycle accidents, passenger transport accidents, motorbike accidents and work related injuries; Medical Negligence, and Professional Negligence. Your Legal Friend is part of 2020 Legal Limited, which also trades as Camps Solicitors. As a whole 2020 Legal Limited has over 30 years’ experience working with the victims of non-fault claims and accidents, handling thousands of cases every year. Visit http://www.yourlegalfriend.com

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