PI Brief Update

What Is It About Driving? - Peter Harthan, 7 Harrington Street

01/10/15. Two people are walking down a busy High Street. They are reasonably well adjusted, unexceptional members of society. Use your imagination to attach further details as you think appropriate. Anyway, one of these people, perhaps glimpsing something in a shop window or distracted by their mobile phone, fails to spot the other and they bump into each other. No harm is done to either of them. Now, the outcome of this scenario, played out hundreds of times a day, is almost always both people apologising to the other, sentiments along the lines of “Sorry” or “oh don’t worry” and each eager to repair any upset caused.

Now contrast the above with what happens when essentially the same scenario occurs but with each person driving a car. Lets say one changes lanes at a roundabout without seeing the other. A collision results. No real harm is done to either, but there are some dents and scratches to the cars. Both drivers will pull over and each starts to blame the other for the collision “you changed lanes” - “but you were in the wrong lane”. What initially starts out as an exchange of views soon deteriorates into a shouting match with personal insults being thrown. One threatens to call the police. In due course insurance details are exchanged and the matter goes off to Insurers to sort out. If neither side concedes or no agreement can be reached as to an appropriate apportionment of blame, then the matter will eventually result in a court hearing many months, sometimes even years, later...

Image ©iStockphoto.com/baona

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