My first accident

[dullard]

Well after roughly 10 years of a spotless record, I now have my first accident and citation. I really wish that the law would allow sharing the responsibility, since the other driver did break the law. Here is what happened:

I was turning left and there were no cars on the road. As I started turning the light turned yellow. There is a large bump in the road so you have to go slow, but since I thought no one was coming I'd be better off going through the yellow/red than stopping while I'm halfway in the intersection. At the same time I decided to turn, another driver turned onto the road, saw it turn yellow, and floored her sports car to attempt to beat the red light (against the law). She wasn't paying attention to cars in the intersection (and I didn't know she was even on the road at the time I made the decision to finish the turn). Well she clipped the back of my car and broke my rear axle - no other noticible damage but some scratches. Her front bumper is broken and her lights need repair. Unfortunately the law states that I have to prove it turned red 10 feet before she entered the intersection - while she claims it turned red as she entered the intersection - so I get full legal blame. Its my word against hers as to when it turned red so as always the person who turned is ticketed. I will have to accept blame that I didn't think she would enter the road and then attempt to beat the red; however I don't think it should be black and white like the law forces it to be.

Do you think this is 100% my fault or is it more like 50%/50%?

 

[Czar]

50/50 here

 

[iamwiz82]

its not legal to turn on yellow? i believe it is in michigan.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
its not legal to turn on yellow? i believe it is in michigan.

It's perfectly legal in Michigan. (lived there 26 years)

You are supposed to enter the intersection (not too far ) and complete your turn when traffic clears. If that means the light's yellow/red it doesn't matter.

 

[ohtwell]

As far as I know it is legal to turn on yellow if you are blocking the intersection when the light changes. I don't really understand how it's all your fault. She should have been held accountable too.

Glad that you are okay!



: ) Amanda

 

[TomC25]

My wife got in a very similar accident. She was turning left on yellow. A high school kid speeds up to beat a light and runs a yellow light hitting my wife's car in the passenger front tire. The police said it was a 50/50 fault accident and they both got tickets. They said he should have seen her turning even though he had the right of way and for my wife they said she should have seen him accelerating and should have waited even though she would be holding up cross traffic on green.

 

[DAM]

i think its legal in texas, atleast everyone does it around houston/browsville/bryan/college station.


sorry about the wreck man, but usually the turning party will get the ass whopping.



dam()

 

[narzy]

ya I got in my first accident 10 days after I got my licence, some ass clipped my front end at 40 + MPH. his fault. my loss stupid uninsured drivers! and I only had liability insurence, so he filed claim agenst my insurence company, which they rejected but my insurence still went up. stupid asshole uninsured driver. (all I managed to do to his car is break a spindel on his left front tire which impacted my right passenger side, I'll take pictures if you want.

if she rear ended you its 100% her fault if you had a clean light. (yellow) are their traffic camera's mounted on your stop lights? (we have them here in oregon.) or witnesses?

 

[dullard]

its not legal to turn on yellow

It is legal, but you of course have to yield the right of way. I just never thought she would gun it from her original position.

She was turning left on yellow. A high school kid speeds up to beat a light and runs a yellow light hitting my wife's car in the passenger front tire. The police said it was a 50/50 fault accident and they both got tickets. They said he should have seen her turning even though he had the right of way and for my wife they said she should have seen him accelerating and should have waited even though she would be holding up cross traffic on green.

Sounds identical to me. That is why I think we should both have been given some blame (so my insurance doesn't have to fork out the whole bill).

Glad that you are okay!

Yep it was a small accident with no injuries and not too much damage - waiting for the estimates.

usually the turning party will get the whopping

This is what is happening.

are their traffic camera's mounted on your stop lights

I'd be all for them, but too many people complain about privacy concerns.

 

[guyver01]

Originally posted by: narzy
asshole

wow!!

that's the second time i've seen an ELITE curse... without reprocussion....


::::bows before elite-ness::::

 

[Que-TiP]

glad you're okay. Accidents suck. Where I live (michigan also) they have those kinds of lights, and also the kind where the left turn lane gets a blinking red, then a green arrow. I like these better.

-Alex

 

[narzy]

Originally posted by: guyver01

Originally posted by: narzy
asshole

wow!!

that's the second time i've seen an ELITE curse... without reprocussion....


::::bows before elite-ness::::

ass and asshole arn't banned. some cursing is permitted from what I can tell.

 

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: narzy
ya I got in my first accident 10 days after I got my licence, some ass clipped my front end at 40 + MPH. his fault. my loss stupid uninsured drivers! and I only had liability insurence, so he filed claim agenst my insurence company, which they rejected but my insurence still went up. stupid asshole uninsured driver. (all I managed to do to his car is break a spindel on his left front tire which impacted my right passenger side, I'll take pictures if you want.

can't you sue him? I mean, at least claim that you're hurt and put that @sshole in jail

 

[dman]

I'm not a lawyer but it was explained to me by traffic cops and driving school (for speeding not this scenario) instructors that In FL, it is illegal to enter an intersection unless it is safe and clear to proceed all the way through. Thus, if the light turns green and you are making a left turn you can't legally start going until you know it's clear to make the entire turn. No stopping in the middle waiting for traffic to clear on the other side and the skim through on yellow.

Now, everybody does this and I've never seen or heard of anyone getting ticketed for it, but, if you got into an accident because you ran the yellow/red and got into an accident odds are you'd be at fault.

Another common scenario is exiting a shopping center making a left turn across a 4 or 6 lane highway with a median in the middle. Most folks jump out and stop in the middle until traffic on the other side clears and then go. That's also illegal, but, everybody does it. And again, no tickets unless you got into an accident doing it.

The rule is you aren't supposed to go until it's clear to go the whole way. And if you think it's a defense to say it'll never be clear then you are wrong, you'd have to go another route, like make a right turn and go to another intersection where you can make a U Turn on an arrow or something.

I'm surprised if that's not the case in other states.

 

[notfred]

That's why out here in California, we have these things called "turning lanes" with thier own seperate lights (with ARROWS even!). When the left turn arrow is green, you can turn left. When it's not, you can't. pretty simple.

I much prefer it to the "sit in the middle of the street and try to shoot in between oncoming traffic" method that many other states use.

 

[TallBill]

sounds like legally 50=50 to me.. u got hosed

 

[Zclyh3]

At least you didn't get into an accident on your birthday.

 

[ratkil]

Just be thankful you don't like in Missouri, here your auto insurance will not cover you if the other person in the accident decides to sue you. One more reason to love MO

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: notfred
That's why out here in California, we have these things called "turning lanes" with thier own seperate lights (with ARROWS even!). When the left turn arrow is green, you can turn left. When it's not, you can't. pretty simple.

I much prefer it to the "sit in the middle of the street and try to shoot in between oncoming traffic" method that many other states use.

Actually that intersection does have a turning lane that I was in and a green arrow light. However I've gone through that intersection for 7 years and I've only seen that green arrow light up about 2 or 3 times (even as I sit and wait through several reds it still doesn't light up). It is just poorly programmed, but not broken. I think it takes a dozen or so cars in the turning lane before it is activated - which rarely occurs.

 

[dafatha00]

Originally posted by: notfred
That's why out here in California, we have these things called "turning lanes" with thier own seperate lights (with ARROWS even!). When the left turn arrow is green, you can turn left. When it's not, you can't. pretty simple.

I much prefer it to the "sit in the middle of the street and try to shoot in between oncoming traffic" method that many other states use.

California still has some lanes which have unprotected turns. Manhattan Beach is full of them.

But turning lanes are nice.