Avoiding accidents

[paul gotts]

Don't think this has been posted already, although it appeared in MCN this week:

Car driver admitted to being one metre over centre line (i.e. wrong side of the road) and colliding with a motorcyclist coming the other way and travelling at less than the 60 mph limit in place on that road. Result for the biker was a punctured lung, 11 fractures and a torn liver. The Court of Appeal has now decided to cut the damages awarded to the injured biker by 50%, because he should "....take steps to avoid accidents where other road users may not be complying with their obligations to drive reasonably."

So next time someone decides that they want to occupy the same spot of tarmac as you, be aware that any resulting accident is half your fault for being there in the first place.

[miniandy]

There goes the old advice of 'you're better to hit them than crash by avoiding them'...

[paul gotts]

Coincidently, it was a Clio driver (lady).

[minimax]

how is that a coincidence? or have I missed something

[itchy]

I once found myself stationary in a queue of traffic on the Fulham Palace Road. Just before the point where two lanes merged into one (to make way for a bus lane), I had positioned myself predominantly in the inside lane but with part of the car straddling the white lines between the two lanes, in preparation for the lane merge.

A lorry in the right-hand lane proceeded to drive slowly up my right side, damaging the car's front wheel arch. According to the insurance companies I was at fault because my road position indicated that I was changing lanes.

That was several years ago. Still makes my blood boil.

[itchy]

minimax said:

how is that a coincidence? or have I missed something

Evidently miniandy has a Clio.

[anniesdad]

If that's an Appeal Court ruling that's very interesting. Do you know the case law name?

[paul gotts]

anniesdad said:

If that's an Appeal Court ruling that's very interesting. Do you know the case law name?

No, but the car driver is Bridgett Askey from Cleveland, and the biker is Paul Wood of Leeds. The old duffers on the bench were Lord Justice Chadwick and Lord Justice Longmore.

[miniandy]

itchy said:

minimax said: how is that a coincidence? or have I missed something Evidently miniandy has a Clio.

Should I be on the defensive here?!

[itchy]

Not from me