Almost backed into a Mercedes at the mall

thomas-dash

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Viofo A129 Pro Duo 4k, Viofo MT1
Who do you think would have been at fault if we collided? Without the video it definitely would have been pinned on me. With the video, I'm thinking fault would have been split between the two of us.

Arguments for me being at fault:
  • I'm backing up and I have to yield to feeder/thoroughfare lanes
Arguments for the Mercedes being at fault:
  • I was already in motion before the Mercedes started moving again.
  • The Mercedes clearly has a better view of what is happening than someone backing up.
  • The Mercedes was driving in the wrong lane to get past me.
  • The lane the Mercedes was in is probably considered more of a feeder lane than a throroughfare since there are parking spaces on both sides of it. The lane I was backing into had parking spaces on only one side of it. This would mean I was in the thoroughfare and she was in the feeder lane. Thoroughfares have right of way over feeder lanes.
Either way, one things for sure, that was the first and last time I'll park in that row.

 
Whether this is applicable in this situation is difficult to tell but I always reverse park. It's second nature to me and makes pulling out of parking spaces far easier. I reverse park in my garage using the mirrors.

Whenever I look at rows of parked cars I note that about 90% have just driven in nose first and I'be seen quite a few near misses as they back out.


Edit: There is one exception ..... IKEA, so I can load the boot and even then reversing out can be difficult, like your example.
 
I reverse park in the parking garage where I live. This parking lot is set up to maximize parking spaces, so both sides of each parking lane are angled back in the same direction with every feeder lane being a one-way.

If you manage to back in, then you’re facing the wrong direction to pull out. If you pull through, then you’re facing the wrong direction to pull out. If you pull out and want to go the right direction down the one-way, then it’s going to be hard to turn due to how close both sides of the parking aisle are to each other.
 
Who do you think would have been at fault if we collided? Without the video it definitely would have been pinned on me. With the video, I'm thinking fault would have been split between the two of us.
Without video it would go 50-50 unless you admitted fault.

With video, under UK rules you would both be supposed to avoid the accident (not sure about your rules), so it would also go 50-50 in most cases, and there was no excuse why both of you were not watching where you were going! If there had been a collision then I think at the point of impact you would both have still been moving towards each other, so again I think both at fault. However I think it would be reasonable to move some of the blame in her direction because, first, you started moving before she did so I think you had the right to the lane, and second, you were moving a lot slower than she was so would have caused a lot less of the damage, in fact you were moving so slow that you were below the speed threshold where car manufacturers must make their bumpers capable of withstanding impact with no serious damage, so it seems perfectly reasonable to claim that she is responsible for all the damage even though both of you are responsible for the collision! So she should have paid for all the repairs. Of course without video there is no way of winning that argument, with video it should be easy.
 
Not nice MERC driver, he / she should have chilled as he had the greater picture.

Every single time i have made a boo - boo in my car, it have been while reversing, first time in my 1967 Volvo 121 i reversed thru a narrow gate at speed, turned my steering wheel too soon, and nearly ripped the front right fender off and the whole steel gate ( 2 piece gate into underground garage )
So had to get new fender at salvage yard and new headlight assembly too.
 
Dashcam cameras a good, but backup cameras are even better! If I tried that my car would have been squawking at me about cross traffic.
 
Person backing up always is at fault.
 
I think somebody is confused in thinking that traffic rules for public streets and roads apply to privately owned parking lots.
 
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