A new report by the Association of British Insurers has highlighted the impact the increase number of motorists from other EU countries is having on the accident rate on UK roads. In its report Eurpoean Drivers – Crossing Borders Safely, the ABI has revealed that drivers unfamiliar with UK roads are contributing to rising accident rates across the country.
The report, published 14 November reveals that differing speed limits, road layouts and attitudes to driving between countries in the EU can be very confusing to cross border drivers. In fact, in the UK, 18,000 accidents a year are caused by drivers coming in from continental Europe, with European heavy goods vehicles being almost three times as likely to be involved in an accident as their UK counterparts.
However it is by no means just the UK that has felt the effects that an enlarged EU has had on road safety. Britons themselves were responsible for over 5,000 accidents on the roads of other EU member states in 2006. Switzerland has suffered the most, with non-resident drivers committing half of all traffic offences. In France 1-in-4 accidents in border areas are caused by cross border drivers. 23% of fatal accidents in Belgium are attributed to motorists unfamiliar with the country`s roads.
Camps Solicitors provide specialist legal services for the victims in non-fault accidents. If you or someone you know has been involved in a road accident which wasn’t their fault anywhere in England or Wales, regardless of their nationality we may be able to help.
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