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Car accident on a roundabout... insurance situation

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  • 09-12-2006 2:19am
    #1
    Irish Gardener
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭


    Hello there everybody.
    My girlfriend was involved in a minor tip on a roundabout last night.
    She was on the outer lane of the roundabout and the other car involved was in the inner lane.
    The story goes that the other driver tried to enter her lane upon exiting the roundabout and thats when the accident occoured (all hearsay as I was not there).
    There was minimal damage to her driver side wing whereas the other car had a bit more in passenger door damage.
    Both drivers pulled in off the roundabout and both claimed the other was at fault.
    The guards were called, they took and exchanged details.
    As is often the case with roundabouts the guards said it was 50/50 and they should sort it out beween them.
    The guards left the scene but the other driver was still claiming my girlfriend was at fault.

    I suppose my first question is......
    What should be done tomorrow? Will my girlfriend just reporting the accident/incident to the insurance company cause the loss of her no-claims bonus. I should mention that for the small amout of damage caused to her car, my girlfriend wishes to take the situation no further and repair it herself.

    My second question is....
    Will her insurance company just pay out to the other driver, only for us to find out at the next renewal time. Or will there be a drawn out affair if both parties contest.


Comments

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    #2
    DonJose
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭DonJose


    Both your girlfriend and the other driver are both correct to not admit it was their fault. Let your girlfriend present her case to the insurance agent.

    On another note, with all this bull about how great our economy is, you would think the aholes in government would spend a little more on road markings. Especially on roundabouts, the markings are dreadful on some roads, you have to look and see where the markings were before.


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    #3
    DMC
    Registered Users Posts: 10,726 ✭✭✭✭DMC


    I agree that the lane markings here would be crucial.

    Its at times like this that a camera is a must-have item in the car.


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    #4
    NewSteelSplash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 38 ✭NewSteelSplash


    First look at the rules of the road, in particular Roundabout rules and make sure both drivers were in the correct lanes.

    If they were both in the right lane then they will have to agree to pay for there own damages each or split the costs of damage to both cars. Its very hard to prove these things in court. although you may advise your insurance company to not accept any liability if you are adement that the other party is at fault. make sure you have a good case, witnesses etc.

    the two insurance companys will most likely say its 50/50 and both pay 1/2 the total damages to both cars and then up the two drivers premiums for a few years. maybe by 500 Euro or more.

    It might be best to split the costs of damage to both cars. you can ask your insurance company for reputable garages to fix both cars as they have alot of experience with garages and who is the best.

    Otherwise you may get ripped off totally by the cowboy garages out there.


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    #5
    Gurgle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,064 ✭✭✭Gurgle


    Irish Gardener wrote:
    Hello there everybody.
    My girlfriend was involved in a minor tip on a roundabout last night.
    She was on the outer lane of the roundabout and the other car involved was in the inner lane.
    The story goes that the other driver tried to enter her lane upon exiting the roundabout and thats when the accident occoured (all hearsay as I was not there).
    Who was on the roundabout first?
    Or did both enter from the same road?

    Was she taking the first or second exit?

    There are very clear rules on the use of roundabouts, and if everyone followed them there would be no accidents, even without lane markings. If she was on the left lane, she has right of way to exit onto a one lane road.

    Reporting the incident won't lose her no-claims. She should report it and fill out the accident report form, but making no admission of blame. It certainly sounds like the other guy is going to try and claim from her insurance, but there plenty of people who are certain they are in the right even when doing the most insane manouvers.


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    #6
    Irish Gardener
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭Irish Gardener


    Gurgle wrote:
    Who was on the roundabout first?
    Or did both enter from the same road?

    I don't know this at the moment as she is at work and unreachable.

    Gurgle wrote:
    Was she taking the first or second exit?
    She was taking the first exit...... There were two lanes to this exit and she exited on the outer left lane, that was the one she was in whilst circling the roundabout


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    #7
    Gurgle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,064 ✭✭✭Gurgle


    Irish Gardener wrote:
    She was taking the first exit...... There were two lanes to this exit and she exited on the outer left lane, that was the one she was in whilst circling the roundabout

    Thats fairly dry-cut then. If there 2 lanes on the exit road, the left lane of the roundabout goes to the left lane of the exit and right to right.


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    #8
    Henry Ford III
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 17,711 Mod ✭✭✭✭Henry Ford III


    NewSteelSplash wrote:
    First look at the rules of the road, in particular Roundabout rules and make sure both drivers were in the correct lanes.

    If they were both in the right lane then they will have to agree to pay for there own damages each or split the costs of damage to both cars. Its very hard to prove these things in court. although you may advise your insurance company to not accept any liability if you are adement that the other party is at fault. make sure you have a good case, witnesses etc.

    the two insurance companys will most likely say its 50/50 and both pay 1/2 the total damages to both cars and then up the two drivers premiums for a few years. maybe by 500 Euro or more.

    It might be best to split the costs of damage to both cars. you can ask your insurance company for reputable garages to fix both cars as they have alot of experience with garages and who is the best.

    Otherwise you may get ripped off totally by the cowboy garages out there.

    If they were both in the correct lane an accident wouldn't have happened.

    If the approach road had 2 lanes, and the exit road 2 lanes out, and assuming I'm reading this correctly and the other driver cut accross from the right hand lane to the left hand lane on exiting the roadbaout, they are at fault 100%.

    All this presupposes the exit in question is not the 3rd one on the roundabout, 3pm position if viewd from above. If so a car should not have been going around the roundabout in the left lane at all.


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    #9
    Gurgle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,064 ✭✭✭Gurgle


    Henry Ford III wrote:
    All this presupposes the exit in question is not the 3rd one on the roundabout, 3pm position if viewd from above. If so a car should not have been going around the roundabout in the left lane at all.

    Unless of course the 3 O'Clock position was a single lane, and they entered from the 9 O'Clock or 12 O'Clock position and the other car entered from the 6 O'Clock position in which case the other car, being already on the roundabout would have right of way.


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