Costly trip to ae? Car scape advice?

Me in camper met old bloke on narrow singletrack road. He refused to budge although he had about 6 inches of verge. Forced half of me onto soft verge but caught his rear arch with my bumper leaving a nasty scrape. I think it’s his fault because he did not move an inch but he demanded all details etc and reckons it will cost £500 to fix!! Obviously want to keep insurance out of it but don’t want to pay anything. All he had to do was move an inch – am I being harsh on the old fella? Camper ok incidentally

why ddnt you reverse.

who was moving when you hit? If it was just you then it’s your driving at fault…….. but he still sounds like an arse

Which one of you was stationary – if neither, knock-for-knock, otherwise the one that was moving.

Since you’ve given your details, best to inform insurance company – but tell them you do not agree to any payout nor take responsibility.

if he was stationary when you hit him its down to you.

using the other road in helps in this situation, had some close calls on the narrow road myself (usually when stupidly late for a race)

I once had a similar accident…insurance company said it was impossible too say who was at fault because there were no road markings! Great for me as there was no damage to my vehicle but the same couldn’t be said for theirs! (I was in a 18T wagon). They had to claim on their own insurance, I actually felt sorry for them.

p.s. any scrape will cost £300+ as the full panel will need spraying.

You drove into him, and it’s his fault for not getting out of your way?

You drove into him, and it’s his fault for not getting out of your way?

That would appear to be the logic 😕

This is easy it was a single track road so it is either the council’s fault for not providing passing places or the fault of the person who tried to get past without using one . All the vehicles I’ve had have been equipped with a function which enables them to go backwards to the nearest passing place .

crankboy – Member

This is easy it was a single track road so it is either the council’s fault for not providing passing places

what tosh

your fault but he does sound like a bell.
claim he was moving and put it through the insurance, cost you either way but it’ll teach him!

br + 1. Let the insurers sort it out

what tosh

I think you might have missed the rather valid point crankboy was making, ie, there will always be somewhere in the road which is wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass, the solution is simply to reverse until you come to it.

Reads as you hit him because he didn’t move, in which case it’s your fault and you should pay up. If he hit you because he wouldn’t move over and you were stopped then it’s his fault and I’d put it through insurance.

d45yth – Member
p.s. any scrape will cost £300+ as the full panel will need spraying.

Yes, funny that. When I called a paint shop looking at getting a panel resprayed, I mentioned it was a private job and suddenly the whole panel didn’t need to be done, and the job halved in price.

Was either of you coming up a hill?

Also are you SURE he wasn’t moving as well? I often find when I’m inching forward carefully the other driver is also moving slowly the other way.

I’d class it as 50:50. In addition, you were obviously in a bigger vehicle- I’d (if I was him) at least have tried moving for you, even if its just plain courtesy.

ernie_lynch – Member

what tosh

I think you might have missed the rather valid point crankboy was making, ie, there will always be somewhere in the road which is wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass, the solution is simply to reverse until you come to it.

No I haven’t, Crankboy says it could be the council’s fault for having no passing places, which is simply incorrect. The layout of the road has not ’caused’ the accident.

Margin walker my suggestion as Ernie points out was what is technically known as sarcasm . I am sorry if I did not make that clear.
I have used single track roads all my life I have never come across one without passing places . My experience is that 80 % of people using them are almost competitive to be the one who reverses to or stops at a passing place . People who try to force past cause damage or end up stuck in soft ground .

Crankboy there can be an equal measure of people who see it as a game of ‘no you move’ and I’ve had to fold my mirror in before they’ve taken it off.

Good to see the OPs come back to defend himself!
If the old git wasnt moving and you scraped his car then, sorry matey, its your fault.
Still dont get why you didnt simply reverse, rather than force your way through?

This is what I don’t get – unless the OP had his eyes closed he would have been looking down the line of the car and foreseen the contact before it happened. My thinking is the other driver started to move forward thinking both cars are almost ‘past’ hence it caught the OP out and simply he then braking wouldn’t have avoided contact.

My experience is that 80 % of people using them are almost competitive to be the one who reverses to or stops at a passing place

If I see that the other driver is a woman then I race to get into reverse first. I’m a patient chap, but there are limits.

Yes, funny that. When I called a paint shop looking at getting a panel resprayed, I mentioned it was a private job and suddenly the whole panel didn’t need to be done, and the job halved in price.

Indeed, whenever I’ve called about bodywork quotes (I do mechanical/electronics, bodywork – not so well) I’ve been asked if it’s insurance or not and generally if I choose to do it through my insurance they more than double the quote. Part of the reason insurance is so damn high these days. I should complain to somewhere, somehow.

If I see that the other driver is a woman then I race to get into reverse first. I’m a patient chap, but there are limits.

Then you’re a bit silly, my missus would out reverse 90% of men so all you’d do is save her some petrol and reinforce her view that some blokes are a bit silly 🙂

Then you’re a bit silly, my missus would out reverse 90% of men so all you’d do is save her some petrol and reinforce her view that some blokes are a bit silly

I concur, I am hopeless in reverse/parking situations.

Oldest trick in the book. Next time, be the bell end who doesn’t move and keep your no-claims.

It’s just going to end up ‘knock for knock’ so just move on and let things take their course with the insurance Co.

He said, I said, he did etc. etc. is just background noise that’ll be ignored

My thinking is the other driver started to move forward thinking both cars are almost ‘past’

^ this. The OP would have had to pull back on to the road much too early to have caught the old guys rear wing – maybe he did.
On the insurance claim he simply needs to state that he has no idea if the old guy moved off too early or not – which he may well have done not realising that the bumper stuck out from the side of the camper.

Just say you were both moving, it will go knock for knock, you have no damage so you won’t end up paying anything.