I was involved in a crash at a roundabout today. It was a 2 lane roundabout with two lanes entering and exiting and 4 entries and exits. I entered the roundabout on the outside lane and i was indicating to take the third exit. i could not get in the inside lane as there was too many cars in it. as i approached the roundabout there was a car a little in front of me on the inside lane. While i stopped at the entry to the roundabout it went ahead. i then went on to the roundabout and indicated for the third exit. a van came at speed on the inside lane and was taking the second exit but he crashed into the rear of my car (just above the rear wheel) The guards were called and came eventually but didnt seem to care what happened just took details and gave them to both of us. i contacted my insurer and they are telling me that i could be held partially liable as i was in the wrong lane. he said that he will try and argue my case on the grounds that the other driver can not just cut accross my drive path and he said it gets messy when there is an accident on a roundabout. What further complicates this is the fact that the insurance is with the same companies for both vehicles so me thinks i could be a bit fecked!!
Motor involved in crash on roundabout
- Thread starter viztopia
- Start date
http://www.rsa.ie/PUBLICATIONS/upload/File/ROTR_2007.
Have a look on here, page 107. Hope this helps
Have a look on here, page 107. Hope this helps
How does your insurer come to this conclusion??
Surely as you were taking the THIRD exit at a four exit/entry rounabout (ie. turning right) you are correct to enter in the outside lane if there are two or more lanes available?
This is incorrect.
If you are exiting the first or second exit you should be in the outside lane. You should use inside lane when exiting at the third or fouth exit. Where it gets tricky is, you may also use the inside lane when exiting the second exit, the problem occurs when the outside lane is used to exit the third exit as you did.
Have a look at the RSA rules of the road. Problem is a lack of understanding relating to roundabouts.
allthedoyles
Registered User
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If the van was in the inside lane and he was taking 2nd exit - I reckon he is wrong , and he hit the rear of your car .....he should have been at a safer distance .
As far as I know , If the van was taking 2nd exit he should have been in the outside lane .
Take a photograph of the roundabout - print on A4 ( in b/w ) and explain your case .
As far as I know , If the van was taking 2nd exit he should have been in the outside lane .
Take a photograph of the roundabout - print on A4 ( in b/w ) and explain your case .
Maybe I didn't make my self clear, or you didn't read my reply correctly, but I did say.....
Emphasis on the enter ie. before you are on the roundabout. Obviously if you do this, you are then (generally) on the lane closest to the centre of the roundabout. Which is correct for taking the third or subsequent exit(s) on four/five exit roundabouts.
Sigh.............
yes, Sparkrite.......that's absolutely correct! When approaching a roundabout vehicles intending to exit at the FIRST or SECOND exits should be positioned in the OUTSIDE lane. Vehicles intending to travel to the THIRD or FOURTH or any subsequent exits should be positioned in the INSIDE lane, begin to move out into the OUTSIDE lane, whilst indicating LEFT, just as they clear the exit before the one at which they intend to exit.
So if I am driving towards a roundabout and need to take the THIRD exit I position my car on the INSIDE LANE on approaching the roundabout, go round the central island ON THE INSIDE LANE until I have passed the SECOND exit, then signal left and move across using my left-hand mirror to make sure no vehicle is between my car and the exit.
That's the way its taught, and those are the Rules of the Road without which any jaunt down to the supermarket would be Armageddon.
So if I am driving towards a roundabout and need to take the THIRD exit I position my car on the INSIDE LANE on approaching the roundabout, go round the central island ON THE INSIDE LANE until I have passed the SECOND exit, then signal left and move across using my left-hand mirror to make sure no vehicle is between my car and the exit.
That's the way its taught, and those are the Rules of the Road without which any jaunt down to the supermarket would be Armageddon.
Sound of breath being exhaled slowly..............Ah! thats better...........
Cheers Brigade............no probs
If by "outside lane" you mean "left lane" then you were in the wrong lane, indicator notwithstanding, and you cut across the van's path. I suspect that you are a bit fecked, but that's what insurance is for. Just let the insurance company sort it out and forget about it (except to learn the lesson of properly navigating roundabouts).
Unfortunatly (for the OP) he is 100% in the wrong,
My pity however is for the van driver who through no fault of his own now has to deal with the damage to his van from somebody who does not fully understand the rules of the road.
The lack of roundabout understanding in this country shocks me.
My pity however is for the van driver who through no fault of his own now has to deal with the damage to his van from somebody who does not fully understand the rules of the road.
The lack of roundabout understanding in this country shocks me.
tommysmith
Registered User
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There are some roundabouts where you must take the right lane even if you intend to go straight on. And the left lane for first exit. I spotted that with a few roundabouts in Kerry and Cork, the local authority have put arrows on the entry lanes at the start of the roundabout.
This problem is compounded by counter-intuitive roadmarkings at some toundabouts which disappear in heavy traffic (e.g. the Loughrea by-pass) and some people's inability to distinguish between the left/inside/near-side lane and the right/outside/off-side lane. The RSA don't help with their "in normal conditions do X, in abnormal conditions do X or whatever you like" statements.
Are you sure you're based in Ireland? The near side of the car is the right hand side, so presumably that would become the near-side lane in your tems. I think you'll find most people here consider the right lane to be the inside lane at a roundabout. It is the lane closest to the roundabout.
Have to disagree with you Seagull.
Here in Ireland we have right hand drive cars and we drive on the left and prefer to park on the left, (nearside), whenever possible.
Left-hand drive.
In countries where vehicles drive on the right (USA etc) the nearside is the right-hand side of the vehicle.
To sum up - the side opposite to where the driver sits is called the 'near-side' of the car/vehicle.
However I do agreee that a lot of people call the lane closest to the roundabout the inside lane and therein lies the confusion.
Blazecraze
New Member
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- 1
Any chance this insurance disagreement was settled and if so what was the outcome?