SO it's Sunday morning, about 10.40 and I leave the house, destination: Monsieur Bengie's in Oxford.

It was a bit grey and overcast, there was light rain but visibilty was generally good.

After just over five minutes I was travelling South down the A43 towards the M40 Junction 10, entering one of the many roundabouts (I believe it's called Baynard's Green, the one with the B4100 crossing). I entered the roundabout in the right hand lane with the intention of continuing my journey straight ahead on the dual carriage way. I had just indicated left off the roundabout when things went a rather Pete Tong ... CRASH!!! :thumbdwn:

The vehicle that had been travelling in the left hand lane had suddenly decided that they wanted to go right and so pulled across and straight into me. We both pulled up at the side of the road; inspected the damage and exchanged details. My car had a nicely bent nearside wing, and nicely scratched alloy wheel and the steering/ suspension is damaged (when driving in a straight line the car pulls sharply left and the steering wheel wants to sit at a ten to position). The other vehicle, a clio, had more damage, the picture shows the car after the driver had tried to push the bumper back in a bit.

Having exchanged details I proceeded to ring home and inform them what had happened, as I did I watched the clio pull off; it made it 100 yards before pulling back over and the occupants getting out to have a good, but worried, look at the damage. Something was obviously much worse than it first looked.

I managed to limp the car back home, luckily most of the corners were to the left so the damaged steering didn't prove too much of a problem. I rang the insurance who took my intial details and then said I would be rung back within two hours. A few hours later they did ring back and took further details.

The insurance company contacted their approved local body shop who picked my car up yesterday lunchtime.

So now I'm carless, yesterday my Dad was working at home so was able to chauffer me to work, today however he had to go into the office therefore I borrowed his car (an Audi A3 2.0 TDI Sport) and he drove my Mum's car. Apparently they won't give me a hire car until the garage has provided the insurance company with a quotation and the work has been authorised by the insurance co. :thumbdwn: :confused:

In my last discussion with my insurance company, they took the details of the accident AGAIN, and tried to get in contact with the driver of the other vehicle. Being lunch time they were unsuprisingly out, however a meesage was left on the answerphone asking for them to ring the insurance co. back. Like that's going to happen, who's really going to ring an insurance company these days to admit liabilty for a crash :thumbdwn: Unfortunately there were no witnesses other than the passenger in the car that hit me, so it's likely to be my word against theirs.

I'm obviously well gutted, my first new car, which I loved dearly. I'd even spent three hours Saturday washing and polishing the car. :(

I'm now really worried that my no claims bonus will be lost, which means my insurance next year will be astronomical!!! It's hard enough finding insurance even with a few years no claims bonus. Apparently I also have to pay out my

Eek. Sorry to hear that. Hope all goes well with ins co. I know what they can be like :(

you shouldn't have to pay anything for this at all, you should have made a third party claim direct from their insurance company and never touched yours at all :(

Sorry to hear your news. Unfortunately people are *******s. This has happened to me twice in my old car. 1st someone opened their door into my car as I was passing and said they didn't. They initially agreed to pay and then when his wife found out she said he hadn't done it and even after 3 visits by my insurance company nothing was done. 2nd time someone drove into the back of me at 30 when I was stationary. They gave me false details and being skeptical I went straight to the police station and reported it. Still the insurance couldn't sort it although I kept a piece of their car.

Unfortunately people aren't honest and we all end up paying.

I suggest you keep hassling your insurance and I hope it all works out!

This could be a bit tricky to apportion blame in the absence of independent witnesses, and the fact that there were 2 people in the other car doesn't help you. I would guess that both insurers will settle their own claims unless the other party admits being to blame.

almost EXACTLY the same thing as happened to me less than a month after I got my Octy 2... Same damage to my car as well!

Unfortunately my insurance IS sky high now, at well over a grand for the year on my Furby vRS - the reason it went up so much when it was his fault is because he was uninsured and they wouldnt persue him through the courts, so stuck it as a fault accident claim on me. gits. :(

Good luck with your claim, hopefully you'll fair better than me! Make sure you report it to the police IN PERSON ASAP and in any event WITHIN 24 HOURS (ooh, just realised its longer than that... anyway, let them know as soon as!). It will honestly help you in the long term with your claim if you get messed about!

This could be a bit tricky to apportion blame in the absence of independent witnesses, and the fact that there were 2 people in the other car doesn't help you. I would guess that both insurers will settle their own claims unless the other party admits being to blame.

passengers in car's are not allowed to be used as witnesses to traffic violations that regard the car in question (not sure if this extends to accidents) To turn right from the left hand lane of a roundabout is DANGEROUS. (unless specific road signs or markings permit), this is not your fault, I really can't see it turning out any way other than you getting your car repaired at their insurance companies cost : don't worry

if the other two instructors on here read this, they will back me up with this. It is the most dangerous trend I've seen developing on rounderbouts recently...you cannot turn right from the left lane! to turn right, you MUST be in the right lane, or a lane that has SPECIFIC markings, or signs to turn right, (which does happen, there is a roundabout in Hansworth Sheffield where you can turn right from the left lane, but this is clearly marked) you are perfectly legal to go straight ahead in the right lane, if there are no specific markings, or instructions otherwise. if no lanes are marked turning right from the left lane is NOT allowed! (I wish people using the Worksop bypass would read this! ) *sigh... rant over......

Ok so a quick update...

Four days since my accident and ... STILL no hire car from my Insurance company :eek:

Evertime I ring them they just tell me sorry the garage haven't given us a quote, so we can't authorise the work and thus provide you with a car!

I rang the garage today to ask what was going on, they said that they had sent the Insurance company the quote today, so I immediately rang the insurance company and ... "i'm sorry sir we have no record of this!"

I've been borrowing my Dad's car to get me to work, but yesterday he needed it so I had to take a day off work as there was no possible way i could get in. :thumbdwn:

Then to top things of I got a letter yesterday from the woman's (who hit me) insurance company trying to put the blame on me... i think it was just to try and scare me, in that way it failed but it definately put me in a bad mood!

I think looking at the photo of the damage on my car it quite clearly proves I didn't hit anything (it's a clean dent, no scratches or scrapes where I would have dragged along the other vehicle if I had hit it). Hopefully that's the way the insurance companies will see it.

Any good insurance company should fight it for you, though at the moment they are not really doing a great job!

Who are you insured with? It might be worth gettin some advice from the RAC/AA or alike if they keep mucking you about.

Hope it all pans out ok!

This very thing happened a couple of years ago to my wife, but she was the car in the left lane and decided she wanted to right

Anyway, outcome was 50:50 as far as blame.

I talked to insure and legal support and they both said my wife was in wrong lane (agreed) but the guy has to indicate and not cut across lane (which you do from right lane to left as you go straight on) without due care (in other words he has to be aware of other traffic).

I often do the right lane straight on thing but drive very defensively, in other words position in front or back of car to your left.

I notice wagons, artics, often do the left lane turn right trick

My wife's lane dicipline is much improved since then.

My sympathy to your car and you though. Very glad no one was hurt.

Rongagain

Your wife is a lucky b****r, to be honest. It was clearly 100% her fault! That stuff about having to indicate and not cut across lane is tosh - you aren't cutting across lane, you are continuing in the lane you are in by going straight on in the right lane. Nobody should be on your left, turning right.

Driving defensively is great as a principle - and there's a junction near us (roundabout) where I am constantly aware of the risk of cars taking the "racing line" into me as I go straight on in the right lane, precisely because people have tried to drive into me there dozens of times. But that doesn't make it the fault of the driver who is using the roundabout properly, even partially.

I sent an email, Thurday night, to the quality department of my insurance company and ... Friday I get a hire car!

It's a Peugeot 206 1.4 8v Urban. I guess it's okay, but not a patch on my car, seating position is horrible, gear box is the worst I've ever used and the pedals are badly positioned. It's been especially weird getting back to driving a petrol, and having to use revs over 3.5k!

sorry but it is in the interest of the insurers to go 50:50 ie both companies don't pay out the excess, both companies don't have to give no claims bonus next year, everyone ends up paying more, insurance companies make more. A few years ago some muppit in an evoprezza piece of jap crap decided to apex a blind corner on my side of the road and took the front wing off my favorit, no witnesses but with photos of the corner/ damage the accident could not have happened any other way, he claimed I was on the wrong side of road etc and AA refused to fight claim as his insurers were happy to settle 50:50! @?>@??@?@?>

Sorry to hear about this, however, I think you will probably get 50:50 as there were faults on both sides, technically.

Whilst she was in the wrong lane (it happens) she did nothing wrong in continuing round the roundabout. You, on the otherhand, cut across the front of her and got hit for your error. Were you not "aware" of another car on your inside?

I'd delay your advanced test for a while

Sorry to be harsh, it's just the way I see it.

That's a nightmare mate. Good luck with the insurance.

Where there arrows painted on the road going onto the roundabout? If the outside (right hand) lane had an arrow permitting right turn around the roundabout 'or' straight ahead then you were not at fault. If the right hand lane however had right turn only marked on the road then you where in the wrong. Simple as that.

I think they should also put arrows on the road within roundabouts just to remind people too.

I generally try to keep 1 car length ahead or behind of anyone in the left hand lane if I use the right hand lane to go straight ahead at a roundabout as it's frightening the number of people out there that know bugger all about how to safely negotiate roundabouts or junctions.

it's frightening the number of people out there that know bugger all about how to safely negotiate roundabouts or junctions.

A saddening fact, but so so true. :(

Any news with the repairs mate?

A saddening fact' date=' but so so true. :(

Any news with the repairs mate?[/quote']

The cars been repaired now, thanx mate.

Picked it up Saturday!

This is one of my biggest pet-hates atm. I really wish the fuzz would sit at roundabouts and do people for dangerous driving as described above. That would be time better spent than sitting holding a laser....