Roundabout accident

Lorna_Jayne

I was involved in a car accident on a dual carriageway roundabout.

I entered the roundabout in the left hand lane and I wanted to take the second exit (straight ahead). The roundabout was clear so I proceeded. A driver who was to the right of me, in the other lane, hit me shortly after entering the roundabout (by the first exit). He hit me on the front right hand side of my car (at a force that caused my car to be directed in to the first exit).
- The other driver clearly wanted to take the first exit and while doing so, in the right hand lane, he crashed into me.

His insurance company say that I should not have been in the left hand lane to take the second exit, although road markings (arrows indicating both left and straight ahead on the lane that I was in, show I can. Although, route numbers listed under the arrows indicate otherwise; I contacted the local council who confirmed that I was indeed correct to be the in lane I was in.

My insurance company want to settle on a 50/50 split liability which I am not happy with as I did nothing wrong.

I just spoke to my insurance company who have informed me that his statement was that he actually wanted the second exit too and that I went into him by veering off right, which is not true.

There are no witnesses and I'm desperately seeking any CCTV footage in the local area - currently to no avail.

Surely, if his statement is to be considered true there would be evidence of additional damage done to the right side of his vehicle due to the magnitude of the impact causing him to crash into the roundabout too.

Has anyone got any advice that may help me? Thank you.

System

I agree with the insurance company view. I am sick of these people going around roundabouts in the left hand lane and going past a straight ahead exit to one more bearing right hand. They are undertakers which is against the Highway Code and can be considered dangerous driving. The younger drivers are the worst offenders as usual

victor2

Without any witnesses, it's your word against the other driver, so a 50/50 split is likely to be the outcome.
Annoying for the innocent party, but that's how it tends to work. The insurers are unlikely to be interested in doing any detailed analysis of the damage to ascertain what could have actually occurred.

martinthebandit

House_Martin wrote: »

I agree with the insurance company view. I am sick of these people going around roundabouts in the left hand lane and going past a straight ahead exit to one more bearing right hand. They are undertakers which is against the Highway Code and can be considered dangerous driving. The younger drivers are the worst offenders as usual

What's the view like from on top of that high horse of yours?

The Highway Code (I assume you've heard of it?) actually states,
'When taking any intermediate exit (unless signs or markings indicate otherwise):
Select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout
Stay in the lane until you need to alter your lane to exit
Signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want to take'

......if the left hand lane was marked appropriately then the OP was in the correct lane, still going to end up a 50/50 fault accident though.

Strider590

House_Martin wrote: »

I agree with the insurance company view. I am sick of these people going around roundabouts in the left hand lane and going past a straight ahead exit to one more bearing right hand. They are undertakers which is against the Highway Code and can be considered dangerous driving. The younger drivers are the worst offenders as usual

I think you misread OP....

However i'm wondering if OP tried to straight line the roundabout, as this is fast becoming a big bugbear of mine. They drive everywhere at 40 mph, they "tut" when they see someone using all the lane in corners, yet they get to a roundabout and immediately turn into an F1 driver.

Lorna_Jayne

Strider590 wrote: »

I think you misread OP....

However i'm wondering if OP tried to straight line the roundabout, as this is fast becoming a big bugbear of mine. They drive everywhere at 40 mph, they "tut" when they see someone using all the lane in corners, yet they get to a roundabout and immediately turn into an F1 driver.

No I didn't, I followed the roundabout all the way around as you should do, I did not cut across it.

So is this a lost cause without any witnesses?

Nasqueron

Lorna_Jayne wrote: »

No I didn't, I followed the roundabout all the way around as you should do, I did not cut across it.

So is this a lost cause without any witnesses?

Unless you have photos of the scene and where you stopped, very likely - if he hit you and shunted you left, the car position would show that. If you had gone into him, his car would have gone right and you'd be in lane 2, simple physics.

Buy a dash cam as well

peter_the_piper

martinthebandit wrote: »

What's the view like from on top of that high horse of yours?

The Highway Code (I assume you've heard of it?) actually states,
'When taking any intermediate exit (unless signs or markings indicate otherwise):
Select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout
Stay in the lane until you need to alter your lane to exit
Signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want to take'

......if the left hand lane was marked appropriately then the OP was in the correct lane, still going to end up a 50/50 fault accident though.

Interesting video from Highway code. http://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/changes-and-answers/-highway-code-for-roundabouts

System

House_Martin wrote: »

I agree with the insurance company view. I am sick of these people going around roundabouts in the left hand lane and going past a straight ahead exit to one more bearing right hand.

The OP was taking the second exit which was straight ahead. They were entering at 6 o'clock and exiting at 12 o'clock. The correct lane to be in is the left hand lane and you would be expected to be in the left hand lane if you took your test unless the left hand lane was marked exclusively for left turns only but after you'd passed the exit for the first turn off you would be expected to move over to the left lane for the second exit.

I'm sick of people like you who seemingly don't have the first clue about how to use a roundabout.

alchemist.1

It's not a lost cause. Just make your insurers investigate it properly. Don't just accept 50/50. If what you say is correct then you should be asking your insurer what you have done wrong.

Where exactly was the damage to your vehicle and to the other vehicle?
How many lanes were there on entering the roundabout?
Where did he enter the roundabout from? Do you know? Did you see him enter the roundabout?
Are there any road signs leading upto the roundabout setting out the lanes?
How many lanes were exiting the roundabout?

Finally elements that shouldnt matter but will. Age/Experience of the other driver and how will he come across. It will depend on how you come across compared to the other driver aswell as anything else.

AdrianC

Lorna_Jayne wrote: »

I entered the roundabout in the left hand lane and I wanted to take the second exit (straight ahead). The roundabout was clear so I proceeded. A driver who was to the right of me, in the other lane, hit me shortly after entering the roundabout (by the first exit). He hit me on the front right hand side of my car

This other car wasn't there - yet hit you on the FRONT corner of your car?

Can you post the location of the roundabout, where you were joining from, and where you were going towards?