Motorway Accident Claims

Is motorway driving safer than driving on a normal road? The amount of injuries per travelled mile on the motorway is less than normal roads. However due to high speeds and the risk of multi vehicle pile ups; motorway accidents pose a more serious threat.

The most common factors that cause accidents on the motorway are:

• Drivers falling asleep
• Weather conditions, for example fog
• Impatience
• Careless lane changing
• Travelling to close to the car in front

90% of all motorway accidents occur due to driver error, with the other 10% being made up from mechanical failure.

When you are driving on the motorway you must always:

• Make frequent use of your mirrors
• Keep your distance from the car in front
• Take extra care when approaching intersections
• Switch on dipped headlights in poor visibility
• Use left hand lane when possible. The right and middle lanes are overtaking lanes
• Never use the left lane to overtake
• Remember blind spots when joining the motorway
• Take breaks, get off the motorway if you feel tired

Multi vehicle pile ups usually occur due to people driving to close to the car in front. In normal driving conditions you should have a two second stopping distance, in bad weather conditions this time is increased to five seconds.

If you have a break down on the motorway you should always:

• Move to the hard shoulder
• Find the emergency phone and always turn your hazard lights on
• Lock all the doors, apart from the passenger one, use this door to exit the car
• Even if you have a mobile, you should always use the emergency phone as any emergency services can locate your exact location
• Stand on the embankment
• It is illegal for cars to pull up on the hard shoulder and offer you help, if you are alone and an unknown vehicle pulls up, get back in your car and lock the doors.

If you are unfortunate to have an accident on the motorway, Accident Consult can help. As specialists in no win no fee claims we can help you claim for compensation. Get in touch today for your free consultation with one of our professional advisors.

Tags: bad weather, blind spots, common factors, driver error, driving conditions, exact location, extra care, hazard lights, high speeds, mechanical failure, poor visibility, ups, weather conditions