Bumpted a car, but was he legal?

rlm

rlm

rlm

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Peterborough
I was involved in an accident yesterday where I rear ended someone, was just wondering if I could have a bit of advice regarding if it would be seen as my fault.

I realise that under normal circumstances the fact that I drove up his bum suggests that it would be me at fault however the situation was as follows:

About 30 meters after a roundabout on an A road (single carriageway each way) the driver in front decided to brake far faster than usual and do a U-Turn. There was nothing coming the other way but he braked fast enough and I was close enough behind him for me to hit him. I was just wondering if what he did was a legal manoeuvre... A U-Turn on a single carriageway A road when a car is behind you.

Cheers.
 
He should have checked it was safe to manoever, however you should have left ample space to stop if he had needed to emergency stop, you didn't. Your fault, simple.
 
I'm no expert but I assume the fact that you went into the back of him will be enough for your insurance to wash their hands of any claim from you that it was his fault...
 
I think the fact you were too close behind to stop puts you in the wrong regardless of whether what he did was legal/stupid/whatever.
 
It doesn't really matter why he slowed down; if you had left enough room you wouldn't have hit him.

What speed were you travelling at?
 
Yep, as you already know, person who rear ends will get the stick no matter what really happens. As has been said about stopping distance and space in front. Whether he was being stupid or not the only proof you really have is you slamming into the back of him...
 
It is pretty harsh though, when driving along a dual carriageway and you see brake lights so often it is just because someone thinks they have just exceeded the speed limit and should 'slow down a bit' to avoid getting a speeding fine. By the time you realise the idiot is actually stopping you can so easily be too close behind and with too much of a speed differential to stop.

The thing is that this massively dilutes the impact of brake lights on other drivers because brake lights get seen so often for minor speed adjustments on straight roads.

Many accidents wouldn't happen if people only needed to touch the brakes before a corner or when actually stopping.
 
laissez-faire said:
It is pretty harsh though, when driving along a dual carriageway and you see brake lights so often it is just because someone thinks they have just exceeded the speed limit and should 'slow down a bit' to avoid getting a speeding fine. By the time you realise the idiot is actually stopping you can so easily be too close behind and with too much of a speed differential to stop.

The thing is that this massively dilutes the impact of brake lights on other drivers because brake lights get seen so often for minor speed adjustments on straight roads.

Many accidents wouldn't happen if people only needed to touch the brakes before a corner or when actually stopping.
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I agree entirely in some cases. I've always thought analogue brake lights would be a good idea, so you can judge easier how much someone is braking in these few cases... Obviously people will say well you should be paying more attention (and you probably should) but how far do you go, maybe we don't need brake lights at all :p? This would only make life easier/safer...
 
LeperousDust said:
I agree entirely in some cases. I've always thought analogue brake lights would be a good idea, so you can judge easier how much someone is braking in these few cases... Obviously people will say well you should be paying more attention (and you probably should) but how far do you go, maybe we don't need brake lights at all :p? This would only make life easier/safer...
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BMW already have these, variably brightness LED brake lights.
 
laissez-faire said:
BMW already have these, variably brightness LED brake lights.
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Yup, BMW have been doing it for a while - the back of the 7 series lights up like a christmas tree if it decide's you're doing an emergency stop, the e46 coupe has a similar trick too.

A lot of cars warn other drivers too like the new Astra and Megane.
 
NickXX said:
Yup, BMW have been doing it for a while - the back of the 7 series lights up like a christmas tree if it decide's you're doing an emergency stop, the e46 coupe has a similar trick too.

A lot of cars warn other drivers too like the new Astra and Megane.
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Plus VWs put the hazard warning lights on in severe braking situations
 
Thanks, just wanted to ensure that it was the case. How do I go about sorting it because I'd like an idea of the cost of sorting it (very little damage to his car, couple of scuff marks) without involving insurance. But in asking for quotes I will be accepting liability which insurance companies do not like. I want to see if I can afford it without using insurance before I go through them.
 
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