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Was trying to pull out of my house today and the car to my left slowed down, stopped and flashed to let me out. I pulled out but the bus that was behind them swerved to avoid rear ending the car that stopped for me, and came into the side of me. The car that did the stopping to let me out left the scene immediately.
bus driver and I swapped details. He was a young lad and very shook up. Neither of us seriously hurt but both my doors are knackered so it’s not going to be cheap.
who’s at fault?
Did the flasher do a full on, ABS triggering emergency stop to let you out? If they just slowed normally then the bus should've been able to stop before hitting them/you.
Probably you, pulling out in front of traffic.
The bus will almost certainly have camera footage of the car that let you pull out, though.
Ironically, if the bus had hit that, he'd have probably been held responsible...
Not sure if the other car being there will change the responsibility (as the bus driver should have been able to stop, not have to swerve round a stopped car.)
The bus probably has cameras fitted. Might show he was too close to the car that stopped.
Everyone.
Flashing and letting people out causes no-end of accidents especially if multiple drivers are involved.
I'd say the bus driver wasn't driving in such a manner that he could stop safely. Technically you're not supposed to flash people, but whatever reason the flasher stopped, the bus driver should have been at such a distance and alertness that he could also stop safely.
Flasher shouldn't have flashed.
Bus should have had space to stop without swerving.
You pulled out into oncoming traffic.
Ultimately you will probably at fault, possibly 50:50 if you are lucky.
You IMO
You pulled out in front of a bus.
All flashing your lights says is " I am here" Its still your responsibility to ensure the road is clear
Might go knock for knock with the bus
The way I read it the OP is trying to turn right out of their drive, car from the left slows and flashes to let them out, and the bus had to, as part of his evasive manoeuvre, pull into the opposing carriageway, crashing into the OP as they are pulling out.
If that's the case, I can't see it being anyone's fault but the bus driver
who’s at fault?
Bloody cyclists.
Assuming that the other car stopped "normally", the bus driver IMHO
If the other car was a little heavy on the brakes then the bus driver might have felt the need to avoid braking as heavily because the passengers possibly weren't wearing seat belts; split more between the other car and bus IMHO
Get CCTV from the bus as suggested ^^, doorbells and other CCTV
If I understand it correctly, the bus just drove into a stationary car in its own lane? Agree with comments about flashing etc "courtesy causes confusion" as my instructor said but the bus should have been able to stop. How long between the other car stopping, and the bus hitting it? If it wasn't basically immediate then that puts it beyond doubt.
I would forget the bit about the driver flashing to "let you out".
Just say you pulled out in front of him as it was safe to do so. The bus driver wasn't paying attention and swerved into oncoming traffic. That's really bad form for a professional driver.
Admitting to responding to the flashing puts you in the wrong.
I find it odd that the bus overtook a stationary car but couldnt see beyond it. Bus drivers have quite a commanding position so i cant think why he didnt se you.
Obviously he didnt, but i would think it would have been prudent of him to be of reduced speed.
Ultimately you will probably at fault, possibly 50:50 if you are lucky.
This I think I'm afraid.
Ultimately you pulled out from your driveway into the road. The guy flashing his lights might actually have been saying "I'm here" (he wasn't but the insurance co won't care).
The bus driver will just say that he was avoiding the car in front which had to stop because you pulled out.
A lad turned right out of a side road when flashed by another vehicle coming from his left - straight into the side of my daughter's car which was coming from the right.
Wrote her car off.
Don't flash people to pull out.
If I understand it correctly, the bus just drove into a stationary car in its own lane?
No.
The bit I'm confused by, is that it takes a fraction of a second to pull out into the road, yet in that time a bus appeared from nowhere and drove into the side of your car. I'm finding it hard to imagine a scenario where it wasn't obvious the bus couldn't stop in that time frame, unless there's detail missing, like you were stationary in the road.
Ultimately it sounds like you failed to give way to traffic on the road. Flasher man might have made a poor decision but it sounds like he did very little wrong legally.
I see what you're saying but it can take a little time:
Car on the left flashes you to pull out, you pull forwards a bit and stop, check there's nothing coming from the right and then pull out.
It can be a few seconds.
who’s at fault?
Thatcher, obviously
I must be dim, were you turning left?
You're at fault. Sorry. You pulled out into traffic, any flashing of lights is meaningless.
A bus having to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid a car which slowed down a bit is a whole host of other questions, however.
Imagine a T junction . OP is sat there , waiting to turn RIGHT . a car from the LEFT sees him and trying to be a nice helpful chap flashes his lights to say ' I am letting you out old bean'
OP looks to the RIGHT to ensure nothing is coming , and nothing is ,so he accelerates into the road . At the same time our hapless bus driver fails to see the brake lights come on from Mr flasherman , so swerves to avoid crashing stright into the back of Mr Flasherman from behind.
This swerve unfortunatly puts in a direct collision course with the OP who has just pulled out . BANG
Mr Flasherman does one as he knows hes been a throbber by flashing and causing the accident . Leaving OP and Busman to exchange details
I think it’s you
i say this partly for perspective
I’m driving down a road in my bus. The car in front stops. I have no idea why. But as no one is coming the other way I change lanes to pass the car. As I pull pas the parked car some one pulls out of their drive and I hit them.
Cars in the road have right of way. If instead of that being a car flashing you it had been your neighbours car that is parked there every day you’d have been thinking “I have to check that no one is passing my neighbours car as I pull out”
But the insurance will go 50:50 because nothing is ever simple. Unless everyone on the bus claims for whiplash then some one might want to sort it out
Who caused the accident? The flasher.
Who's at fault? The bus driver.
Who's going to end up paying for it? You.
As I've understood the OP's description, the bus overtook the car that stopped. So the OP pulled out into the lane nearest his exit. It was clear initially, but the bus overtook, on the wrong side of the road. So should the OP not have pulled out, because the bus was overtaking, or the bus not have overtaken because the OP was pulling out? Neither has right of way, so far as I know, so both should be cautious and ready to stop. I think it will go 50/50 unless there's clear evidence of who was there first.
Unfortunately, I think you're primarily at fault - Highway code:
Rule111
Never assume that flashing headlights is a signal inviting you to proceed. Use your own judgement and proceed carefully.
The bus driver might have questions to answer too, but that is as a consquence of your action.
Sorry.
Oh, and:
Rule 170
Take extra care at junctions. You should
- [...]
- look all around before emerging. Do not cross or join a road until there is a gap large enough for you to do so safely
The bus was going so fast it had to swerve into the oncoming lane? Get set for every passenger to develop whiplash...
Too many variables - bus driver could have been sat thinking what’s this twonk doing and pulled out to go round. May not be a speed issue.
Imagine a T junction
100% right with you throughout here until,
Mr Flasherman does one as he knows hes been a throbber by flashing and causing the accident
Nope. The cause of the collision was the OP driving into traffic without due observation.
Bus insurance will NOT go 50:50 because of the huge excesses they carry. There will be an unexplained error in the dash cam and the OP will get it in the neck. Always try to reverse into your drive unless on a quiet road.
I think we need a diagram!
My reading based on the description (I'm assuming it's a single carriageway, one lane each side). You're wanting to pull out turning right, the guy going the opposite way stops for you. The bus driver coming up behind has to leave the left lane because he hasn't left enough braking room and hits you in the opposite lane.
You pulled out because both lanes were clear, one by virtue of the driver stopping for you.
There are two competing arguments - one that the bus driver is at fault by changing into your lane when you were already in it. The other is that if we ignore that the first driver was letting you out, and just imagine the driver behind him chose that moment to overtake legally, you would be at fault for joining that lane when it wasn't clear. So it's all down to timing - were you already on the road and entering your lane when the bus crossed the centreline?
Realistically, that means it should go 50/50.
Sorry OP but I think you are at fault. When you say the driver swerved round to avoid rear ending the flasher (thats a phrase I never thought I'd type) I see a driver pulling around a car thats stopped for no real reason and you pulling out into his path. He was carrying out a reasonable manoeuvre on the road he was on, you pulled onto that road into his path.
Plus I bet the bus company has better lawyers than you 🙁
Theres not often just one cause of an accident tho, everyone there could have done better.
You, sorry. You pulled out into traffic and got hit.
Flashing lights idiot is a flashing lights idiot. Flashing lights are not a valid signal. And people stopping to let other people out is stupid too - we have a highway code, "politeness" shouldn't come in to it - drive to the rules and don't be so selfish as to hold the people up behind you and the traffic will flow more freely.
The bus driver might have just been overtaking some twonk who decided to stop in the lane. That's a reasonable thing to do. And buses, even single deckers, are quite big.
OP - were you reversing out? You were still in the wrong one way or the other, but if you were then you are definitely screwed.
the way I see it - the driver of the other car slowed, the bus driver assumed they were pulling in and overtook and OP just sailed out without a care because someone flashed their lights. Sorry, but anything other than 100% At Fault will be a bonus for you.
Flashing lights are not a valid signal.
They are, actually - It has a similar meaning to sounding your horn - to warn other road users of your presence.
Rule 110
Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.
If you were driving down an A road and over took a slower car you and then you hit a car pulling out of a side road no one would question that the fault was with the car pulling out of the junction
They are, actually – It has a similar meaning to sounding your horn – to warn other road users of your presence.
Or as its more commonly known "don't pull out in front of me you wazock"
Sorry op, you ran into a bus, your insurance will not be pleased.
As has been intimated above by a few posters, how did you not see a bus passing a stationery car?
Bus driver at fault. Having to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to avoid rear-ending the car in front? Ridiculous. Even if it was a NSL road and the flasher did an emergency stop,
As has been intimated above by a few posters, how did you not see a bus passing a stationery car?
Any defence the OP has will be paper thin.
All this goes to reiterate that people who stop in free flowing traffic to let people out are ****ing morons. And it's always when if they bothered to check their mirrors they would see a huge gap 3 cars behind them.
But they're 'being helpful' so it's ok. Grrrr. Yes, please do stop for no reason without any indication to 'let someone out' and possibly cause an accident.
If you were driving down an A road and over took a slower car you and then you hit a car pulling out of a side road no one would question that the fault was with the car pulling out of the junction
Disagree. Probably 50:50. Yes the driver pulling out should check both directions. But also, overtaking past a junction is a massively bad thing to do.
In fact, it's a "Do Not" in the highway code:
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
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<div class="bbp-reply-author d-flex align-items-center flex-wrap"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8rem;">Bus driver at fault. Having to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to avoid rear-ending the car in front?</span></div>
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<div>it hasn’t been confirmed that the bus driver had to swerve to avoid a collision - that is just an assumption. Another view is that they assumed the driver was pulling in and simply passed them.</div>
Christ the stying options when using a phone are monumentally borked 😬
Christ the stying options when using a phone are monumentally borked 😬
Yep, I never knew what the rubber thing was for until this week. Still, I've got a like button.
I’m driving down a road in my bus. The car in front stops. I have no idea why. But as no one is coming the other way I change lanes to pass the car. As I pull pas the parked car some one pulls out of their drive and I hit them.
I think Ampthill put it very well here, and that solves the little timing delay issue
Having to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to avoid rear-ending the car in front? Ridiculous
The bus driver passed a stationery vehicle.
Now imagine an instance in which you might not see an oncoming bus. Not a pedestrian, not a kid on a scooter or a bike, not even a car but something big enough to plaster £350m a week on the side of.
Which of those is more ridiculous?
I agree. OP to blame. Regardless of the flasher he should have seen the bus not pulled out in front of it. Bus driver mosying along. Car in front stops. Could be for anything. Overtakes at which point OP exits driveway.
Even if OP couldn't see bus from driveway he should have been looking right and not just assuming that because the throbber had flashed his headlights it was a green light.