I would say that 95% of the accident claims we see which involve a roundabout are caused by people who are in the wrong lane or are changing lanes. The Highway Code stipulates that you should take note and act on all the information available to you when approaching a roundabout. This includes traffic signs, traffic lights and lane markings which direct you into the correct lane. Therefore you should be checking the lane markings and signage to ensure you are positioned correctly for your exit.
Motorists which stay in the left hand lane and proceed all the way round the island in this lane until they reach the exit travel across roundabout exits – which other vehicles are attempting to exit at that point in the correct lane. Liability unfortunately is not always clear cut as often the parties involved will argue that they were positioned correctly on the roundabout.
In the case of Race v Tanner the Claimant, travelling on a motorcycle, was travelling in the right hand lane on approach to the roundabout, and the Defendant was travelling in the left hand lane. Both parties believed that they were intending to exit at the A23. The Defendant got the exits mixed up and did not realise her mistake until she was adjacent to the exit she needed. Instead of making a sharp turn at the exit the Defendant decided to continue around the roundabout. At this point, the Claimant had begun to pull off the roundabout at the A23 and therefore collided with the Defendant’s vehicle which should have exited.
Being in the wrong lane on the roundabout does not necessarily prove liability. However it is highly important that when you are adjusting your position on a roundabout, as you must take as much care as possible not to inconvenience other drivers positioned correctly.
In the case of Slater v Bancroft where a motorcyclist had to brake sharply and fell from his motorcycle as the Defendant failed to leave the roundabout at the exit which the Defendant should have according to the lane they were positioned in. The Defendant was held negligent as the Defendant was in the wrong lane for the intended exit and should have taken considerable care when adjusting the position to continue on the roundabout.
As you can see from the above cases, liability for an accident on a roundabout is not always straight forward as there can be several factors involved in the incident. This means that you will need expert personal injury advice on your case if you have been injured as a result of an accident like this.
Please contact our claims line to speak to one of our friendly helpful claims team. Call our claims line number 0800 634 7575.
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