MP wants ‘common sense’ for Civil Liability exceptions

An MP has called for “common sense” by saying vulnerable road users (VRUs) should be exempt from the latest personal injury reforms.

Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, says pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horseriders will be most at risk of no representation when claiming.

The new reforms, which are to be read in front of the House of Lords later this month, will see the small claims limit increase from £1000 to £5000, meaning fewer cases will have legal representation.

West says road users who are not in cars will be punished as a result of the bill, even though they rarely make whiplash claims or get involved in fraudulent activity.

She said: “I want to see ministers apply common sense when it comes to lawmaking. Cyclists and other VRUs, including children, should be protected on our roads, not punished by the government if they are unfortunate enough to have a non-fault accident.”

Andrew Twambley, spokesperson for lobby group Access to Justice, said: “We never see VRUs claiming for whiplash because they never sustain these types of injuries in accidents on our roads. Neither is there any evidence that these groups submit fraudulent or frivolous claims, so it is baffling that ministers want to penalise them.”