You need a nice modern car with front camera that looks to the sides. It’s a revelation though it doesn’t remove the need to fully check with the eyeballs.
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Agreed. Also one that records so that you can have a record of what happened. I had a scenario where two white vans came screaming round a corner on my side of the road as I was heading towards the bend. In avoiding them I went up onto the verge and scraped the length of the car along a barrier hidden in the long grass.
I always wonder if I’d held my nerve would I have got past them? I will never know. And of course I have no evidence of the vans (logos / number plates - nothing)
On that occasion I would have loved a good camera!
Or just be alert and drive defensively.
While I agree, it helps solve this part of the issue.
That’s a good point, although reflections in the white and blue cars would have given some indication of approaching vehicles. Reflections, shadows etc can be very useful in building a fuller picture.
I’ve just seen this - glad you escaped the scythe thought it appears to have whistled quite close … Having your arm in plaster for a month is going to be a drag though. I found it very limiting when I had my right hand operated on - could really do nothing I wanted to one-handed… Hope you are getting properly looked after.
There’s one junction near here I am so scared of that I drive round the block so that I can come out of a different road - another 200m or so but it means I emerge with decent visibility instead of completely blind.
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Its roundabouts here that are frightening. Most have the left obscurred by hedges, trees or bushes so you have no clear view and contrary to how I was taught to drive, most locals seem to speed up and take a r/bout fast without even looking at other cars,regardless of someone pulling onto it from not having anything in view coming. I’ve been known too to go a bit further along and pull out where I can clearly see what is coming, a small price to pay for safety.
Roundabouts everywhere often have hedges or panels placed so that it is impossible to see what’s coming. The theory being cars approaching the r/bt will slow down and check rather than barrelling onto it because the driver reckons there’s enough of a gap.
That’s true. I do it all the time. There’s a ‘priority from the right’ in Vire town centre which is a particularly dodgy junction, esp as the car coming from the right almost always then turns left across one’s bows.
I keep my eyes on a shop window giving a 45° view up that street.
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Vero did, though
I agree entirely! My comment was in reply to a different poster…
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Thinking about this…
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Or a wife/passenger. Preferably with handy wellies. And a red flag in a stick.
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We had an accident 8 weeks ago whilst on a priority road where the other diver pulled out in front of us clearly not our fault. Still dealing with insurance for medical and car plus dealing with the Gendarme. We ended up in hospital still both recovering.
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Sorry to hear about your accident - hope the recovery progresses well Eddie!
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Hello Chris,
Thank you for your kind message
Regards
Eddie
Indeed, I hope your recovery is not slow and is complete. There’s so much hassle after an accident, even if it’s not your fault.
The amount of paperwork generated is staggering- as I advised Vero - claim for everything because there’s so much, it mounts up so fast and there are knock-on expenses - our insurance has increased even tho’ it wasn’t our fault and my wife’s medical insurance went up because she made so many (small ) claims during September.
I think the aftermath of our accident last month is going to generate nearly €2000 worth of expenses
Will you / can you try to recover compo for insurance impact for at least 5 years now? that’s the minimum period I’d expect a no-fault to affect my premiums in the UK. Not sure if there’s even a way to do that in France and would be curious to know if impact on premiums is even longer here.
Have the police got any further with identifying why / assigning full blame to the other party?
I really don’t know how many extra years insurance we could claim for (if any beyond the immediate present). Nothing further on the other driver, but because we’ve pressed charges (on the advice of the police) the matter is now being passed to a magistrate.
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