Nexuas

I was driving to work this morning, coming up to the winnersh triangle bussiness park roundabout by the cinema (For those of you in Reading that know it)

Anyway, the two cars in front of me decide to crash into each other.

I stopped to say I would be a witness as I know these things are easier for those invloved if there is an independant source of information. Got to work and started to write up what I had seen while it was still fresh in my mind, drew a pictur of the road layout and where the cars started and where they hit.

Now in the statement do I just place material fact, or can I suggest that one car was in the correct lane for the direction they were trying to go and that the other car was in the wrong lane? The lanes were not marked on the floor, and the right hand lane was closed due to road works. Woman in centre lane goes for right hand lane of first exit, guy in Left hand lane indicated right and goes for left hand lane of second exit, with inevitable results!

ajm

I'd just stick to the facts and leave opinion out of it! (That's not to say you can't imply your opinion in the way you tell the facts! )

Also, when I left details as a witness in the past I received forms from one of the insurance companies and also the police which were both broken down into fairly specific questions, so I wouldn't bother putting too much effort into it until you get the official forms.

47 NAT

Its hardly surprising that there are quite a few accidents there. The signs/roads are poorly marked and in the morning/evening rush to get to/from work its pretty gruesome.

Personally I'd wait to recieve the forms through the post and deal with them from there....

Nath

Nexuas

I just wanted to get down on paper what I remember happening while it was still fresh in my mind.

I hate doing offical documents as I always feel I am going to put my foot in it some how, but as you say I will wait and see what comes of it.

As always at the scene the driver I perceive to be in the wrong was all mouthy and was trying to make me say the other woman was in the wrong lane/speeding/driving without due care etc...

As I see it I want to make sure the driver I feel was in the wrong gets the full blame, and not the other driver?

47 NAT

Ok thats fair enough then When you get the forms come through, just attach a copy of what you've wrote down along with your diagrams and I would of though that would be sufficient. I'd personally just say it how you saw it and state who "you" think was in the wrong, after all its your version of the event...

Nath

Tiggs

small world, just drove past it 20 mins ago and there was a shunt between 3 cars!

best to avoid it today it seems!

Ratman

On the insurance forms I have filled in as a witness, there is a box asking "In your opinion, who was at fault for the accident?"

Ratman
MY98 Wagon

vindaloo

Well let's just hope she's not a scoobynetter then or your witness statement's fooked after the last statement!

Re. what you originally wrote: I do hate it when people turn immediately left from other than the left hand lane, even if there's two lanes to the left. Most ordinary roundabouts (A&B roads) , this can't happen and people don't expect it on m'way and DC roundabouts either.

J.

fast bloke

I would think turning right from anything other than the right lane is risky unless the road is specifically marked to allow you to do so?

ProperCharlie

the way i see it - if the road that you are turning into is two lane, the left hand lane of the roundabout should be used exclusively by people wishing to turn left into the nearside lane of the exit road. the other lane of the roadabout should be used by either people who wish to go straight on, or me when i can't be bothered to wait in the queue for turning left, and wish to turn into the outside lane of the (left) exit road.

doesn't always work out though. i guess that's what spending too much time driving through stevenage does to you.

Nexuas

Normally the roundabout has three lanes and two exits both of which are dual carriage way. The way I see it the left lane is for left, the right lane is for right and the centre lane is for either exit.

I think which ever way you look at it you should never turn right from the left hand lane? Had the driver in the centre lane been going for the left hand lane of the second exit I still think they would have come together, but more of a broad side, rather than a 45 degree T bone type thing.

fast bloke

If you are going straight on either lane is OK - If you are going left at the first exit then you should be in the left lane. (Sometimes the marking show two lanes leaving at a particular exit, in which case your statement would be correct)

Nexuas

The roundabout does not really have a straight on, more a left and a right.

fast bloke

In that case they are probably both at fault (both in the wrong lane) Just write the statement as a bunch of facts with a diagram (and some nice arrows) and let the insurance companies sort it out