Insurance claim advice (roundabout)

Car_54

ebaybaby wrote: »

Not explaining very well..there are 2 lanes going into the tunnel from the roundabout, I was in the right hand lane, I'm presuming TP panicked, realised they were going to have to go through the tunnel and completely cut in front of me.

Were you in the RH lane on the roundabout, and the TP in the LH?

ebaybaby

Yes, thats right.

Car_54

ebaybaby wrote: »

Yes, thats right.

So you crossed the LH lane? Did you check your mirrors? And/or signal?

unholyangel

DoaM wrote: »

If you join the roundabout near-enough together and the TP straight-lines it then they're going to cut across you, probably before you have time to react. (Especially if their approach speed to the roundabout was higher).

I have this exact scenario on a regular basis on my route to the office. Always managed to avoid it so far but I expect people to do stupid stuff - some people struggle on a straight road with nowhere else to go, never mind when you introduce options of lanes, exits, junctions etc. I've gotten really good at guessing who's going to do something stupid. I'm particularly alert the final 2 miles because that's the worst.

ebaybaby wrote: »

Not explaining very well..there are 2 lanes going into the tunnel from the roundabout, I was in the right hand lane, I'm presuming TP panicked, realised they were going to have to go through the tunnel and completely cut in front of me.

Google maps streetview?

Do you mean you both entered from the same point? How were the lanes marked? Were there any signposts? What is he claiming happened? When you say he drove straight in front of you, do you mean he continued round in the left hand lane and stopped you from exiting or that he cut into your lane?

sevenhills

unholyangel wrote: »

Google maps streetview?

Do you mean you both entered from the same point? How were the lanes marked? Were there any signposts? What is he claiming happened? When you say he drove straight in front of you, do you mean he continued round in the left hand lane and stopped you from exiting or that he cut into your lane?

Maybe the OPs explanation is clearer to the insurance company?

uknick

I had a similar incident 40 years ago and nothing has changed in that time, i.e. it's one word against another.

I caught the rear wing of a car cutting across me on a roundabout. The roundabout was on a dual carriage. We both entered at 6 o'clock. I was in the right lane intending to go straight across. She was in the left lane and decided she wanted the three o'clock exit. She cut right across the front of me. I couldn't stop in time or swerve out of the way due to the heavy rush hour traffic.

Insurance went 60/40 in my favour.

facade

I was turning right on a wet roundabout, when a car failed to drive across the front of me quick enough, due to wheelspin, and my non-ABS brakes stopped the car about 3" too late.


It seemed fairly obvious to me that the other car failed to give way to traffic from their right, that was already on the island, but it still went 50:50.

ebaybaby

I came onto the roundabout at 3 o'clock say,TP came at 9, the two lanes on that roundabout at 9 lead into two lanes of the tunnel, left lane - no choice but to enter tunnel, right lane either enter tunnel or carry on around. I was entering tunnel, TP didn't want to so crossed in from of me to avoid it. The insurance company got it on Google maps etc and agreed with me.
When I started my claim my details were given to a 3rd party company to fix my car and provide s hire car which they did, I thought because of that it had been ruled in my favour only to have them call me yesterday with the 50/50 liability thing. My insurance say they don't say anything yet but it's out to the third party company now and they make the descision as it's them that need paying. I'm just worried about how much my premium will rise.

DoaM

Whether it's recorded as (partly) your "Fault" rather than "non-Fault" will likely make very little difference to your premium increase ... the premium will increase anyway as you're now a higher risk.

unholyangel

ebaybaby wrote: »

I came onto the roundabout at 3 o'clock say,TP came at 9, the two lanes on that roundabout at 9 lead into two lanes of the tunnel, left lane - no choice but to enter tunnel, right lane either enter tunnel or carry on around. I was entering tunnel, TP didn't want to so crossed in from of me to avoid it. The insurance company got it on Google maps etc and agreed with me.
When I started my claim my details were given to a 3rd party company to fix my car and provide s hire car which they did, I thought because of that it had been ruled in my favour only to have them call me yesterday with the 50/50 liability thing. My insurance say they don't say anything yet but it's out to the third party company now and they make the descision as it's them that need paying. I'm just worried about how much my premium will rise.

What I was asking was if you cut into his lane or he cut into yours.

Forget the exits and where he was supposed to go. Typically the lanes actually on a roundabout follow the roundabout, not the exits. The markings & signs on your approach may tell you what lane you are supposed to join in when entering from that direction, but its not the same as the left lane ceasing to exist on the roundabout (not sure if I'm explaining what I mean clearly enough). Generally when that happens (the left lane exits rather than leading onto the roundabout lane) it doesn't actually form part of the roundabout and has a solid white line and/or hatch markings when it branches off on approach to the roundabout.

I initially thought you meant he took a shortcut into your lane. But your later response made it sound more like you've exited across the left lane. In the former, he would be liable. In the latter, it would probably be shared. There's no question that he has liability because of him being in the wrong lane. But the exact circumstances determines whether you could be liable also.