Can I claim from the council if the road surface caused my accident?

harveybobbles

Maybe they were moving out of the way to let someone come past them doing 70...?

I don't understand how you can lose control of a car in a straight line doing 35 mph, unless you hit something like a froxen cats eye or you car had some kind of defect with your cars tyres/suspension...?!

Nail_Lad

By D-restricted, I'm assuming you mean national speed limit? If so, you don't say whether the road was a single or dual carriageway. Not that it makes much difference but if you really were doing 35mph then I'd hardly say this was inappropriate speed given the conditions you describe.

So, it could well have been an issue with the road but only if there was a hugh great pot hold there that wasn't reported. Go back to the scene in the daylight and take pictures, draw diagrams and make a detailed report. Then if you think you have enough evidence approach the council about it and see what they say.

I don't fancy your chances.

As others have said, it's more likely to have been driver error or a car issue (poor, cheap tyres). As you've no NCB I'm guessing you've not been driving long? No offence but on this occasion I'd chalk it up as experience and be thankful nobody was hurt. It happens to the best of us.

If you want to improve your driving skills to ensure it won't happen again then join the IAM and take a skid pan course. Both are cheap and seriously good value for money.

Good luck and safe motoring.

goldspanners

saving_student wrote: »

If I'd said I was doing 35mph in light rain would that have changed your opinion? The conditions were the same - the snow turned to water as/before it hit the ground and it wasn't as though I was in a blizzard and hit something I couldn't see!

In the 45 minutes I was there after I crashed cars came past constantly at up to 70mph yet had no problem.

Thanks for the tip about the new surface. I've done some more googling and it seems like I would be able to claim for whiplash but not the car damage.

snow will only happen when we have a low temperature,so it wasnt all turning to water,there will quite possibly be a few patches of black ice.
if it was raining then yes it would be different. as the temperature would be different,it only takes a few degrees.
you couldnt drive on the road at 35mph but others quite happily drove at 70mph?

Inactive

saving_student wrote: »

There was no oil on the road, it was snowing at the time but not sticking, and I was doing 35mph in a D-restricted zone.

.

D- Restricted zone in the UK, no such thing, that statement in itself casts doubt about your driving ability I'm afraid.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

saving_student wrote: »

Was driving along a straight, uphill stretch of road at 3pm today when I lost all control of the car, swerved across and back and then did a 180 into the hedge.

I'll bet money you hit ice. You've practically no chance of getting the council to accept liability.

Tip - the next time you lose control of the car, slam on the brakes, instantly, and keep them on. Cars with locked up wheels only go in a straight line.

Rolandtheroadie

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

I'll bet money you hit ice. You've practically no chance of getting the council to accept liability.

Tip - the next time you lose control of the car, slam on the brakes, instantly, and keep them on. Cars with locked up wheels only go in a straight line.

It just depends what way that straight line is pointing at the point of application

Hintza

scotsman4th wrote: »

It just depends what way that straight line is pointing at the point of application

Normally straight innto that big tree.......:eek:

Do you not all find ABS absolute hell when it's icy?

gaz_jones

goldspanners wrote: »

snow will only happen when we have a low temperature,so it wasnt all turning to water,there will quite possibly be a few patches of black ice.
if it was raining then yes it would be different. as the temperature would be different,it only takes a few degrees.
you couldnt drive on the road at 35mph but others quite happily drove at 70mph?

If others were happily driving at 70mph along the same stretch then I would put the fault is with either your car or the driver.

Have you been back to the road and had a look at surfice etc... now its not raining etc....?

Unstoppable_2

gaz_jones wrote: »

If others were happily driving at 70mph along the same stretch then I would put the fault is with either your car or the driver.

It's at this time of year when those "Four for £60" budget tyres really show up how poor they are. Teflon tyres coupled with icy conditions....

Lemonade_Pockets

The physics of this doesn't seem to really make sense.
Uphill in a straight line. Unless it was a near frictionless surface i.e. ice it would be difficult to do a 180 even if you were trying intentionally.

The sudden loss of control sounds like ice too, (although again if you were travelling in a straight line this shouldn't make the car swerve, more plow straight on.)

Imo it was either ice + maybe lack of experience. On ice the steering will go light, a lot of people move the steering wheel either by accident or in a panic which means when the front wheels regain grip it will suddenly send you veering of - similar thing happens with aqua planeing.

Or if there is something wrong with the road which causes people to do180's then by now there should be a long list of people who have visited the same hedge as you, if you gather them all together the council should and would do something about it.