As most road users, be they motorists, cyclists or pedestrians, will be aware, the poor state of the UK road network has resulted in a huge increase in the number of potholes on the road network. A ‘perfect storm’ of recent bad winter weather combined with local authority budgets being cut thanks to the austerity measures in place since 2008, means that there has recently been a big increase in compensation claims, both for personal injury and vehicle damage.
However, recent statistics indicate that one in every five such compensation claims may be either exaggerated or fraudulent, with some motorists, pedestrians and cyclists seeking to take advantage of the likelihood of such a claim arising. Local authorities and Councils are facing huge challenges in deciding how their limited repair budgets are spent, with one estimate indicating that over £9 billion is needed throughout the UK to bring the roads up to an acceptable state of repair.
In a recent case, a claimant who had be out running had his £80,000 personal injury claim against Walsall Council thrown out after a Court heard that he had significantly exaggerated his injuries. Investigators had evidence that following the accident he had taken part in marathons and triathlons, despite claiming that he was unable to run at all. Another such case saw a cyclist in Cardiff trying to claim over £130,000 in injury compensation from Cardiff council despite his injuries being as a result of a skid on a slippery road and not from him hitting a pothole as he had fraudulently claimed.
Statistics show that over the past 5 years, local councils and authorities have paid out over £43million in compensation with cyclists receiving an average of £11,000 compensation for a successful claim.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association commented:
Councils will always consider genuine compensation claims for vehicle damage or personal injury. However, they will continue to crack down on spurious claims to protect the public purse and use this money to fix roads”
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