Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32233, 27 February 1970, Page 11

Auto Gossip

by.

A.J.P.

Attack From Behind

There I was, sitting peacefully at the traffic lights, when I glanced in my rearvision mirror to see an old car about 20ft away and bearing down fast. The inevitable crunch followed. Car bent, dignity outraged, and holiday plans iri disarray. Not an uncommon accident in Christchurch, so I am told. One man even told me his car had been asaulted from, the rear four times in as many weeks. It was no sooner straightened than someone bent it for him again. ' Late Signaller My incident was not quite all that simple, and I think the accident situation was largely created in the first place by the fellow two cars ahead. You see, when the three of us arrived at the lights they were red, so we all stopped. Not a signal to be seen. But when the lights turned green, the fellow at the front moved up a couple of feet, stopped, and signalled a right turn. This, of course, meant that tbe two of us behind had to stop also: the lack of a signal had given no clue that we should position our cars to pass the first one on the left. So there we were, stopped, when the other vehicle arrived from behind, its driver having previously noted the lights were green, having assumed that the cars waiting at the lights would therefore move off, and having then been distracted by a wandering cyclist. I was—and am—much more angry about the inconsiderate late-signaller who created the hazard than the chap behind who suddenly found himself in an emergency situation partly as a result. Faster When Wet It was dry when this particular incident took place, but it seems most such rear-end shunts occur in the wet, when motorists have sadly misjudged their stopping distances. And although the hazards Of wet roads have been pointed out to motorists for years, many seem to drive faster in- the wet. I remember hearing some time ago from an officer who regularly operated a microwave speed detector in Blenheim Road that the

average speed of cars always seemed to rise about 5 m.p.h. when it rained: hiS theory was that motorists were hurrying home to get out of the inclement conditions, and he was probably correct. Insurance Problem Luckily the man who hit me was insured, for I have often heard of cases where motorists have had to wait a long time for repair costs when hit by an old and uninsured “bomb.” It might be asked if such cars should be allowed on the road at all, certainly any regulation forcing companies to accept the insurance of such vehicles would tend to push insurance rates sky-high. But it is hard to see why a driver hit by an uninsured Old car driven by a penniless owner should suffer, as some do.

What to Do The other intersting point that came out of the shunt was the illustration of how ignorant some drivers are of their responsibilities in an accident. Briefly, you should exchange names, addresses and insurance company names; it is wise to note the registration number of the other vehicle, and if any person has been injured the police must be notified of the accident within 24 hours. Your insurance company should be notified as soon as possible. You are probably wise not to start making explanations to the other driver, getting worked up about the incident gets you. nowhere and will not undo the damage, and if there are any witnesses it might be worth while to obtain their names and addresses. Fairly comprehensive advice on what to do in an accident is printed in the back of the “Road Code,” in the Automobile Association handbook, and has in the past been available in card form from the Ministry of Transport. There is really no excuse for not knowing.