National Road Victim Month – August 2024.

As the summer holidays draw to a close and we approach the end of August, we also approach the end of National Road Victim Month.

National Road Victim Month was founded by RoadPeace in 1998. RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK. August was chosen as the designated month for the annual campaign, in honour of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, and in memory of Bridget Driscoll, the first pedestrian to be killed by a car, in Crystal Palace, London, on 17 August 1896.

RoadPeace have confirmed that since records began in 1926, more than 500,000 people have been killed on the roads in Great Britain. Every day, five people are killed and around 80 people are seriously injured, on average. Summer evenings and holidays encourage more car journeys to be made. New and young drivers and their passengers are sadly a big part of the statistics.

As a personal injury lawyer specialising in catastrophic injury claims I frequently assist those involved in such tragedies, many of whom are young adults, and I have developed an interest in working with young drivers and passengers who have suffered life-changing head injuries.

I am required to support not only the injured claimant but also their families. Very often these young injured adults fall between NHS statutory services, and this can result in a lack of accessible support. Claimants and their families are often also balancing the injuries against the challenge of such a crucial time in their personal development, transitioning from school/college into further education or working life, and independent living, which requires careful support and management through the rehabilitation process.

It is often so difficult for parents to return to their role as parent and not carer, and they need the confidence of those working with their children to take that step back and allow their child to be supported and empowered to create their new life path. Specialist skill is needed to ensure evidence is gathered in order to correctly particularise career aspirations, future losses and pension provision, to ensure that compensation is recovered at the right level and to cover future needs.

If you have been affected by this and would like to speak to one of our specialist team for advice please do get in touch.