British reaction to car crash

There are 44 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 11,185 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

  • I really love dashcams.....I know in Russia it's law to have them.....never get tired of watching the videos hahahaha


    Anyway here for sure it would be something that I would like see implemented as law.


    The problem is always this: the one that bumbs into another car is guilty more or less......no matter how stupid the situation is.....for example pulling in front of you and braking fully.....or taking your priority in a roundabout or by a traffic light......

    On a video it would be clear same second.


    When I having a new car I'm gonna have cams installed straight away.....that way you can cut the discussion short when an accident happen.


    In your video it's clear who is causing the accident......but without the cam, how would you be able to prove it????

    The driver of the other car could just say you provoked the accident yourself....lost control of car in the curve.

  • I’m curious: is this typical of a response most British people would have these days?

    That's hard to say. Situations escalate obviously, but in my experience it tends to be relatively normal for the situation to be handled without much fuss. If I count how many collisions I have been in I will run out of digits on my hands. I have been on both ends of fault and never once had an argument with someone.


    The one exception is I was travelling with a girl once and she hit a car side on. It was mostly her fault but not entirely. She got out of the car and I stayed in. I heard the driver of the other vehicle starting to get a bit testy with her, so I got out. He stopped immeadiately and become nice, obviously not realizing I was in the car. A display of sexism but not really anything aggressive.

  • Most people I talk to in the UK, say that road rage is a big problem, which could be down to too many cars and so little space - not to mention roadworks.

    Mind you, I've seen my fair share of road rage over here, but it's mainly arms flailing all over the place and plenty of gesticulating.

    Indeed, road rage is a growing problem in the UK and has been ongoing for years. Not quite the same thing as what happens post collisions, however.


    Just las week in Buenos Aires I had a guy get out of his car and start punching the front window of the bus I was on and not letting it leave. Was stuck there 10 minutes until police showed up.


    Funny thing, that's the second time that has happened to me. I also witnessed a guy going to town on a bus with a baseball bat and another guy get out of his car to mouth off at someone only to be promptly rolled up in some kind of MMA move. I never saw anything quite like those things in the UK, plenty of effing and blinding though.


    Tolerance of cyclists (both motor and bi) is generally better in Argentina I find. There is a genuine hatred for cyclists in the UK. Spend any time in London and you will see drivers losing their shit at people on bikes on a daily basis.

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    I think Argentines, to their credit, have a greater laissez faire attitude with life in general, especially on roads, than we Brits.

    I spend 99% of my time travelling on my motorbike and when filtering, it's not unusual for cars to move a little so that I can get past.

    I wouldn't say they are the best drivers int world, but they certainly have an awareness to keep traffic on the move.

  • Am I right in saying the guy that stopped and said sorry wasn't the tosser who caused the car to crash?

    I was confused by that too. But he did seem more agitated than the ordinary bystander.



    I never saw anything quite like those things in the UK, plenty of effing and blinding though.

    "plenty of effing and blinding" made me grin. Then I had to wonder what blinding is?

  • I was confused by that too. But he did seem more agitated than the ordinary bystander.

    To me the car doing the overtaking was dark grey and the one on the wrong side of the road causing the guy to lose control.

    I can only assume the bloke who stopped meant sorry as in for what happened rather than as an admission of guilt.

  • I think Argentines, to their credit, have a greater laissez faire attitude with life in general, especially on roads, than we Brits.

    I spend 99% of my time travelling on my motorbike and when filtering, it's not unusual for cars to move a little so that I can get past.

    I wouldn't say they are the best drivers int world, but they certainly have an awareness to keep traffic on the move.

    Have to do with liability.......any crash between a car and a motorbike, car is liable in general!!!!!

    Remember all the times motorbikes crossing full speed by a red light, get hit by car......car nearly all the time is in big trouble!!!!

  • It is!!!! The red light thing happens all the time!!!!! U don't wanna have an accident with a motorbike.....no matter what!!!

    How far u can pull it, no idea.....

  • It is!!!! The red light thing happens all the time!!!!! U don't wanna have an accident with a motorbike.....no matter what!!!

    How far u can pull it, no idea.....

    My wife does the driving here which allows me the chance to open the window and tell young helmet-less motor bikers with no lights, registration plate and half the bike's bodywork missing to F*** OFF whenever they get too close to us. Their reaction to the English language always has an immediate effect on the brake pedal.....if they have one that is.

  • One of the main problem in traffic here is neglecting the sign of a roundabout. Who is inside the roundabout has the priority. There are millions of traffic signs, but people ignore it.

    Normally I let to pass a car who comes from the right. Most of the times the driver give me thanks, a fact that is kind abut unnecessary. He has the priority. It is my duy to let him pass-

  • Just yesterday, in Italy a man stabbed (and killed) another one because of a matter of giving way at a roundabout. The victim was a 28 years old father and husband. His wife and kid(s) were in the car and saw everything.

    ummm - maybe the immediate appeal of the offer to be paid to live in an Italian town should be reconsidered?

  • One of the main problem in traffic here is neglecting the sign of a roundabout. Who is inside the roundabout has the priority. There are millions of traffic signs, but people ignore it.

    Normally I let to pass a car who comes from the right. Most of the times the driver give me thanks, a fact that is kind abut unnecessary. He has the priority. It is my duy to let him pass-

    We have to negotiate the roundabout on Ruta 5 most days. It's a rarity to see traffic on the main route slowing down and giving way to us when we're already on the roundabout. Lorry drivers especially those from Brasil are the exception. Has to be said those who designed the roundabout didn't do it very well and the stop signs aren't exactly obvious if they're even still there.

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    We have to negotiate the roundabout on Ruta 5 most days. It's a rarity to see traffic on the main route slowing down and giving way to us when we're already on the roundabout. Lorry drivers especially those from Brasil are the exception. Has to be said those who designed the roundabout didn't do it very well and the stop signs aren't exactly obvious if they're even still there.

    In France, you have to yield to the roundabout incoming vehicles only if there is a sign that says so.

    In Argentina, whatever the sign, people simply drive through and expect people coming from the left to stop, even if there are horizontal and vertical road signs clearly marking that you have to give way to those already in the roundabout.


    I finally decided to renew my Argentinian driving license since mine is still from San Isidro, and here you have to get a new license whenever you move to a different municipality.

    It took about 20' to book an appointment at Comuna 15, but the lady was extremely patient and did all the job. She even gave me a printout of the instructions and of the bar codes to go pay the various fees. Of course, two fees to pay that cannot be paid in the same place. :rolleyes:

    I also had to take a Road Safety online course which consisted of 7 youtube videos on road safety and a quiz after each video.


    Half of the rules mentioned in the video are overruled daily. Nobody stops to let a pedestrian cross, not even bikes!


    Anyway, on the 26th it should be just a bureaucratic matter and they will just take a picture, take in the payment receipt and print the card.

    Cost of renewal: 975+240 ARS.


    The first rule in French driving is "yield to the right". The vast majority of roundabouts have yield signs at the entrance so that those in the roundabout have right-of-way, but if you ever do find one with no yield sign, the people entering have right-of-way.
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