Accident claims soar as Brits cut corners to save
Recent news revealed that the number of work accidents in the UK has soared as a result of employers focusing more on their finances than health and safety.
According to a survey, over 60 per cent of employees felt that their employers were less worried about health and safety during the recession.
And with more businesses failing to carry out adequate risk assessments and safety procedures, the number of work related fatalities and personal injuries is on the rise.
Yet it's not just businesses that are more focused on their finances.
The number of accident claimsregarding road accidents, medical and professional negligence have also increased during the recession, as more Brits take a different attitude to 'saving' during the financial downturn.
Cosmetic surgery gone wrong
More Brits have claimed to be suffering from professional negligence after they opt for a cheaper clinic when deciding to undergo cosmetic surgery.
One woman who went abroad for a nose job as a cheaper option ended up suffering severe problems after coming back to the UK to see it cave in.
On her second attempt after filing a complaint against the firm, she underwent similar problems which left her having to fork out extra costs to carry out the surgery in the UK.
Injury lawyers are now advising Brits to ensure that they do their research to choose the right clinic and not just opt for the cheaper one.
The lawyer of another woman who suffered from similar problems after and eye and jaw lift went wrong said: "More and more people are having cosmetic surgery and the results can be devastating when things go wrong.
People should also be careful to check that their surgeon is a specialist not just in cosmetic surgery but in their particular operation.
Too many cosmetic surgeons are a jack of all trades and master of none."
Road accidents
Furthermore, with the recession leaving more Brits strapped for cash, more motorists are left struggling to purchase newer cars, leaving them with no option but to opt for an old one which is more likely to need some TLC.
Yet a number of motorists are failing to carry out MOT checks and services on their vehicles in fear of having to fork out large sums to cover the cost of repairs.
Furthermore, the number of potholes across Britain's roads has plummeted since February's heavy snowfall.
And with councils unable to repair the damages due to a lack of funding, the potholes can only get worse, resulting in more damage to vehicles and an increased number in road accidents.
However, despite this, recent figures from the Department for Transport, (DfT) revealed that road casualties fell by eight per cent along with the number of fatalities and injuries regarding road accidents also plummeting by 9 per cent.
Simon Douglas of AA Insurance suggested that victims of car accidents are more inclined to make a personal injury claim.
He said: "This year has seen fuel prices rise along with other demands on family budgets as well as rising levels of redundancy, all of which discourages car use: indeed, the DfT notes that traffic volumes fell by two per cent over the year. But the number of personal injury claims is going up."
Updated on 8/9/2009