Saab parking sensors/accident dispute

Honey9036

Not sure if this should perhaps be in the car insurance section instead, but here goes. A Saab 9-3 Vector Sport Tid (4 Door Saloon) (57 plate) reversed into me - whilst I was also reversing - in a car park. I was fully out of my space at the point of collision, and she was approx 1 metre out of her space (this distance is evidenced in the photos I took). Obviously my contention is that she started reversing when she shouldn't (ie I was already totally out into the thoroughfare).


However, she is stating that she first reversed out - then noticed me STARTING to reverse, so she stopped - put her handbrake on - put her gear in neutral and waited for me to finish (ie she waited for me to crash into her?!).


To strengthen her side of things, she is saying that IF she had actually still been reversing at the point of impact, her reversing sensors would have sounded, but she said they did not (because she says her gear was in neutral, and the car at rest). She has two witnesses (her children) who were in the car and will testify that the sensors did not beep.


So my question is: would the sensors normally beep to identify a MOVING object (ie my car)? Could it possibly be that when she reversed out the 1 metre that she did, that the sensors would not have had time to beep? At the time of the accident I felt sure I had done everything right, and that she had definitely caused the accident. I'm a hugely careful driver (have never had an accident in my life). But this is making me question myself.



I do not have sensors myself (I just rely on the old-fashioned method of looking where I'm going! LOL!), so I have no real clue on how they work. My only understanding of them is that they alert the driver to stationary objects. But I don't know if they work for moving objects too?



Thanks in advance for any answers! :A



Lori
x


PS the case is going to court, so I'm desperate for as much info as possible.

fivetide

Yes. They work for something being near the back of the car.

I have reversed the mrs' car onto a road on occasion and the car will beep as traffic goes past the back.

The stipulation is the car does need to be in reverse so there could be an element of truth to what she is saying.

devil's advocate, could you have checked left and right that the coast was clear but not been looking backwards having not expected a car to close the gap?

Also, as an aside, this why it's always a good idea to reverse into a space and drive out forwards.

5t.

harveybobbles

Saab's are prone to having amplifier problems and this is what works the sound for things like the reversing sensors, the indicators and the radio.

So if in her car these things wasn't working, then her sensors wouldnt be working..

Either way, car park accidents usually go 50/50 anyway as they are not classed as "public highway.."

Honey9036

A bit more detail: we were parked directly opposite each other (rear bumpers facing each other). When I started reversing she definitely hadn't started, and there were no tail lights or reverse lights visible.

Fivetide, what you said about your sensors beeping for moving traffic doesn't sound promising. Oh dear. Can anyone else offer further info on this?

Lori
x

roddydogs

She has witnesses.........Her children in the car? they will be disregarded as it has to be "Independent" witnesses. However its almost certainly will be a 50/50.

colino

Forget the reversing sensor nonsense, both of you should have been looking where you are going and it's unlikely that a reasonable person, knowing they were in peril would have parked up and waited for the thump. Both equally at fault.

fivetide

To be fair there, I can only talk about our car which is a Nissan and not a Saab but the same was true of my BMW which would pick up people walking behind you for example.

Harvey might be right on the amplifiers but I suspect that is a bit hopeful if he's right on all the things it affects. The 50/50 bit is much more likely.

As a complete outsider (and this is in no way intended to be critical of you - just thinking how someone neutral might view it)

You checked the coast was clear and began your manoeuvre just before the 3rd party.

She didn't check as closely as you did but having spotted you moving, then came to a halt and waited for you to finish your manoeuvre whilst ignoring the fact she had now closed the gap for you by at least 1 metre (she really should have pulled forwards again)

You would be checkign either side as that is where you'd expect cars/pedestrians to come from as you had checked behind you was clear before you moved.

This meant you went back into her as you were doing the sensible thing and watching out for other dangers.

She has already given her story and I would say she certainly shouldn't have moved. However, the other party will argue that you should keep checking behind as well as to the side, 'just in case'

It is going to be very much you v her when it comes down to it and as such, I can't see that it is going to be anything other than 50/50 as Harvey said.

Of course that's based on the limited info her but that is certainly how it seems at the moment, sorry.

5t.

Honey9036

I appreciate all your comments. And yes, I agree that I should have been (and was) looking to check for traffic. However, all I can say is that it just happened so quickly. One second I was right out of my space, almost ready to drive off, and the next second she had reversed into me. As I mentioned, she only reversed out about 1 metre from her space to the point of impact, so I didn't have time to react (although I confess that I didn't actually *see* her when she started reversing, so I must have been checking either left or right at that point).

Thanks again everyone.

x

harveybobbles

I'm not sure why the other person stopped and waited for you to hit them. I'd put that phrase to the insurance people - as she then put her car in the way really.

I was in a similar situation last year in a carpark but I stopped, got my car in 1st gear, leant on the horn and got out of the way.

mazza111

My fella has a saab and yes it will beep if there's a moving object behind the car when the car is in reverse. Although, why didn't she go into gear and drive back into the space if she seen you were going?

neilmcl

fivetide wrote: »

.The stipulation is the car does need to be in reverse so there could be an element of truth to what she is saying.

Not quite correct. On some cars the rear parking sensors are activated when in reverse but will stay active if you take it out of reverse and until drive off over a certain speed.

But as already posted, the parking sensors issue is a red-herring as they're not a substitute for proper observation. Sounds to me that this will go 50/50.