What do I do??

Smallalex981

Driving home last night on a straight road. Taxi driver in front starts slowing down and was indicating right for a while. I then seen his arm twice out the window waving it like he was telling me to over take him.
As I went to over take him he turn right into a little lane and bamm. I hit him.

We pulled in, both looked at each others cars then suddenly he's there with a notepad and pen, after I wrote my details down he was a really nice and happy man. I told him he was waving me to over take him but he just said he had his arm out the window. He mentioned his MOT was due today and that it would fail and he'd be out of work as he's a taxi driver. He also said he will let his insurance company know after the weekend as he will earn alot of money taxiing on the weekend.

When I got home I went on live chat to my insurance and I didn't believe my eyes. They told me I haven't been insured for a month! They said the balance didn't come out of my bank! After a little argument they said they can't do anything to help bla bla bla all my fault.

I rang the taxi man back last night and explained to him, he didn't seem too bothered, just said stay calm we'll sort it.

I just got a text of the man and he basically saying he took his car for an MOT as it was due next week but it has failed and he needs a car to earn money. HOWEVER. I checked his Reg and it say's its MOT'd until next year..

He also said I need to ring him before 9 tonight to sort something out or we will have to get the police involved.

I honestly didn't know I had no insurance! But something seems fishy with this taxi man.

Please help, I've never had any crashes before so don't fully understand what to do.

Inner_Zone

Smallalex981 wrote: »

Driving home last night on a straight road. Taxi driver in front starts slowing down and was indicating right for a while. I then seen his arm twice out the window waving it like he was telling me to over take him.
As I went to over take him he turn right into a little lane and bamm. I hit him.

We pulled in, both looked at each others cars then suddenly he's there with a notepad and pen, after I wrote my details down he was a really nice and happy man. I told him he was waving me to over take him but he just said he had his arm out the window. He mentioned his MOT was due today and that it would fail and he'd be out of work as he's a taxi driver. He also said he will let his insurance company know after the weekend as he will earn alot of money taxiing on the weekend.

Sound like it was just a hand out of the window as it was hot?

Smallalex981 wrote: »

When I got home I went on live chat to my insurance and I didn't believe my eyes. They told me I haven't been insured for a month! They said the balance didn't come out of my bank! After a little argument they said they can't do anything to help bla bla bla all my fault.

Do you not check your bank account, did they not send you a letter?

Smallalex981 wrote: »

I rang the taxi man back last night and explained to him, he didn't seem too bothered, just said stay calm we'll sort it.

Smallalex981 wrote: »

I just got a text of the man and he basically saying he took his car for an MOT as it was due next week but it has failed and he needs a car to earn money. HOWEVER. I checked his Reg and it say's its MOT'd until next year..

Some local councils require taxis to be MOT'ed every six months and some maybe sooner, so nothing odd there.

Smallalex981 wrote: »

He also said I need to ring him before 9 tonight to sort something out or we will have to get the police involved.

I honestly didn't know I had no insurance! But something seems fishy with this taxi man.


Please help, I've never had any crashes before so don't fully understand what to do.

Hopeful you have some savings, as I think you will need them.

Smallalex981

Sadly I don't check my statement every month and they didn't send me a letter. They said they didn't have to as they didn't cancel it, it cancelled as there was an error when they tried to take it out my bank

Quentin

You do need to complain to your insurer over this cancellation of your policy if you knew nothing about it!


(Or has it ended and you didn't renew it?)


As already advised if you are not insured then prepare for a bill to pay - this does look to be your fault!

angrycrow

First order of business is to establish why insurance was cancelled. Was this part way through policy year in which case they have not followed due process and cancellation will be overturned.

Turning to the accident you should be able to get a split liability on this although majority of liability will rest with you. A car turning right has a duty to check their mirrors before doing so and failure to do so will result in 20 to 30 % contributory negligence against the turning car.

boliston

I would be wary about overtaking at a road junction - i know a lot of people do it but there is also the risk of someone coming out of the road who only looks right, not expecting traffic from the left.

"Rule 167
DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example

approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road"

System

angrycrow wrote: »

Turning to the accident you should be able to get a split liability on this although majority of liability will rest with you. A car turning right has a duty to check their mirrors before doing so and failure to do so will result in 20 to 30 % contributory negligence against the turning car.

Best of luck proving they didn't which is why situations that the OP was in are 100% the fault of the person overtaking the vehicle indicating to turn right.

parking_question_chap

Just dont ever overtake in these instances.


I have had something similar where I was waiting at the end of a side road and the car in front of me way turning right into a busy main road which was slightly uphill. They just couldnt turn right and in the end put their arm out of the window gesturing me to go around them. That would have meant me going over into the wrong side of the road and then trying to turn into the mainroad from there. I just sat in my car and waited. Eventually after their gesturing reached frantic levels and the queue became about 5 cars I decided to turn my engine off and approach the car to suggest they should turn left instead if there were incapable of turning right. I can only presume they thought I was going to shout at them because as soon as I started walking towards them they left in a screech of tyre smoke. Still to this day think it may have been a scam.

RealGem

It sounds like the taxi driver was committing a crash 4 cash insurance scam.

He waved you on, but then turned! Then he said he will lose earnings (which he'll also try to claim for, no doubt). It's obvious to me; it's a setup.

But the insurance company should have let you know the payment didn't go through. Not letting you know is way out of order.

Sorry I don't know what to suggest, but IMHO the insurance company and the taxi driver are both scammers!

Good luck

RealGem

Smallalex981 wrote: »

Sadly I don't check my statement every month and they didn't send me a letter. They said they didn't have to as they didn't cancel it, it cancelled as there was an error when they tried to take it out my bank

I would refute this. I know for a fact Insurance companies do lie to get out of paying claims.

Complain to them directly and if not resolved within 8 weeks, go to this Insurance Ombudsman:
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-complain-about-your-insurance-provider

Good luck

GothicStirling

This is exactly why instructors tell learner drivers never to assume that a signal from another driver is meant for them.

The police won't be interested as no-one has been hurt.