Neighbour reversed into my car, as I was reversing

[Jess92xo]

Thoughts please.

I got into my car on my drive earlier and saw another car coming down the road (slowly as if they were going to park up on that side of the road).

They go past the house opposite and stop, break lights on for what felt like about 20 seconds or so. I then reverse off of my drive until I reach the other side of the road and as I am about to put my car into "drive" and turn my wheel to move forwards, the stationary car starts to reverse with the back of my car right behind him. I beep my horn continuously and he doesn't even look round to my direction. He then hits my car, and even then still doesn't look round! He eventually looks round and looks totally confused.

Turns out he is my neighbour who lives opposite (I haven't met him properly yet) picking up a new car for his daughter.

He doesn't say much but gets out to look at the back of his car. He seemed quite reserved and doesn't admit any fault, neither do I. I told him that he looked parked up as he wasn't moving (I thought he was waiting to pick someone up) so I then thought it was safe to go into that side of the road when reversing.

I am not angry as these things happen but he should have checked all of his mirrors before reversing back, our road is pretty quiet and no one was there 30 seconds or so before he decided to move again. I just can't believe he didn't hear the horn to stop

He seemed quite timid and did said that all is ok and he doesn't want to go via insurance etc (neither damage was bad - just little scratches) so I'm not sure why he said this. But I'm just feeling so stressed out that this happened with a neighbour! Even though it's not my fault, I hate anything like this that makes things feel a bit awkward

I just want to see what others thought who is at fault? I'm very self critical and am now replaying it over and over as to whether I shouldn't of reversed out, but he genuinely looked parked up for what felt like long enough to believe he wasn't about to reverse.

I am the biggest worrier and stress head and came home and burst into tears! My partner couldn't work out why I was so upset and neither can I

@Jess92xo
I would say it sounds like he was more at fault than you.As PP said, how did he not hear your horn?

However, regardless of who is at fault, you should report the accident to your insurance company and get your car checked out. Just little scratches could actually be more damage than you realise.

Someone reversed into me in a car park a few years ago. She wasn't going very fast and the damage looked minimal. When we took it to the garage, the assessor showed us where the metal trim was now out of line, the crack underneath the bumper and the damage done to the grille. We hadn't noticed any of these and the repairs came to over £1000.

Not only that if the car has already had a bump, and you ignore it and you are then involved in a more serious collision further down the line, you could find the car doesn't stand up to the impact as robustly as it should do.

Yes in hindsight I should have but it was all very quick

That is not what OP said.

He was careless but if you were in the middle of the road and he was stopped as if parked on one side, and then went directly backwards, surely he’d only have scratched down the side of your car? You’d have had to be reversing down their side of the road for it to be head on, so to speak.

But I’d agree with the majority, both reversing, both at fault. You’d have been better to reverse yourself rather than keep beeping, and brake lights would suggest movement and not parking to me, but those are both easy to say in hindsight!

I had stopped and was about to put my car into drive to drive forward. In hindsight I should have done this but it was all very quick and I don't think I would of had enough time

So you were stationary when he reversed into you then?

You need to get your story straight because you're all over the place. If you were stationary then you need to make that clear when you report it to your insurer. Which you have to do even if you're not making a claim.

In which case I misunderstood. I thought she said she reverse and was about to drive forward.

Technically you are never supposed to reverse off your drive

"Never" ?? "If possible" it is advised to reverse into your drive as it is safer to drive out, there is no "officially", "technically", "never" or "fault" if you do.

@Jess92xo

lsst year someone went into my rear bumper, it was his fault, I was parked. Both looked, no visible damage, but he was acting very shifty & lied about who owned the vehicle & what his name was etc.. so I handed it over to my insurance. It was actually £3500 damage behind the bumper. And they had to replace the bar behind the bumper (can't remember what it's called) if they hadn't it could have caused a problem if someone else went up the back of me.

id advise going through the insurance & getting it checked out properly.

It sounds like you were both at fault. More him as he didn't look before reversing, but you maybe were a bit hasty in assuming he'd finished his manoeuvre.

i hope he's told his daughter so she can get her properly checked over.

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/using-the-road-reversing.html

If he’s picking up a new car for his daughter is it taxed and insured and is he insured to drive it? There may be a reason he doesn’t want to go through the insurance.

His brake lights being on indicated that his foot was on the brake pedal ... regardless of the gear selected (or not) or whether the handbrake was applied.

possibly, unless he is an added driver onto hers. She is young so I know insurance is very expensive and this would affect it even more.

There doesn't seem to be any damage to either of our cars

He's mostly in the wrong but I reckon insurance would go 50/50

It never fails to amaze me that people will move their vehicle in whatever direction whilst not looking in that bloody direction, I see it daily.

If you need it repaired Just go through insurance. Timid/reserved whatever sounds like this guy could be hard work to get this resolved informal

I know I wouldn't walk behind a "parked" car with the engine still running and brake lights on, and have taught my children not to do so either. I personally wouldn't consider it parked and safe to cross behind, unless the driver acknowledged my presence.

Why did you reverse all the way over to his side of the road? Or have I misunderstood?

You should never ever reverse out of a driveway. You will be held 50/50 responsible by your insurance.

Just get chips away to sort the scratches and move on with your life.

Oh here we go another Mumsnetter knows bett than the law. And probably does Even have a driving license.

That’s not true.

It doesn’t matter how you tried to word it, you was in the wrong. You came off a drive into the main road without it being clear to do so, you thought it was clear ( as you thought he was parked) but obviously not, which is how most accidents happen…accidentally assuming. The fact you was on the drive and him on the main road, means you are at fault.

Brake lights do tend to mean people are stopped, in a queue of traffic for example people don't bother to put the handbrake on, but it's also a clue theyre expecting to be about to move off.

If you were actually stationary and he set off without seeing you directly in his path, he obviously should have looked.

But as his brake lights were on, I wouldn't have got so close to him and stopped in his obvious path!

If you go through insurance, I’d say it will go 50/50. If you are sure that there is minimal damage then I wouldn’t worry about it. Just one of those things!

@Potentiallyplausible You think so?