Had a crash- was it my fault?
Discussion
gareth_r said:
I cannot believe that so many people (on a car/driving enthusiasts' forum!) believe that it's acceptable to block half the road on the assumption that oncoming traffic will have to stop.
Perhaps nearly 50 years of riding motorcycles has affected my judgement, but that's an action I wouldn't take, and an assumption I wouldn't make.
I do it quite regularly if heavy traffic,the trouble is if you don't get out to the centre line then traffic from the left very rarely stops for you, once your at the line someone will flash you out quickly. Obviously only go to the centre line if traffic from right is clear.Perhaps nearly 50 years of riding motorcycles has affected my judgement, but that's an action I wouldn't take, and an assumption I wouldn't make.
gareth_r said:
I cannot believe that so many people (on a car/driving enthusiasts' forum!) believe that it's acceptable to block half the road on the assumption that oncoming traffic will have to stop.
Perhaps nearly 50 years of riding motorcycles has affected my judgement, but that's an action I wouldn't take, and an assumption I wouldn't make.
I think it's perfectly acceptable in most situations. I have driven in Birmingham for some decades now, badly congested as urban areas are. I've never been aware of so much as a single journey time ever being lengthened by the practice. I am aware of being behind people who just take far too long in emerging from a junction. Perhaps nearly 50 years of riding motorcycles has affected my judgement, but that's an action I wouldn't take, and an assumption I wouldn't make.
My just using a car though contributes to major and expensive congestion, just by my presence alone, and I dare say the same applies to you.
Silver car was being an impatient t
t and looked to be well on the wrong side of the road.
Typical thing these days, his life would have changed if he had waited ten seconds and let you out.
Unfortunately you were moving so actually hit him in the side no matter how much of a knob he was being.
t and looked to be well on the wrong side of the road. Typical thing these days, his life would have changed if he had waited ten seconds and let you out.
Unfortunately you were moving so actually hit him in the side no matter how much of a knob he was being.
angels95 said:
Honda driver probably could have stopped, although you shouldn't have blocked his lane in the first place. My view is that when joining a road you shouldn't force drivers already on the road to brake, let alone stop. Not necessarily the law, but just common sense/courtesy.
It is.That's exactly what the giving way requirement is & that is what is required by people who wish to enter the new road or move off into it.
You shouldn't enter the road where to do so would cause another to alter course or speed in order to avoid an accident.
That is giving way in law.
Conversely every driver has an obligation to avoid driving into stationary vehicles where it's possible to.
From looking at the video
The time frame between the OP pulling out & the impact would suggest that the car he collided with would have been visible when he pulled in front of it & doing so would have forced the established vehicle on the road to have to alter it's course or speed in order to avoid a collision.
From looking at the speeds involved the Honda would have had sufficient time to avoid the collision following the OPs first move into the road. Had the Honda driver done that it would have just left the inconsiderate actions of the OP.
The Honda however has then made an ill judged risky decision in the circumstances, to drive around the stationary OP rather than wait. Probably annoyed by what they see as the OP's inconsiderate selfish actions.
They could have stopped to avoid hitting the OP, but chose instead to drive around the stationary OP which appears to have been physically possible.
The OP then hasn't checked all around before moving off from stationary (assuming the Honda would have stopped instead of checking it actually did) and pulled into it's path. There appeared to have been sufficient room for the Honda to pass the stationary OP that had pulled into their path prior to that, all be it it would have been tight & an ill advised action in the circumstances.
Nobody covers themselves in glory.
1) Inconsiderate of the OP to force his way out then stop in front of an established vehicle & then careless not checking the Honda had stopped prior to the second movement into it's path.
2) Foolish of the Honda driver to give into emotions (resulting from the OP inconsiderately pulling in front of them) that led them to commit to a risky move rather than doing simply the safest thing in the circumstances.
The OP did something that probably happens a million times a day in this country alone. There must be thousands of junctions on busy main roads that (during busy periods) you have to force your way out or you are going absolutely nowhere. All it requires is a bit of understanding and consideration by the vehicle that is impeded but ultimately the delay for that vehicle is probably zero as all it will do is catch up with the traffic ahead of it. Sadly legally the OP is probably on a sticky wicket but the driver in the Honda was just being an aggressive ; he'll probably trade 'down' to an Audi.
; he'll probably trade 'down' to an Audi.Happens all the time on one of my routes home - a staggered crossroads with about 50 metres between the junctions. At busy times people just hurl themselves into the gap in the oncoming main-road traffic then slam the brakes on to turn off.
It's one of the new Highway Code rules :- "When turning on to a main road, always leave oncoming traffic sufficient time to do an underwear-soiling emergency stop"
It's one of the new Highway Code rules :- "When turning on to a main road, always leave oncoming traffic sufficient time to do an underwear-soiling emergency stop"
having worked in insurance, right or wrong they take a black and white viewpoint. No grey areas at all. As you say they view you in the wrong as you entered a main road from a side one. It happened to me years ago when i entered a left lane slip road, although i entered it a tad early crossing over some lines for residents parking. As i made it to the actual left turn arrow, a car pulled right into the side of me and caused me to hit a lampost. It was settled 50-50 even though the third party clearly never checked their mirrors, all because i crossed those lines first.
The guy obviously had the hump at you blocking his path and was determined to proceed. he will probably now throw in a personal injury claim and has been building up his doctors visits and absences from work
The guy obviously had the hump at you blocking his path and was determined to proceed. he will probably now throw in a personal injury claim and has been building up his doctors visits and absences from work
Skii said:
Honda driver is a selfish ahole, unfortunately it was his right of way and ultimately it is your fault.
Why is the Honda driver any more selfish than the OP who couldn’t wait more than a few seconds before pulling out and trying to block a lane so that he could get on with his more important journey?hole, unfortunately it was his right of way and ultimately it is your fault. Both at fault.
OP did not pull out far enough to block the lane, angle of his van was all wrong, he was too keen to look left rather than right. .
Honda driver was impatient, went for the gap that disappeared, should have been watching the OP to see if he was looking the right way, he took a chance and got whacked.
Should have been 50/50.
OP did not pull out far enough to block the lane, angle of his van was all wrong, he was too keen to look left rather than right. .
Honda driver was impatient, went for the gap that disappeared, should have been watching the OP to see if he was looking the right way, he took a chance and got whacked.
Should have been 50/50.
I can only assume a lot of the responses are from people who rarely encounter any other traffic. Mid Wales, Outer Hebrides maybe?
For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
Wait Here Until Green Light Shows said:
I can only assume a lot of the responses are from people who rarely encounter any other traffic. Mid Wales, Outer Hebrides maybe?
For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.)
If the video showed very heavy constant traffic in both directions for two minutes whilst the OP waited, I think there would be a lot more sympathy for this view.For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.)
Many people have now posted the same thing - "sometimes you have to force your way out or you'll be there all day", but strangely, none of those people have gone on to make the claim that this was actually one of those times.
And 9 times out of 10, when someone pushes out in front of me and blocks the lane, it isn't one of those times either.
Wait Here Until Green Light Shows said:
I can only assume a lot of the responses are from people who rarely encounter any other traffic. Mid Wales, Outer Hebrides maybe?
For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
Sad but true, the only way you can actually pull out of junction (even my own road sometimes) is by edging out.For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
jatinder said:
Wait Here Until Green Light Shows said:
I can only assume a lot of the responses are from people who rarely encounter any other traffic. Mid Wales, Outer Hebrides maybe?
For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
Sad but true, the only way you can actually pull out of junction (even my own road sometimes) is by edging out.For those of us who live where everyone else wants to live, sometimes the only thing you can do is edge out and hope someone lets you go (call it bullying if you like, but that's often the only way to get out unless you're happy to wait a very long time. If you don't agree with this statement, then consider yourself lucky.
With that said...the bloke you hit was a moron (who on earth darts round a van in the middle of the road?). To anyone who drives in busy areas it's obvious it's not your fault, but sadly I doubt the insurance company will see it that way.
popeyewhite said:
One of my pet hates is drivers pulling onto a road forcing those already on the road to stop by blocking their lane. Up there with roaring round a roundabout without indicating and foglight wkery. Ergo OP fully culpable. 
Fair enough if that's your view...But would you go past a van that had already pretty much blocked your lane?kery. Ergo OP fully culpable. I doubt it, right?
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