After a road accident claim in Scotland, one local authority is set to pay out £20,000 in personal injury compensation.
after one of its vehicles collided with a coach.
The incident involved an Aberdeenshire Council snowplough and a Stagecoach Bluebird coach in late 2009. The Press and Journal reported that the traffic accident claim happened just two days shy of Christmas.
It is common for regional governments to pay out in personal injury compensation cases related to road accident claims. The Croydon Advertiser recently reported that Croydon Council spent more than £615,000 last year alone. The sum covered the cost of incidents involving damaged driving surfaces, manholes, and other related personal injury claims.
Local authorities in Scotland have released in excess of £10 million towards compensation over the past three years. The Aberdeenshire Council alone is responsible for nearly £500,000 on costs related to compensating for injuries over the three year period.
Personal injury claims may also be more common during times of cold, wintry weather. The Croydon Advertiser also stated that frost, snow, and ice related injuries accounted for 60 per cent of the largest sums awarded in compensation over the course of last year.
Many insurers concerned with rising costs attached to an increase in claims have been exhorting their customers to be more careful. Several of these insurance providers have released recent statement encouraging drivers to exercise higher levels of caution on the road during poor weather. Others have reminded motorists to ensure their cars have been properly winterised to avoid incidents caused by faulty windscreen wiper blades and headlights.
Others still have gone to extreme lengths. One insurer recently issued warnings to its customers that driving with thick-soled winter boots could result in a car accident by making it hard to operate the pedals properly. This company suggested keeping a pair of “driving shoes” in the boot of the car to cut down on the number of accidents generated by slips of the foot.