Road Traffic Accident Compensation Calculator – How Much Compensation Could You Claim?

Although laws are set in place to protect all road users, road traffic accidents regularly occur, causing both minor and severe injuries for those involved. Therefore, if the negligent driving of a road user caused your suffering, you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim.  Using our road traffic accident compensation calculator, you can find out what injuries and losses you can potentially claim for and how our experienced panel of solicitors may value your award if your claim is successful.

Key Takeaways:

  • You may be entitled to claim compensation if your injuries were caused by another road user breaching their duty of care.
  • Your compensation figure depends on your injuries and financial losses.
  • The process of making a claim for whiplash is different due to the Whiplash Reform Programme.
  • If you failed to wear a seatbelt when your accident happened, you may be eligible to make a split liability claim.
  • Our panel of solicitors may help you claim on a No Win No Fee basis.

To discuss the circumstances of your case today, you can contact one of our friendly advisors:

A black car crashed into the rear end of a silver car

Jump To A Section

Road Traffic Accident Compensation Calculator

Our road traffic accident compensation calculator is a useful tool that you can access for free before you begin the claims process. It could help you with gaining a clearer idea of how much compensation you could potentially be awarded if you were to make a successful personal injury claim following your road traffic accident.

How Do Compensation Calculators Work?

Compensation calculators operate by asking you a series of questions, such as:

  • What type of accident were you involved in?
  • Did you suffer physical or psychological injuries or both?
  • How many injuries did you suffer?
  • How severe were these injuries?

Our road traffic accident compensation calculator works by taking the information you provided and analysing it to give you a roughly estimated sum of compensation you may be awarded. Although this may not be a definitive figure, our panel will work out a more accurate amount and discuss this with you during the claims process.

However, to provide guidance on injury compensation, it will refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).  This is an official document that contains lists of injuries and their suggestive compensation brackets. When valuing your claim, our panel may compare your injuries with the JCG alongside any medical evidence, such as your medical records.

If you have any questions on how to use our road traffic accident compensation calculator, you can contact our advisors.

What Could My RTA Compensation Include?

If your road traffic accident claim is successful, you may be awarded compensation under two heads of loss. These are known as general and special damages.

General damages compensate you for your physical injuries and psychological suffering. Those valuing your claim could refer to the compensation guidelines within the JCG.

Except for the first entry, we have used some of the figures listed in the JCG for the table below.

Additionally, the last two entries have been taken from the tariff in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. We will discuss this in more depth later on.

InjuriesCompensation Explanation
Multiple Severe Injuries and Significant Financial LossesUp to £1 million plus
Awarded for suffering multiple severe injuries and their financial losses such as medical costs and lost earnings.
Moderate Brain Damage (i)£183,190 to £267,340Moderate to severe intellectual deficit, personality change, effect on sight, speech and senses with a risk of epilepsy and no prospect of employment.
Severe Back Injuries (i)£111,150 to £196,450Severe damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots causing a combination of serious consequences.
Severe (i) Neck InjuriesIn the region of £181,020Neck injury with incomplete paraplegia or permanent spastic quadriparesis.
Arm Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement£47,810 to £73,050Serious fractures of one or both forearms, significant permanent residual disability whether functional or cosmetic.
Severe Leg Injuries (iii) Serious£47,840 to £66,920 Serious compound or comminuted fractures or injuries to joints or ligaments for which extensive treatment is needed and extensive scarring may occur.
Severe Shoulder Injuries£23,430 to £58,610Associated with neck injuries including damage to the brachial plexus causing significant disability.
Moderate Pelvis and Hip Injuries (i)£32,450 to £47,810Significant injury to the pelvis or hip but permanent disability is not a great risk. Hip replacement may have been required.
Whiplash Tariff£4,345
Whiplash with psychological injuries lasting between 18 to 24 months.
£4,215
Whiplash injuries lasting between 18 to 24 months.

You may also be eligible to claim special damages to be compensated for any financial losses you incurred as a result of your injuries, such as:

  • Missed wages
  • Loss of work benefits such as bonuses
  • Healthcare or travel costs
  • Costs for special equipment such as walking aids

To claim special damages, you must provide evidence of your financial losses, such as:

  • Bank statements
  • Payslips
  • Receipts

If you are struggling to obtain evidence, a solicitor from our panel could help you with this. Once all evidence has been collected, they can then value an appropriate compensation figure for your special damages.

To see how a solicitor from our panel could help you, contact our advisors today.

Man with injured elbow following a car accident with another man helping him

How Do I Know If I Have A Valid Road Traffic Accident Claim?

Now that we have explained how a road traffic accident compensation calculator could help, you also need to know when you may have an eligible claim.

If a road user was responsible for the injuries you sustained in a road traffic accident, you may be eligible to claim compensation. However, you must meet the following criteria:

  • The other road user must have owed you a duty of care
  • The other road user must have acted negligently, breaching this duty
  • This must have resulted in your injuries

A duty of care is a legal obligation placed on specific individuals to ensure others are kept reasonably safe. Road users all have a duty of care to use the roads safely and responsibly. This covers motorists, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Road users must abide by the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code to adhere to their duty of care.

As such, if a road user was in breach of this duty, causing your injuries, you may be eligible to make a road traffic accident claim.

Can I Still Claim Compensation If I Wasn’t Wearing A Seatbelt?

Whether you are a driver or passenger of a vehicle, it is a legal requirement to wear a seat belt. There are only certain exemptions for not wearing a seat belt, such as a medical exemption.

If you failed to wear your seatbelt when your accident happened and you do not have an exemption for doing so, you may be held partly responsible for your injuries. However, you may still be eligible to claim compensation in a contributory negligence claim.

For example, if another driver was speeding and this caused them to crash into you. However, you weren’t wearing your seatbelt, meaning the injuries you suffered were worse than they would have been had you been wearing your seatbelt. Although the other road user was at fault for the accident, you contributed to your injuries.

How much compensation you would receive would depend on how much you were considered to have contributed to your injuries. If you were deemed to have been 25% liable, for example, you would receive 75% of the total compensation you would have received had you not been liable at all.

To start a claim or for more information on contributory negligence claims, contact our team today.

Common Road Traffic Accident Injuries

Road traffic accidents can cause both minor and catastrophic injuries for those involved. There are many ways you may sustain injuries in road traffic accidents, such as:

  • Being involved in a collision with another vehicle
  • Being knocked down as a pedestrian
  • Having a vehicle collide with your motorcycle or bicycle

The following sections will discuss some of the most common road traffic accident injuries.

Head And Brain Injuries

Head and brain injuries are common consequences of road traffic accidents. Although some head injuries can have a minor impact on your life, others may have life-changing consequences.

Some head and brain injuries you may be compensated for include:

Neck And Back Injuries

Neck and back injuries may vary in severity. The more minor ones are often considered whiplash injuries. However, the more serious ones may cause permanent damage, impact your quality of life or prevent you from working.

Some examples of neck and back injuries caused by road traffic accidents include:

Arm And Leg Injuries

Road traffic accidents may result in limb injuries. The severity of the accident often determines the seriousness of the injuries you may sustain to your arms or legs.

For example, road traffic accidents between vehicles and motorcycles can be catastrophic. A road user may obtain severe crush injuries, often resulting in the amputation of their limbs.

Some other examples of arm and leg injuries include:

  • Sprains and strains
  • Breaks and fractures
  • Deep lacerations

If another road user was responsible for your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact our advisors to see how our road traffic accident compensation calculator may be able to help you.

A man sitting on the floor holding his head after a car accident with a woman helping him.

Can I Claim For Whiplash After A Car Accident?

If you suffered from whiplash in a road traffic accident, you may be entitled to claim compensation. However, how you make your claim has changed due to the introduction of the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021.

Your claim will now be made through a different avenue if all the following criteria apply to your case:

  • You must have been injured as a driver or passenger of a vehicle
  • The accident must have taken place in England or Wales
  • You must have been eighteen or over
  • Your injuries must be valued at £5,000 or less

Furthermore, your whiplash compensation will now be valued in line with a fixed tariff laid out in these regulations.

If you suffered additional injuries in this accident, these will be valued the traditional way. Furthermore, should these additional injuries bring the overall value of your claim above £5,000, you will make your claim traditionally, but the whiplash tariffs will still apply.

If you have suffered from a whiplash injury, contact our advisors to see which avenue you should take when making your claim.

How Our Panel Of Solicitors Could Help

If you want to claim compensation for a road traffic accident, an experienced solicitor from our panel could help you. They can use their expertise to:

  • Explain the claims process
  • Build your case
  • Negotiate settlements on your behalf
  • Explain key legal terminology and documents
  • Help you obtain evidence

Our panel work on a No Win No Fee basis. Therefore, you may use their services to claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This may benefit you as:

  • There are no upfront or ongoing payments to the solicitors for their services.
  • If your claim is successful, a small legally capped percentage of your awarded compensation will be taken by the solicitor as their success fee.
  • In unsuccessful claims, you make no payments for the solicitor’s services.

To see if you could work with a solicitor from our panel, or to ask any questions about using a road traffic accident compensation calculator, you can contact our advisors:

A solicitor sitting at his desk using a road traffic accident compensation calculator for a claim.

More Information On Claiming For A Road Traffic Accident

For more information on road traffic accident claims:

References:

Thank you for reading this guide on how to use a road traffic accident compensation calculator.