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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If it is ever the front car's fault.

82 replies

DownToTheSeaAgain · 27/09/2021 18:21

Someone drove into the back of me today as I was stopping at a crossroads.

Swapped numbers etc etc submitted insurance claim and all that is progressing. It's not a lot of damage but some.

Anyway I was wondering if there were ever a case when it could be construed as my fault for stopping rather than the other person for not stopping. The light was on amber, switching to red. If I'd driven across then I'd have been driving on red.

OP posts:
Herecomesthesun70 · 28/09/2021 18:45

@30kgtogo

Someone did a “cash for crash” in front of me couple of years ago - she did an emergency stop on a freely moving 40mph dual carriageway…. I also did emergency stop, but our number plates just made contact. No damage to hers, slightly cracked my number plate. Small children in car with me, so v scary. Clearly I had not left quite enough stopping distance. We got out, had a look agreed no damage on hers, all unhurt, v relieved. She became quite agitated when saw children were with me… we did exchange details and I stupidly didn’t take photos. 10 mins later receive a text saying her boot and bumper have significant damage, and she has whiplash. My insurance company didn’t even contest it on the basis of me going into her - so my fault. I know that technically it is, but still makes me angry. Lost over 20 years no claims bonus and doubled my premium. I had no choice but to report it as insurance void otherwise. A friend’s driving instructor husband in a big city says it is rife. Grrr - as you were.
You could have contested this. Surely your insurer inspected both vehicles. You should have only lost 2 years bonus
Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 28/09/2021 18:57

My mum won a court case after she drove into a car in front. It was because they have overtaken her, pulled in and then immediately slammed on their brakes. If you were just stopping at a light it was the car behind's fault for not keeping their braking distance.

Thisyearcandoone · 28/09/2021 19:01

Yes! I was driving once and went around a corner to find a car stopped talking to someone on the pavement. My insurance fought it and she accepted liability in the end

JellyfishandShells · 28/09/2021 19:27

I was waiting at a red light once behind a van. To my horror, it suddenly reversed back- I barely had time to reach for my horn before it hit me. He stopped and got out - totally shocked, saying that he hadn’t seen me behind him and made the manoeuvre so that he could make a last minute decision to move to the left hand lane. He really can’t have looked in his side mirrors at all ( no rear as there were no rear windows) as I was not tucked up closed behind him (he had ladders on the top and I was giving them a wide berth ) and my car wasn’t small.

Fortunately there were witnesses, who were nearly as astonished as me, and he was very, very apologetic. We exchanged details and it turned out he lived next door to a friend of mine.

I received a note of apology from him the next day, saying that he’d rather pay directly rather than go through his insurance - which I passed onto my insurance company as they were already involved in arranging the repair to my front.

The insurance company said I was very fortunate to have had good witnesses and his written admission in the form of the note, since he could otherwise have later challenged my version of events, no matter how nice he seemed at the time, and it would have automatically been deemed my fault as that is the standard position.

takingmytimeonmyride · 28/09/2021 19:40

My friend was stopped (at a junction I think) when the car in front went into reverse and slammed into the front of her car. Then claimed she'd driven into them and they'd got whiplash injuries etc. Hmm No witnesses so it was their word against hers.

EmoIsntDead · 28/09/2021 19:48

I really must but myself a dashcam... 🤔

gamerchick · 28/09/2021 19:53

@gogohm

Generally yes front car is at fault though there's cases of people deliberately causing crashes by slamming on the brakes (claiming whiplash) so there are exceptions
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's a case by case thing because of all the scammers.

The only time I can think of, is if a car smashes into the car in front, which bumps into the car in front of that... while stationary, in a traffic jam

Aren't you supposed to use the handbrake in such a situation to try and prevent that?

KrisAkabusi · 28/09/2021 19:56

@DownToTheSeaAgain

Thank you. I'm worried that the insurance company will somehow find a reason not to pay up for the garage investigating the repair/ the courtesy car and somehow land it back on me. It sounds like it is not likely in this case so thank you for the reassurance.
Even if it was 100% your fault, you're still insured!
Original poster
DownToTheSeaAgain · 28/09/2021 19:59

Good point @KrisAkabusi. I was actually a lot more shook up than I realised yesterday even though I wasn't hurt at all.

OP posts:
Starrycolors23 · 28/09/2021 19:59

Not true - you can be forced into 50/50 if the rear driver argues that you rolled backwards, especially easy if bad weather. Happened to me.

Bonbon21 · 28/09/2021 20:05

Car in front of me did emergency stop because car in front of him suddenly braked and turned right at the last moment.
I did emergency stop.
Woman behind me admitted she was chatting and looking at her passenger when she drove into me and shunted me into the car in front.
£4500 damage ( front and back end damage to my 6 month old car ) and £1400 whiplash payment (which I didnt actually ask for but accepted gracefully) paid by her insurance company without any hassle.. also got a courtesy car for the 6 WEEKS it took to fix my car....

Bonbon21 · 28/09/2021 20:06

Take it easy for a few days... emotional and physical reaction may well hit you later on.

itsgettingwierd · 28/09/2021 20:11

Shouldn't think so.

I was driving behind a van today as lights turned amber. We were both about to go through and I'd have carried on.

He stopped suddenly and had stopped at line before it even went red.

I know it would have been my fault if I'd gone into the back of him even though he stopped very quickly and very unnecessarily!

BurntO · 28/09/2021 20:13

I remember reading on here about a woman pulling off a slip road onto a pretty quiet motor way. No traffic so she checked her blind spot and started to pull out but the car infront of her had put its breaks on and stopped at the end of the slip road despite their being no cars coming. She was checking her blind spot so rear ended them. Not sure what happened but it seems unfair.

SudokuWillNotSaveYou · 28/09/2021 20:35

I really, REALLY recommend getting a dashcam, front and back. They are so dead cheap on Amazon, do not require a mechanic to connect, and it could save your 20 year no claims bonus or years of elevated claims in the future or save you from someone backing into you and claiming you rear-ended them (someone reversing into you is often an accident fraud now so I wouldn’t count on them being honest and it often might happen when there are no witnesses or they have one and you don’t! My friend had it happen, pointed to his dash cam, and the other driver ran back to his car and scarpered off!). Some insurance policies will even give you a discount for having them, like a speed black box. If the OP had dashcams, there would be no worry - it would show that she wasn’t doing any dangerous driving when hit, and other driver is 100% at fault (if he or she claims otherwise).

PenOrPencil · 28/09/2021 20:47

Somebody drove into the back/side of my car on a roundabout while trying to undertake me. Insurance settled on 50/50 and she claimed for whiplash.

GrouchyKiwi · 28/09/2021 20:51

What about in a case like this?

We were on a motorway going 70, DH indicated to pull into the middle lane from the right lane after passing someone, and moved across. As he did the driver from the left lane pulled into the middle at the same time without indicating.

Thankfully both drivers swerved and avoided crashing, but it was bloody terrifying at that speed. If we had crashed would DH have been considered at fault?

(I realise at that speed it would have been a terrible, horrible accident and maybe they don't bother about blame in those situations?)

GrouchyKiwi · 28/09/2021 20:53

Sorry - left lane car was slightly ahead.

ilovemydogandmrobama2 · 28/09/2021 21:08

worked in insurance and mostly it's never the fault of the driver in front with very few exceptions, i.e. 'slam on,' where a driver will intentionally drive in front of vehicle, and suddenly and without warning slam on brakes, get hit and passengers will claim personal injury.

MaisyMary77 · 28/09/2021 21:08

After having someone try repeatedly to get me to crash into them on a very large but quiet roundabout, I got a dash cam. That was a scary couple of minutes!!
It’s really reassuring to know it’s there.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 28/09/2021 21:13

I've always viewed it as..... if a child ran out, could I stop in time?... and adjust my speed, distance from car in front accordingly.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 28/09/2021 21:14

@GrouchyKiwi

What about in a case like this?

We were on a motorway going 70, DH indicated to pull into the middle lane from the right lane after passing someone, and moved across. As he did the driver from the left lane pulled into the middle at the same time without indicating.

Thankfully both drivers swerved and avoided crashing, but it was bloody terrifying at that speed. If we had crashed would DH have been considered at fault?

(I realise at that speed it would have been a terrible, horrible accident and maybe they don't bother about blame in those situations?)

That would be a 50:50 between insurers. Unless witnesses said otherwise.
HuhWhatNow · 28/09/2021 21:15

@thinkfast

I was once on a bus which was over taken by a speeding car which then slammed on its brakes right in front of the bus. Bus crashed into the back of the car. Loads of people in the bus fell over / were shaken /hurt. I was sitting on the front seat of the top deck so had a very clear view of the incident.

The people in the car jumped straight out with their phones to take photos and exchange details.

I'm confident it was an extremely dangerous scam. I can't see how the bus driver could've avoided the collision. Can't see how bus driver could be to blame for it.

It's a very common crash for cash scam where I grew up in Lancashire. The car that swings in front of the bus would be full of people. As many as could legally fit. All would have "whiplash". The bus would also have many of their friends and family on board who would also make a claim for whiplash and other injuries.

As a result, all buses have cameras EVERYWHERE. Dash cams, side and rear cams and internal ones too.

The police saw too many incidences occurring and started doing checks on the passengers and found that they tended to be related to the people in the cars. Most ended up on fraud charges.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 28/09/2021 21:16

Sadly even if it all goes as expected op and it's deemed you're not at fault, be prepared for your premiums to go up. Even admitting you've had an accident makes the actuaries nervous and seem you more risky.

Original poster
DownToTheSeaAgain · 28/09/2021 21:29

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully

Sadly even if it all goes as expected op and it's deemed you're not at fault, be prepared for your premiums to go up. Even admitting you've had an accident makes the actuaries nervous and seem you more risky.
Yes but not reporting it to the insurance would be illegal. Even if we didn't make a claim. We've got a protected no claims but I have absolutely no doubt that when we come to renew the price will go up.
OP posts: