On our heavily congested roads we almost expect to be involved in a road traffic accident as a driver at some point in our lives. We pay for insurance and buy ourselves cars with airbags and other safety features to compensate for the daily danger of the motor car.

But for those of us who prefer to travel by foot, there are not so many options to protect ourselves from the dangers of traffic.

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident as a pedestrian which involved a motor vehicle, then you will join the 30,000 accidents each year that involve people travelling on foot colliding with cars, bikes or vans in the UK. Don't just be a statistic though; make sure you know your rights as a pedestrian and if you have suffered an injury as a result of the accident, don't be afraid to exercise your rights to claim.

Drivers have a duty of care to pedestrians too

Car drivers have a duty of care to other road users, including cyclists and pedestrians and if they do unfortunately injure someone who is travelling on foot, pedestrian injury claims can be made via their car insurance policy. This means it is not the driver personally who is liable for the compensation payout, so pedestrians should not feel any guilt at making a compensation claim for injuries they have suffered as a result of a road accident.

The process for pedestrian accident claims is the same as with any other injury claim.

You will need to prove that the other party was at fault and will probably need to have a medical examination to verify the severity of your injuries. If you are able to, it can be very helpful to your pedestrian injury claims solicitor if you can gather names, addresses and telephone numbers of witnesses to the accident when it occurs as this will help you prove the case later on.

Your pedestrian accident compensation can help to pay for things such as loss of earnings, prescription costs, childcare costs and the costs of taxis or public transport that you have incurred as a result of the accident. It is therefore beneficial to keep all receipts and tickets following the accident to ensure you are recompensed accurately.

Most claims are paid within 3 months.

Don't let the cost of claiming put you off. Most pedestrian accident claims lawyers will offer you a no win no fee service where you will not pay a penny for their work unless you end up making a successful claim. You can also be assured that the process won't be as complicated as you think, as pedestrian injury claims experts will be able to help you with all the forms and most pedestrian accident compensation claims are paid within three months of the claim being submitted.

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