Driving into the rear of another car
Discussion
When a car hits a car infront, is it always the rear cars fault 100% no questions asked?
A person I know was driving behind a car when an ambulance was in the distance, flashing lights and siren.
All of a sudden the car infront slammed on the anchors. The person hit the car in front and cracked the bumper.
In regards to insurance i'm presuming their view is -
rear car hits front car
rear car is to blame
Am I right in thinking the above?
The person whos car has the cracked rear bumper is happy for it to be fixed outside of the insurance however they want a brand new rear bumper from the manufacturer which is looking at £500+.
A person I know was driving behind a car when an ambulance was in the distance, flashing lights and siren.
All of a sudden the car infront slammed on the anchors. The person hit the car in front and cracked the bumper.
In regards to insurance i'm presuming their view is -
rear car hits front car
rear car is to blame
Am I right in thinking the above?
The person whos car has the cracked rear bumper is happy for it to be fixed outside of the insurance however they want a brand new rear bumper from the manufacturer which is looking at £500+.
"Person you know" was driving too close, or not paying enough attention enough to react in time. It's been a while since I did my test but I believe my instructor said that you basically had to drive in a manner that would mean you could both anticipate and react to someone doing an emergency stop in front of you, for any reason.
You could argue it's unrealistic to expect that from every car you're behind, but people seldom expect the thing that catches them by surprise.
You could argue it's unrealistic to expect that from every car you're behind, but people seldom expect the thing that catches them by surprise.
It's not always 100% the car behinds fault!
If it can be proven that the car in front manoeuvred into the path of the vehicle behind at the last second and then slammed on its brakes leaving the car behind no opportunity to stop in time then the car in front will be deemed to be at fault!
If it can be proven that the car in front manoeuvred into the path of the vehicle behind at the last second and then slammed on its brakes leaving the car behind no opportunity to stop in time then the car in front will be deemed to be at fault!
I had a car pull out in front of me on a two lane carriageway at night. There was me, him and the truck he'd been sitting behind for at least three miles before decided that was when he needed to pull out, and another car in front of the truck. That was it.
I was on cruise control at 75 (72 true speed) and he was doing 56 (truck speed) and he pulled out as I was two car lengths away forcing me to slam my brakes on so much so that the hazards flashed and ABS kicked in.
Unfortunately as I got about two feet away he decided to brake test me and I then hit his car!
Fortunately in front of the truck was an unmarked Audi plod car who'd seen the whole episode.
The short of it was Mr Prius driver was given points for dangerous driving, even after he tried to blame me for "driving like a loony. He was doing at least 70mph and I was sticking to well below the 60mph limit!"
and saying I tailgated him and was "braking for a deer" 
In my eyes he saw me coming and thought he'd teach me a lessen for speeding. (Although technically I was speeding)
Plod was not happy, mainly because he'd nearly finished his shift, and I was ready to punch the prick Prius driver.
So rear driver not always to blame.
I was on cruise control at 75 (72 true speed) and he was doing 56 (truck speed) and he pulled out as I was two car lengths away forcing me to slam my brakes on so much so that the hazards flashed and ABS kicked in.
Unfortunately as I got about two feet away he decided to brake test me and I then hit his car!
Fortunately in front of the truck was an unmarked Audi plod car who'd seen the whole episode.
The short of it was Mr Prius driver was given points for dangerous driving, even after he tried to blame me for "driving like a loony. He was doing at least 70mph and I was sticking to well below the 60mph limit!"
and saying I tailgated him and was "braking for a deer" 
In my eyes he saw me coming and thought he'd teach me a lessen for speeding. (Although technically I was speeding)
Plod was not happy, mainly because he'd nearly finished his shift, and I was ready to punch the prick Prius driver.
So rear driver not always to blame.
BlackST said:
When a car hits a car infront, is it always the rear cars fault 100% no questions asked?
A person I know was driving behind a car when an ambulance was in the distance, flashing lights and siren.
All of a sudden the car infront slammed on the anchors. The person hit the car in front and cracked the bumper.
In regards to insurance i'm presuming their view is -
rear car hits front car
rear car is to blame
Am I right in thinking the above?
The person whos car has the cracked rear bumper is happy for it to be fixed outside of the insurance however they want a brand new rear bumper from the manufacturer which is looking at £500+.
Assuming no fraud, yes, almost always the following driver's fault.A person I know was driving behind a car when an ambulance was in the distance, flashing lights and siren.
All of a sudden the car infront slammed on the anchors. The person hit the car in front and cracked the bumper.
In regards to insurance i'm presuming their view is -
rear car hits front car
rear car is to blame
Am I right in thinking the above?
The person whos car has the cracked rear bumper is happy for it to be fixed outside of the insurance however they want a brand new rear bumper from the manufacturer which is looking at £500+.
In the circumstances you describe, your friend has no hope of avoiding blame.
Thank you for the replies people.
Basically what I assumed.
I can't say how the person I know was driving as I was not there.
I do agree that enough space should be left in front of you and concentration should be 100%, as that is the way I operate too.
It is a relative that is 'the person' and they offered to purchase a 2nd hand bumper and have it professionally sprayed and fitted but the other car want the bumper brand new from Ford and fitted by them, which is looking at 3x the cost. On an 8 year old car too which isn't in the best condition
Basically what I assumed.
I can't say how the person I know was driving as I was not there.
I do agree that enough space should be left in front of you and concentration should be 100%, as that is the way I operate too.
It is a relative that is 'the person' and they offered to purchase a 2nd hand bumper and have it professionally sprayed and fitted but the other car want the bumper brand new from Ford and fitted by them, which is looking at 3x the cost. On an 8 year old car too which isn't in the best condition

This could work ok but it could also go wrong.
Once the bumper is taken off you could find £2000 worth of rear panel damage etc
There also could be a claim for whiplash on the future.
You need to check your insurance documents bit it's more than likely you should notify your insurance company of this incident.
Once the bumper is taken off you could find £2000 worth of rear panel damage etc
There also could be a claim for whiplash on the future.
You need to check your insurance documents bit it's more than likely you should notify your insurance company of this incident.
Just get them to sign a disclaimer that this is the full and final amount that they will claim in relation to this incident.
I was passenging in a car as we approached a Y-junction in the M62 motorway. 2 lanes left to go North and 2 lanes right to go South. As we cruised in lane 2 to exit north a confused driver in lane 1 suddenly realised they should be in lane 3 and pulled across our bow. We crashed into their rear but my driver was found to be blameless, eventually.
I was passenging in a car as we approached a Y-junction in the M62 motorway. 2 lanes left to go North and 2 lanes right to go South. As we cruised in lane 2 to exit north a confused driver in lane 1 suddenly realised they should be in lane 3 and pulled across our bow. We crashed into their rear but my driver was found to be blameless, eventually.
Did this recently, my first crash in a very long time. The car in front of me hit a stationary car in front of him, I hit the brakes but a greasy wet road meant I just slid into the back of the car in front. I then got rear ended by a chap in a van - all fairly minor stuff (no damage to my front bumper) and I didn't really see it as my fault but what can you do.
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