Reversing Liability

lister

curlydog wrote: »

I did all I could to check that there was nothing behind me.

There I would disagree - you have hit them, so clearly not. With good observations (either mirrors or looking backwards), you would have been able to see them in time to stop.

The very fact that you say you braked but were unable to stop is also a concern. That would suggest you were reversing too fast. If you manage to get on the brakes prior to impact at a suitable reversing speed (less than about 2-3mph), you would stop pretty much instantly.

To be honest everything you say suggests you were more concerned about getting out of the way of the coach, which suggests probably less observation than ideal at greater speed than ideal, and hence the consequences.

curlydog wrote: »

The other party have not checked that their path was clear before pulling out into the path of my reversing vehicle. To me it seems there must be some liability on their part for not checking their path was clear.

This I do agree with. Could the other party have done something to help avoid the incident. Definitely. Does that mean they share responsbility in insurance terms. Possibly not.

From other posts it sounds like there are no road markings indicating priority. In which case there is no priority, and all such junctions must be treated as give way and treated with caution.

Still doesn't mean that the bulk of the responsibility doesn't lie with you. After all, should the 3rd party reasonably expect someone to reverse towards him (perhaps having observed you pull up seconds before), whereas should you reasonably expect someone to be coming up behind you on a one way system at a school, presumably at a busy time of day?

Stoke

lister wrote: »

The very fact that you say you braked but were unable to stop is also a concern. That would suggest you were reversing too fast. If you manage to get on the brakes prior to impact at a suitable reversing speed (less than about 2-3mph), you would stop pretty much instantly.

I picked this out too. Reversing a car is not the same as driving forward, and is something that should be done with care. I find it hard to believe your brakes failed, which means ultimately you were reversing too fast.

Sometimes we just have to admit we made a mistake. It's painful, but it happens. If you're lucky, you might not be penalized too much by your insurance. I haven't been since my previous accident. If you are, consider switching insurance companies.

leedsmodus

I work in Motor claims and you where doing a maneuver so you are at fault for the incident. The other driver was going about his daily business and you reversed into him, he is not responsible for you not looking properly whilst you where reversing. It is the same as driving in a supermarket car park and someone reversing out of a car space, one is not obliged to let them reverse out of the space, if they hit your vehicle it is their fault and they are liable as they were doing a maneuver. By the way I work for one of the top four insurers in the UK,.

dacouch

leedsmodus wrote: »

I work in Motor claims and you where doing a maneuver so you are at fault for the incident. The other driver was going about his daily business and you reversed into him, he is not responsible for you not looking properly whilst you where reversing. It is the same as driving in a supermarket car park and someone reversing out of a car space, one is not obliged to let them reverse out of the space, if they hit your vehicle it is their fault and they are liable as they were doing a maneuver. By the way I work for one of the top four insurers in the UK,.

Call it a lucky guess but I must assume the company you work for is the fourth largest car insurer