How to avoid an accident, or at least make sure you get paid
By Paul Hurst
Photos by Rool Paap
Please remain calm. You’ve just had your first car accident, and without a doubt it’s traumatic. I hope and pray you’ve not been hurt. Fortunately, most accidents don’t involve injuries.
Dealing with ICBC can be very intimidating, if not scary. You might be worried that your claim will be denied, or that you’ll be found at fault.
Some people knowingly fib when they buy their insurance, e.g., they claim they’re only using it for pleasure, when in fact they drive to work five days a week, every week. As an adjuster, I had to be a bit cynical and suspicious. I’ve seen just about every trick in the book, so I got pretty good at telling when someone wasn’t being totally honest. Fortunately, the vast majority of people are honest.
The basic idea is that of the two cars in an accident, one is considered “dominant” based on its relative position to the other “subservient” car. If you are going straight down a road, you are initially dominant. Cars behind you are subservient. The driver of the car behind can control how close it gets to you. Thus, in a rear-end collision, the car behind is normally 100 per cent at fault.
If you change lanes, or change directions, you stop being dominant and become subservient, generally speaking.
Here are three ways to avoid an accident, or at least reduce your chances of being found at fault.
1. Don’t tailgate.
Although this seems obvious, many people do it, hence why rear-end accidents are one of the most common types. The two-second rule is good, but I’d give it three or four seconds.
2. Don’t speed.
Missing whatever T.V. show you think is absolutely essential to your survival will not, in fact, affect your chances of survival, but speeding might. The biggest killer of university students is accidents; car collisions top this list. You are supposed to be intelligent — act like it.
3. Don’t rush left-hand turns.
This one is not so obvious. People seem to have the mistaken idea that they must turn before the light turns red, so they make their left turn when their light is yellow. Sometimes, there is some brain-genius coming in the opposite direction, who runs their yellow. A crash results, because you were turning left in front of them.
In cases like this, fault can be hard to determine, as dominance is in question. For example was the yellow light a “stale” amber? If you wait until your light is red, then any car coming from the opposite direction will have to run their red light in order to hit you. Make your turn after they have stopped for their red light, and all is hunky dory. You are now established in the intersection, and have right of way. The cars coming at right angles to you must yield; a green light means “proceed if safe to do so.” Since you are now legitimately trapped in the intersection, it is not safe for them to proceed, and you have the right of way.
Now you can make your left turn, and you will not miss your favorite episode of Roly Poly Olly.
