Accidents on roundabouts

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gramlab

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Was told by a guy in work that his mate was in an accident on a roundabout and it ended up going to court. Supposedly the judge said he wouldn't listen to arguements as to who was at fault because it happened on a roundabout. Wife had a small tip on one last week and after a lot of shouting both parties agreed to leave it at that.
Is this typical - i.e. r/bouts getting so confusing to drive around that blame cant be apportioned or was it just the judge in question. Anyone had a bang on a r/bout?
 
I was always told that if you have an accident on a roundabout its 50/50?
however what about these bigger 2 or 3 lane roundabouts with traffic lights? I'm always worried that someone will cut across me at a two lane exit of a roundabout if im in the outside line.
 
Kinsale Road Roundabout, Cork or Headford Road Roundabout, Galway come to mind!

I can't believe that they have to be so confusing. Do the people who come up with teh idea for the lanes actually drive themselves?

As to the accident, I don't believe it is 50/50. If you are on the roundabout, you have the right of way over a car coming from your left. Also, normal rules of road driving apply as far as I know in that if you hit someone from behind, you're wrong. If someone pulls across you and you hit them at the back, you're wrong. And best ever, if you pull across someone else you're probably wrong there too!
 
gramlab said:
Is this typical - i.e. r/bouts getting so confusing to drive around that blame cant be apportioned
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Roundabouts haven't changed in how they operate, and the rules of the road regarding roundabouts haven't changed last time I checked. Why are you implying that it's getting more confusing to use them?
 
Got T-boned by an ESB truck from a few years back on the M1 / M50- driver of the truck was a bit of an ignoramus, wouldn't give name / address / insurance details, managed to get them (myself) in the end and rang his depiot to give them an ear full. Anyhow, rang my insurance company to sort it out. As soon as they heard I was hit from the back (sort of RHS passenger door, from the rear) they said the other party were 100% wrong. Anyhow, the ESB sorted it out very quickly in the end.

I would say if you'rew hit on a roundabout, as much as it will annoy other drivers, try not to move the cars because if you've been hit from the RHS and the other driver has broken the rule of giving way, then I would say it's more in your own favour. If you're lucky a garda will arrive on the scene and help your case, although I've heard of this back firing as well.
 
I was in a crash on the roundabout by the Jack Lynch tunnel in Cork (before they put up the traffice lights). The guards who later arrived at the scene couldn't (wouldn't) tell who was in the right. I was convinced I was right. Fortunately, myself and the other party were both with Hibernian insurance. Hibernian investigated the accident in detail and said I was 100% in the right. I was in the correct lane and on the roundabout before the other party. So this stuff about 50/50 no matter what on a roundabout is just laziness.
 
If a CAR A is in the outside (furthest left) of a roundabout and decides to take the 2nd exit from his current position on the roundabout, and I am in the lane right of him CAR B and want to take the 1 first exit of the roundabout and I hit him (or he hit me as the case my be) on the RHS back of his car, am I in the wrong?

I think in the above case the CAR A is in the wrong lane and maybe CAR B is also in the wrong lane unless there are 2 lanes on the first exit. So i dont think that getting hit on the RHS rear is black and white.
 
Ronan,
I know the rules haven't changed but I bet if you sat down with 5 people and talked about r/bouts there would be at least one punch up by the end of it. With so many appearing and the bigger ones with painted lines that appear and dissapear at will it is getting confusing. Haven't read the rules of the road for a few years but as far as i remember they only give details based on nice tidy simple r/bouts.
 
Ned.ie said:

As to the accident, I don't believe it is 50/50. If you are on the roundabout, you have the right of way over a car coming from your left.
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Just to be very precise about this, you must give way to any car which is already on the roundabout.

As I approach a roundabout of 4 junctions, I tend to look to my right. If there is nothing coming, I drive straight onto the roundabout. But this is not correct. As I approach the roundabout, if there is a car on the roundabout at the next junction to my left, I must slow down and let him go ahead.

And I think that this is where the confusion arises. If he nips onto the roundabout ahead of me, he is in the wrong. But if I rear-end him, I will lose the case.

But think about the poor cyclists. Cars regularly overtake cyclists on the approach to roundabouts, so I cycle in the middle of the road as I approach, so that they can't do it. Cars approaching from one of the other junctions, just ignore the bike anyway.

Brendan
 
Are you allowed drive over those mini roundabouts that are no more that a bump in the road and are a real pain to drive around. I'm thinking of the type that are scattered all over the estates in Cabra for example.
 
I'll give you another example (sorry for going on about Cork again! )

When coming into Bistopstown Court Roundabout from west cork, there are 4 lanes on the main round about (with traffic lights) after the 1st exit(to ballincollig bypass).
First 2 have arrows straight ahead for bishopstown, next 2 have arrows pointing right for south Links road or totally around the roundabout, so you go to the 3rd or 4th lane (arrows pointing right) for the 2nd exit off the roundabout(south Link). Follow the lanes around, but the 2 left lanes ,which had arrow pointing straight, also go around the roundabout to the South Link exit! so now there are 4 lanes again , with 4 lanes of cars all trying to race to the south link exit with 2 lanes! when the lights go green

There have been several crashes at this point since the new layout opened at the end of last year.

Going by PINK's link , the three diagrams a b c, how can these work
when roundabout's have become over-complicated and lanes/arrows have been painted incorrectly!

Its time to Ring Uncle Gaybo and get him to re-write the roundabout rules of the road!
 
I have personal experience of roundabout accidents and the garda told us as it was a roundabout it would go 50/50
 
I can think of 3 roundabouts with different layouts on the M50 alone.

1) M1 heading south onto M50 - the inside lane at the top of the off-ramp becomes the middle lane, and the middle lane on the off-ramp becomes the outside lane, while the outside lane goes straight down the other side back onto the M1.

2) Red Cow roundabout from M50 southbound, inside lane is the inside lane all the way around to the Naas Rd outbound, likewise for middle lane, etc.

3) Tallaght exit - this one's a beaut! The inside lane at the top of the off-ramp is for doing a 180 only, you can't get off at 3rd exit from this lane, effectively meaning that traffic from the M50 southbound going into the city, straight back down onto the M50 or out to the Tallaght by-pass must, at the top of the off-ramp, use the outside lane!

A bit of consistency might help!
 
mc-BigE said:
So i dont think that getting hit on the RHS rear is black and white.
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If you hit someone on the RHS rear of a car at a roundabout, that means that most of the car has passed by your line of vision and therefore, you'll be actually looking at what you're hitting. And in that case, it's up to you to avoid the incident - whether or not the car you hit is in the wrong place. You should see the car, and therefore, you're in a position to avoid it.

I don't see how there can be a 50/50 split of responsibility here on the responsibility for the collision.
 
I tend to disagree with that Ronan. (post #7 example) I think CAR A is in the wrong lane i.e. going around the roundabout in the far left lane, were as CAR B is in the right lane if he is indicating left. Sometimes it's not very easy to avoid CAR A especially if he's not indicting right. As I said, with 2 solicitors in court putting across their case to the Judge, I can't see how it could be Black and White i.e. 100% wrong CAR B. I hope I never have to find out!

Personally if I’m in that situation I either speed up to get passed the point of impact with CAR A or slow down just incase he goes across in front of me.
Normally the latter
 
Sorry Mc. I have to disagree with what you have said.
As I see it your car A is approaching a roundabout on the left hand lane and your car B is approaching in the same direction on the right hand lane i.e. both cars entering from the same side of roundabout. Car A is allowed to take either 1st or 2nd exit. Car B is allowed to take 3rd and subsequent exits. Car B is also allowed to take 2nd exit only if there is 2 lanes off the roundabout.
Roudabouts are not that confusing if everybody was able to use them properly. The main problem I see, is driving instructors and drivingschoolireland telling people to treat a roundabout like a clock. If you have 5 exits on a roundabout, then where do you stand with your clock!!!!! i.e. They say an exit before 12 o'clock should be treated as a left turn and an exit after 12 should be treated as a right turn and an exit at 12 should be treated as straight on what happens if you have 2 exits before 12 and one on 12. Roundabouts should have only few rules therefore less confusion. An extract from the rule of the road book!!!!


• IF LEAVING BY THE FIRST EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the left-hand lane signalling a left turn and proceed to leave the roundabout at that exit.

• IF LEAVING BY THE SECOND EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the left-hand lane but do not signal until you have passed the first exit, then signal a left turn and leave at the next exit.

• IF LEAVING BY ANY SUBSEQUENT EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the right hand lane signalling a right turn. Keep in the right hand lane (i.e. the lane next to the centre). As you pass the exit before the one you intend to leave by, signal a left turn and, when your way is clear, * move to the other lane and leave at the desired exit.
 
Aidomoss said:
Car A is allowed to take either 1st or 2nd exit. Car B is allowed to take 3rd and subsequent exits. Car B is also allowed to take 2nd exit only if there is 2 lanes off the roundabout.
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This is the exact example I’m referring to, if CAR B is taking the second exit (3 lane roundabout,CAR B is in the middle lane) off the roundabout with 2 exit lanes, and CAR A has come from the same approach as you and decides to go around the roundabout in the outside (far left) lane then he is taking the 3rd exit in the left lane, which is wrong.

Bottom line, use caution on roundabouts, assume the person next to you is going to do something stupid! Never blindingly charge your way around a roundabout and assume very one else is going to do what you think they are. This is only my opinion.
 
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