Car accidents on icy roads are not uncommon in Britain although the country does not normally experience extreme cold weather for any prolonged period of time.

Unfortunately, many local authorities adopt the view that because severe snow and ice do not usually occur on a regular basis, there is little need to invest in excessive supplies of road salt and grit that are essential to keep the roads safe in such difficult conditions.

This often means that when the cold weather does arrive for longer than two weeks or so, local authorities are required to ration their supplies of road salt and grit. Untreated roads that have been hit by snow and ice often result in an increased incidence of road traffic accident claims .

ManyRTA compensation claimsinvolve drivers who have sustained personal injury and economic damage as a result of another person's negligent driving. The law adopts several tests to establish whether an apparently negligent act has caused the harm or damage in question.

The first of these tests is to ascertain whether a duty of care exists between the defendant and the claimant, which is required in order to pursue a claim for compensation . In the case of car accidents on icy roads, it is clear that road users have a duty to drive sensibly and responsibly in regard to the driving conditions.

It is also the case that a local authority may be held liable forroad traffic accidentsthat occur on untreated roads, which are affected by ice or snow and are thereby dangerous.