Accidents caused by "straight lining" into adjacent lanes.
Discussion
After a friend got side swiped and a few near misses myself, this has raised a few questions on people cutting you up on town dual carriageways etc.
Legally is it as clear cut as if you are established in your lane and someone side swipes you by swerving into your lane by "straight lining" the lanes (eg the lanes move left or right), is it always 100% their fault or likely to go 50/50?
Example below:
Now logic would say that the clown in red has swerved into your lane causing said accident and is morally in the wrong, but insurance never always works this way and you hear people saying lane markings mean nothing and it will be 50/50 because you didnt see him and avoid him.
What is the reality here if you did have such an accident?
Legally is it as clear cut as if you are established in your lane and someone side swipes you by swerving into your lane by "straight lining" the lanes (eg the lanes move left or right), is it always 100% their fault or likely to go 50/50?
Example below:
Now logic would say that the clown in red has swerved into your lane causing said accident and is morally in the wrong, but insurance never always works this way and you hear people saying lane markings mean nothing and it will be 50/50 because you didnt see him and avoid him.
What is the reality here if you did have such an accident?
Psycho Warren said:
What is the reality here if you did have such an accident?
The reality is the red car isn't paying attention. I've had it happen to me at a roundabout - the other driver 'drifted' into my lane (ie he was supposed to be going around the roundabout in the outside lane with me on the inside) as he straight-lined his course.popeyewhite said:
The reality is the red car isn't paying attention. I've had it happen to me at a roundabout - the other driver 'drifted' into my lane (ie he was supposed to be going around the roundabout in the outside lane with me on the inside) as he straight-lined his course.
This is ridiculously common on the main roundabouts in Milton Keynes (the ones that have 2 or 3 lanes) and probably all across the country. Most people are just not capable of driving their vehicle between the white lines of the outer lanes and try to keep things as straight as possible, even at low speeds.In the scenario of a straight road, I'd like to think the drifter would get the blame, especially if car in other lane has no room to the left to move out of the way to avoid contact, assuming they've even noticed the drifting car. Heavy braking would be sensible thing to avoid contact, providing there's not an impatient knuckle dragger up your chuff, getting all agitated because they can't overtake.
xx99xx said:
This is ridiculously common on the main roundabouts in Milton Keynes (the ones that have 2 or 3 lanes) and probably all across the country. Most people are just not capable of driving their vehicle between the white lines of the outer lanes and try to keep things as straight as possible, even at low speeds.
In the scenario of a straight road, I'd like to think the drifter would get the blame, especially if car in other lane has no room to the left to move out of the way to avoid contact, assuming they've even noticed the drifting car. Heavy braking would be sensible thing to avoid contact, providing there's not an impatient knuckle dragger up your chuff, getting all agitated because they can't overtake.
I find it incredible that for a town with so many roundabouts such a high proportion of people have absolutely no idea how to drive round them.In the scenario of a straight road, I'd like to think the drifter would get the blame, especially if car in other lane has no room to the left to move out of the way to avoid contact, assuming they've even noticed the drifting car. Heavy braking would be sensible thing to avoid contact, providing there's not an impatient knuckle dragger up your chuff, getting all agitated because they can't overtake.
Not only the straight-liners but the ones who can't follow a lane, who will go join the roundabout in one lane but drive round it in a completely different one. You, being in the right lane are cut up but glared at as if you're in the wrong.
The worst of the straight lining roundabout brigade are those who think that's the correct way to do it, of which there are lots. Quite where they think the guy on the inside is supposed to go I have no idea.
I've previously beeped some penis doing exactly that, only for him to make some sort of gesticulation that inferred this was a roundabout, thus he was in the right to straight line it.
I've previously beeped some penis doing exactly that, only for him to make some sort of gesticulation that inferred this was a roundabout, thus he was in the right to straight line it.
KungFuPanda said:
Get a dash cam.
That's not going to stop the bump though. Just keep your wits about you. I live in MK and if there's nobody about will straighten the line through a roundabout. However, if there is anyone around me, I will always give myself room, making sure I am behind an adjacent car rather than alongside.
There's a world of difference between knowing what you are doing or just being vacant and no spatial awareness. In MK they have a good system for marking out incompetent drivers, they slap a Taxi sign on their cars!
rsbmw said:
The worst of the straight lining roundabout brigade are those who think that's the correct way to do it, of which there are lots. Quite where they think the guy on the inside is supposed to go I have no idea.
I've previously beeped some penis doing exactly that, only for him to make some sort of gesticulation that inferred this was a roundabout, thus he was in the right to straight line it.
Many years ago I had some knob squish me into the centre of a roundabout. When I got him to stop to exchange details and I pointed out that he had crossed into my lane he laughed and said "there are no lanes round roundabouts".I've previously beeped some penis doing exactly that, only for him to make some sort of gesticulation that inferred this was a roundabout, thus he was in the right to straight line it.
The second time I was in the inside lane of the A45 going round the round the roundabout at Wellingborough. When we exited the roundabout the twit in the FedEx van on my right decided that he too was going to exit the roundabout in the left hand lane and ended up mashing my rear offside quarter with his nearside front wheel. He tried to claim pretty much a total left hand side for his van, when it went to court he ended up taking 100% of the blame, unfortunately he didn't get anything for attempted fraud.
I now have a dashcam so the next time I can't avoid some tit doing something stupid I will have something to back up the facts.
Psycho Warren said:
Now logic would say that the clown in red has swerved into your lane causing said accident and is morally in the wrong, but insurance never always works this way and you hear people saying lane markings mean nothing and it will be 50/50 because you didnt see him and avoid him.
The one thing you need to understand about insurance companies is that it's in their best financial interests to go 50/50 / knock-for-knock / whatever the expression is these days.It generates ridiculously inflated revenue come renewal time.
andygo said:
That's not going to stop the bump though.
Just keep your wits about you. I live in MK and if there's nobody about will straighten the line through a roundabout. However, if there is anyone around me, I will always give myself room, making sure I am behind an adjacent car rather than alongside.
There's a world of difference between knowing what you are doing or just being vacant and no spatial awareness. In MK they have a good system for marking out incompetent drivers, they slap a Taxi sign on their cars!
The worst ones in MK are where there are three lanes on approach - Left only, straight on, straight on / right - so the 2 options for going straight on are:Just keep your wits about you. I live in MK and if there's nobody about will straighten the line through a roundabout. However, if there is anyone around me, I will always give myself room, making sure I am behind an adjacent car rather than alongside.
There's a world of difference between knowing what you are doing or just being vacant and no spatial awareness. In MK they have a good system for marking out incompetent drivers, they slap a Taxi sign on their cars!
Middle lane on approach, left lane on roundabout, left lane on exit.
Right lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, right lane on exit.
So many people go middle lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, then either on exit.
The 2 on V11 at junctions with H7 and H8 are worst for this. I don't tend to see issues on many other roundabouts in MK.
Some roundabouts the lane markings are really clear, others not so much, making it difficult to know until you get far enough around to see more lane markings further on. Signage before the roundabout often doesn't indicate if it's 1, 2, or even 3 lanes (although sometimes it does). Markings on the ground are never far enough back to appropriately get into lane and you are stuffed if there is traffic on top of them.
Others there are no lane markings going around the roundabout making it difficult to judge and maintain the line as you go around. J13 on the M4 E to A34 S really annoys me for this because people who aren't familiar get it wrong so often.
Others there are no lane markings going around the roundabout making it difficult to judge and maintain the line as you go around. J13 on the M4 E to A34 S really annoys me for this because people who aren't familiar get it wrong so often.
blank said:
The worst ones in MK are where there are three lanes on approach - Left only, straight on, straight on / right - so the 2 options for going straight on are:
Middle lane on approach, left lane on roundabout, left lane on exit.
Right lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, right lane on exit.
So many people go middle lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, then either on exit.
The 2 on V11 at junctions with H7 and H8 are worst for this. I don't tend to see issues on many other roundabouts in MK.
I prefer to approach those in the right hand lane and move into the middle on the roundabout but to keep your wits about you.Middle lane on approach, left lane on roundabout, left lane on exit.
Right lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, right lane on exit.
So many people go middle lane on approach, middle lane on roundabout, then either on exit.
The 2 on V11 at junctions with H7 and H8 are worst for this. I don't tend to see issues on many other roundabouts in MK.
I've seen so many instances of people in the left hand lane on the entry of the roundabout then carrying on into the left lane of the roundabout to exit in the left lane on exit. This takes the middle laners by surprise and gives them nowhere to go but to stay in the middle lane and exit in the right hand lane. At least if you start in the right hand lane, you've got the escape route of just carrying on around the roundabout.
zetec said:
Damn we are all PHr’s.....surely you take the racing line 
Of course, but these days on PH, doing such a thing implies speeding etc, so before you know it, you get blitzed by wannabe BRAKE members, lol!By taking the most direct line on a roundabout, certainly in my case, it's for environmental reasons, better fuel economy, less wear on tear on tyres etc..
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