Rear ended car at roundabout

Rear ended car at roundabout

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Discussion

cirian75

Original Poster:

4,245 posts

232 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
Old man just had a prang with me in the car.

We where approaching a roundabout, the car in front went as it was clear.


we looked over to check if it was clear for us to go and it was.

Pulled away but the car in front had unexpectedly stopped = low speed bump.

Details have been swapped and photographs have been taken.

My father has admitted nothing at all to them, any advice?

pidsy

7,958 posts

156 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
Had exactly the same happen to me about 6 years ago.

Didn't seem to matter to the insurers that the woman in front had pulled out then suddenly stopped across one lane of a 2 lane roundabout.

My fault.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
You dad should notify his insurer who'll no doubt anticipate an incoming whiplash claim.

glasgow mega snake

1,853 posts

83 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
always the driver's fault. doesn't matter how clear the roundabout is if there is a car in between you and the roundabout...

OddCat

2,514 posts

170 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
cirian75 said:
.....the car in front went as it was clear.
....and he then stopped why ?

Mandat

3,878 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
cirian75 said:
Old man just had a prang with me in the car.

We where approaching a roundabout, the car in front went as it was clear.


we looked over to check if it was clear for us to go and it was.

Pulled away but the car in front had unexpectedly stopped = low speed bump.

Details have been swapped and photographs have been taken.

My father has admitted nothing at all to them, any advice?
It's a mistake that many inexperienced drivers easily make.

Learn from this, and hope that the driver in front doesn't pursue a fraudulent whiplash claim.

Beetnik

501 posts

183 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
OddCat said:
....and he then stopped why ?
there's a clue if you read down another two lines...

Thermobaric

725 posts

119 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
Very nearly had this once. Taught me to leave a decent gap between the car in front at roundabouts. Reinforces the 'treat everyone as unpredictable idiots' thing.

CAPP0

19,530 posts

202 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
pidsy said:
Had exactly the same happen to me about 6 years ago.

Didn't seem to matter to the insurers that the woman in front had pulled out then suddenly stopped across one lane of a 2 lane roundabout.

My fault.
Me too, some years back. Me in an almost-new Monaro, the car which braked halfway across the roundabout was a 239-year old Micra driven by an eastern European couple (relevant or not? no idea). Fault against me all the way.

heebeegeetee

28,590 posts

247 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
It's a common shunt. My method to avoid it is not to look to my right until I've seen the car in front go.

andy118run

866 posts

205 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
Mandat said:
It's a mistake that many inexperienced drivers easily make.

Learn from this, and hope that the driver in front doesn't pursue a fraudulent whiplash claim.
Yep, did exactly this a year or so after I passed (back in the 1990s).

Car in front turned left, I followed as road was clear to do so.

I was still slightly distracted checking again that it was clear from my right.

Car ahead of me stopped within a few yards to let someone cross the road.

Don't think I even had time to brake, just sailed straight into the back of him.

As much as I still blame him for stopping unexpectedly, it was always going to be 100% against me for not paying attention.

GCH

3,984 posts

201 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
heebeegeetee said:
It's a common shunt. My method to avoid it is not to look to my right until I've seen the car in front go.
Ditto.
Learned the hard way doing exactly the same as the OP 18 years ago hehe

wazztie16

1,469 posts

130 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
The speed that some drivers come around roundabouts nowadays, I'm not surprised rear end crashes aren't more common.

If I ever pull out, and something comes round and it means I'll impede it's progress, I'll stop, even if it means I'm blocking the first lane.

Too many people too quick to complain about poor driving in company vehicles nowadays, so stuff it, someone can go into the back of me, I won't have as much problem explaining that one.

That's in the bus though.

In the car, I'd probably go for it.

Bit crappy OP, regarding your situation, it happens.

Sheepshanks

32,519 posts

118 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
heebeegeetee said:
It's a common shunt. My method to avoid it is not to look to my right until I've seen the car in front go.
Also don't edge forward and when you decide to go, just go. Otherwise the car behind will smack you up the arse! When I was a young sales rep it happened to me in my company car I was taking it back to the office as the MD wanted it for his daughter. I took my foot off the brake to try an minimise the damage - that could have gone badly.

Green1man

549 posts

87 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
This exact scenario is one of the classic ‘Cash for Crash’ scams. Stopping suddenly when pulling out onto an empty roundabout and a good portion of people will crash into the back of you.

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
heebeegeetee said:
It's a common shunt. My method to avoid it is not to look to my right until I've seen the car in front go.
This all the way. It's not rocket science. Don't move off until it's clear. Not when you think it's clear, when you know it's clear.


Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
quotequote all
SS2. said:
You dad should notify his insurer who'll no doubt anticipate an incoming whiplash claim.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The OP's dad is at fault for running into the back of someone, but it would certainly get my spidey senses tingling.

wack

2,103 posts

205 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
quotequote all
Willy Nilly said:
SS2. said:
You dad should notify his insurer who'll no doubt anticipate an incoming whiplash claim.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The OP's dad is at fault for running into the back of someone, but it would certainly get my spidey senses tingling.
especially if there's more than one in the car, same happened to a friends uncle 15 years ago, the impact was so slow it caused no structural damage at all, just a scratch on his bumper, nothing on theirs , they got whiplash then about 6 months later put another claim in for long term injuries.

If you got whiplash that easily in a modern car with headrests specifically designed to stop it your head would fall off in a 50mph crash

xyyman

1,075 posts

224 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
quotequote all
I'm not alone then as I had a similar situation last year. Car in front pulled away form a roundabout, as I checked my right and moved forward I hit the back of the car in front which had stopped suddenly. No brake lights so I think the guy stalled it.

No significant damage, no airbags or broken glass or radiator. we exchanged details all very amicable and went on our way. I reported the incident to my insurers who were very helpful, I made no claim as repair costs were less than the policy excess.

A few weeks later my insurer called me for a few more details as they had been contacted by an accident management company on behalf of the other party regarding the inevitable whiplash claim. I explained the circumstances and that it was a very minor shunt and so on to be told that this was now so common because, apparently, there was a case whereby it had been proven possible to have whiplash even at impacts as low as 5mph.

I have no idea of the final outcome, however I was the driver at fault in any event and on my next renewal I had a slight increase in premium but nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

myvision

1,931 posts

135 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
quotequote all
SS2. said:
You dad should notify his insurer who'll no doubt anticipate an incoming whiplash claim.
Did you count the people that were in the car?