Report your cycle or motorcycle accident
It is important that you insist on police
taking a report of your accident, even if they try to say
you don't need to report it because insurance details have
been provided, or your injuries are 'minor'.
If the incident involves another vehicle,
even if you think you have all of their details, circumstances
can still arise where your claim may turn into a claim which
has to be dealt with by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (see What
if the other driver other driver is uninsured/didn't
stop). There are strict time limits
applicable for reporting in these circumstances, and we therefore
advise that all such incidents are reported to the police
without delay, just to be sure you are covered for all eventualities.
Aside from this, if your accident goes
unreported, it contributes to the vast under-reporting of
all road traffic incidents
that goes on. The consequences of this are, amongst other
things, that insufficient attention will be paid to cycling
and motorcycling safety and the difficulties that we
face on the road.
Did you know that cycle casualties are
the worst reported of all modes of accident on the roads?
A 1996 Transport Research Laboratory study Comparison of Hospital
and Police Casualty Data estimated that 8/10 potentially reportable
cycle casualties may be missing from police data" [Roadpeace
Safety First, Issue 11, Winter 2002].
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