Well, ive had better days!

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by Stu

Ahh This is a much better description of the accident.
So nobody stopped in the outside lane at all, just 2 cars stopped in the inside lane (one who missed her junction & ended up getting hit. & your wife)

just thought I would add for clarity as lot of people talking about stopping in the outside.

ahh didn't spot that bit.

[punyXpress]

[quote=Learningcurve;1765833]Thanks Shonadoll, shes woken up this morning aching all over.
Still, hey ho! Cant do anything about it.

Oh yes you can: sell them some 'familiarity' lessons!
Also get Sarah driving her own car as soon as you can - she may not want to, but it will be for the best.

Hi Les, just seen this mate, hope she,s feeling better today.

Originally Posted by Stu

Ahh This is a much better description of the accident.
So nobody stopped in the outside lane at all, just 2 cars stopped in the inside lane (one who missed her junction & ended up getting hit. & your wife)

just thought I would add for clarity as lot of people talking about stopping in the outside.

Sorry i'm still a bit confused about the accident. is this it??

Car A stopped in the left hand lane as she had missed her turning. Car B travelling in the left hand lane spotted the stopped car A, car B then swerved into the right hand lane to avoid hitting car A. Car C (your car) also travelling in the left hand lane saw the stopped car A when car B swerved to avoid it but was unable to stop and hence struck car A.

If this is the case and the road is not an "urban clearway" ie no stopping then unfortunately your missus may get full blame, could she have reasonably expected to come across a stationary vehicle, probably not, but it could have been a break down or earlier crash rather than a blatantly stupid act by the other driver.
Even if the police do charge the first driver it may not affect the ins companies viewpoint. That she was travelling too close to the car in front or too fast or not paying enough attention at the time of the incident, espcially as the car in front avoided the stationary one. Hopefully she was not on the phone (hands free obviously) at the time as this is starting to be used as liability even though not illegal.

Playing devils advocat here and by no means judging the situation or your wifes driving.

Sincerely hope your wife recovers fully physically and emotionally ( my oh now does a 20 mile detour to avoid a bit of road she crashed on on the odd ocassion she has to go that way)

Obviously all of the above is only my opinion and based on my probably wrong interpretation of the incident.

take care

Thanks for the sympathy guys and girls. Just got back from seeing the car in the daylight. Dont think I will be getting it back somehow!

Oh and Dickeyticker, thanks for the amateur lesson in driving. I have never studied the rules for stopping on clearways (what with being a driving instructor, and advanced driver). Guess id better look it up eh? You know how to make new friends dont you?

The reason for my uncertainty on the legal position, is that the accident took place at the junction of two different roads, with differing speed limits, one being a dual carriageway, the other single carriageway, so it is up to the Police to decide if the stop was:
a, Just stupid, b, Illegal, or c, dangerous driving.

Car B by the way, had just cut my wife up by joining the dual carriageway from a slip road on the left, whilst still indicating left (as though he was staying in that lane to go off at the next junction without joining the dual carriageway, which you can do at that junction). My wife had eased off as he dived in front of her. Almost immediately, the guy in front swerved into the right hand lane to avoid the stopped car. Due to this guys actions, my wifes attention was obviously more on his dangerous driving, and not on the stationary car in the inside lane.

To be honest, i dont really care who was at fault. The important thing is that neither driver was seriously hurt and walked away from the collision.

One thing has become clear today though after my wife producing her documents at the Police station, is that the other driver was cautioned at the scene, my wife wasnt.

Originally Posted by Learningcurve

To be honest, i dont really care who was at fault. The important thing is that neither driver was seriously hurt and walked away from the collision

+ 1

Im not actually sure if it is illegal to stop on a main A road dual carriageway with a 70mph speed limit, unless youve broken down, which she wasnt. There was no hard shoulder, she had just stopped past her turning in the inside lane, presumedly to reverse back when the road cleared?. I know its illegal on a motorway, but im not sure about trunk roads.

Your words which could have been clarified by stating if that particular stretch of road is or isn't a clearway,which you know the answer to so why doubt yourself.

You asked and I answered

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

Im not actually sure if it is illegal to stop on a main A road dual carriageway with a 70mph speed limit, unless youve broken down, which she wasnt. There was no hard shoulder, she had just stopped past her turning in the inside lane, presumedly to reverse back when the road cleared?. I know its illegal on a motorway, but im not sure about trunk roads.

Your words which could have been clarified by stating if that particular stretch of road is or isn't a clearway,which you know the answer to so why doubt yourself.

Dicky Ticker, the particular road in question, as I posted above, generally gets treated as if it's a motorway (you come from the M56 straight onto this road, although nowhere near the site of the accident, and people drive at "motorway speeds" right the way down here to Anglesey).

I'm not sure if the road is a clearway or not, though I suspect it is though. I know there are sections that do not allow L-plated drivers on, just like a motorway.

At the place where the accident happened (from the description given), there's actually 3 lanes of traffic. A single carriageway that runs parallel to the dual carriageway for a good few hundred feet to allow people to jump between roads.

Sorry, I just felt that needed clarifying a little.

How awful . I bet your wife is realy shaken still. I am glad she isn`t too badly hurt and hopes she gets better soon. GWS.