Have you been involved in an accident caused by a faulty traffic light? Did you suffer injuries as a result? If so, please read our useful faulty traffic light claims guide and learn whether you could receive a compensation payout. Whether you were injured as a driver, cyclist or even as a pedestrian, you may be wondering if your claim should be made against a local authority or another road user. As such, our useful guide aims to provide clarity to such queries to ensure a smooth claims process.
Key Takeaways
- If you encounter a broken traffic light, you should report it to the local authority who are responsible for maintaining the roads in that area.
- Even if a traffic light is faulty, road users must act responsibly and proceed with caution on approach.
- You will typically have up to 3 years to start your claim for faulty traffic light compensation.
- Whilst all road users must proceed with caution at faulty traffic lights, in some cases your accident could be caused by the local authority’s failure to maintain the traffic light.
At Accident Claims, our friendly advisors work around the clock to answer any questions you may have. Following a free case check, you could also be connected with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors if your claim is strong. With decades of combined experience and high-level training, our solicitors will work diligently to achieve a compensation payout that you deserve. To start your faulty traffic light claim today, please feel free to get in touch:
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- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Ask an advisor a question in our live chat
Frequently Asked Questions
- How To Make A Faulty Traffic Light Claim
- How Traffic Lights Lead To A Road Traffic Accident?
- Who Has The Right Of Way When Traffic Lights Are Faulty?
- What Should I Do After An Accident At Faulty Traffic Lights?
- How Long Do I Have To Make A Faulty Traffic Light Car Accident Claim
- No Win No Fee Claims For Faulty Traffic Light Compensation
- Learn More
How To Make A Faulty Traffic Light Claim
To make faulty traffic light claims, you must be able to satisfy the following eligibility requirements:
- You were owed a duty of care
- Another party breached this duty of care
- You suffered injuries as a result of the breach
A duty is placed on all road users to navigate the roads in a way that prevents harm to themselves or others. To comply with this obligation, you must follow the rules and regulations set out in the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988. Therefore, if you suffered injuries in a faulty traffic light accident due to the negligence of another driver, you could make a road traffic accident claim.
However, your accident may have been specifically caused by a faulty traffic light itself rather than another road user. In these situations, your claim would be made against the authority responsible for maintaining the traffic light. For instance, the Highways Act 1980 states that local authorities have a responsibility to ensure roads are maintained to a safe standard that is appropriate for the volume of traffic. As such, part of this responsibility includes the installation and maintenance of traffic lights to control traffic flows.
Highways England are typically responsible for maintaining highways and A roads, and local councils cover B roads. Therefore, depending on the type of road your faulty traffic light accident occurred on is where your claim would be directed.
Moreover, responsibility for a faulty traffic light accident is not always straightforward. For instance, a faulty traffic light may not have been reported to the authorities before an accident occurred; therefore, there was no opportunity for it to be fixed. Furthermore, the speed of the authority to fix a faulty traffic light will also be taken into consideration.
Whiplash Injury Reforms
Additionally, certain road traffic accident claims must be made through the Whiplash Reform Programme. If you meet the claims criteria listed above and:
- Were 18 or older at the time of the accident,
- The accident occurred in England or Wales,
- You were the driver or a passenger in a motor vehicle,
- Your injuries were valued at £5,000 or less.
Then your claim will be made through the Whiplash Reform Programme. Furthermore, you do not need to suffer whiplash to claim in this manner. The value of your injuries must not exceed £5,000, so if you suffered any minor injury, such as bruised ribs, you may claim through the Reforms.
To learn more about your eligibility to claim, please get in touch with our helpful advisory team today.
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How Traffic Lights Lead To A Road Traffic Accident?
There are many different types of accidents that could occur due to faulty traffic lights. Please see the following examples of accidents and how faulty traffic light claims could arise as a result:
- A road user could notice that the traffic lights at a junction had stopped working completely. Despite other vehicles coming to a halt, the road user could proceed anyway with speed, causing a side-collision accident. As a result, the other driver could suffer severe neck, back and psychological injuries.
- A road user could be driving dangerously and recklessly, failing to slow their vehicle despite glitching traffic lights at a junction. Consequently, they could cause a rear-shunt accident, causing serious brain damage and arm injuries to an individual in front.
- A driver could be using their mobile phone whilst driving, failing to notice that the traffic lights were broken. As such, the driver could collide with a pedestrian who was crossing the road, resulting in broken bones and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- A traffic light system could suddenly glitch at a busy crossroads, showing a green light for both directions to proceed. As such, road users could suffer a head-on collision due to this faulty signal, resulting in shoulder and head injuries.
Please note that the above list is not exhaustive, and faulty traffic light accidents could occur in many different situations.
To discuss your unique accident with one of our friendly advisors, please contact our team today.
Who Has The Right Of Way When Traffic Lights Are Faulty?
Whilst there is no definitive answer as to who has the right of way when traffic lights are faulty, the general rules of the Highway Code must be applied.
Moreover, Rule 176 of the Highway Code outlines the particular obligations if you were to experience faulty traffic lights as a driver. Under this rule, a driver must proceed with care and treat the situation as an unmarked junction. Therefore, if another driver fails to proceed with care and causes an accident, you could make faulty traffic light claims for your injuries.
As such, the following principles should be applied at a faulty traffic light junction:
- Give way to the right at unmarked junctions
- Applying a first come, first served rule. If more than one vehicle arrives at a junction at the same time, the first to arrive should take priority.
- Applying common sense. After noticing a faulty traffic light, drivers should slow down and assess the situation before proceeding. Drivers should also communicate clearly with other drivers as to their intended manoeuvre.
For a free eligibility assessment of your case, please contact our helpful team today.
What Should I Do After An Accident At Faulty Traffic Lights?
After you’ve experienced an accident at a faulty traffic light junction, there are various steps you could and should take. If you’ve experienced any damage or injury, you must stop your vehicle and check for any immediate injuries. You must also report your accident to the police and your insurance company within 24 hours of the incident, regardless of the severity. Additionally, if the accident involved another driver, you will need to collect their insurance details, name, address and vehicle registration number.
Furthermore, to make successful faulty traffic light claims, it’s crucial that you support your version of events with evidence. In essence, you must be able to prove that your injuries were caused by a negligent third party or by the faulty traffic lights. Our guide on how to prove a car accident was not your fault could further help you.
Our expert solicitors could assist in evidence-gathering to ensure a smooth claims process. To learn more about the different types of evidence you could provide, please contact our advisors today.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Faulty Traffic Light Car Accident Claim
You will typically have 3 years to make faulty traffic light claims. As per the Limitation Act 1980, the 3 year time limit will begin from the date of the accident.
However, the two following exceptions to the 1980 Act apply because the injured party cannot manage their own claim:
- If the claimant is a child, they will have 3 years to claim from their 18th birthday.
- If the claimant is lacking in sufficient mental capacity, they can only start a claim if they were to ever make a full recovery. They will have 3 years to claim from this date.
In both cases, you could make a claim on a loved one’s behalf by applying to the court to be a litigation friend. Litigation friends will work to ensure a claimant’s best interests, holding court funds and assisting in evidence-gathering throughout the process.
To learn more about the role of a litigation friend, please feel free to get in touch with our team today.
No Win No Fee Claims For Faulty Traffic Light Compensation
Our dedicated team of advisors are here to help you navigate the faulty traffic light claims process. Following an eligibility assessment, you could be connected with one of our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors to start your claim. By operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you could enjoy:
- No solicitor fees at the beginning of your claim, or as it progresses
- No solicitor fees in the event that your claim is unsuccessful
- If your claim is a success, you’ll be required to pay a small success fee to your solicitors. The percentage of this fee is capped by law and will be subtracted from your compensation. As such, you’ll always receive the majority of your settlement.
You could also experience the following benefits at Accident Claims:
- Regular claim updates so you always know where it stands
- Assistance with evidence-gathering
- Explanations of key legal terminologies
- Help with signing documents
- Arrangements of physiotherapy sessions to aid any ongoing injuries
- Advice that strictly adheres to the rules of confidentiality
- Arrangements of an independent medical assessment to support your injuries
- Negotiation of a settlement on your behalf that accurately reflects your pain and suffering
To discover more about the benefits of CFAs, please get in touch with our team today.
Contact Accident Claims
To learn more about faulty traffic light claims, please get in touch with our team by:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Asking one of our advisors a question in the live chat.
Learn More
To learn more about personal injury claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Get help with company car accident claims
- Learn about foot injury compensation claims
- See the following advice on soft tissue injury claims
Additional external resources:
- Learn about when to call 999 from the NHS
- See the following advice about road collisions and incidents from Police.UK
- Get help with how to obtain your medical records from NHS England
Thank you for reading our useful guide about how to make faulty traffic light claims.
