Rear ended liability admitted by other party now refusing it.

"Approaching a roundabout
  • Conditions at roundabouts may vary. When you’re coming up to a roundabout, look for directional arrows, road markings or signs which might be indicating which lane you should use for the exit you’re taking.
  • Move into the correct lane in good time. use the 12 o’clock ‘golden rule’ to help you plan a safe course of action unless road signs indicate otherwise.
  • Treat the roundabout as a junction, yield to traffic coming from the right, but keep moving if the way is clear."
Above from the RSA, emphasis mine.

In OP's case the way was not clear for the car that followed hers onto the roundabout and it collided with her car in the rear when she braked. The following car:
  • Had no business on the roundabout
  • Failed to stop in time to avoid a collision
  • And didn't comply with the three Cs - care, courtesey and consideration
As a consequence the driver of the following car is guilty of being one of many the many idiots on the road in this country and caused a road traffic incident, injuring the OP.

To the OP use the above from the RSA in any follow-up action you need to take against the offending driver who struck your car.
 
mathepac said:
Had no business on the roundabout
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You see this is where you loose credibility. Thats the selfishness of some drivers. Who do you think you are that you can stick the fingers up at everyone else because you have control of the roundabout.

Pull that stunt at the likes of Walkinstown roundabout, and you will cause carnage. And of course you will be rewarded in court for any damage you bring to the fold because "you had control of the roundabout"

Drivers "in this country" haven't a clue how to behave on the roads. Take a trip across to the UK. A pleasure to to drive, consideration in bundles.
 
mathepac said:
No, you're not reading my reply correctly, just creating sentences I didn't write. Try reading what I actually wrote.
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In fairness, you did say:

mathepac said:
The driver behind the OP had no business being on the rounabout until OP had cleared it. Check the Rules of the Road
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That suggests that you believe a vehicle may not enter a roundabout until other traffic has cleared it. This clearly isn't the case, it has no basis in law.

mathepac said:
This was not an accident. Driving into the car in front on a roundabout is careless at best, dangerous at worst.
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The OP has said the island was 10m after the roundabout exit, so it's safe to assume they stopped after exiting the roundabout, unless they stopped on the roundabout ~10m prior to a potential hazard which would be extremely dangerous. Stopping just after the exit of a busy roundabout can be unwise at best. It the pedestrians are already on the carriageway, you obviously have no choice, but to stop and invite them to cross in such a scenario is unwise.

mathepac said:
"Approaching a roundabout...<snip>
Above from the RSA, emphasis mine.
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The RSA guidance applies to entering a roundabout, not exiting or just after as is the case here. Regardless, the RSA isn't a great source for road traffic legislation. They apply a lot of their own thought to what they say, at times even contradicting standing legislation.
 
LS400 said:
Thats the selfishness of some drivers. Who do you think you are that you can stick the fingers up at everyone else because you have control of the roundabout.
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Cars already on a rounabout have right of way until they exit it. I didn't decide that, the Rules of the Road state it, as does the Highway Code in the UK where I did my original driver training. Check if you have any doubts

I agree the standard of driving in this country is appaling, I already said that and you make my point for me.

Be careful on the roundabouts and watch out for the ad hominem attacks.
 
Leo said:
That suggests that you believe a vehicle may not enter a roundabout until other traffic has cleared it. This clearly isn't the case, it has no basis in law.
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Cars already on a rounabout have right of way until they exit it. I didn't decide that, the Rules of the Road state it, as does the Highway Code in the UK where I did my original driver training. Check if you have any doubts.
I can't see where the OP stated she invited anyone to cross. I've already agreed with another poster that the LAs construction of pedestrian crossings in close proximity to roundabouts is cheap-skate construction and very dangerous and ill-thought out IMO. The worst examples are in Nenagh and Limerick where not much more than a car length divides the crossing and the roundabout.
Drivers in the country (and the UK) aren't tested on their knowledge of road traffic legislation when they sit a theory test or go out on the road with a driving tester, they are tested on their knowledge of the Rules of the Road (or The Highway Code) as published in the relevant documentation. It's not the job of the RSA to make road traffic law but to make it accessible to drivers without the need for law degrees.

If you know of instances where RSA publications, the Rules of the Road or other documents the have issued contradict road traffic laws then you need to contact them ASAP.
 
mathepac said:
No, you're not reading my reply correctly, just creating sentences I didn't write. Try reading what I actually wrote.
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Oh COME ON !
I speak, read and write English as my first language and over the years I have achieved a commensurate degree of proficiency in its application.

mathepac said:
The driver behind the OP had no business being on the rounabout until OP had cleared it. Check the Rules of the Road
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Now, I followed your advice, "Try reading what I actually wrote", but no matter how many times I read the above statement, I still arrive at the same elucidation, which is the same as I wrote before ie.
SparkRite said:
If I am reading your reply correctly, you are saying that only one vehicle is allowed at any one time on a roundabout ?
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The only part I could possibly misunderstand, and I don't think I am is, "had no business being". I take this to equate to "should not be", so my comprehension remains the same and I wager most people reading your statement would arrive at a similar conclusion.

It is plainly a rash and incorrect statement (I suspect you also know this).

I have also read your latest posts and an old adage that springs to mind is "When you're in a hole, stop digging".
 
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mathepac said:
Cars already on a rounabout have right of way until they exit it. I didn't decide that, the Rules of the Road state it, as does the Highway Code in the UK where I did my original driver training. Check if you have any doubts.
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Can you point to where the RotR explicitly states that so? The Highway Code has no relevance here. I've read the Road Traffic Acts, there is no such stipulation under Irish law, and you are misinterpreting the RotR if you believe the order of entering a roundabout has any bearing on right of way.

The Rules of the Road state:
Treat the roundabout as a junction. You must yield to traffic coming from the right or already on the roundabout, but keep moving if the way is clear.
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Note there is no reference whatsoever to traffic on a roundabout maintaining right of way until they exit, in the RotR or legislation. The RSA advise treating roundabouts as junctions because almost all legislation that governs use of roundabouts is the same that applies to all junction types. The legislation confers to such enduring right of way. You might be surprised how little specific coverage there is of roundabouts in the Road Traffic Acts, a review might be in order.

On multi-lane roundabouts, traffic can freely enter lane 1 when there is traffic in lane 2 that has not indicated an intention to move into lane 1 or exit just ahead. As per the RotR interpretation, their way is clear, they are free to proceed. Lane changes and exiting a roundabout is again covered by exactly the same piece of legislation that applies on a dual or multi-carriageway roads in that traffic in lane 2 cannot move into lane 1 or take an exit unless their route is clear and they do not impede traffic already in lane 1 in doing so.

A lot of people here seem to of the mistaken belief that once on a roundabout they can pretty much do as they like, for example on the Walkinstown roundabout you see a significant portion of traffic enter immediately into lane 2 or 3, and proceed to cut across traffic in lanes 1 & 2 as they exit as if they have precedent over traffic in those lanes.

mathepac said:
I can't see where the OP stated she invited anyone to cross.
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The OP stated that one of the two looked like they was about to step onto the road, and stopped as a result. Stopping for someone who looks like crossing is an automatic fail in a driving test whether there's a roundabout close by or not. You are advised to proceed with caution and be prepared to stop should they step into the road.


Insurance claims and court decisions are not based on the Rules of the Road, but on the Road Traffic Acts.

mathepac said:
It's not the job of the RSA to make road traffic law but to make it accessible to drivers without the need for law degrees.
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The Acts really aren't that complex, certainly don't require a law degree to understand. The RSA do not see their roles as being in any way constrained or limited by the Road Traffic Acts. They do not claim any role in education or accessibility of the legislation.

mathepac said:
If you know of instances where RSA publications, the Rules of the Road or other documents the have issued contradict road traffic laws then you need to contact them ASAP.
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They're usually quick to point out that the 'Rules of the Road are not the law' in such circumstances, and yes, that is a direct quote from the RSA. They refer questions of law to the Gardai.
 
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