"Accident" help

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Quick hypothetical:
You are crossing a light controlled crossing with your children on foot. You start to cross on the green man signal. Half way across the signal starts flashing and soon after the lead vehicle (lets just say a BMB for arguments sake) gets a little impatient and starts rolling over the crossing when you and your children are still on it, in an rather impatient, threatening way. You put your hand up in an instinctive “hang on, people still on the crossing and you are driving in to us way” but the idiot keeps coming – you then slap the bonnet in a meaningful STOP I AM NOT HAVING THIS way and he slams on the breaks and gets rammed by the 4x4 behind.... Is the obnoxious passenger in the 4x4 correct in asserting that the “accident” is your fault?

 

[MrJamie]

Id guess the angry car was partly to blame for trying to cross when it wasnt safe to do so, but probably the bloke behinds fault for not leaving enough space to stop.

Hard to visualise the crossing and which direction the cars were coming from, if they tried to push through in front or behind you etc.

 

[daSmirnov]

Car behind should leave space to stop.

Car pulling into crossing should have some patience. No where in the Highway Code does it say anything about being allowed to run people over because they're crossing the road.

Hard to see how a pedestrian, about to have their kids potentially run over by some twat is in the wrong for 1) using an audible warning 2) slapping car after audible warning unsuccessful.

 

[growingvegetables]

The one person NOT at fault would be you.

The 4x4 would be held liable for the collision - driving so close to the car in front he couldn't stop. In an ideal world, the first driver would also be hanged, drawn and quartered for daring to endanger pedestrians on a crossing (but wouldn't necessarily lose his licence).

 

[PK99]

Quick hypothetical:
You are crossing a light controlled crossing with your children on foot. You start to cross on the green man signal. Half way across the signal starts flashing and soon after the lead vehicle (lets just say a BMB for arguments sake) gets a little impatient and starts rolling over the crossing when you and your children are still on it, in an rather impatient, threatening way. You put your hand up in an instinctive “hang on, people still on the crossing and you are driving in to us way” but the idiot keeps coming – you then slap the bonnet in a meaningful STOP I AM NOT HAVING THIS way and he slams on the breaks and gets rammed by the 4x4 behind.... Is the obnoxious passenger in the 4x4 correct in asserting that the “accident” is your fault?

no:

highway code
22

Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated by pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic signals. When the red figure shows, do not cross. When a steady green figure shows, check the traffic has stopped then cross with care. When the green figure begins to flash you should not start to cross. If you have already started you should have time to finish crossing safely.
196

Signal-controlled crossings

Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings where flashing amber follows the red ‘Stop’ light. You MUST stop when the red light shows. When the amber light is flashing, you MUST give way to any pedestrians on the crossing. If the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed with caution.

 

[BentMikey]

You don't need to feel a thing, mate. Not your fault at all, just two twats in cars misbehaving, let them sort it out between themselves. In any incident like this you'll always get someone blaming the wrong party.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Sounds like karma for the drivers of both vehicles to me. Not your fault at all.

 

[Thomk]

You don't need to feel a thing, mate. Not your fault at all, just two three twats in cars misbehaving, let them sort it out between themselves. In any incident like this you'll always get someone blaming the wrong party.

FIFY - 2 drivers and the passanger in the 4x4

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

"I'm sick of waiting for pedestrians so I'm going to break the law!"

"I wasn't watching what I was doing so I'm going to blame everyone else!"

Not at all your fault.

 

[classic33]

On a personal level, the driver that failed to wait until the crossing was clear, and therefore safe for them to proceed is at fault. If their vehicle was then hit from behind by one following too close, the driver of that vehicle is at fault for causing a second incident/collision.

I've had a driver pulled to the side of the road, by the police, for doing what was described & made to explain his actions. The dent in the bonnet was then the least of his problems. Police classed what I'd done as self defence. They were on the opposite side of the crossing at the time, going the other way, so saw all of what happenned.

 

[cloggsy]

Quick hypothetical:
You are crossing a light controlled crossing with your children on foot. You start to cross on the green man signal. Half way across the signal starts flashing and soon after the lead vehicle (lets just say a BMB for arguments sake) gets a little impatient and starts rolling over the crossing when you and your children are still on it, in an rather impatient, threatening way. You put your hand up in an instinctive “hang on, people still on the crossing and you are driving in to us way” but the idiot keeps coming – you then slap the bonnet in a meaningful STOP I AM NOT HAVING THIS way and he slams on the breaks and gets rammed by the 4x4 behind.... Is the obnoxious passenger in the 4x4 correct in asserting that the “accident” is your fault?

IMHO, no and no...

The BMW shouldn't have started encroaching at all whilst the crossing was still in use by pedestrians; pedestrians always have the right of way! Second, the 4x4 is at fault for hitting the BMW up the jacksy because they were driving 'without due care and attention'.

 

[gaz]

I see this sort of behaviour regularly from all road users, putting pressure on pedestrians crossing the road. I'm sure if situations where reversed, they wouldn't feel it was their fault.

 

[4F]

The 4x4 was at fault for not allowing themselves a safe stopping distance, the front car was an impatient knobber. You are not at fault.

 

[fossyant]

Two idiots driving cars. You did the right thing.

Did something similar myself a few years back walking into Manchester, with my old man and my brother in law (pre hip replacement). Crossed a big 6 lane junction on the green man, but we ran out of time 3/4 of the way cross. My dad and BIL were 'obviously' hobbling over the road. Anyway, idiot in car starts revving at us, so I stick my hand out and shout 'stop'. He does but gives verbals, so we just tell him to 'f off' - he then roars off to the next lights screaming abuse. What we heard next was his wife saying 'they are only trying to cross the road'.

 

[HLaB]

The 4x4 will be blamed for not providing adequate room to stop but I hope somebody delves more deeply into it and apportions the majority of blame to the tw@t morally responsible (the BMW driver). Slightly OT the grand plan was to phase out such Pelican crossing as they frequently can result in such a conflict and replace them with Puffins which will display a Red to drivers for the whole time a ped is crossing (regardless of speed, child/adult/pensioner) but under the current economic climate I don't know how fast councils will be.