Roundabout Car Accident Compensation Claims

By Jo Martinez. Last Updated 17th August 2023. One of the most common road traffic accidents that occur is roundabout car accidents.

Approaching and driving around a roundabout requires a good awareness of not only your positioning but also the positioning of other drivers.

Accidents on a roundabout are often due to drivers getting in the wrong lane for the exit that they want and so can end up cutting across or bumping into other drivers causing an accident.

If you have been involved in a roundabout accident and you have suffered an injury as a result, read further on in our guide to find out more about roundabout accident compensation claims.

Select A Section:

  1. Am I Eligible To Claim For A Roundabout Accident?
  2. How To Start A Claim After A Roundabout Accident
  3. Steps To Take If Injured In a Roundabout Car Accident
  4. If Someone Cuts Across You On A Roundabout, Whose Fault Is It?
  5. What Can Be Claimed For After An Accident At A Roundabout?
  6. How Is Compensation For Injuries From A Roundabout Accident Calculated?
  7. No Win No Fee Solicitors
  8. Call For Free Advice And To Start A Claim

Am I Eligible To Claim For A Roundabout Accident?

If you suffered injuries in a roundabout accident, you may like to know about the eligibility criteria you need to meet to make a claim for compensation. To make a personal injury claim for a road traffic accident, you must be able to prove that:

  •       Another road user owed you a duty of care.
  •       This duty was breached.
  •       Due to this breach, you suffered injuries.

The duty of care that road users owe to each other is set by the Road Traffic Act 1988. It states that drivers must navigate the roads in a way that prevents injury and damage to themselves and others. As part of this duty, road users are expected to adhere to the relevant rules and regulations found in the Highway Code.

Rules 184-190 of the Highway Code set some general rules about using a car on a roundabout. Should another driver fail to follow these rules, they may have broken their duty of care. If this causes an accident on a roundabout and you are injured, you could be entitled to compensation.

If you have any questions about making a personal injury claim following a road traffic accident, please contact one of the advisors from our team.

How To Start A Claim After A Roundabout Accident

In order to start a claim for an accident on a roundabout, you first have to establish who was responsible for the accident. While all road users owe each other a duty of care under the Road Traffic Act 1988, recent changes to the Highway Code mean that different road users have different levels of responsibility.

Roundabout accident claim

Roundabout accident claim

Once you have established who was liable for your road traffic accident, it’s important to ensure that you start your personal injury claim within the correct time limit. According to the Limitation Act 1980, this is three years from the date of your injuries.

Gathering evidence can also be beneficial to roundabout accident claims. This can help prove who was responsible for your accident, as well as the severity of your injuries, the length of your treatment, and how your accident has affected your life.

Steps To Take If Injured In A Roundabout Car Accident

What a person can or should do after an accident may depend on the severity of the accident. However, everyone in the UK has a legal responsibility to stop their car after a collision. In some cases, it can be difficult or unsafe to stop a car on a roundabout, so you should only stop your car if and when it is fairly safe to do so.

After you have stopped your car, you could then contact any necessary emergency services – whether this is the police or medical services. If you have been injured, receiving treatment should always be your first priority. Additionally, medical or police reports could be useful evidence for a claim. You are also required to exchange insurance and contact details with any other involved parties.

In order to make a claim, you will need evidence of whose fault the accident may have been, and of your injuries. You could be able to collect this in the form of:

  • Pictures taken at the roundabout where the accident took place
  • Contact details of witnesses to the accident
  • Dashcam footage
  • Notes and medical records of your injury’s progression
  • Personal notes on how your injury has affected your day-to-day life

As said, this can all depend on the severity and type of accident you were in. If you would like to learn more about what you could collect for your car roundabout accident claim, then please reach out to one of our advisers.

If Someone Cuts Across You On A Roundabout, Whose Fault Is It?

Fault for an accident will be placed on the party that failed to observe traffic laws or the guidance set out in the Highway Code (relevant to England, Wales & Scotland).

In a situation where someone cuts across you on a roundabout, fault could be placed on them if they failed to proper actions to avoid a collision, for example, if they:

  • Failed to signal
  • Did not wait for you to give them room to cut across
  • Failed to ensure there was a safe amount of space between them and the car ahead

If you were the party trying to merge across, and the car behind you had unexpectedly sped then they could be found at fault for the roundabout accident.

Any supporting evidence you can provide (whether witnesses, CCTV, or dashcam footage) will be important in helping you prove fault.

Please reach out to a member of our team for any help you may need with proving fault in car accident claims.

What Can Be Claimed For After An Accident At A Roundabout?

There are a few fundamentals that you should include in your claim as these will cover the basic initial costs encountered due to your injuries sustained in the roundabout car accidents.

  • General Damages – This refers to the amount of compensation you will receive that reflects the pain and suffering you have experienced resulting from the roundabout accident.
  • Care Claim – If you have had to have assistance around the house while you recover, the person who has cared for you can file a claim.
  • Medical Expenses – Any costs that you have incurred due to the result of your injury, you can claim for. Prescription fees, counselling costs or such like, can be included.
  • Loss of Earnings – This refers to any loss of income due to the injuries sustained and also covers the loss of any potential future earnings.
  • Travel Expenses – Any costs of travelling to and fro the hospital, any vehicle adaptions and any alternative travel costs should be included.

How Is Compensation For Injuries From A Roundabout Accident Calculated?

If you are eligible to make a roundabout accident claim, you may be wondering how much compensation you could be awarded. Settlements for successful claims could result in general damages and special damages.

General damages compensate you for the pain and suffering of your injury. To work out how much compensation might be appropriate for such damages, legal professionals could refer to a publication known as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication provides guideline compensation brackets for a range of injuries at different severities.

Some figures from the 16th edition of the JCG can be found in the table below, along with some tariff amounts from the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. However, the figures from the JCG should only be used as a guide. The compensation you receive would be specific to your claim.

InjuryDetails Of InjuryCompensation Bracket
Injuries involving paralysis(a) Tetraplegia/Quadriplegia£324,600 to £403,990
Injuries involving paralysis(b) Paraplegia£219,070 to £284,260
Brain and head injury(a) Very severe£282,010 to £403,990
Brain and head injury(c) Less severe£15,320 to £43,060
Leg injury(b) Severe (ii) £54,830 to £87,890
Leg injury(c) Severe (iii) £39,200 to £54,830
Leg injury(b) Severe (iv) £27,760 to £39,200
Hand injury( e) Serious hand injuries£29,000 to £61,910
Hand injury(g) Less Serious injury£14,450 to £29,000
Hand injury(h) Moderate injury£5,720 to £13,280
One Or More Whiplash InjuriesInjuries lasting 18-24 months£4,215
One Or More Whiplash Injuries With Accompanying Psychological InjuriesInjuries lasting 18-24 months£4,345

To get a personalised estimate of your compensation, please contact an advisor. They can also help answer questions such as ‘If someone cuts across you on a roundabout, whose fault is it?’

Do The Whiplash Reforms Affect Roundabout Accident Claims?

If you are seeking compensation for a road traffic accident and the injuries are minor enough to be valued at £5,000 or below, then they should be claimed for through a government-supported ‘portal’.

If you are seeking compensation for specifically whiplash injuries worth £5,000 or less, then their value is set by a tariff applied under the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021.

Car Accident Compensation Examples UK – Special Damages

As a result of injuries sustained in an accident at the roundabout, you could experience financial losses. If so, it could be that you’re eligible to receive special damages in your payout. This figure is calculated to compensate you for the monetary losses caused by your injuries. You will need evidence to support these expenditures.

Accidents At A Roundabout In The UK

Accidents At A Roundabout In The UK

Some examples may include:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Repair costs to personal property
  • Additional care at home
  • Medical expenses

Get in touch today for more examples of what you could be compensated for following an injury. For further guidance on compensation or UK roundabout rules, get in touch with our advisors at any time.

No Win No Fee Solicitors

If you suffered injuries in a road traffic accident on a roundabout, one of the solicitors on our panel could support your claim. The solicitors from our panel usually offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis. They may offer you a type of No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Generally, when working with a No Win No Fee solicitor, they don’t charge upfront for their services or ask for you to cover ongoing fees. If your solicitor is successful with your claim, they will take a legally limited success fee from your compensation award. However, if your claim does not succeed, your solicitor won’t charge for their services.

To discuss your claim for injuries suffered in an accident in a roundabout in the UK, get in touch with our advisors. Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with free advice for those who suffered injuries in the UK. Roundabout accident claimants that seem eligible for compensation could be passed onto one of the solicitors from our panel.

To get in touch with an advisor:

Call For Free Advice And To Start A Claim

If you are a victim of a roundabout car accident and you want to make a claim or have any unanswered questions, all you need to do is call us on 0161 696 9685. One of our advisors assist you in any way that they can. They will answer any questions you may have and can talk you through the claiming process. You can alternatively contact our team online through the contact page on our website.

We are a friendly, caring team and will be empathetic to your situation. You can feel at ease with us and rest assured that your recovery and compensation claim will be our main priority.

Useful links

More information on the Highway code for roundabouts

This is a link that leads to The Highway Code general rules on using roundabouts. This may be helpful for you to determine if it was yourself or another driver who is liable.

DOT information on roundabouts

This leads to the Department of Transport’s guide to signal controlled roundabouts.

Check out more of our car accident claims guides below:

If you still have any questions about roundabout car accident compensation claims, then you can contact Legal Helpline for more support. You can reach our advisors by calling us on the number included within this guide. You can alternatively reach us online using our contact page.