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A successful motorway accident claim can help crash victims move forward from what can be a very traumatic and stressful time. While a compensation claim can help a victim gain the support they need following a crash, many road accidents are easily preventable with just some basic road awareness and road sense.
As many as one in ten motorway crashes involve vehicles parked on the hard shoulder. Motorists therefore need to be aware of safety guidelines to help protect them if they ever need to use to use the hard shoulder.
There are only three instances when the hard shoulder should be used; in a breakdown, in an emergency and if told to stop by the police. If your car begins to fail while on the motorway, it is best to leave the motorway at the next exit and stop at a service station.
However if you need to stop immediately and use the hard shoulder, you should pull in and stop as close to the left as possible with the wheels turned to the left away from the road. You should also try and park close to an emergency phone if there is one close by, and you should turn on your hazard warning lights so that you are as visible as possible to other motorists.
It is also important that you get out of your vehicle and move as far away from the road and the car as possible in case it gets hit by passing traffic. This is especially important as many motorway deaths result from passengers of cars parked on the hard shoulder that have then got hit by passing traffic.
One tragic example of just such an incident happened in January 2010 when a mother stopped her car on the hard shoulder and was hit by a passing van. While the mother escaped the incident with only minor injuries, her 8-year-old daughter was critically injured in the crash and was hospitalised for several days.
Had the mother and her family got out of the car to await help, the incident may have been avoided and it would only have been the car that would have been damaged.
According to witnesses of the incident, the van driver was driving erratically preceding the collision and lost control immediately before the crash which caused him to hit the woman's car. It was not immediately reported if the mother made a compensation claim against the van driver for her daughter's injuries or the damage to her car.
Motorway hard shoulders are notoriously dangerous due to the high speeds of passing traffic. It is always best to avoid them but if you do have to use one, you should take every precaution to ensure you and your passengers' safety.
Make a motorway accident claim with YouClaim today
If you have been in a motorway accident that was not your fault, you may be able to make a compensation claim for your personal injury.
At YouClaim, our team of personal injury lawyers have years of experience helping clients gain the compensation they deserve following a road accident.
Thanks to our no win, no fee policy, you will not be charged a single penny for making a claim meaning that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Speak to one of our friendly advisers today and see if you are eligible for a motorway accident claim.
