Safe Speed Forums

Who's fault is it, if someone drives into the side of you on a roundabout? ie, you're both on the roundabout together, but someone wants to be where you are because they're in the wrong lane (and is an incompetent twit) so just drifts into the side of you?

This is one of those things that really should be their fault IMHO, but I understand the police or insurance won't see it like that?

What's more, nor do 70% of the public. What the hell is going wrong in Britain? Why are we blaming the victims when they've done nothing wrong?

Had an 18 year old scrote who was impatient do that do me today. Tried undertaking me, cutting me up, cutting off my junction, then brake testing me when we had got off the exit. So impatient, he was, he ended up doing 30mph down a 60mph road to "slow me down".

Odd.

Cya
Simon

Well, the trick is to try not to get alongside other drivers on a roundabout. It can be bloody difficult if they are determined not to leave any gaps between themselves and the vehicle in front.

And as for 70% of the public thinking its 'just one of those things' (if I read you right), welll IMHO this casual and blase attitude that society has developed towards road safety is a festering sore that needs addressing. If people could get it through their thick skulls that if they just took a bit more care, paid a bit more attention and showed a bit more courtesy then perhaps we'd start to eat into some of the more serious incidents that occur on our roads.
But instead it seems to be...[adopt silly patronising soothing voice] 'never mind, it was only an accident and that's what we've got insurance for'. Totally irresponsible.

[/rant bloody well finished]

_________________
Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

It seems to happen more and more these days, vehicles joining me on a roundabout.
They 'merge' from the left usually alongside me blocking me at the next exit and then have the audacity to look at me like I'm the p***k.

Its one thing blocking you, it's another trying to ram you off the road!

Sometimes I feel just like letting them do it, hold my ground, in the correct land, and let them drift into me.

But then apparently it's 50% my fault because someone decides they have a right to be where I am.

It's Maureen from Motoring School isn't it! Oh, how we all laughed when we saw that. But people think they can get away with it quite legitimately because 70% of the country will say its your fault for not getting out of the way, and the insurance will place 50% of the blame on you.

Hrm. Interesting thought. Coupled with the brake tests this guy did, and his immaturity when compared to the car he was driving, I wonder... I was reading another thread here talking about insurnace scams....

Cya
Simon

Well its certainly what I was alluding to, I abhor the 'lets laugh at incompetent driving' mentality. There was that stupid empty-headed young woman who was filmed doing her make-up whilst driving and got done. Both she and her workmates thought it was really funny Yeah right, coz running in to someone in a ton or so of machinery because you lack the attention span to concentrate properly is, like, really bloody hilarious isn't it

_________________
Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Oh I know what you are saying.
I drive a van during the day and regularly get other vehicles speeding up on me when I am overtaking sometimes they deliberately put me in a life threatening situation.

There's something more going on though.

I've been trying to discuss, rather unsuccessully on the newsgroups. Trying to get an intelligent response is quite difficult.

But what this "kid" did to me, and indeed what people do to you while you're driving your van, is nothing short of bullying. Yet effectively, there are a great number of the population who seem to validate bullying. Or pass the blame onto someone else.

This doesn't sit well with me.

Mind you, I did point out that this is the same society that probably wouldn't intervene if they saw someone being raped, assaulted, having a heart attack etc... The response "What danger would it add to call the police or ambulance?"

Oh really bad. Really really bad.

The worst ones for me are those who enter (and leave) a roundabout in the nearside lane, but insist of driving as straight as possible across the roundabout - using both lanes.

The last idiot that did that to me left me nowhere to go, other than stop. He managed to do over £2000 of damage to a stationary Jeep.

However, no 50-50 nonsense here - his insurance paid in full. I've just banked the cheque for the repayment of my excess

Or the common one round here. You're going straight on in the LH lane of the roundabout (as you should). You're not indicating because you're going straight on, but you're correctly following the LH lane ROUND rathern than ACROSS. Then the muppet waiting to join the roundabout from the first exit assumes you're taking the first exit (because clearly you're not indicating), so pulls out and then gives YOU the dirty look for not indicating and being in the correct lane...

sjdean, I think you're going to like it here.

_________________
Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Not taking the other guy's side but, looking back, could you have avoided this encounter if you had anticipated it (presumably you were more or less alongside him on the approach/entry)? It's quite right that the other driver took full liability but, if he had been uninsured, you would have lost out regardless.

I was actually just in front as we entered the roundabout (so he must have known that I was there!), but my progress was checked by another vehicle in front of me letting the car in front of him change lanes to turn right as the driver had entered the roundabout in the wrong lane.

A common problem is drivers who do not understand spiral markings on roundabouts (which are now becoming usual at major intersections) and so often end up moving, or trying to move, over a lane to their right, thus cutting up other drivers.

Very often you just *know* they are going to do this from their general positioning, but when traffic is heavy it is not always easy just to keep out of their way.

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Which side?
On the one hand you have the ethos that says if someone runs into you, they are at fault, on the other we have a case like this where there wasn't any 'running into' but a 'coming together' or drift collision.
It could be difficult to decide who 'drifted' into who and really depends on who had the inside line.
NOW before I continue..don't jump down my throat, I'm only providing scenarios not apportioning blame on you or anyone...
If you were completely inside a lane marking and he drifted into yours then there wouldn't be a problem...IMHO ...his fault unless he was signalling his intention to turn left and leave at the next exit whereby you could be at fault for being bloody minded, keeping your line and impeding his progress.
He may have wanted to take the 2 o'clock exit and joined the roundabout in the offside line, signalled his intention at the exit before the one he wanted and you ignored him in your own rush to get where you were going..and failed to give him priority(he would be coming from your RIGHT).
However if there were no markings on the road surface, then again those coming from your right would have right of way...unless he drifted out of that line and hit another vehicle on his offside. Some do have a pension for swinging out right before actually turning left...anyone would think they were driving articulated HGV's instead of cars!

The problem on roundabouts today is that not many actually adhere to the rules 160 to 166 of the Highway Code...or I suspect know them at all!

Rule 161 states...."Give priority to traffic coming from your right" this just doesn't just apply to when you are waiting to JOIN the roundabout but also applies to when you are already there ...if they are on your right...you should be giving them priority...That doesn't allow anyone to cut someone up either, but as a driver on the inside line you should always be aware of muppets swinging into your path from the right without signalling.

No, no and thrice no! Signalling your intention is exactly that - it is your intention. It does not mean, under any circumstances, "here I come, like it or not"!

I see this all too often especially on motorways, where someone indicates right, and then just pulls in front of the car that happens to be there, causing them to have to slam on their brakes...

_________________
Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

"you could be at fault for being bloody minded, keeping your line and impeding his progress"...therein lies the rub...you could be at fault if as I said he was indicating and you were so bloody minded you decided you weren't gonna let him out ...
There is just no courtesy on our roads these days...its a dog eat dog attitude

I'm not disputing that - you said "unless he was signalling his intention"

_________________
Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

I was gonna edit my post but decided to amend it with another in case anyone was mid response......glad I did...
So just what are you arguing about...I said INTENTION didn't I?...anyway to explain more...

Signalling is indication of your intention to other road users to perform a manoeuvre ...agreed...undoubtedly but I never said otherwise ...did I?

But...just for arguments sake...(and this is all we can do given we don't know all the circumstances here)... for all we know the guy may have been signalling his intention (in good time) and the OP seeing that signal closed up the gap at the last moment (like we have all likely witnessed many times no doubt) leaving the guy with nowhere else to go but to rub shoulders with the OP who denied him the manoeuvre...

I'm not saying the guy was right to carry on making the manoeuvre when the gap was being closed, but it happens...Like I said previously, there is no courtesy on our roads today. Perhaps if the OP showed a little courtesy and backed off, the 'coming together' wouldn't have happened...likewise if the guy had had a little more patience, he could have slowed down and waited for a better opportunity to complete his manoeuvre...but neither did...apparently

As to who is/was/should be to blame...without the full facts it is impossible to tell with any degree of certainty on the information as provided...

Edited for punctuation only ....

I'm fairly sure it was Paul who suggested elsewhere that he tries to be the only vehicle on a roundabout (or in that "section" of a roundabout). Advice I've tried to follow since reading it.

I've found a link - it was sixy rouge who mentioned it, but Paul expanded it a little, on this thread

_________________
COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

What gets on my nerves is when I'm trying to pull into a roundabout in the works diesel Astra, complete with diesel lag, and Wheelspin Willie thinks I've pulled in front of him because he chooses to go around the island at 100mph.

He wants to feel the centrifugal force, like he's at a fairground ride, gets right up me arse and looks at me like I'm the one at fault.

To$$er!!!

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

What really gets up my nose is when you are on the roundabout having joined it taking the offside line whilst signalling your intention to go left (wanting the 3 o'clock exit) just as you get to the the 12'oclock exit some numpty darts in front of you from that entry and almost removes a coat of paint from your front end in the process!
A dear old lady would have side swiped me on the nearside this morning had I not anticipated her ignorance. When I saw the speed she was approaching the roundabout at I timed my trajectory to allow her to whiz past in front of me with a mere matter of a couple of feet clearance...poor old dear must have been having a 'senior moment'