Wing mirror destroyed-advice

[fungus]

My daughter had an incident about six years ago where she was rear ended.

She was emerging onto a very busy roundabout where traffic had come to a standstill. Drivers were leaving gaps for vehicles to emerge. She was edging out carefully making sure there was nobody coming around to the right of the stationary vehicles when the driver behind rear ended her car. She pulled off the roundabout and pulled in, but the other driver took a different exit.

She did not manage to get the registration number, but we reported it to the police. They said that unless a witness came forward there was nothing they could do. She didn't report the incident to her insurance company, and paid the £300 damage out of her own pocket.

Sorry to say this, but without the registration number there appears there is little you can do, unless someone else knows better.

As far as your position is concerned, if you were leaving a good gap behind the bus and there was sufficient room for the oncoming car to pass through the gap, other than positioning more to the left, I can't think of anything else you could do.

[michael769]

The bus operator would not happen to be one with external CCTV would it?

[michael769]

First usually have front and rear external CCTV on their newer vehicles over this side (Edinburgh) of the country, so there might be a possibility that the incident has been caught on camera and the number plate might be retrievable.

I'm guessing First wont be willing to give CCTV footage to just anyone so you would probably need to involve the police. Which means of course you would have to also report it to your insurer (but you were going to do that anyway of course ), even if you don't plan to claim off your own insurance. And my experience of CCTV is that it is 50:50 that the camera has a decent view of random external incidents..

Just a thought!

[daz6215]

Could you have stopped further back from the bus more than you did? It may have given you more space and time to react to the other drivers position. i.e. to drive forward to the left as you see them compromise your space!

[ScoobyChris]

Lets say there is two car lengths from the back of the bus to my mirror. That's around 20-25 metres.

They're pretty big cars if that's 2 car lengths

Chris

[daz6215]

Could you have stopped further back from the bus more than you did? It may have given you more space and time to react to the other drivers position. i.e. to drive forward to the left as you see them compromise your space!

I read this earlier and had a think about it. In theory, yes this is possible. However, I'm static and the oncoming car was up to speed. 30mph=14.3 meters per second. A full size bus is what 15 metres long? Lets say there is two car lengths from the back of the bus to my mirror. That's around 20-25 metres. That gives me less than 2 seconds from that car passing the bus until it hits my mirror. I can't release a hand brake, get in gear, move off and steer in that amount of time. I hate to give driving situations up as "no win" and I'll raise this as a discussion point at a group meeting but I don't see a winable outcome unless the other driver was taking more care.

You could have the gear engaged, hand on the handbrake and be anticipating the event occurring,If you weren't I bet you do in the future, if you expect things to happen you may very well react to events quicker, even in 2 seconds! Hopefully the next time your're in a similar situation you will be ready for that 'what if' and have plan B in place!

[MGF]

If your foot slips of the clutch with the handbrake on you wont go far.

If the oncoming car could get between a parked car and the offside of the bus which was over the centre line of the road at 30 mph then why would he have difficulty passing you when you were the other side of the centre line?

[daz6215]

I did have a plan B in place. My plan B was "if someone rear ends me here then I want to have my handbrake on to avoid getting sandwhiched between a whoever hit me and a bus." I tell my associates(and was taught myself) that sitting with clutch on the floor and in gear not only causes increased wear on the clutch release bearing but if something surprises you or someone hits you then your foot is likely to leave the clutch and rocket your car forward into whatever is waiting.

Are you saying that when you sit behind a bus you always apply the handbrake and select neutral? If so why?

As it was, someone did hit me and despite my moment of panic my car remained secure in place and put no one at risk. That would have been a far worse situation to find myself in, where someone hits my mirror or a firework goes off nearby etc. and in my moment of panic I release the clutch and crush a crossing pedestrian against the back of the bus.

If that did happen then you were probably too close to the bus in the first place, that is the whole idea of the tyres and tarmac principle, as a minimum!

I don't debate that in this particular situation having the car in gear and clutch down MIGHT have allowed me time to maneoveur to a location that MIGHT have avoided the loss of my mirror

I would agree it probably would and there lies the answer to your problem!

[daz6215]

I always apply the handbrake and select neutral any time the car comes to a stop. I don't sit on the foot brake with the clutch down nor do I sit holding the car on the clutch. For the reasons detailed above, the car is safe and secure and should any number of things from me sneezing to the car being rear ended happen the car won't travel far and endanger anyone else. Also sitting with the clutch down causes wear to the release bearing so avoiding that will save you some money as it's the most common clutch component to fail..

As has already been stated, the car wont go that far with the handbrake on if you did sneeze even with a gear selected.

I was still in the centre of the lane and completely static. I don't see how I can be blamed for the collision. I don't know if this is just because I'm working on a big uni assignment and under a bit of strain but the responses to this thread appear to me, to have become a bit accusatory suggesting that I've not applied observations or may even have stopped my car on the wrong side of the road.

All I am suggesting is that there is something that you may have done too to prevent it, remember you approached us with your problem and asked for a solution, I have gave you a plausible solution but yet you seek to take any responsibility, that is in essence what defensive driving is! Is it better to take the moral high ground, or prevent it in the first place by having more than one option?

[daz6215]

Certainly not!