In certain cases your compensation for injury caused in a car accident can be reduced because of your own negligence or actions.
For instance if you were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident the third party will argue that your injuries would have been less severe if you had been properly clipped in. Of course if you were driving and at the same time you were under the influence of drink or illegal drugs, your claim would not be successful. If you were the passenger and knew that the driver was intoxicated the defendants will argue that you should not have allowed the driver to drive in that condition.
Also the condition of your car can be a factor in reducing the value of your claim. For instance, if the tread depth of one or more of your tyres was below the legal limit of 1.6 millimetres your compensation would probably be reduced. Also if it had no valid MOT certificate your claim might be reduced.
Car or motocycle accident claims can be reduced in value by between 20% and 80% in these circumstances. This is known as contributory negligence.