We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
If you have been injured while being driven somewhere in someone else's vehicle, then you may want to make a passenger compensation claim.
Being involved in a road traffic accident which was not your fault can be stressful. You may suffer a personal injury resulting in having to take time off work, and leading to loss of earnings. When you get into someone else's vehicle you should be able to trust that they will drive safely, but unfortunately some passengers have to make a car crash claim.
Private vehicle owner's liability
Anyone who owns a vehicle should take care of their passengers. The Highway Code requests that all motorists drive in a safe and responsible manner which does not endanger the driver, their passengers or any other road users or pedestrians.
Though drivers are only legally responsible for making sure that children up until the age of 14 wear their seatbelts, they may wish to make sure that any passengers over this age also use the restraints available.
A passenger who does not use their seatbelt could not only cause themselves great harm should the vehicle be involved in an accident, but may cause the driver to suffer extreme personal injury or even death.
In 2008, data showed that an average of 15 times every year, an unbelted rear seat passenger killed the driver when thrown against the front seat in a collision. In 2009-2010 Brake: The Road Safety Charity, noted that figures during this period lowered to 10 deaths, but passengers should still be vigilant and remember to use seat restraints. Sadly in many of these cases, a parent is killed by their own unbelted child.
Motorists should be aware that allowing more passengers to ride in their car than there are seats available is also very dangerous and often results in road fatalities when the vehicle hits, or is hit by, another automobile at speed.
Public hire vehicle owner's liability
Taxis and buses, as modes of transport used by the paying public, should have public liability insurance in case of an accident which results in a passenger compensation claim being made.
Just as other road users must take care of their passengers' health and safety, taxi drivers and other vehicles which are used by fare paying customers have a responsibility towards those they are transporting.
Bus passenger injury
In 2009 the most common cause of bus-related injury was whiplash and the second was experiencing cuts and bruises. How a passenger could suffer a cut or a bruise on a bus may not be immediately obvious, but these injuries can be caused if a passenger falls while walking to their seat.
Bus drivers should wait until all customers have sat down, or are holding onto one of the available poles, before moving off from the bus stop.
Passenger Focus' quarterly results for the Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey in the 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2010-2011, showed that the majority of bus drivers were courteous to customers, which resulted in an average mark of 85 out of 100 for customer service satisfaction throughout the whole of England. However, some drivers may still forget to check in their mirror to see if everyone is safely settled before driving off.
The Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey also showed that marks given for bus service reliability decreased. A bus driver who is running late might feel the need to reach the next stop quickly, and as a result of this, may move off too soon for passengers to have safely sat down.
Taxi passenger injury
Taxi accidents are similar to those experienced by passengers in a normal family car. Aside from occasional differences in seat layout and design, the vehicles are usually much the same,. Because of this, personal security in a taxi should be approached in the same way as during any other car journey.
As a consequence of not wearing a seatbelt, or the driver's negligence while on the road, the passenger could suffer a serious personal injury in a crash. As well as experiencing physical damage, if the passenger is not wearing a seatbelt this could reduce the amount of compensation they are able to claim by 15% or more.
Do you want to make a passenger compensation claim?
YouClaim have a team of expert no win, no fee solicitors ready to help you claim for a personal injury, be it for a whiplash neck injury, broken bones or other physical damage suffered.
Should your claim be successful you will receive 100% compensation, since we don't take a cut from your remuneration.
Click on our short online claim form and one of our team will contact you concerning your case. Alternatively you could use e chat, live help or give us a ring on 0800 10 757 95 to see if you could make a passenger compensation claim today
