Compensation of personal injury resulting from road traffic accidents in Cameroon: a critical analysis

Abstract

Road traffic accident compensation which is meant to address the financial rights and needs of those injured is faced with a lot of challenges and hurdles in Cameroon. The system is based on automatic compensation linked to a direct insurance of risks created by road accidents. This however, still does not guarantee a befitting and timely compensation. The fact that such actions still have to go through lengthy administrative and legal procedures, alongside costly legal fee for the assessment of damages, has made most claimants disappointed. Such concern over the system of compensation calls for a thorough address and redress of the issue. Most jurisdictions the world over have moved away from the court system of calculation of damages to a social security system where all persons injured in road accidents have a right to compensation while still maintaining their right to litigation. These schemes are based on the philosophy of social justice and community responsibility. The focus of this paper is to bring out the limitations of the current system of compensation of road traffic accidents in Cameroon. It undertakes a comparative analysis to evaluate the arguments in support of the introduction of a collective insurance scheme of compensation in Cameroon.