Wherein I am f#$%ing rude. Language warning, longish.

[iradney]

In Germany, if you had your foot on the brake - evidenced by tracks on the street - t

What if you had the emergency brake engaged, and in neutral?
That's what I was taught to do when I was driving. If you're going to be at a stop for a while, engage the e-brake, drop into neutral, and still keep your foot on the brake.

[Canarr]

Then you should be okay.

[JustADude]

If you weren't on the brake, then you pay the damage to the car in front of you, the guy who hit you pays yours and his own.

By blood and fire, there's people whose foot isn't on the brake when the engine's on and at a standstill?!?!


Seriously... that's just... um... dangit... what's the German equivalent of "total fucktardery"?

[Willis]

She should have been cited for child endangerment!

What ticked me off more than her trying to use her pedestrian powers by just stepping out into traffic was the fact that she had her baby using the stroller as a buffer. If my car had of hit her or the stroller, I probably would have more than likely been at fault because she's the unprotected pedestrian, even though I clearly wasn't. I'm not the sort to pass blame, but I was thinking the entire time COME ON lady are you really serious? I always check my areas when I'm driving too to make sure things are safe. She literally came out of nowhere with her shenanigans.

If I was wrong, I'd have acknowledged it, but I wasn't because of said details in the story.

[protege]

In Germany, if you had your foot on the brake - evidenced by tracks on the street - then you're not liable for the damage to the car in front of you, and that's added to the tally of the driver causing the accident.

Here, it doesn't matter. If you get hit from behind, and hit the car in front of you, you both are liable. You for hitting the car ahead of you, and the guy behind you, for hitting you...and pushing you forward. That whole "failure to control your vehicle" part is a bitch

I've been rear-ended 3 times since I started driving The first time, my engine blew up. I got hit hard, and the car ended up off the road--turns out I blacked out when my face hit the steering wheel Second time, I got hit pretty hard, but I was back far enough. I'd also seen the Lexus bearing down on me, and literally stood on the brake. I literally got rammed at roughly 40mph, yet my car barely moved. That's why I try to keep plenty of room ahead of me, especially in poor weather--if I can't see the bottoms of their tires, I'm too close!

[Pagan]

I've always wondered, though. What if you're at a complete stop and you get ploughed into hard enough that you get slammed into the car in front of you?

I was wondering about that, too.

In Germany, if you had your foot on the brake - evidenced by tracks on the street - then you're not liable for the damage to the car in front of you, and that's added to the tally of the driver causing the accident.

If you weren't on the brake, then you pay the damage to the car in front of you, the guy who hit you pays yours and his own.

That might be mitigated by size and weight of the vehicles involved, but that's in the judge's discretion.

When my mom had her wreck, she got sideswiped by someone and shoved into the back of a pick 'em up truck. I don't know if her foot was on the brake or not. Fortunately, she had two witness that saw what happened or she would have gotten cited. Oh yeah, the car that hit her was a Camaro and she was driving a Ford Fiasco (I always referred to it as a "Hot Wheels" car.).

Here, it doesn't matter. If you get hit from behind, and hit the car in front of you, you both are liable. You for hitting the car ahead of you, and the guy behind you, for hitting you...and pushing you forward. That whole "failure to control your vehicle" part is a bitch

No offense, but that's kind of on the stupid side. Yeah, you should leave enough room, but around here if you do that, it's an invitation for some yahoo to try to wedge their car into that space....even if it's not big enough for their car.

[IoRamona]

They were lucky you were paying attention and weren't on your cell phone, or otherwise distracted.

That reminds me of the time last summer when I was heading home and decided to take one of the back roads. There usually isn't a lot of traffic, but a many of the locals use it as a cut through. Anyway, I come around one of the blind corners and just about run over 2 little kids on bikes and their dog that were smack in the middle of the road. I skidded before being able to a stop because it is a gravel road. The mother or grandmother of the kids was there walking with them and had a super angry look on her face and screamed at me to "slow down!!!!!" I was only in 2nd or 3rd gear, so I was going slow enough so that I could stop. Most of the people I see driving that road go much faster than me. I didn't say anything back and just waited for them to get out of the road.

[Primer]

I've always wondered, though. What if you're at a complete stop and you get ploughed into hard enough that you get slammed into the car in front of you?

If you're like me, you get to have a ride to, and spend the night in, the trauma center hospital for the night; and have multiple surgeries over the next few years while their insurance company tries to deny responsibility.

Here, it doesn't matter. If you get hit from behind, and hit the car in front of you, you both are liable. You for hitting the car ahead of you, and the guy behind you, for hitting you...and pushing you forward. That whole "failure to control your vehicle" part is a bitch

I've been rear-ended 3 times since I started driving The first time, my engine blew up. I got hit hard, and the car ended up off the road--turns out I blacked out when my face hit the steering wheel Second time, I got hit pretty hard, but I was back far enough. I'd also seen the Lexus bearing down on me, and literally stood on the brake. I literally got rammed at roughly 40mph, yet my car barely moved. That's why I try to keep plenty of room ahead of me, especially in poor weather--if I can't see the bottoms of their tires, I'm too close!

I never saw him coming. My foot was on the brake, as I was sitting at a red light behind several other vehicles, but I wasn't standing on them hard enough to cause skid marks when the Mack truck hit me.

[SongsOfDragons]

4. If an accident involved a training vehicle - meaning, someone driving who does not yet have a license - then the trainee driver will almost always be ruled at fault.

WHAT?!?

I'm a bloody learner driver and in this day and age VR driving lessons do not exist and even then probably will not suffice to replicate real life!! If someone who has a full licence splats into me, who does not have the knowledge or the experience to get out of the bastard's way, 1. how am I responsible and 2. HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR THAT!!

That's it, I'm never driving in Germany if their laws are that crap.

[Geek King]

I'm a bloody learner driver and in this day and age VR driving lessons do not exist and even then probably will not suffice to replicate real life!! If someone who has a full licence splats into me, who does not have the knowledge or the experience to get out of the bastard's way, 1. how am I responsible and 2. HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR THAT!!

I bolded the answer for you. I imagine the reasoning goes something along the lines that learners generally fail to drive defensively.

Not saying I believe it, and certaily not in all situations.

PS--If you can't pay for insurance to pay for an accident, please get off the road. I don't need my life ruined because someone else can't obey the law and carry the required insurance. I've seen it happen to friends/family, and it's never pretty.

[protege]

PS--If you can't pay for insurance to pay for an accident, please get off the road. I don't need my life ruined because someone else can't obey the law and carry the required insurance. I've seen it happen to friends/family, and it's never pretty.

After my grandmother's '94 auto accident, which damn near killed her...she had a crapload of bills. (For those who don't know...she was taking my cousin to his uncle's dad's house in the next town over. A few miles from the house, some idiot in a gravel truck rear-ended her car...sending it into the path of a semi coming the other way Gravel truck continued, hit a pickup, knocking it over When I saw the remains of her car a few days later...there wasn't a straight panel on it. In fact, when we pulled the tarp off, the engine fell on the ground )

Not only was her insurance used up, but so was that of the dumbass who hit her. We're talking a literal *shitload* of money here at least. After 10 years of wrangling she got her settlement. Not only were all her bills taken care of, but she was set for life. Mainly because we sued the bastard into the poor house. Literally--he lost his farm, truck, car...everything down to his toothbrush. But, the best was still to come. Apparently, because the accident was pretty well-known (and the guy had been driving like an idiot for years)...before long, he had to leave the area to flee the negative publicity.

[SongsOfDragons]

PS--If you can't pay for insurance to pay for an accident, please get off the road. I don't need my life ruined because someone else can't obey the law and carry the required insurance. I've seen it happen to friends/family, and it's never pretty.

Learner, AA car, fully under instruction, not allowed to get insurance till I get my pink license.

The entire driving populous has to learn to drive and take lessons to pass their test. Germany's laws SUCK.

[Geek King]

Learner, AA car, fully under instruction, not allowed to get insurance till I get my pink license.

The entire driving populous has to learn to drive and take lessons to pass their test. Germany's laws SUCK.

Then I apologise for my ignorance on that aspect of Germany's driving laws. Do they really not offer insurance for learners? I would think it would be very popular, even considering the rates you would have to have with the "automatically at fault" laws.

[Kogarashi]

Holy crap, why did the gravel truck do that?

And what I want to know is this: what happens if you're at a stop light, and the car right in front of you shifts into reverse and backs into you? Happened to a friend of mine a few years ago, but I don't recall what came of it (beyond messing up his car such that he couldn't drive it away from said stop light).

[protege]

Holy crap, why did the gravel truck do that?

Because the driver was an idiot. He'd been driving like an idiot for years...and my grandmother happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Found out later that the truck was licensed as a "farm vehicle" and had no brakes. It was only a matter of time before he hit someone. It sucks that Grandma was his victim. But, at least he ultimately paid for it--everything he owned was seized to pay her medical bills. He eventually had to leave the area because of the negative publicity--my grandparents were well-known in the community, and many people, myself included, wanted blood. She still has some pain from it, but at least she no longer worries about money.

I can't fault the semi driver at all. There wasn't anything he could have done differently--with a full load at 45-55 miles an hour, there was no way he could have stopped in time. At least he wasn't seriously hurt. In fact, he was the one who called EMS. His actions helped save her life, along with that of my cousin.

As to someone throwing it into reverse at a light...I'm not really sure what would happen. On one hand, it was their fault. But, if you don't get any witnesses, you're screwed--it would be easy to claim "I got rear-ended."