to seek some reassurance that I'm not the only person in the world to have

[RedbreastRobin]

...been in more than one car accident?!

DH is a perfect driver who passed first time with no errors and has never been in any form of accident pass him a medal

I on the other hand have been in a couple. In the two years that I have been driving I have hit a stationary object - causing a rather large dent -, had someone reverse into me - their fault, insurance in my favour -, touched a bumper in a car park - he was a bumper width over the line into my spot and there was absolutely no damage, he thought otherwise and was a complete cunt said he would be in touch, never heard anything. And now I have just gone into the back of someone at a roundabout. He was going - there was room - and he stopped - and I hit him.

I haven't told DH yet. He's going to go berserk. Please reassure me that I'm not the only one out there accident prone

OP It does sound like you are relatively inexperienced. In all honesty, how's your spacial awareness? The comment about the parking space nudge makes me wonder if you're using various sight rules to make manoeuvres e.g. 'when you see that line through that bit of the window turn the wheel left'. Not uncommon.for driving instructors to help you out with that kind of thing but it's normally car/situation specific. Unfortunately, if in your case the other car wasn't in the 'right place' then you'll.nudge it so you need to get more understanding of how long your bonnet/boot is. Ultimately, their crap parking is not an excuse for driving into them however much it makes my.blood boil when rubbish markets effectively take up two spaces

Yes, I agree with those who are concerned about the blasé attitude to knocks and accidents that dome people have. Ultimately, further driving lessons might help but it sounds like what would really benefit you is finding some large boxes or something and going down to an empty car park (station car parks on Sundays are quiet) to just spend some time manoeuvring around them and really suss out your car and the way it moves. Maybe suggest your husband comes and helps to.show him you're really putting in the effort to reduce the frequency of bumps?

P.S. Spacial awareness also applies to.the roundabout shunt - yes, other driver stopped unexpectedly but you've always got to assume they will and leave enough room.

No one is perfect. Even great drivers have momentary lapses of concentration that could result in a minor ding or accident and the fact that some people have never had an accident is partly about luck as well as judgement. How many people have had near misses, for example...

Parking-type bumps are incredibly common among learner drivers. Although it would be better to not have them, the upside is that you learn from them and develop a better sense of spatial awareness.

The roundabout example is a classic case of inexperience, although it's one of the most common types of collisions. The rule with this one is never assume the car in front of you has gone until it's actually gone.

I've had one accident - on my very first day as a junior lecturer when I noticed the woman I had driven into (in the car park, minor prang) in the front row of the auditorium. That did my nerves a lot of good. It did make me a better driver though, as did gaining my motorbike licence - which certainly taught me how to drive defensively.

Accidents should be taken seriously. Unless you are blameless, they should be taken as a sign that you need to brush up on your skills, reaction times and road awareness, but they don't necessarily signify that you are careless. The loss of confidence that comes with them is part of the learning curve, and provided you do something about that message you can become a better driver as a result.

However, Nutritious I really feel you need to change your lifestyle or take some extra lessons. That's really not typical and if it continues it is only a matter of time before you have a serious accident. Tiredness can affect performance more than alcohol, so it is worth looking to see what you can do about your sleep or if you can lift share on days where you know you are going to be so tired. Also, 6 burst tyres? Unless you are driving on unpaved roads regularly, it sounds as though you're not checking your tyres regularly enough, which could not only land you in trouble with the police but could cause an accident even when you are driving very carefully.

OP, take this seriously but try not to be too hard on yourself. Accidents happen. If no one is hurt and you learn from them, they can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

i am by no means perfect and have had a couple of low-speed scrapes when parking/reversing so I don't want to get all preachy BUT...

I do think it's really important to learn from any incidents or near-incidents. As mentioned upthread, cars are probably the most dangerous things most of us have access to, they are lethal. So I don't think "forget about it" is the right attitude. Work out what went wrong and why and try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Defensive driving is a skill that is generally learnt by experience.

I sometimes cycle or ride a motorbike and when I do it reminds me of just how scary cars can be. Helps to hone the defensive attitude.

But there's not point in your DH going beserk. That won't help anyone.

I've written off three cars and had a fair few other dings and dints. Thankfully no major injuries to anyone in any of them (even the one where I rolled the car) and they were all my fault. I used to drive excessive distances for work overseas so I suppose its a numbers game. However I still consider myself a good driver...

I had a similar period just after I passed my test. In mitigation I'd like to submit that I never actually had proper driving lessons, I had had a motorcycle as transport for a couple of years so I thought I knew how to behave on the roads, and that half-an-hour in a car park with my mother learning to master the clutch was all I needed.

Since my initial year, only two at-fault accidents in 25 years, the most recent being a tiny scrape while parking ten years ago. Current insurance premium just over £300, which isn't bad for the middle of London.

As long as you are always thinking what you could do better, trying to improve your habits, you should be fine.

"But apart from hitting the stationary object, you seem to be taking no responsibility here OP.

Surely it's not always someone else's fault?"

I certainly take no responsibility for the woman that drove into me in the car park. I was stationary (in a queue) and she reversed into me. Twice. And would have again if I hadn't got out and banged on her window. seriously.

The touching the bumper incident was literally touching, not a nudge. The very edge of my tow bar was literally just touching his bumper. He'd parked like a cunt

The stationary object was the corner of a skip on a - I thought - quite tricky manoeuvre. I'd been driving 16 days.

"Ultimately, further driving lessons might help but it sounds like what would really benefit you is finding some large boxes or something and going down to an empty car park (station car parks on Sundays are quiet) to just spend some time manoeuvring around them and really suss out your car and the way it moves."

Due to the nature of my job and the fact that I have 3 children in different schools, I have to park my car quite a number of times a day- at least 8 times - I know how it moves.

This latest incident has really shaken me though. I just don't understand why he stopped, he was over the line, there was no car coming

Can anyone help with what will happen re costs? The bloke is saying he can just send me invoice rather than going through insurance...?

Have never had to do anything with insurance (other than paying it)

No, I've had two separate instances of people going into the back of my car, both times with enough force to give me bad whiplash and write the cars off.

The first was at a set of traffic lights. The traffic lights were red, and the old man behind was speeding and couldn't stop in time.

The second time was when I was behind an accident, in the rain. I had my hazard lights on, etc etc. but I was stuck in the back of a queue on a bend, and had absolutely nowhere to go. I'd just come to a stop when he came round the bend, couldn't stop in time, and smacked into the back of me.

I've also had some twat reverse into me at a junction, when she decided she would turn left instead of right, and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to reverse first.

I long for a nice, robust tank now. My next car will be bright red.

Thanks for your explanations, Robin. Certainly, if somebody hits a stationary vehicle (that hasn't suddenly stopped) it must be their fault. She did it twice? Wtf??!!

Bumpers are there for a reason.

I think you should insist on going through the insurance company with your roundabout guy. Did he report it to the police? It sounds like he may be trying to pull a fast one. All the same, it's a learning experience - just do not go until your exit is clear, like it says in the book! If you're relying on other drivers to make it safe for you, you aren't safe.

I've had several minor prangs, all in the first 2 years of driving, none in the last 25 years!

Ah those fateful words 'I consider myself a good driver', Mrs WD - 'course you do and you've got the record to prove it.

Yep - she did it twice - best thing was that her mate was guiding her out . They were both - I discovered - in their 90's, pretty much deaf and blind.

It is a lesson learnt indeed garlicbrunch - I will definitely not make the mistake again! He didn't report it to the police.

In 10 years I have had 1 person go into the back of me at a roundabout.

I have driven into the side barrier in a multi-storey car park, reversed into numerous posts, and bushes.

DH on the other hand wrote of my car driving into a illegally parked car.

Oh, and you have to report accidents to your insurance company. It will be in the fine print, otherwise you invalidate your insurance.

Bloody hell. Nutritious should not be on the road at all. Advanced lessons or a bus ticket would be appropriate there for everyone's sake! That is shocking and the manner of post makes it sound even worse!

Nobody is perfect, everybody has a bump whether their own fault or not. It's what you learn from it that matters. Those who carry on with no regard for others should not be on the road. The others who take more care afterwards generally make better drivers in the long term.

My current bugbear with other drivers is those who fail to dip their mainbeam lights. Got blinded several times recently by selfish cunts who apparently didn't think I needed to see the road....

redbreast do you think it is possible it was a set up? That he wanted you to hit him so he can put in a claim?
It is more common than you may think.

It didn't cross my mind. But then I did wonder why he stopped midway across the line for no reason Still... I should have left braking distance, it's my fault whether he did it on purpose or not

It is, that's why they do it that way (scammers I mean).
Might be worth mentioning to your insurance company because they might then look into it further. If he had a history of claims like this then they would be onto him.

scammers

The roundabout thing is a common scam. It's happened to me too

TBH he didn't seem very 'criminal' like...and he wasn't holding his neck...

No, the one I hit at a roundabout didn't seem very criminal like, nor was he holding his neck.

He was also completely alone, but that didn't stop him making an injury claim for whiplash for himself and his 3 imaginary passengers