Car accident - whose fault???

[cgilsenan]

I was involved in a minor car crash today and am not sure if it is equal blame or the other persons fault...any advice would be much appreciated... sorry if the description is a bit long winded.....

It was a large roundabout with 2 lanes marked all the way around.
The first exit was onto a dual carriageway, so went off onto 2 lanes.
I was in the left hand lane of the roundabout, indicating right, to carry on round until the second exit.
When passing the 1st exit, a car in the right hand lane on the roundabout came across my lane to join the 2nd lane of the dual carriageway at the 1st exit.
The front passenger side of their car impacted the front driverside of my car.
To confuse the matter, there are dots on the road guiding the right hand lane of the roundabout off onto the 2nd lane on the dual carriageway. There is also a white line guiding the route on round the roundabout.

Any advice.....?????

[QueenOfAmber]

Very bad description! I think it was your fault though for not going into the other lane... BUT I DON'T KNOW!

[cgilsenan]

oh dear....my insurance premium is going to take a bit of a bashing this year then!

[Lakitu]

Firstly, do NOT accept liability for the accident, that's what you pay your insurance company to do.

Secondly, IMO, it depends on how many exits the roundabout has. For instance, there's one not far from me that has 5 exits and is a 2 lane roundabout. I stay in the left lane for exits 1 - 3, the right lane for 4 and 5, which make it different from other, smaller, roundabouts nearby where I'd be in the left lane for 1st exit and right lane for 2nd and 3rd exit.

Does that make sense? Seriously, leave it to your insurers to sort out.

The main thing is nobody got hurt, accidents happen and it's only chunks of metal at the end of the day ;o)

[sara3]

how many exits are on the roundabout?

[cgilsenan]

5 exits and I was coming off on the second

[Lakitu]

I would say it isn't your fault then, but I don't relly understand your description of what the dots are doing. Does the white line guide the left or right lane to the 2nd exit?

[terambulan]

Repeat:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Motoring/Road-r ules/Question685714.html

[Squitty]

If you are a girl it was blatantly your fault ;0)

[cgilsenan]

of course im a girl...and blond...hence posting same question twice!

[cgilsenan]

lakitu....
The white lines guided both lanes on around the roundabout towards the 2-5th exits.... but there were also those small dashes/dots on road which guided the left lane of roundabout onto left lane on dual cw, and guided the right lane of roundabout onto right lane of dual cw!

[TWR]

Hi, To me cgilsenan you seemed to have used your Indicator for no reason, If you were coming off at the 2nd exit why did you indicate to your right? the person that came accross your path was at fault But can you prove it?

[Panic Button]

I would have said fault on both sides.

You both should have been aware of each other, and neither should have made an assumption of which exit the other would use.

[cassa333]

As said let your insurance sort it out but I would hazzard a guess that the other driver was in the wrong for cutting you up.

[Catron]

From what I can understand from this, those in the left hand lane at the roundabout HAVE to take the first exit and those who wish to take any other exit should be in the right hand lane at the roundabout.

Those in the right hand lane at the roundabout can ALSO take the first exit as their are two lanes at this exit.

Nothing else can be correct surely as those in the right hand lane at the roundabout should not have to be looking both to their right and left when permitted to take the first exit. Plus there would be accidents galore if this were not so.

[SeaJayPea]

The other person is at fault. They turned across the front of you. They could easily have waited until they were absolutely certain what you were doing.
Make sure on your claim form that you say this emphatically. As other posters have said, if you're comprehensively insured, the company should then fight your corner.

Good luck

[Catron]

Well, I'd love to see a picture of this roundabout - it seems to me that this driver should not have been in the left hand lane if she wished to take any other exit but the first.

[eltelioni]

When you want to join a roundabout you give way to vehicles already on the roundabout. They do not give way to you. The other driver did nothing wrong, though was foolish for not recognising that you did not know what you were doing. It is never correct to join the left lane of the roundabout and indicate right..

[BertiWooster]

Accidents on Roundabouts are notoriously difficult to prove who is blameworthy ; in the absence of any independent witnesses .

If you can provide a google picture of the roundabout , then we might be able to say if your approach and progression on the roundabout was the correct one .

Even then , if you took the correct lane position , we would also need to know what the other party's version of events are .
If you then agreed with his account of his/her route , and vice versa - it should be a straightforward matter in dertermining whose progression on the roundabout was incorrect for the intended exit .

I suggest you report your version of events to your insurers - they should have the other party's version of events - and should be able to see who was in the wrong

[Disco Fever]

I agree with eltelioni, when pulling out into a roundabout the traffic coming from your right has right of way so if you pulled out to take the second exit then the car that hit you was coming from your right so you should have seen it and not pulled out until it had gone by you....

Unless you pulled out and the car was speeding around the roundabout so fast that it caught up with you before you had chance to clear the exit the other car was heading to....