[Andy764]

So I entered a mini roundabout indicating right & intending to use the roundabout to complete a u-turn. I held a slightly left line to enable my clockwise manoeuvre as the roundabout is on the small side. As I started my turn at say 11 o’clock the vehicle behind me went straight into the offside of my car, he had driven straight over the roundabout effectively over taking me. We both pulled over, had a brief discussion where he admitted liability but suggested I wasn’t indicating., we exchanged phone numbers & I took pictures of both cars. Before I left the scene a guy approached me to confirm I was indicating & that the other driver was at fault & that he would make a statement to that effect.
I obtained an estimate, informed my insurers & made numerous calls to the other driver, he has not answered any of them. I did a vehicle check & his Bentley has not been taxed for nearly 12 months. I promptly contacted my insurers & gave them a statement & the witness details. They have replied saying that wether I was indicating or not, because I veered left prior to driving around the roundabout it would make my claim 50/50 if the other driver doesn’t accept liability. I’m a uni student & my old car is probably a right off, surely a vehicle behind me at a roundabout should allow me to complete a manoeuvre if unsure of my intentions & it is illegal to drive straight over a mini roundabout basically performing an overtake? My insurers don’t seem interested & I’m considering speaking to the ombudsman. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

[Rolebama]

That roundabout is single lane, so he had no business other than being behind you. So my thought is 100% his fault.
FWIW: The advice I was given by the Ombudsman, when I was fighting a spurious claim, was to ask my insurer for their policy statement for claimants, as I needed to understand what I was complaining about exactly when I contacted the Ombudsman about them. It worked for me: Within two hours they phoned me back with the result I was after.

[Santa]

It would help if you could give the location of the roundabout so we can see what it looks like.

Under normal circumstances, a driver turning right or going all the way around would keep well to the right until the last exit before leaving.

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/roundabouts.html

[Andy764]

@Santa
thanks for the reply, I’ll try, the postcode is EX46BQ.

it’s a mini roundabout so if I’d not held the left of the lane my right hand full lock would not allow a u turn in one hit. It’s been a very long time since my car test & class 2 HGV test but I was taught that if I was unsure of the intention of a moving vehicle in front of me I should allow it room to complete the manoeuvre.
I cant envisage a scenario where a vehicle following another vehicle onto a mini roundabout 6-7 metres in diameter, collides with the lead vehicle offside & is not at fault.
I’m actually incredulous to be honest but every day is a school day

[Beelzebub]

Originally Posted by Andy764

it’s a mini roundabout so if I’d not held the left of the lane my right hand full lock would not allow a u turn in one hit. It’s been a very long time since my car test & class 2 HGV test but I was taught that if I was unsure of the intention of a moving vehicle in front of me I should allow it room to complete the manoeuvre.

OK it was a long time ago, but surely you were also taught "Avoid making U-turns at mini-roundabouts." [Highway Code 188].

[Andy764]

@Beelzebub *Avoid. Not listed as an offence though, unlike the numerous breaches of 188 made by the Bentley.

[Andy764]

@Rolebama
thank you for your reply, I see it exactly the same way. Esure have been a joke so far, still waiting for a reply from to an email we sent last Thursday. Having not had a bump for a number of years & not being the recipient of such poor service when I last had a claim, my question about their stance was more my query than who was to blame. I’m glad that you’ve confirmed that pursuing it further is worthwhile, at the moment I’m assuming I’m dealing with an entry level tick box filler.
My son is the claimant & I’m getting involved as I have more time to deal with this than he does.
Thanks for the advice, I’ll get the rest of my ducks lined up & get stuck in.