RTA on Roundabout

Chaney

Can I have some help please. My son is a named driver on my car insurance policy and our car was hit by another vehicle whilst he was on a roundabout. The roundabout has 3 lanes and my son was in the middle lane going around the roundabout to leave at the last exit. During this manouvre, a vehicle claimed to be about to leave the roundabout on the next exit, hit our car from the back, above the rear driverside's wheel arch/bumper. It seems that he was in the inside lane moving across to move outwards towards his exit but he hit the rear of the car during the process. I am trying to work out who is at fault - I understood that if you hit a driver from the rear you are deemed to be 'at fault'. Looking at the Highway Code, you are meant to pay attention to drivers who are already on the roundabout and keep a safe distance between you. The police were close by so they took details from my son and the other driver and exchanged them. My question is, do we contact our insurer and let them know what happened at this stage? Our car is not damaged that much but the other car has more damage. We are not worried about fixing the dmage as the car is old and is due to be disposed of, can we suggest he repairs his own damage as he hit our car in the rear and it's likely his insurance will then have to repair his car and ours. Just a thought - any advice is welcome.

Quentin

Yes - report this to your insurers (apart from having to under the terms of your policy, this will be on record should the third party make a claim from either you directly or via his insurers).

If a claim turns up, deal only with your own insurers, and let them resolve the liability issue.

(Though you not claiming from the third party for your damage may be seen as an "admission" you were at fault.)

claire_963

roundabouts are tough as it is so hard to prove liability. i would think if you were to make a claim it would go 50/50. deffo report to insurance company and let them deal with it.

rdpro

although he didn't hit 'in the rear' (he hit the back side of the car), he was changing lanes without due care and attention. As long as your son wasn't broadsiding the car around the roundabout at 150mph I'd say there's very little to argue!

Be wary of the 'ours seems to have taken little damage' - I was in a similar position, the vehicle was written off by the insurance company. I also gained a fair whack from traumatic distress (never seen that claimed before or since by a solicitor, but it paid my way through college).

mattymoo

claire 963 is right about roundabout rta's being tough to decide. We used to get all the differing version together and then play with toy cars on the desk to try and work it out.

From your original description it sounds like their might be some criticsm of your son for taking the middle lane to traverse the roundabout and exit on the last turning. A lot will depend on the lane markings and signage on the approach to the roundabout as he may have been correct for that particular r/bout. If no signage to the contrary, he ought to have been in the right hand lane and traversed closest to the island.