I was in a Tesco supermarket car park this morning which has a one-way system.
After shopping I am reversing out of my space into the one-way lane to leave . I look both ways over my shoulder, but then begin the maneouvre paying attention over my left shoulder, ie towards where cars should be coming from, given the one-way.
I don't see, but hit, a car coming the other way, ie against the one-way system.
My car is Ok but hers has a ding in the front wing between wheel and bumper.
We exchanged details civilly and my inclination is to leave insurance out of this.
However, thinking afterwards, surely her driving against the one-way system means she contributed to the accident so I'm inclined to limit what I pay.
thoughts?
|
|
I don't suppose a one-way system in a supermarket carpark has the same legality as it would on a road. It's probably there more for the convenience of the users rather than anything else. I could be wrong, of course.
Edited by L'escargot on 30/05/2008 at 16:18
|
|
i would be very careful about parting with any cash, how do you know you weren't being scammed by the other driver for some free body work repairs?
|
I'd agree with L'Es, but the one way system is there for a reason, especially if the spaces are of the herring bone type and the "roads" quite narrow, which they usually are - I'd tend to say that it was the other persons fault for going down the wrong way and not seeing you backing out.... take a few piccies and a good diagram of the layout... I suspect it'll end up 50/50.
As an aside I remember the first time I went to the Czech Republic and was driving round the supermarket car park wondering why everyone was giving me funny looks - of course I'd gone round it the way I always do at home, but they drive on the wrong (!) side of the road so it was reversed - yet another thing to remember when driving in Europe!!
|
|
|
|
|
Witnesses? If you hold out that this cannot be your fault these things tend to fizzle out.
|
|
|
She must have contributed to the accident by going against the one-way system.
Didn't she warn you (by sounding her horn) of her presence?
|
Don't know if she warned me. I wasn't conscious of hearing a horn ,but in a carpark I wouldn't necessarily have thought it was meant for me.
I appreciate the point about the road in a supermarket not being a public road.
|
|
SFAIK, its a public place, therefore RTA applies. A little tale from Yorkshire: tinyurl.co.uk/97al
|
|
|
|
|
If you reversed into her stationary car, it's your fault. It's probably your fault anyway, but you may be able to persuade people trhat it's a 50:50.
|
Everything depends on how your insurers will decide to put blame on.
Most will try for 50/50 as it becomes much easier for them to handle.
BTW, I like to know how 50/50 is better than 99/1. It's still a claim against and NCB will be lost (or reduced).
Edited by movilogo on 30/05/2008 at 18:27
|
Most will try for 50/50 as it becomes much easier for them to handle.
Also has the inestimable double advantage that it makes the innocent party feel guiltily responsible for his own misfortune, while gypping him out of half the insurance money he has been paying for.
|
|
|
In my opinion she contributed but what if someone had crossed behind the car - surely you must have been looking? And probably were but appeared quick enough for you not to notice. And she should have seen the reverse lights on and the car moving too...
I hope you get at least 50:50 out of this.
Not wanting to involve insurance could be a bad idea - stepson had a low speed bump a while back (stop-start traffic). No damage to either car visible and he thought that might be the end of it. No it's about £1200 of damage to the other car, and the unrestrained kids in the other car plus the driver all got whiplash at low speed... hmm.
I didn't get whiplash (but did have a 2 inch gash right through to the skull on my head) when an HGV ran into the rear of a hire car. And people told me to go for injury claim etc. but I was thankfull we lived. But there are dishonest people out there.
|
|
|
|
I had a similar exp - the other guy tried it on via a no win, no fee lawyer, I called his bluff and it went to Court and the Judge threw it out.
Stand your ground if you get some static.
|
|
|
Greenhey,
To my mind, the driver going the wrong way must have contributed greatly to this accident,not so had she been going the right way.
You car has no damage, there can be no good reason why you should do anything other than forget the whole thing.
I'm all in favour of taking responsibility, but you're not, so don't.
|
|
|
|
as she hit you in the rear, just say you were stationary and she ran into you. It's more plausible than admitting you reversed into her.
She sounds like a silly moo who was clearly not paying attention to 1) road signage and 2) you reversing slowly out of a space. She was probably too busy looking for a space to notice you. Makes you wonder how some people get a licence!
I admit I hate driving round supermarket carparks as people just seem to drive even more like morons in them.
Best of luck
|
"I admit I hate driving round supermarket carparks as people just seem to drive even more like morons in them. "
And some make my blood boil how they go around the supermarket with the trolley. I often wonder how they drive. Move in one direction but drag/push a trolley in the other.
I forgot to add to me post that once my wife was in a similar but no exactly the same situation as you in a car park. No one way and her car was driven into on the side when reversing out. But she saw the "old dear" and stopped reversing and was still hit. She came round with her son later and was trying to say my wife had hit her but the dent proved our car stationary at the time of impact. It all went through the insurance. They wanted to pay too... until the cost of the repair was many hundreds more than you might imagine!
|
|
Seeing the thread title again as being "ding"... if the dent is this minor then someone like dentmaster might be a cheap solution. Or is it really a dent.
|
Another advert as to why reversing sensors are such a good idea. They are your extra eyes when reversing from spaces - our supermarket has one way systems and I my sensors have saved me a couple of times - one was a person walking across the back of the car.
If the OP had hit a person or child rather than another car I suspect the responses would be along the lines off always check both ways when reversing out of a parking space.
If the dint can't be knocked out leave it to the insurance companies, that's what you pay them for.
|
|
Just what I was going to say daveyj, always reverse in, not only can you see the whole area before the manouvre, your front end swings side to side when steering, which means reversing in a narrow space with your front end swinging while trying to look behind and to the front corners is not best practise. One more bonus is that you can always make a quick getaway especially if you face the exit - if a riot breaks out or someone is following you.
|
|
Ah yes, supermarket car park riots.....a constant threat for all of us.
|
|
|
........ always reverse in .....
I always try to park such that (when parked) the maximum of my car is protected by being next to a physical barrier. Also damage to the rear is likely to be less of a problem to driving afterwards than damage to the front, so I nearly always go in forwards. I'm very fussy where and how I park.
Edited by L'escargot on 31/05/2008 at 08:43
|
|
Absolutely - I always park at the far edges of supermarket car parks, the further away from the entrance the better....
|
as an aside, I enjoyed HJ's reply to a DT reader today whose daughter is trying to sell 27k mile 51 reg Micra, which has been vandalised - every body panel covered with scratches, dents and dings. The car is mechanically very sound and has a FSH, but its appearance deters prospective buyers. HJ suggests doorstep selling "and include phrases such as 'pre-scratched for supermarket parking' in your advertisement."
Could catch on - ready dinged cars.
Don't laugh: we buy designer torn/stained denims!
|
|
|
|
>> ........ always reverse in .....
And have someone nick your space whilst you are going forward before reversing! ;)
I always wondered if there was a good reason for those reversing sensors, now I know what they are for... if you are relying on them and not looking and hit someone can you blame the sensors and deny responsibility for the accident then? I can seem some dipstick trying it on soon!
|
|
|
|
|
|
