Minor bump, advice needed please.

[hutch85]

Hi All,

Just looking for a bit of advice following my first ever bump... The circumstances were pretty straightforward, although bear in mind this is in France so traffic drives on the right and roundabouts are taken anti-clockwise.... The picture below should explain things anyway.

I was in a short queue of traffic in Lane 2 waiting to turn left into Lane A (silver car). The opposing traffic lights turn red, so traffic in Lane 2 starts to move off, me included. Next thing I know, a car comes in from Lane 1 on my right, and cuts clean around and in front of me to turn into Lane A, nearly clipping my bumper in the process (black car + black arrow). Realising that the gap she's trying to force herself into doesn't exist, she slams her brakes on.

Crunch.

A few choice words later, and she's denying that she's in the wrong (which to me isn't even debatable), saying that I went into the back of her and should have left myself enough stopping distance... Needless to say by this point I have given up trying to explain the concept of left, right and junctions to her, so we exchange insurance details and, in my best french, I bid her "farewell", or something to the same effect...

I've informed my insurance company of the incident and explained that she seems likely to try to make a (fraudulent?) claim. I'm just wondering where I should go from here and if there's anything more I should do. And also whether it's likely the incident could be turned around on me as I wasn't able to grab any witnesses. Never had an accident before so this is a whole new world to me....

Cheers,

[Birchy63]

I don't know French roads all too well, but what lane were you supposed to go into?
What I mean is.... can both 1 and 2 turn left?

The rules over there are totally arse backwards!

I say build a 300ft wall around France and fill it with water

[Jezzy]

The most likely outcome is that the two insurers will decide both parties are equally to blame, given the lack of independent witnesses, and that both cars were moving at the time, so the costs will probably be shared 50% each; (which is not "knock for knock" [which doesn't exist anymore anyway]). It's unlikely that you can get "stitched up", except maybe by her claiming she's been injured and getting your insurers to pay 50% of her whiplash claim - but that happens all the time anyway. Other than that, there are some legal precedents that apply to how certain accidents are dealt with and who is declared to blame, and these are the result of previous court cases, but they are specific to each country, so UK ones won't apply in France.

[Flaninacupboard]

while it appears she was wrong with her choice of lane she is right that you should have left more distance. i.e., if some french retard cuts you up the best thing to do is leave them as much room as possible. if she had time to get around you and then come to a complete stop, you had enough time to slow down and stop.

[maurauth]

Was lane 1 a compulsary right/straight ahead lane?
Or could both lane 1 and 2 turn left?

What I mean is, are you sure 1 doesn't go into A and 2 doesn't go into B?

Not trying to pick a fight, just asking?

Edit: Flan, the whole if you hit someone else in the back/side it's always your fault doesn't ring true if they've changed lanes infront of you, otherwise if you were doing 70mph in the middle lane of the motorway and someone pulls from the first lane out infront of you at 50mph and you hit them up the arse, it would be your fault for not giving them room/slowing down.

[hutch85]

Hi All,

One of the problems is that there were no road markings at all indicating what lanes 1 & 2 were for, however with it being essentially a dual carriageway (both before and after the junction) you would assume the right-hand lane is not for turning left, seeing as traffic in both lanes continues straight on. Indeed this woman was the only person at the junction to assume the opposite... There was a queue of five or six cars in Lane 2 and nobody queuing in Lane 1 (which would block any traffic wanting to go straight on and would therefore immediately lead to a barrage of beeps, honks and abuse, this being Paris..)

The cars immediately in front and behind me both turned into lane A, as did most of the others in the queue (presumably because it immediately branches off to the right towards the main railway station).

@ Flan, as maurauth says, when someone swerves in front of you and slams on it is not necessarily possible to stop in time. Had she been indicating and gradually squeezing her way in then I would agree that the collision would have been avoidable. However she simply swerved out of a line of traffic which was going straight on, and when she realised she was going to rear-end the car in front of me she slammed on, halfway through cutting me up. My only two options were either to hit the brakes or to swerve like a idiot myself into the path of oncoming traffic. Unless there's a third solution I'm oblivious to?

[boba]

I rather think that because you don't have any witnesses it will be your word against hers and without doubt she will paint things to suit her own side so it will end up knock for knock. Sorry mate - these things happen .

PS - great idea about the wall!