Compensation system for road traffic accident victims

Abstract

Worldwide over 1.3 million Persons killed, 50 millions injured in 2007 due to road traffic accidents. In 2004,Road Traffic injuries was the ninth leading cause of death.By,2030 it is estimated the fifth leading cause of death, beating the rank of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. It is the number one leading cause of death among vulnerable age group 15-29 years old.700, 000people were killed due to road accidents occurred in Asia and the Pacific Region in 2007. In Asia and Pacific region 98% of traffic deaths are estimated to occur in low and middle income countries. Sri Lanka experiences an increasing trend in road accidents during the last few decades. The cost of road accidents is estimated to be over 10 billion rupees per year, which include vehicle and road furniture damages, medical costs and police and other administrative costs. Ignoring safety hazards may lead to increase in the number of serious accidents. On the other hand having no positive measures towards reducing road accidents may lead to loss of confidence of road users. Traffic accident victims may suffer a great amount of damages. They are not only susceptible to bodily injuries but they may also succumb to financial problems arising from the hospital bills, medical treatment or rehabilitation. However, the trauma from such accidents seems to be immeasurable. As this trauma is often accompanied by pain, suffering and emotional distress, victims may not be expected to get on their feet as quickly as possible. Often times, after a traffic accident, most victims are simply overwhelmed by the barrage of telephone calls, insurance paperwork, accident reports, treatment costs, medical bills, paperwork and other correspondence. These may be too hard to handle for a victim who may want to rest and take a time off from distractions. Actually due to existing compensation system for road traffic accident victims in Sri Lanka, vulnerable road users are doubly vulnerable. Hence it is very important that the compensation systems and legal procedures should be simple and accessible to the victims of road traffic accidents. This thesis discusses the features of the post accident process, its impact on the road traffic accident victims and systems practicing worldwide to compensate road traffic accident victims. Key words: road safety, road traffic accidents, injuries, compensation, victims