Reversing into someone

[curiosity]

Is reversing into someone always your fault even if they are too close behind you? My colleague was in our minibus at traffic lights and the car in front broke down, so having checked his mirrors which were clear he started to reverse and almost immediately hit the car behind. Obviously our insurance has paid for any damage to the womans car. But when discussing the general rules of the road, he said that he was taught that if you are behind a large vehicle or van you should be able to see their mirrors, if you can't then they can't see you. Should he automatically have accepted blame given that you don't have right of way when reversing or should he have argued? just out of interest and to help his male ego!

[almcd007]

Unfortunately he was to blame - every day of the week !

He failed to see the vehicle, which was stationary, behind him, before reversing. If there was any doubt he should have asked someone sat at the back of the bus. It's not law that you should see their mirrors for them to be able to see you - It's good practice if oyu are on the motorway or following a large vehicle. It could have been a bike which he would have struggled to see if it was several metres behind him. Driving such a vehicle there are blindspots and the insurance company defending would state that he should have taken those risks into consideration when driving the minibus. Especially when reversing, at trafic lights when he cannot clearly see the road behind him, sufficiently to carry out the manouvre.

Sorry !

[curiosity]

Thanks for that, there wasn't anyone in the back, so I suppose he should have got out and checked, or is there another way, I write the minibus policy so if there's anything I could add to say I have tried to prevent this happening again that would be good. I thought I'd been thorough mentioning NO McDonalds drive throughs allowed, we've already had petrol put in it "cos there wasn't a sticker on the dashboard saying it was Diesel!" I ask you.

[almcd007]

You can buy a stick on wide angle lens which shows all of the back of the minibus it sticks to the back window - I presume he can see through the back window and it's not like a van ? The lens would work - cheap option. Or for a couple of hundred quid - camera activates when reverse gear selected like they have on some trucks - or a reverse sensor -as soon as reverse is selected, a beeping, sonar type noise emits rapidly if you are close to something or slower if you have some distance between you and the other car.

[Toureman]

This was just a stupid mistake by the driver, there is nothing you can do about it.

Perhaps sending all the drivers to take an advanced driving course or asking them to read the highway code, or putting stickers all over the windscreen with full instructions on how to drive.

By the way what has Mcdonalds got to do with this accident?

So with your way of thinking, if I am on my motorbike behind an articulated truck at the traffic lights I should stop 40 metres behind him so he can see me in his mirrors!

[curiosity]

Yeah Toureman that's what it feels like somedays, Theres not enogh stickers in the world! But someone in an office somewhere has been sorting out a company to do advanced driver training for the drivers since April I'll ring him on Monday! now you've reminded me. It's the NHS see so Risk Health & Safety means you have to cover yourself to say you've done something, I think we'll go for that wide angle mirror, not sure they would cough up �100 for the reverse sensor. It's young people who we transport and they regularly go to McDonalds and the drive throughs have height restriction bars, I know no-one goes high speed through a drive through but possibly could still cause some damage. I get your point about the seeing the mirrors thing, especially on a bike, I'm assuming articulated lorries have special instructions for reversing.

[curiosity]

Sorry forgot to say, yes there are windows in the back it's a ford transit 15 seater 2006

[Toureman]

Tell "the someone in an office" to look here............

http://www.iam.org.uk/iamfleet/

Articulated truck drivers do not have special "instructions" for reversing they are taught to do it safely and to get help if needed. They do an intensive driving course then an hour and a half driving test which includes a special reversing test.

[curiosity]

Thanks Toureman I will direct him to that site (if he's not on holiday or off sick) I was aware of HGV & articulated lorry training, sorry if I seemed to be minimising it into "instructions". I looked into it, but because we have a 15 seater not 16 or over a normal license of over 2 years (aged 21+) or with D1 covers it, which is why I tried to sort out advanced driver training. I have done a short induction for drivers to familiarise themselves with handling the bus before carrying passengers, but obviously didn't think about the blind spots, I'm just glad there wasn't someone taking the opportunity to cross the road while all the cars were stopped.