Personal injury claim news
21/09/2009

Driver's liability proposals anger motorists

Government ministers have said that they are considering proposals that would make drivers liable for all personal injury claims stemming from road accidents involving cyclists or pedestrians, even in cases where the cyclist or pedestrian is the at fault party.

The intention behind the proposed personal injury claim policy shift would be to encourage more people to switch to environmentally friendly modes of transport.

AA president, Edmund King, has criticised the proposals. "Many cyclists are motorists and many motorists are cyclists," he said.

"Simple changes in the law that assume one party is in the wrong because of what they drive will not help harmony on the roads."

However, those within the cycling community welcome the news and have pointed out that currently less than 2% of journeys are made by bicycle.

Phillip Darnton, chief executive of Cycling England, a Department for Transport sub-agency, was one of those to be encouraged by proposed personal injury claim changes, "I would like to see the legal onus placed on motorists when there are accidents," he said.

The change would mark a dramatic break from the current system, which prevents cyclists claiming 100 percent compensation in cases where they are at least in part responsible for their own injuries.