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Side Swiped
In the current awful weather, I decided to drive home to go to work tomorrow. Here's the story...
Time - 1250.
As the M60 meets the M62 East bound, it was quite slushy but both lanes were usable to filter onto the M62. I was in the outer of the two to filter on.
There was a nice steady flow of filtering and everyone seemed ok. After the car infront filtered in, I saw the gap after was fine (app. 20 feet). I indicated and slowly merged in, continuously checking my mirrors/over shoulder. The lorry which was "letting" me in closed this gap to 5 feet with no warning. I have to take evasive action, managed to counter steer (which wasn't massively easy in the snow) and get out of the way as much as possible but I was still hit. I wasn't even in the lane yet he'd slightly strayed into the filer part. The damage was pretty low (considering it was a lorry and a side swipe) and is just a few scratches, small dints and a dent on the wheel arch which could be popped out. I will need a new wing mirror though (glass and casing, electronics work fine still).
Anyway, what would be the best way to approach this:
a) go through insurers and see what they make of it? I'm not doubting he will deny fault even though his driving was negligent.
b) ring up the company tomorrow and ask them if their driver has reported it, if there was any damage to the lorry (unlikely) and how they will be proceeding
c) forget it
I know A is the right answer but fairness won't prevail and it'll just end up in an unsettled claim.
Notes I took at the scene were:
- gap closed from 20 to 5 feet in short space of time considering driving conditions. Not safe driving all round.
- reluctant to provide name and number (traffic officers made him as they showed up).
- said he didn't see me (yet saw all the other cars filtering then) then contradicted himself by saying I tried to force my way in, even when he over accelerated in the snow to close his gap down for no necessary reason.
- made excuse of he only has "3 mirrors to use, what more is he supposed to do"
- arrogant and dismissive when asked what he thought happened
- had to indicate (point) to make him pull over...seemed as if he didn't realise he hit me.
Any advice would be welcome. Don't fancy losing 7 years no claims for someone elses ignorance and arrogance.
Time - 1250.
As the M60 meets the M62 East bound, it was quite slushy but both lanes were usable to filter onto the M62. I was in the outer of the two to filter on.
There was a nice steady flow of filtering and everyone seemed ok. After the car infront filtered in, I saw the gap after was fine (app. 20 feet). I indicated and slowly merged in, continuously checking my mirrors/over shoulder. The lorry which was "letting" me in closed this gap to 5 feet with no warning. I have to take evasive action, managed to counter steer (which wasn't massively easy in the snow) and get out of the way as much as possible but I was still hit. I wasn't even in the lane yet he'd slightly strayed into the filer part. The damage was pretty low (considering it was a lorry and a side swipe) and is just a few scratches, small dints and a dent on the wheel arch which could be popped out. I will need a new wing mirror though (glass and casing, electronics work fine still).
Anyway, what would be the best way to approach this:
a) go through insurers and see what they make of it? I'm not doubting he will deny fault even though his driving was negligent.
b) ring up the company tomorrow and ask them if their driver has reported it, if there was any damage to the lorry (unlikely) and how they will be proceeding
c) forget it
I know A is the right answer but fairness won't prevail and it'll just end up in an unsettled claim.
Notes I took at the scene were:
- gap closed from 20 to 5 feet in short space of time considering driving conditions. Not safe driving all round.
- reluctant to provide name and number (traffic officers made him as they showed up).
- said he didn't see me (yet saw all the other cars filtering then) then contradicted himself by saying I tried to force my way in, even when he over accelerated in the snow to close his gap down for no necessary reason.
- made excuse of he only has "3 mirrors to use, what more is he supposed to do"
- arrogant and dismissive when asked what he thought happened
- had to indicate (point) to make him pull over...seemed as if he didn't realise he hit me.
Any advice would be welcome. Don't fancy losing 7 years no claims for someone elses ignorance and arrogance.
0
Comments
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OMG!!! my hubby is a lorry driver and first off he does not have a CB so no chance of him and his buddies blocking anyone in.... and as for your other generalisation of lorry drivers.... !!!!!!... most lorry drivers are hard working professional's that have to stick to strick time and speed limits... give em a break... with out them 90% of thr stuff you buy wouldnt be in the store....
back off!!!!
as for the op.. call the company to see if the driver reported it, then call your insurance company and give them all the details... i assume you got the drivers name, company name and the reg No of the lorry involved...
hope you get it sorted
merry xmas
Life is like a box of chocolates........
too much all at once and you start to feel just a little sick...._ _pale_
SW start weight 13st 3lb
SW currant weight 12st 8lb
SW weight lost 0st 9lbs0 -
What speed do you estimate the lorry was doing when you tried to merge in?"Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 20100
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Speed? Hard to judge. It was trawling along and with the space he had infront of him against his speed, he could have had me in his view for well over 30 seconds. He should have been at a constant 5-7mph but he closed the gap, indicating he accelerated during a period of consistantly low speeds.0
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Going by my experience of insurance companies I would suggest forget about it if you can. My car was damaged last year and I claimed from their insurance, at renewal time firsly my insurance tried to remove my no claims bonus, then with it back in place they still wanted over £100 more than the year before.0
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Maybe I’m misunderstanding what happened but I’d have thought if a car filtering on to a motorway hit the side of a lorry already on the major road the blame would be attached to the car driver.
What did the police say?0 -
... He should have been at a constant 5-7mph ...... I saw the gap after was fine (app. 20 feet). ...(which wasn't massively easy in the snow) ...
I would suggest the gap you drove into wasn't 'fine', rather that you cut up the lorry by encroaching upon his safe stopping distance.
Even at the lower estimate of 5mph, a car has an overall minimum stopping distance in good weather conditions of 6.5ft. (made up of 1.5ft braking distance plus 5 ft thinking distance)
If you wanted to merge into this, it would need at least 13ft plus the length of your vehicle, probably about 12 feet. i.e. about 25 feet minimum.
Bearing in mind that a lorry may need a longer braking distance and both would definitely need longer considering the icy conditions (possibly up to 10 times the braking distance), you encroached on the lorry drivers overall safe stopping distance; something that is becoming all too common on todays motorways
"Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 20100 -
is that 20 foot gap after your car would have left a safe margin in front of it?
That's barely a safe gap between vehciles moving at any speed under normal conditions, under conditions with the likely hood of poor traction it's pretty mad, even more so if that was the total gap as most cars are about 12 foot long (minimum) these days.
Joining another lane/road is normally an "at risk" manoeuvre for the driver of the vehicle making the move as they do not have right of way, and should be sure that there is enough room to make the manoeuvre safely if something unexpected happens.0 -
I'm normally a harsh critic of lorry drivers, but in this case I find it difficult to see how the lorry is to blame.
However I'm not a professional, so I would recommend calling your insurers - they'll be able to figure it all out. I wouldn't bother calling the haulage company as the conversation may deteriorate into an argument.0 -
Maybe I’m misunderstanding what happened but I’d have thought if a car filtering on to a motorway hit the side of a lorry already on the major road the blame would be attached to the car driver.
What did the police say?
Car hitting side of a lorry and lorry hitting side of a car is very different. Damage to my car would indicate that lorry hit car (from angles and direction of dints).
Police said nothing. They aren't bothered as long as the law is followed (details are exchanged). The blame game is for later.I would suggest the gap you drove into wasn't 'fine', rather that you cut up the lorry by encroaching upon his safe stopping distance.
Even at the lower estimate of 5mph, a car has an overall minimum stopping distance in good weather conditions of 6.5ft. (made up of 1.5ft braking distance plus 5 ft thinking distance)
If you wanted to merge into this, it would need at least 13ft plus the length of your vehicle, probably about 12 feet. i.e. about 25 feet minimum.
Bearing in mind that a lorry may need a longer braking distance and both would definitely need longer considering the icy conditions (possibly up to 10 times the braking distance), you encroached on the lorry drivers overall safe stopping distance; something that is becoming all too common on todays motorways
I guess the major assumption I did make was he was paying attention. Hence, when I realised he wasn't, I had to evade.
The gap there was more than adequate, the lorry had plenty of time to see me, but didn't for whatever reason he may have, and I was the one who had to avoid him (as nilrem says) but the weather permitted me to do so fully and the lorry driver made no attempt to stop either way. That's why I'm unsure what to do.
Believe me, I do drive very safely (have to with a 10 month old in the car usually) but I can just see that way this one would go.0 -
Is there any driver out there who claims not to drive safely? But I'm sorry, based on the contents of your previous posts, you did not drive safely on this occassion....Believe me, I do drive very safely ..."Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 20100
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