AIBU to think I have no liability here? (diagram attached)

But what if there's two lanes on the road you're exiting on to, everybody doesn't have to come in to the left lane surely

You weren't in the wrong lane at all. I don't understand these responses but driving threads on MN are always bonkers.

There's lots of roundabouts near here on A roads where left lane is left and straight on, right lane is straight on or right (past 12 o clock). Sounds like this roundabout is similar. I've seen cars have narrow misses doing what this lady did, they are definitely in the wrong but I don't know the ins and outs of insurance

@WiggyClawsThe2nd

Before kids (so about 6 years ago now) I used to sort out RTA liability and run claims for a living. Worked for a few heavy hitting insurer names.

In theory you’re not in the wrong but honestly roundabouts are a nightmare. They’re well known as being just a massive pain in the bum that nobody wants to end up in court squabbling over. They often settle on split liability purely because the two insurance companies don’t want the time and effort involved in fighting it out and ultimately from the moment an accident is reported a big game of liability chicken begins with the potential expense of court hanging over whichever side holds out longest.

The exception being when one party has pulled out without right of way and gone directly into the others near side. Those are much more cut and dry. When it comes to ‘I was taking that exit they were taking this exit’ I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they split liability and call it a day. Personally I think that’s your most likely outcome, unless you get a rather diligent case handler.

Im also not sure if things have changed in the last few years.

I think if you have dashcam footage, you stand a chance - if you do not then its likely to be 50/50.

From experience of a similar accident, the person in the outside lane has right of way / priority. So, while her driving was shit, she did have right of way.

I hate roundabouts but if I remember correctly you are supposed to filter out to the left lane before you exit, hence you were also in the wrong lane.

Chat GPT said GREEN is at fault here

Yes and that's her 50% of the blame. Then you crashed into the side of her and that's your 50% of the blame. She wasn't behind you, she must have been slightly in front for you to hit her side.

I think @WiggyClawsThe2nd you'll just have to see what your insurers say. Morally you are in the right, it's very clear that she should not have been where she was when you hit her - so it will come down to whether there is enough evidence of that, and whether the insurance company believe you could/should have avoided her in some way. But you're going to get little help from this thread with the number of people repeatedly insisting you were in the wrong lane because they don't understand how different roundabouts work (or have misread your diagram).

OP, can't you provide a zoomed in version of the island in question? It will show more clearly that the left lane was straight on (to left lane dual carriageway) and the right lane was straight on (to the right lane dual carriageway) or carry on round.

If it is as you described, she switched lanes into your path, but your zoomed out photos don't really mean anything without the markings on the actual road to show the lanes and show who should have been where, all this "left lane for this" and "right lane for that" that people come out with means nothing, it is the road markings that prove liability.

@CyberStriderit’s worrying that you don’t know the Highway Code for a roundabout. You assume this below unless stated otherwise on the roundabout.

Looks like 50/50. Other car was in the wrong lane but you crossed a lane without checking it was clear.

Saw a video online about something very similar recently. The fella who does them used to work at an insurance company. I think she's called Big Jobber on Facebook.

You're not in the wrong to exit from lane two of a roundabout if the exit has two lanes.

The other driver shouldn't have carried on around the roundabout in lane one in the situation you describe.

However, he explains both drivers will have had an opportunity to avoid a collision so nine times out of ten it'll go down as joint liability.

She was in the wrong lane and caused it, but you tried to exit without checking it was clear so you are liable. It’ll probably go 50:50.

I agree, it looks like they were both in the wrong lane. 50/50 seems fair.

How much difference does fault make anyway? I’ve had no faults, and it’s still painful. And when your car is written off it’s particularly painful. Nothing worse than losing a perfectly good reliable car. Always expensive to replace- worth more to you than to the insurer.

I love a roundabout thread, partly because it explains all the muppets I encounter on the roads near me.

You can go straight on in the right lane.

You don’t always move into the left lane before you exit. Do that in my area and you’ll sideswipe everyone who expects you to stay in your lane!! Our roundabouts sort of spiral. You stay in your lane and get spat out at the exit you selected on entry! Moving left across the lane would be a risky manoeuvre requiring a lot of indicating and paying attention. Better to go round twice than risk that.

No you can stay in the left hand lane if you are going straight on unless the road markings say you have to be in another lane.

Ahh read the previous comments, didn't see the dual carriageway. She obviously over shot the junction, you hit her car though so it will be 50/50.

I agree with this and also this is why unless the road markings say you must do otherwise. I always stay in the left hand lane if I'm going straight on as this would stop this sort of accident happening.

Maybe you haven't done much driving but it's really common to use the right lane to go straight ahead on multi lane roundabouts, and sometimes mandatory if the lane markings tell you to. There are many types of roundabouts.

I must be really thick, but I thought if you are going straight on or any exit before it then you should be in the left lane. If you were both heading straight then you were in the wrong lane. If she was not heading straight and instead taking the 3rd exit then you are both in the wrong.

Without seeing the specific road markings it's hard to 100% say, but I do wonder why you didn't take the left lane at first roundabout, then move from left to right lane when approaching the 2nd roundabout? I'm not quite sure where she cane off the roundabout - is the thick green line and thin green line her?

While i agree that one would expect the other car to turn off at the first or second exit I would never assume that the car on my left wasn't going to continue around the roundabout. I live in a coastal town with lots of tourist and I know that too many of them get lost and will circle around a few times trying to find the right exit.