If both ways were clear why were you edging out slowly? If you were joining a queue of traffic the road couldn't have been clear. If you think the other car came 'out of nowhere' you probably weren't paying enough attention. The onus is on you to make sure the road's clear before pulling out. If you get 50/50 you'll be very lucky, more like 75/25 in the other driver's favour or worse. Police's job is not to decide blame, only to determine whether an offence has been committed. They will only attend if there are injuries to people (or some animals) or damage to roadside property. PS If you want people to believe you're a safe and cautious driver you might want to think about a new nickname!