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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

It's a driving one - diagram included

49 replies

barrelohflaughs · 29/04/2019 10:42

Car A pulls in to a cul-de-sac while Car B is reversing off a drive for a house to the right. Car A slows to a stop, Car B also stops. Car A then follows the road to the left and pulls up at the far end of the road.

After about 5 minutes the mum of Car B walks over to the passenger of Car A stood outside of the car and says "She has just caused my daughter to have an accident by screeching down the road". She explains that her daughter had to swerve out of the way of Car A and as a result has hit Car C.

Passengers and driver of Car A approach Car B and the driver confirms she had to swerve out of the way. When the driver of Car A explains that she had come to a stop Car B tells her to go away. Car C says she didn't see/know what had happened; she was in the car when it happened.

Who is at fault?

It's a driving one - diagram included
OP posts:
TedIsINNOCENT · 29/04/2019 10:45

B

BiscuitDrama · 29/04/2019 10:46

So did B have to swerve or A would have hit it?
Or did B just think A would hit it?

I’m guessing the second one, in which case B panicked, should have just stopped. B at fault.

Jellybeansincognito · 29/04/2019 10:46

Car b, car b also knows this hence the lies regards to swerving out of the way due to erratic driving.

mum11970 · 29/04/2019 10:48

Car B without a shadow of a doubt.

brizzlemint · 29/04/2019 10:48

The driver of car b was at fault for hitting car C. The driver of Car C shouldn't have parked so close to the drives and the driver of Car A was being a bit of a twat by stopping so that the road was blocked and B couldn't get out but that's not caused the accident.

ineedaholidaynow · 29/04/2019 10:49

What was C doing as they seem to be sticking out rather parking like the rest of the cars on that side?

On the face of it looks like B is at fault

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 29/04/2019 10:50

Car b was coming out of a driveway and needed to give way to car A already on the road. Car B is at fault

mum11970 · 29/04/2019 10:53

Brizzle how on Earth was car A being a twat? Unless car A could actually see car B reverse when first entering the road there is nothing they could do but stop. Car B shouldn’t even really be reversing of the drive, the correct way is to reverse on and drive off.

mum11970 · 29/04/2019 10:54

Off not ‘of’ the drive obviously.

shallichangemyname · 29/04/2019 10:57

B
Right of way is to the car on the road.

GinUp · 29/04/2019 10:57

B was also reversing into a road even though her view would have been blocked by the car parked next to the driveway.

Maybe next time she should consider reversing into the drive when she parks to have better visibility..

MereDintofPandiculation · 29/04/2019 11:00

Depends really on the accuracy of the accounts. What if Car A didn't "slow to a stop", but instead slammed on their brakes because they'd been driving along the cul-de-sac at far too high a speed?

thecatsthecats · 29/04/2019 11:01

Car B. Car A's actions are more or less irrelevant given that they weren't reversing and that they were in control enough of their own vehicle to stop without crashing into anything!

(I say this as someone who reverses off their own drive, and am fully aware that any incident as a result is my responsibility. There's no actual legal way to reverse onto my drive without reversing significantly in the road- which is at a set of lights, and always has traffic there anyway - or driving on the pavement. I'm just bloody careful as a result!)

SoupDragon · 29/04/2019 11:02

B

TixieLix · 29/04/2019 11:03

First thought is that Car B is at fault. If she was reversing off the drive she should have given way to Car A which was already on the road.

However, a couple of questions:

  1. Why is Car C at such an angle, and were they moving or stationary?
  2. How does one 'swerve out of the way' when they're reversing (you would assume slowly) off their drive?

As PP said, Car B needs to learn to reverse onto her drive if visibility is bad trying to reverse off.

IWouldPreferNotTo · 29/04/2019 11:05

Car b drove into a stationary vehicle while entering a road and not having right of way.

Car b could have stopped rather than using car c as an impromptu braking mechanism

Original poster
barrelohflaughs · 29/04/2019 11:08

I am Car A, but that was probably obvious! To answer a couple of questions:

Jellybeansincognito & TixieLix I agree. I don’t understand how you swerve out of the way when you are reversing; unless you were reversing at speed. Surely if you thought you were going to collide with a car on the road you would break?

Car C was stationary, I’m 99% sure they had parked up as I entered the road so I’m assuming Car B didn’t know they were there and so when I’ve driven past she has reversed as normal, not checking it was clear and hit C.

brizzlemint I stopped in case Car B hadn’t seen me and ironically, I didn’t want to cause an accident lol. I didn’t stop to let her go as that wouldn’t have achieved anything as I would have been blocking the only exit out of the street so Car B would have had to pull back on to her drive so I could clear the way.

MereDintofPandiculation The road is really narrow and you have to slow right down just to turn in to it due to all the cars parked down one side. The corner at the end is a blind one, again due to the amount of cars so you don’t know if anything is coming the other way.
I 100% was not ‘screeching’ down the road, it’s really narrow and you have to slow right down just to turn in to it due to all the cars parked down one side. It also isn’t a very long road so I wouldn’t have had chance to pick up any speed.

OP posts:
Duckee · 29/04/2019 11:09

Car A had the right of way as it was already on the road. Car B was reversing and entering onto that road so should have given way to Car A. Car C appears to be parked or positioned in a very odd way on the road. So Car B is in the wrong because not only is the driver reversing out onto and joining the road but the driver also crashed into another car already on that road.

RedDogsBeg · 29/04/2019 11:09

Makes no difference Mere Car A was already on the road therefore had right of way, Car B is manoeuvring into the road and has to give way to oncoming vehicles, which it initially did by stopping allowing Car A to proceed. Car B hitting Car C is not the fault of Car A as they were not there when that happened, Car B obviously didn't check to see if there were any other vehicles after Car A had passed and subsequently ended up in the path of Car C.

Was Car C also manoeuvring, or was it parked?

LindaLa · 29/04/2019 11:10

B.

Trying to blame someone else is shameless.

Reverse onto your drive and drive out.

I never understand those who say I can't possibly back onto the drive yet they can reverse out?

Assuming B is a new driver with entitled passenger.

GabriellaMontez · 29/04/2019 11:11

B reversed into a stationary car?

They are in the wrong.

Stefoscope · 29/04/2019 11:12

Car B should have pulled back into her drive to let Car A past.

Jaxhog · 29/04/2019 11:17

No question - Car B is at fault. If you reverse out onto a road, you are responsible for ensuring the road is clear to do so. She obviously wasn't looking!

SD1978 · 29/04/2019 11:18

B looks as if they have misjudged and pulled out not seeing C and hit them. The actions of A given they'd already left and driven off are not important. B got a fright, and made a mistake- and has full responsibility. I hope it's not the street you live on!

MereDintofPandiculation · 29/04/2019 11:19

Makes no difference Mere Does make a difference. B is to blame whatever, but had A been driving too fast she would have contributed. Think of the extreme scenario - you're cautiously coming out of your driveway an a quiet suburban road and suddenly car appears doing 50 and ploughs into you - still your fault? Though must admit I'm bewildered at the process by which someone reversing out of a driveway is panicked into slewing the car sideways into another parked car - pretty sure she must have been on a collision course anyway.