car accident when leaving a roundabout. Who is to blame?

Question

My girlfriend entered the big motorway roundabout going straight over. She stayed in the outside lane (closest to the centre of the roundabout). When she got to the dual carriage way exit she came off in the inside lane. The 3rd party had come tearing up on the inside and in effect was undertaking. Who is to blame and how should you exit a roundabout when going onto a dual carriage way. Thanks

Answer 1

Well, it depends on how many lanes there are in a roundabout, but I passed my driving test two years ago, and I was taught that in a two lane round about, the left lane is for turning left and going straight on, and the right lane for turning right. If you're in a spiral roundabout, you must stay in the lane that you join. Three lanes like the guy before me said, are fairly straight forward. If you're in the outside lane you need to stay there going on to a dual carriageway, then change afterwards, and vice versa for the inside lane.



As far as you mentioned, if you were the first to leave the roundabout, then the other person should have checked their mirrors before going from the left lane to right lane (since no matter what lane you were in you were ahead of them), but you can't change from outside to inside when leaving a roundabout - you should stay in the same lane. So I don't think that made any sense, but it seems that your girlfriend was at fault by changing from outside to inside lane, but the other person was at fault by undertaking and not looking where they were going.



Sorry, I don't think that made any sense!

Answer 2

Going straight over - she should have been in the left hand (outside) lane - you say she was in the outside lane closest to the centre - not possible.

It depends a lot on whereabouts the two cars hit each other, and unless the other car's front end hit your girlfriend's rear, then she was pretty much guaranteed to blame - not checking her mirrors prior to exiting.

From what you say, this was a motorway exit roundabout, which would mean that she entered in the right hand lane, attempting to go straight over & rejoin the motorway again - sounds a bit odd, so I assume it was a roundabout on a dual carriageway at a motorway intersection: Usually two lanes in & two lanes out - if so, she should have stayed in the right hand lane on entering & exiting the roundabout, and couldn't have hit the other car unless he had come from her nearside & tried to pull into lane 2 on the exit.

Something just doesn't add up here.

Answer 3

Did your girl friend cut from the outside lane to the inside lane to leave the roundabout and enter the dual carriageway without signalling when passing the previous exit. How can she prove the 3rd party was tearing up the inside, has she got witnesses and were the police involved? Did the 3rd party hit her in the side or rear of her car?

Answer 4

Sorry but your girlfriend is to blame, potentially she was in the right hand lane using the roundabout and therefore should have used the right hand land to leave the roundabout. However, the other vehicle was to a certain extent overtaking on the inside, so a little blame has to be apportioned there. Good luck.

Incidentally the highway code states that if you are following the road ahead at a roundabout you should use the inside (left hand) lane.

Answer 5

"My girlfriend entered the big motorway roundabout going straight over. She stayed in the outside lane".

First mistake - she should have been in the nearside (left) lane, unless it was blocked. Read the Highway Code, it will explain this to you..



"When she got to the dual carriage way exit she came off in the inside lane."

Second mistake. You do NOT change lanes as you exit a roundabout.

You enter in the left lane you leave in the left lane.

You enter in the right lane, you leave in the right lane.



From your description, you have admitted your girlfriend is at fault, due to poor lane discipline.



(...and another re-appearance of the "Thumbs-down Fairy"...)

Answer 6

Impossible to say without knowing the lane markings as on some roundabouts it could be you gf's fault and on others it could be the other drivers fault.

There is no such thing as undertaking on a roundabout as just passing on the inside is not undertaking.

Answer 7

Left lane Left turn,Right lane Right turn Middle lane going straight on,Many people do not understand roundabouts

Answer 8

She should have stayed in her lane taking her into the r/h lane of the motorway. Do driving instructors not teach roundabouts?

Answer 9

she should have stayed in the right lane as she was in the right lane on the roundabout so in fact she was in the wrong she should have looked over her shoulder to make sure the lane was clear be for entering it

Answer 10

You said your gf was going straight (2nd exit) and stayed close to the roundabout, and came off the inside lane (left) which was wrong.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070338



You have your inside and outside mixed up.

Inside - close to the roundabout

Outside - opposite.

Answer 11

If she used all the correct indications one could argue that the other chap should have seen that she was making that manoeuvre. However, she should have come off in the outside lane and not on the inside. Also, the other guy should not have undertaken so aggressively. I would say it is knock for knock as both parties made errors.

Answer 12

it rather is his fault as he could make certain the lane is obvious formerly shifting into the lane - which it of course replaced into not. you prefer an self sustaining witness to the twist of fate in any different case coverage human beings will only flow 50/50 as they don't in all likelihood care and prefer it dealt with right now. that is not proper that he replaced into interior the superb hand lane, if there have been 2 lanes on the go out. He replaced into utilising without due care if he replaced lanes without checking it replaced into sparkling.

Answer 13

there is a right of way so car to the right have it sort of but if car was behind her then they was at fault first car in first car out