Thousands of cyclists are injured on Britain’s roads every year. If you’re been involved in a road traffic accident, then you may be able to claim compensation. Your chances of a successful claim will depend upon the specific circumstances involved.

Poor Road Surfaces
One of the biggest causes of accidents involving cyclists is the presence of potholes and other defects on poorly maintained roads. Maintaining Britain’s roads is the responsibility of the local council. If they’ve not done their work to a reasonable standard and you’ve been injured as a result, then you may be able to seek compensation.

If you believe that the local authority is at fault, then your best course of action is to photograph the location where the incident happened. If possible, you should also measure the width and depth of any hole in the road. Having this evidence to hand will put you in a strong position to make a successful claim.

Accidents Involving Cars

Other vehicles often present the greatest danger to cyclists. One of the real concerns here is that collisions with cars, buses and trucks will often lead to severe injuries. These are the accidents that most cyclists really dread.

If you are involved in such a road traffic accident, then you may be able to make a claim. These incidents are often caused by vehicle drivers who simply aren’t paying enough attention. They fail to notice the presence of a cyclist on the road.

In such cases, the driver of the other vehicle may be completely to blame. Even if it’s decided that you, as the cyclist, are partly to blame for the accident, you may still be able to claim compensation. It’s important that you make the police aware of the incident at the earliest opportunity.

Faulty Bicycles

In a perfect world, all bicycles are built to a high standard. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. On some occasions, bicycle parts can fail, leading to accidents on the roads. In order to avoid such issues, it’s important that you should maintain your bicycle properly. You may find, however, that your bike fails despite your best efforts.

If you’re involved in an accident as a result of a failure that was caused by the bicycle manufacturer, then you may be able to make a claim. You may also be in a strong position to make a claim if a professional has carried out poor maintenance work on your bicycle.

Problems Caused By Animals

Dogs and other animals sometimes run out into the road. As a cyclist, you may find yourself having to take action to avoid them. This may result in an accident. It’s the responsibility of animal owners to keep their pets under control at all times.

If their failure to do so has led to an accident, then you may be able to make a claim for compensation against them.

As you can see, there are numerous causes of accidents and resulting injuries. In many cases, it’s possible to take legal action to ensure that you are fully compensated for injuries suffered.