Lane Change And Rear-Side Swipe By Bus

[EViS]

I was changing lane from the right to the left to go in front of a bus in the left lane. As I started pulling into the left lane, the bus driver accelerated not to let me in and as a result scraped the rear-left-side of my car (next to the lights). There was no serious impact damage as such on my car. We exchanged details with the bus driver handing me a 'Metroline Travel Accident Card'.

Who is likely to be at fault here from the point of view of the insurance companies?

The damage is marginal (a bit of t-cut will sort the scrape out), so I'm not even sure its worth me claiming. But is Metroline likely to claim against me, in which case I may as well tell my insurance company now and be the first to kick up a fuss?

[Negative Creep]

You for trying to move into a space that wasn't there. Sorry.

[Flanders.]

You. He does not have to let you in.

[EViS]

Thanks for those replies fellas. I imagine this would be a different story if I could PROVE that he accelerated not to let me in? Or not?

[EViS]

I thought this might be the answer . I really don't want to loose my NCB (which I never bother protecting!) over this as the damage at least on my car was very minimal. Hence, does anyone have any answers or advice in regards to my second question please?

Is Metroline likely to claim against me? (in which case I may as well tell my insurance company now and be the first to kick up a fuss?)

[Flanders.]

Some bus companys have run their own insurance, the bus might just get fixed in the depeot by one of their Engineers. I wouldn't worry too much.

[Tielst]

Had the exact same thing happen to me a while back,a coach deliberatly accelerated to close a gap I was indicating to move into, exchanged details there and also phoned the coach companies office and spoke to them. Luckily I was able to t-cut out most of the coaches paint from my car.
Couple of days later I got a written apology from the the manager of the coach company apologising for their drivers aggressive manner!

[snotrag]

doogz said:

Possibly, but as his bus doesn't have a data logger, you're onto plums.

How do you know? lots of them do?

[66comanche]

Flanders. said:

Some bus companys have run their own insurance, the bus might just get fixed in the depeot by one of their Engineers. I wouldn't worry too much.

pfft. I went into the back of a bus 14 years ago - perhaps the tiniest scratch on the back bumper of the bus, didn't want to go via insurance so they sent me a nice bill for £349.99 for the bus being off the road for a day due to repairs. These being buses partly funded by the local authority as part of a green initiative, the fkers didnt make any bloody money! Still see the bus now, I hate you M*** EFD!

[Nickyboy]

Buses don't just instantly accelerate and even if it did you would still be at fault for pulling in front when there is so little space.

[anonymous-user]

I thought you had to give way to the right?

[TheTurbonator]

As someone else has said busses don't accelerate very quickly so for it to hit you in the manner you describe it must have been pretty close even before it did accelerate?

In this instance I think you'd be best reporting it to your insurance. The company probably won't bother repairing it if it's just a few scratches to the bus but if you don't declare it to your insurance company and they do claim, you'll be in a lot of bother with your insurance provider.

I know our local bus service do have CCTV which also records what pedals are being pushed at a given time and if the indicators are on. I even know that in one case like yours, where a bus aggressively stopped a car changing into it's the lane the driver got sacked when the technology was viewed after a passenger who was a driving instructor reported the behaviour.

I would certainly report the incident to my insurance company but as for reporting the driver to his employer, well it's up to you. It won't change the outcome I don't think, the insurance companies will still say your at fault but you may cost a man with a family and kids to feed and provide for his job.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Flanders. said:

You. He does not have to let you in.

And conversely, we do not have to let them out IIRC - doesn't stop them whacking on indicators and swinging out from bus stops as you're passing

[EViS]

TheTurbonator said:

In this instance I think you'd be best reporting it to your insurance. The company probably won't bother repairing it if it's just a few scratches to the bus but if you don't declare it to your insurance company and they do claim, you'll be in a lot of bother with your insurance provider.

If I do declare it and the bus company do not end up claiming, is my declaration likely to affect my premium next year?

[to3m]

EViS said:

TheTurbonator said:

In this instance I think you'd be best reporting it to your insurance. The company probably won't bother repairing it if it's just a few scratches to the bus but if you don't declare it to your insurance company and they do claim, you'll be in a lot of bother with your insurance provider.

If I do declare it and the bus company do not end up claiming, is my declaration likely to affect my premium next year?

I told my insurance company (Lord Nelson's favourite, probably) about an incident that, in the end, didn't end up costing them anything.

My renewal premium did increase, but something like 2 weeks later (which would make it 6 months after the accident, I think?) they issued me a refund of the increase, quite out of the blue. Presumably their policy is simply to laugh in the face of anybody who tries to claim after 6 months, so by that point it was clear it wasn't going to cost them anything more significant than 15 minutes' time of somebody at a call centre.

With any luck, your insurer will be similarly decent about it...

[EViS]

And what do I risk by not telling them about it?