Civil Liability Bill - please contact your MP
Posted on in Cycles News , Political News
The Civil Liability Bill will be debated in the House of Commons on Tuesday 4th September.
The Bill contains some changes in the small claims limits for cyclists which if passed, could have a very negative effect on cyclists who have been injured.
The bill would see a rise in what is known as 'the small claims limit' for anyone who has been injured in a collision on the road. Currently £1000, they want to raise this to £5000 which they say will tackle the high number of fraudulent whiplash claims. The bill would also look to introduce a tariff for the payment of compensation awards for people injured in a road collision that wasn't their fault.
The effect of these two measures is that genuinely injured people will not be able to access legal advice for any claim under £5,000.
Campaigners against these reforms describe them as unfair and overly punitive, but this is particularly so for vulnerable road users such as cyclists, who seldom if ever get whiplash injuries, and where the incidence of fraud is negligible.
In order to draw public and political attention to this issue, the VRUG was formed, with the express aim of removing all VRUs from the scope of the reforms. Membership of the group comprises a wide range of special interest groups and campaigning organisations that represent VRUs.
They include Cycling UK and British Cycling, Brake, the British Horse Society, Living Streets and Roadpeace. Bennetts (insurance specialist for motorcyclists) represent motorcyclists, and Which? is a non-aligned observer. The VRUG also has political representation from Ruth Cadbury MP (co-chair of the All Party Cycling Group). The VRUG also includes representatives from law firms who assist VRUs seeking redress for their injuries.
If you feel strongly about this then please contact your MP by writing to them or use the form on vulnerableroadusers.co.uk to oppose the increase in the 'Small Claims Limit' for vulnerable road users or help spread the word by sharing the video above.