Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)
  • If i bumped into the back of a car….
  • Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    and smashed his rear near side tail light, would it have been my fault?

    If this had happened, after he had just overtook me and then pulled in front of me and then stopped suddenly, would it still be my fault?

    Of course this hasn't happened to me, and of course i didn't just ride off, and of course i would be accountable if i was at fault.

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    If you were on the bike it was his fault. Otherwise – he was guilty.

    mmb
    Free Member

    depends why he stopped suddenly if it was a genuine emergency stop ie with good cause then it's probably your fault, if he did it on purpose ie road rage type of incident then it's dangerous driving and subsequently his fault.

    Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    he stopped to turn right. i didn't see his indicator turning right as he wasn't really ever in front of me.
    i saw him slowing, so i went to brake, but then he had stopped, and my brakes ain't that good.

    i'm just a bit miffed, that his bad driving caused me to hit him and he can add me to the list of cyclists that cause him to overtake them dangerously.

    coatesy
    Free Member

    Knowingly riding a bike on the road with brakes that "ain't that good" wouldn't help your case, would you be asking whose fault it was if he'd knocked you off and admitted his brakes weren't very good?(obviously not that simple, but worth thinking about)

    Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    Coatsey i think you are assuming my brakes were not good enough to stop me.
    I was riding at about 15mph and the car as it overtook was slowing. I had no idea it was going to pull in front of me so i was still pedalling and not slowing. The car then pulled in front of me and stopped. I pulled on my brakes to stop me hitting his car, but they would never have stopped me from hitting his car. They are V brakes, but very well set up and enough to send me over the bars and lock the rear wheel up if i wanted to.

    Of course having defective brakes may have made me at fault, and thats sort of my question. Am i at fault if a car pulls in front of me and stops suddenly with no indication that he is going to do so?

    Isn't it right in a car that if someone crashes into the back of car in front it is assumed that the following car is always at fault? So does this apply to a bike? Even if a car stops in front of a moving bike that he has dangerously overtaken?

    uplink
    Free Member

    Am i at fault if a car pulls in front of me and stops suddenly with no indication that he is going to do so?

    'Suddenly' is a bit subjective

    MSP
    Full Member

    On the face of it, it sounds like the car was overtaking too late then pulled across to make a left turn, a fairly typical bit of bad driving, and in which case you wouldn't be at fault and the police should be having words with him about endangering your life.
    However the way you have worded your question makes it sound like there is a whole lot more to the story than you are letting on.

    MSP
    Full Member

    oh hang on turn right, he was overtaking you, you would have been to his left, your story doesn't make any sense.

    Drac
    Full Member

    The car was slowing, you were still pedalling and not slowing, while sounds like he was stupid doing what he did not slowing is equally as bad.

    hora
    Free Member

    Drivers fault. He can be classed as driving erratically.

    Haze
    Full Member

    Driver shouldn't be overtaking so late before turning off.

    It's one of the things that really grinds my gears, when you're approaching an island/junction and some idiot is still trying to overtake even when there's clearly not enough time. Usually receives a good thump on the window when they almost inevitably move in and put the squeeze on you.

    I'd have thought drivers fault, though you'd most likely need a witness to prove anything…

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    The thing you need to ask is, whose actions caued the event?
    If he went round you and then veered in to the left towards you and then braked sharply before turning right then he should have been more aware of your presence. If that is what happened (and not you not paying attention) then i'd say its his fault.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    It's one of the things that really grinds my gears, when you're approaching an island/junction and some idiot is still trying to overtake even when there's clearly not enough time. Usually receives a good thump on the window when they almost inevitably move in and put the squeeze on you

    you shouldn't be giving them the room. primary positioning time.

    Haze
    Full Member

    you shouldn't be giving them the room. primary positioning time.

    I don't, it doesn't seem to stop some folk though…

    theflatboy
    Free Member

    i can't visualise how he would have overtaken you, assuming he did that to the right, and then in preparing to make a right turn got in such a position that you were unable to avoid hitting the rear right of the car?

    uplink
    Free Member

    i can't visualise how he would have overtaken you, assuming he did that to the right, and then in preparing to make a right turn got in such a position that you were unable to avoid hitting the rear right of the car?

    I'm assuming he moved right to overtake him before moving left again in front of him & then going slightly right again & braking

    although the OP claims he was never really in front of him so a bid odd

    yetidave
    Free Member

    op said near side, in my book thats the left hand side of the car, unless not in the uk?

    theflatboy
    Free Member

    sorry, my mistake – don't know where i got the right light bit from. that makes more sense!

    foxyrider
    Free Member

    Hmm sounds like bad driving – but you left the scene of an accident so your also accountable no? I would have stopped and had it out with him/her for overtaking too late causing you to brake suddenly and collide with him – then see what he/she had to say 🙂

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    Poor driving certainly. Also bad form for riding off after the accident. Two wrongs and all that.

    theflatboy
    Free Member

    two wrongs, he made a right.

    Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    I did stop to 'talk' to the driver, but he turned off, at that point..

    I was riding out wide enough for him to have to make a large effort to overtake, but he just seemed to want to get past, and swerved out around me, then swerved in front of me.
    i think at most he was maybe a foot infront of me when i has to move to the right, and then he stopped.

    How much does a rear light cluster cost anyway?

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Did he know his rear lights were broken?

    scu98rkr
    Free Member

    Theres a junction like this on my road. People speed then realise they have to stop to turn right as there is traffic coming. The road is very narrow so its difficult to get down the inside.

    Duffman
    Free Member

    You road warrior you 😉

    foxyrider
    Free Member

    I wouldn't worry then – If you tried to stop and have a talk and he didn't even realise you hit him then he's a bit of dosey wally – what more can you do? Might teach him to drive properly if I have understood your situation correctly 🙂

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    I'd have though once you'v ebeen overtaken, no matter how badly, you have a duty to slow to allow decent room between the vehicles.

    Question may be did you have time to do so and could you have avoided going into the back of him without doing an emergency stop?

    you shouldn't be giving them the room. primary positioning time.

    Irrelevant.

    sparkyspice
    Free Member

    Sound to me like the car driver was at fault. He should have been more patient and not overtaken you so as to endanger you by not leaving you enough stopping distance. I bloody hate it when cars overtake you and then indicate left into a side turn…. This normally results in abuse! Just 5 seconds of patience is all it takes FFS.
    Did you get his number plate?

    philjunior
    Free Member

    If he'd just overtaken you that close to his turn then braked in front of you, 100% his fault IMO. I hope that you and your bike are OK and he will think twice about driving like a nob in future due to the repairs he will now have to make to his car.

    As the OP said, the car was never really fully in front of him – basically (and I have this happen a lot on my way to work…) some cars, busses and trucks will think that as soon as they have drawn level with you and can't see you in their windscreen anymore you don't exist. This, unfortunately, is false, and they are crap drivers that should be removed from the road.

    If I were in your situation I'd report it to the police as him driving away from the scene of an accident, and let them know about his (now) defective lights.

    Depends on the car, if it's new then the light clusters can be pricey, and if he pays to have it fitted that's more £££.

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)

The topic ‘If i bumped into the back of a car….’ is closed to new replies.