who would be a at fault if we had collided?

[joko]

a coule of weeks ago, i was parked at the side of the road in designated bays that do not block the road at all...just behind me was a bus stop, which is not a bay sort, so the bus blocks the traffic for a moment...

as the bus had only just stopped, the way was clear for me to pull out...i checked my mirrors and there was no car beside the bus....so i pulled out...but as i did a car overtook the bus and flew round into my lane.

we didnt collide but they beeped me...

to my mind, i have right of way here and i cant be expected to know that they are going to overtake the bus...i know they might do, but i cant sit and wait on the offchance ... you could not see a car overtaking from where i was, until its out the other side so itd have made no difference anyway...

surely they should have been aware that there may have been a vehicle in front of the bus and been ready to pause...
they are the ones performing a manouvre and moving into the wrong lane.

but if theyd hit me...who would have been blamed?

i think them...but am i wrong?

cheers

[SlackAlice]

In my humble opinion this is six of one and half a dozen of the other. Both drivers are showing poor decision making.

The person overtaking the bus should have been aware of the possibility of something being in front of the bus and should have moderated their speed. Preferably, they should have waited until the bus finished loading /unloading and moved away.

The person parked up and waiting to pull out should have been aware that there could have been something behind the bus. Their best decision would have been to wait until the bus had cleared the bus stop, and re-joined the traffic behind the bus.

Unfortunately, I see this situation quite a lot and a most of it is caused by vehicle drivers being slightly impatient and wanting to get in front/or stay in front of the bus (sometimes at all costs!).

I am a bus driver of almost 33yrs PCV licence holder.

[joko]

thanks all

peeler....get a grip... you a free to sod off any time you like...please do...

[Hammer]

I have actually read all the posts and think I understand everything. I reckon who's fault it is depends on which happened first out of:

(a) Joko couldn't see through the bus and didn't know whether anyone was overtaking it or not so assumed nobody was, and pulled out from the parking space

(b) Other Bloke got impatient and, though he thought that the road ahead of the bus was clear and he had enough room to overtake, didn't factor in that a parked car had just pulled out, so overtook the bus.

If he was already overtaking the bus when you pulled into the road it's your fault. You didn't know he was there so shouldn't have pulled into the space he was already aiming for. The fact that he was on the wrong side of the road is irrelevant. His way forward was clear when he started overtaking and you moved into it, unaware he was there.

If you had pulled out from your parking space, but he didn't see you and then overtook the bus, realising too late that there was nowhere for him to pull back into, then it's his fault.

In practice nobody knows which happend first so it is impossible to pin it on either one of you. You both could be to blame.

I hope you can see that (a) is entirely possible and so you are not entirely blameless?

[joko]

I never said i was totally blameless...obviously given the circumstances i should perhaps have just held back...but my argument was that i believe that they are more at fault...their action was more risky, more blind and more 'impatient' than mine... i just pulled out in a gap in traffic which at that point was clear...he took a blind risk and hoped there was space...but a number of people defended them and blamed me 100% - that i dont accept.

given my position when he got round the bus and the fact that he was not in my mirror when i checked and pulled out, i believe he pulled out after me.

[ELVIS68]

I`d say you were right, and the overtaking driver was in the wrong, you were in the correct lane driving away from the bus and the other driver overtaking the bus was in the wrong lane.

[emu777]

Poor Joko
I'm not on AB long but could this go down in history as the longest thread?!
I agree with you that the car behind was taking more of a risk if he couldn't see what was in front of the bus as he was limiting his options with oncoming traffic...
Advice for us all don't pull out in front of a bus (although I get your point, why sit waiting for an obstruction BEHIND you to move, when the road ahead is clear?!)
Then that just leaves don't OVERTAKE a bus unless you know the road ahead is clear...