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Car Insurance/Police!
Hi
I had my first ever car accident last night. Basically I was going down a steep hill on a two way road, in a terrible rainy weather. There was a taxi station on our side of the lane facing us, waiting for a customer. I started to break but the car started to slide and car wouldn't stop with full break on, as if the break stopped working. I ended up hitting the car head on as I had no where to go. The other choice would have been to move to the incoming lane which is a bad idea.
Police came, talked to us and wrote some details. Police was questioning the taxi why he was stationed on there when there was two parking lanes on each side of the road.
I have a third-party, fire and theft cover. I called Admiral today and they said they wouldn't take it on because it was my fault, regardless of what the police said. They wouldn't listen to me and just kept dismissing everything I said., even after a manager spoke to me.
I'd like to know if they are right about the Police incident report not having any effect on the decision.
Below is a picture of the incident. Mine is the white Corsa.
Picture
Thank you
I had my first ever car accident last night. Basically I was going down a steep hill on a two way road, in a terrible rainy weather. There was a taxi station on our side of the lane facing us, waiting for a customer. I started to break but the car started to slide and car wouldn't stop with full break on, as if the break stopped working. I ended up hitting the car head on as I had no where to go. The other choice would have been to move to the incoming lane which is a bad idea.
Police came, talked to us and wrote some details. Police was questioning the taxi why he was stationed on there when there was two parking lanes on each side of the road.
I have a third-party, fire and theft cover. I called Admiral today and they said they wouldn't take it on because it was my fault, regardless of what the police said. They wouldn't listen to me and just kept dismissing everything I said., even after a manager spoke to me.
I'd like to know if they are right about the Police incident report not having any effect on the decision.
Below is a picture of the incident. Mine is the white Corsa.
Picture
Thank you
0
Comments
you were driving too fast for the conditions, you slammed on the brakes and aqua planed.
the decision is the insurance companies.
slow down in future op
I was driving at 20mph.
I was just seeking an advice as it's my first ever accident and I was never in this position before.
are the tires baldy?
Aquaplaned. Tyres.
And who are you calling baldy?
One of the front ones is a bit bald as I was planning to replace.
I was talking with one of the locals and they told me I wasn't and won't be the last one to have an accident on that hill.
I initially thought there was something wrong with the breaks but the Police told me they were fine when he moved my car.
shakes head in disbelief
Did the police look at the tyres after the accident? If they did not look at the tyres this may have just saved you points on your licence.
Also you said it happened on a steep hill. If this is a long hill it's possible you could you have suffered a bit of brake fade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fade
So what happened. Dark night. Raining. Driving down a long hill. Lights reflecting off everything and all of a sudden you see someone on the wrong side of the road with his headlights on. So you braked and everything happened in slow motion. It always does. Seems like you have been travelling a couple of hundred meters when in fact you perhaps only travelled twenty.
Unless the Police do something about the other driver. Ie charge him with an offence I think you are going to have to put it down to experience. Harsh lesson really but that's the way it goes sometimes.
Just remember that if anyone ever runs into you then you can make a claim .. ;-)
I think you just described exactly what happened to me.
It's really scary when breaks fails on you and you are left with a decision whether to hit the stationary car on your lane or steer onto the oncoming cars. Either way you know you are going to crash.
The taxi's car got away with a minimal damage. Just a little scratch on the bumper. He was able to drive away after. Mine is badly damaged from the front. Damaged headlights, bumper and bonnet. There was only the taxi driver at the time of the accident.
It is a lesson learnt as Insurance company told me the way I should think of it is, if that was a child on the road instead of the taxi, it could have ended up worse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadence_braking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sJKzN7Yy_I
How the hell can you aquaplane at 20mph
You can aquaplane at any speed where the weather is sufficiently poor - even with good tyres - in a vehicle lacking abs (and even with abs, it's merely reduced significantly - not eliminated).
Then there's the gradient to factor in. Even in perfect conditions, gravity and 'her' laws remain the same. The OP was going downhill at 20mph in rainy conditions. Had she been travelling uphill..or on the flat for that matter..then the relative stopping distance would have decreased.
Paulie had it spot on when he/she mentioned the importance of cadence braking. It's not an easy skill to master, and not a natural reaction either, to come off the brakes when you panic. Unfortuneately advanced driving courses are pricey -though of huge benefit in terms of learning & honing such skills.
The insurance company may agree the blame is 50/50 and pay out half of your costs.
Parked cars with their f***ing headlights on is another bugbear.
BTW , a car's brakes are useless in the wet unless the tyres have some tread on them.
I was once a passenger in a Morris Commercial and we hit a Police Car ,parked on grass verge , Head on. Both headlamps fell out both tyres went bang, Radiator burst.
Went to court as a witness and solely because I was an independent witness (A Hitchhiker) and told the truth. Police told Lies, we won the case.
You had me howling - still laughing now..!!.
That was just so randomly out of the blue. Hitting a police car, the headlamps falling out...*sob
The best part being you won in court. - funniest post I've read in a while.
Thanks.
That's because ABS only works if your tyres can grip the road! Without grip, ABS is as useful as a chocolate teapot.
So many people seem to think that ABS will always stop you - it's as if spikes magically appear from the tyres to grip the road (OK someone - name the James Bond film!).
die another day - worst bond movie ever