Roundabout advice

neilmcl

Patrick05021989 wrote: »

Update from insurance:

Claim is likely to take anything from 6 months to 2 years before liability is established!:eek:

This is what happens when dealing with foreign drivers and their insurers unfortunately.

Retrogamer

Patrick05021989 wrote: »

Retrogamer,
I am not sure if you are speaking from experience as an HGV driver, but you appear to be very defensive on this subject.
I don't see why ANY driver should be held responsible ( fully or partially ) for the negligence of a so called "professional" HGV drivers.

I'm not a heavy goods driver, just a cautious car driver.
I

bugslet

SaLoGo wrote: »

A colleague of mine had a very similar accident, Polish HGV driver turning right in the left hand lane of a roundabout, didn't seem to think he'd done anything wrong and freely admitted so to the attending police. Make you wonder if that's the norm in Poland?!

As has been said before, if it's a small roundabout then there is nothing wrong. Sometimes if you don't swing out into the left hand lane, the back end of the trailer goes across the centre of the roundabout.

mac.d

victor2 wrote: »

The police were not interested, nobody was injured. Unless you have independent witnesses, or the HGV driver admits fault (assuming your insurers can contact him and/or his insurers in Poland), it will likely be considered as 50/50 blame.

That's pretty much what my insurers told me, despite the other driver appearing to be at fault, it was likely to be 50/50 with no independent witnesses. I'm incredibly wary of other drivers on roundabouts now, even when I am not changing lanes! Incidentally, both UK, insured drivers, and it took almost a year for the claim to be settled.

Car_54

Mercdriver wrote: »

I follow the principle I was taught, and that is to treat roundabouts like a clock. If the turning I want is up and including to 12 o'clock, I take the left hand lane. If after 12 on a clock face I take the right lane in a two lane approach, unless the road markings state otherwise.

Which by a strange coincidence is exactly what the Highway Code says.

Retrogamer

Car_54 wrote: »

Which by a strange coincidence is exactly what the Highway Code says.

The problem is how people interpret it.
My instructor said check the sign and follow it for the lanes after 12 o clock regardless of how the roundabout looks visually. The problem is, not everyone follows the sign and they interpret what they think is 12 o clock from the angle they enter the roundabout, which isn't always right or consistent.

PasturesNew

Car_54 wrote: »

It's not a "different set of rules". It's Rule 187 in the Highway Code.

"In all cases watch out for and give plenty of room to ... long vehicles (including those towing trailers). These might have to take a different course or straddle lanes either approaching or on the roundabout because of their length."

Was it there in 1980 when I read it?

I only found out/heard it once, in about 1987 when my bf's brother took his HGV test and it came up in a brief conversation.

scaredofdebt

Probably won't make any difference to the outcome but where was the HGV when you entered the roundabout? Ahead of you, behind or alongside?

unholyangel

Retrogamer wrote: »

The problem is how people interpret it.
My instructor said check the sign and follow it for the lanes after 12 o clock regardless of how the roundabout looks visually. The problem is, not everyone follows the sign and they interpret what they think is 12 o clock from the angle they enter the roundabout, which isn't always right or consistent.

Isn't that the same problem that causes most accidents? Drivers misinterpreting the rules of the road?

I don't think that argument can be used in this case though. The highway code clearly states that when taking the first exit, you should be in the left hand lane unless markings/signs indicate otherwise. Not really any room for interpretation in that.

kmb500

I don't understand how this happened, if you had looked where you are going before you moved into the left lane after the first exit then surely you would have seen the lorry was still there?
It is certainly not against the highway code to be in the left lane and take the second exit..