Am I to blame?

[coolmanme03]

I was involved in an RTA two weeks ago, where I collided into the back of a car. I was driving down a hill and observing that the car in front had their brake lights on, i applied my brakes to slow down. Again observing that she was coming to a stop i applied my brakes harder and at this point i slid about 1-2m car lengths into the back of her. (I was not speeding as 200 yards up the road was a speed camera, plus i was braking because the car in front was also braking). The policeman who attended the accident said the road was "greasy" as we had heavy snow 2-3 days before, which had melted by now. I have had a claim against me stating that i was "driving without due care and attention", am I the only person who thinks I am not to blame? Im not saying that the woman in front was to blame, all i'm saying is that i did everything within my power (under the circumstances) to avoid a collison!?

[Loosehead]

You where not driving appropriately to the conditions, even if you had mis evaluated the conditions.

In these cases the blame is always the shunter.

[coolmanme03]

Surely the person whom I hit has some of the blame, because she mis evaluated the conditinons adn braked sharply causing me to brake sharply also?

[Loosehead]

No the shuntee is irrelevant, if they braked sharply as you say and you hit them then you where too close. Sorry mate in this situation it is extremely rare to be anyone's fault but the shunter, certainly not the shuntee. By saying I hit her because she braked suddenly you are effectively saying that you where not paying attention, hence the due care assertion.

[MORELLO]

You're goin' down.

[woodchopper]

You live and learn - leave a lot more gap between you and the car in front next time - could you have not gone round them if it was safe to do so - or did you panic as would 90% of the population and keep sliding ?

[NORMANTHEDOG]

if you hit someone up the rear end,no matter what the circumstances,you are to blame 100 %

[markja]

the 2nd half of looseheads post is, as he says, why the plod are reporting you. you should just say you missjudged it and then it would have been pure accident. nothing to do with 'she braked sharply'.
you should have left enough of a gap to stop, expecting her to stop quickly

[funkymoped]

bad driving !

its not cool to blame someone else for your mistakes !

[curlyperm]

compassionate lot eh? (i know i've been on their receiving end) x

[Bazile]

99.9 % of the time you cant blame the person in front .

I have sympathy for you - but unfortunately it appears that you were not driving appropriately, according to the road conditions - that's the way the law sees it .

She could have braked suddenly for any number of reasons - for example a child running out in front of the car

I said above , 99.9 % of the time , because normanthedog , is incorrect in what he says
There are 'STAGED ' rear end collisions - a big problem
for insurers

[Jay70]

I'm afraid you are to blame. You should always leave a gap between you and the car in front that is large enough to enable you to stop which takes into consideration the given road conditions. You can't always tell how greasey a roads surface is granted but if you always apply the theory that it may weel be greasy and leave an appropriate gap between you and the vehicle in front then you cant go far wrong.

However I have to point out tthough that NORMANTHEDOG's statement is incorrect - if you pull out of a minor road into a major road and a vehicle hits you in the back then it's the person who pulls out fault, not the person who hit's you in the back if ithe impact is in close proximity of the junction.