Pedestrian Accident Compensation Calculator

How pedestrian accident compensation is worked out

If you are hit by a car, van, bus or motorbike while walking, your claim is made against the driver’s motor insurer and is built from two parts. General damages compensate the injury itself – the pain, suffering and loss of amenity – and are valued using the bracket system in the Judicial College Guidelines, the reference book courts and insurers use in England and Wales. Special damages repay what the accident has actually cost you: lost earnings, prescriptions and physiotherapy, travel to appointments, damaged clothing and phones, and the value of care from family members who looked after you. The calculator above combines an approximate guideline bracket for your injury with your own financial losses, then applies any contributory negligence reduction, to give a realistic estimate range – not a quote.

One point many pedestrians miss: the fixed whiplash tariff that slashed soft-tissue awards for people inside vehicles from May 2021 does not apply to pedestrians. Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders are exempt as vulnerable road users, so a pedestrian’s neck or back injury is still valued under the ordinary guidelines – typically at noticeably higher figures than the tariff – and the small-claims limit for pedestrian injury claims remains £1,000 rather than £5,000, which means a solicitor’s costs can usually be recovered from the insurer in all but the smallest claims.

Typical compensation bands for pedestrians

These are approximate Judicial College Guidelines (17th Edition) brackets for injuries commonly suffered by pedestrians. They are estimates only – a medical report is what actually fixes the value of your injury.

On top of these figures, special damages are unlimited in principle – a self-employed roofer off work for six months with £700 a week of lost profit adds roughly £18,200 before the injury award is even considered. In catastrophic cases, future care and loss of earnings usually dwarf the injury bracket itself.

Contributory negligence – what if you were partly to blame?

Drivers sometimes argue the pedestrian “stepped out” or crossed away from a crossing. Two things are worth knowing. First, since the 2022 Highway Code changes, the hierarchy of road users makes explicit that those who can do the greatest harm – drivers – bear the greatest responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians. Second, crossing away from a designated crossing is not automatically negligent: courts look at the driver’s speed, lighting, visibility and whether a careful driver should have seen you in time. Where a pedestrian does share blame – stepping into the road mid-block at night in dark clothing, or walking into traffic after drinking – awards are typically reduced by around 10% to 50% depending on the facts (illustrative figures; every case turns on its own evidence). A 25% reduction on a £40,000 claim still leaves £30,000, so shared blame is a reason to take advice, never a reason not to claim.

Children hit by vehicles – how child claims work

Child pedestrians are a large share of pedestrian casualties, and their claims work differently. A child cannot bring a claim themselves, so a parent or guardian acts as their litigation friend. Courts are very slow to find young children contributorily negligent – a driver in a residential street is expected to anticipate that a child may run out. Any settlement for a child must be approved by a judge at an infant approval hearing, which protects the child from under-settlement, and the money is usually held in the Court Funds Office earning interest until the child turns 18 (parents can apply for early release for specific needs). Crucially, the three-year time limit does not start until the child’s 18th birthday, so a claim can be started any time before they turn 21 – though evidence is far stronger if you act early.

Hit-and-run or uninsured driver? The MIB scheme

You are not left without a remedy if the driver cannot be traced or had no insurance. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) – funded by a levy on every UK motor policy – compensates victims of uninsured drivers under the Uninsured Drivers’ Agreement and victims of hit-and-run drivers under the Untraced Drivers’ Agreement. Awards are assessed on the same general and special damages principles as an ordinary claim. To protect an untraced-driver claim: report the collision to the police promptly (a condition of the scheme), get names of witnesses, photograph the scene and your injuries, and see a doctor even if you feel “shaken but fine” – the medical record is often the backbone of the claim months later.

Time limits and next steps

Under the Limitation Act 1980 you generally have three years from the accident to issue court proceedings. Children have until their 21st birthday, and there is no limit while someone lacks mental capacity to litigate. Fatal cases allow the family to claim, including the statutory bereavement award (£15,120 in England and Wales) for eligible relatives. Most pedestrian claims are run under a no win, no fee (conditional fee) agreement, so take advice early: a solicitor will secure CCTV and dashcam footage before it is deleted, instruct the right medical experts, and deal with the insurer’s tactics. This page and calculator give planning estimates only – they are not legal advice.

Worked example

Daniel, 34, is hit by a car turning across a light-controlled crossing while the green man is showing. He suffers a fractured tibia needing surgery (moderate orthopaedic bracket, roughly £19,200–£39,170), takes 12 weeks off work on £520 net a week (£6,240 lost earnings), spends £900 on physiotherapy and travel, and his partner provides care valued at £600. Liability is admitted in full, so no reduction applies. His estimated total is therefore about £26,900 to £46,900 – where in the bracket he lands depends on how well the leg recovers, which is why the medico-legal report matters more than any calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation do you get for being hit by a car as a pedestrian?

There is no fixed amount. Awards are built from general damages for the injury, guided by Judicial College Guidelines brackets that run from a few hundred pounds for minor soft-tissue injuries into six figures for severe brain or multiple injuries, plus special damages for lost earnings, care and expenses. Every figure is an estimate until a medical report values your specific injuries.

Does the whiplash tariff apply to pedestrians?

No. The fixed whiplash tariff introduced in May 2021 only applies to adults who were inside a motor vehicle. Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders are exempt, so pedestrian soft-tissue injuries are still valued under the ordinary Judicial College Guidelines, which usually produce higher figures than the tariff.

Can I claim if the driver drove off or was uninsured?

Yes. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) compensates people injured by uninsured drivers under the Uninsured Drivers’ Agreement and by hit-and-run drivers under the Untraced Drivers’ Agreement. Report the collision to the police promptly – that is a condition of untraced-driver awards – and keep evidence of the scene and your injuries.

Can my child claim compensation after being hit by a car?

Yes. A parent or guardian acts as their litigation friend and runs the claim on their behalf. Any settlement must be approved by a court at an infant approval hearing, and the money is normally held by the Court Funds Office until the child turns 18. Courts are also very slow to find young children contributorily negligent.

What if I was partly at fault, for example crossing away from a crossing?

You can still claim, but your award may be reduced for contributory negligence. Crossing away from a designated crossing is not automatically negligent – courts look at speed, visibility and what the driver should have seen. Reductions of 10% to 50% are common where a pedestrian shares some blame, and the Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users places the greater responsibility on drivers.

How long do I have to make a pedestrian injury claim?

Usually three years from the date of the accident under the Limitation Act 1980. For children the three years only start on their 18th birthday, so they have until 21. There is no limit while a person lacks mental capacity to manage a claim. MIB untraced-driver claims have their own notification rules, so act quickly.

Sources: injury brackets are approximate ranges from the Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases (17th Edition, 2024); untraced and uninsured driver schemes from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau; time limits from the Limitation Act 1980; rules for pedestrians and the hierarchy of road users from GOV.UK – The Highway Code. Estimates only – not legal advice.