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Prius Written Off. Did A Blind Spot Contribute To Police Escort Crash?


Konrad C
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This happened this week in London. A police motorcyclist escorting Prince Harry, collides with a Toyota Prius turning at a T junction.

Does anybody think that the design of the Prius contributed as a blind spot. There were other factors like the officer was on the wrong side of the road and the 'alleged' speed.

I posted in the news section - http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/163254-prince-harrys-police-escort-motorcycle-crashes-into-prius/?view=getnewpost.

There is a video of the incident in the link, but this is more about the car.

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Problem with today's cars is that to pass the Euro NCAP tests and similar, the A pillars in particular are getting more substantial, and this in turn can, in some instances affect visibilty. I find the same in my Auris and our i20.

Also the positioning of any blind spot is dependent on how far forwards or backwards the seat is positioned.

Manufacturers are tending to reduce the glass areas in the sides of cars to improve side impact survivability and to reduce weight

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My first thought, looking at that video, was that the Prius driver was at fault since he pulled straight across the road in front of the other vehicle but seeing the result of the accident, that other vehicle and the outriders must have been travelling at a hell of speed, they probably weren't even in sight when the Prius started moving so thinner pillars may not have made much difference.

The article said they were using blue lights but no siren... that's !Removed! dangerous at those sorts of speeds.

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It'll be the Prius's fault as he pulled out onto a main road BUT you're not expecting Police outriders on the wrong side of the road (considering the correct side of the road was busy and congested) with lights flashing but NO sirens and travelling at a hell of a speed.

I'm sure they'll make an example of him but the life and death reason for this Police incident was that poor ol' Prince Harry could get to an event on time. Should have set off earlier.

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Watching the video, it was less than 10 seconds between the Prius turning and being hit by the motorcycle. Also there was an estate car travelling in the lane that the Prius turned across - it seemed to me that the Prius took a chance to turn right as the estate was approaching, and the police motorcyclist was probably hidden from view by the estate.

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A friend had his car written off by a police car going through a red traffic light travelling at speed and no siren. My mates car was written off and he and his wife had whiplash injuries. It took ages for the police insurance to settle the claim. At one point it looked as they were trying to blame my friend even though his traffic light was on green.

Although looking at the videos the Prius driver seemed to be at fault he had no idea that police vehicles were coming at speed and one on the wrong side of the road. I think it should be mandatory for police vehicles travelling at speed and ignoring the rules of the road should have sirens on. The Prius driver had no idea what he was entering a dangerous situation in normal circumstances there was no danger.

Most drivers always move over for fire engines and ambulances travelling at speed with sirens on.

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Looking at police guidelines on the use of sirens and blue lights, blue lights are used to make the police vehicle more conspicuous when the vehicle is travelling at speed - which is not necessarily speeding - and is the usual mode. The siren is used is to help clear traffic which may impede progress.

A friend had his car written off by a police car going through a red traffic light travelling at speed and no siren. My mates car was written off and he and his wife had whiplash injuries. It took ages for the police insurance to settle the claim. At one point it looked as they were trying to blame my friend even though his traffic light was on green.

Although looking at the videos the Prius driver seemed to be at fault he had no idea that police vehicles were coming at speed and one on the wrong side of the road. I think it should be mandatory for police vehicles travelling at speed and ignoring the rules of the road should have sirens on. The Prius driver had no idea what he was entering a dangerous situation in normal circumstances there was no danger.

Most drivers always move over for fire engines and ambulances travelling at speed with sirens on.

From the video, it looks as though the police rider was overtaking the estate, and presumably this action was safe, until the Prius driver turned right onto the main road, and into the path of the police bike.

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Driving on the wrong side of the road is inherently dangerous, doing it at speed I would say calls for a siren whether it's in their guidelines or not, especially if you present a small profile like a bike does. How many people look both ways before turning left out of a turning? I do because I rode a motorcycle for years and you very soon learn to look in every direction before doing anything! I think I'm in a very small minority. He could just as easily have been wiped out by someone tuning left into that lane.

At the end of the day though, if the driver was deemed to be at fault, the police will prosecute. If they don't...

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The Special Escort Group use lights and whistles - the Honda motorbikes aren't fitted with sirens. A cyclist who was passed by the convoy said that he heard the whistling as the bikes passed.

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Just one of those unfortunate incidents that happen. There's always a touch of risk when driving as you can't look everywhere at once all the time. I was more concerned at the damage to the Prius! The biker was discharged but the guy in the Prius had to be cut out of the car and was still in hospital? I'd have thought the guy in the car would be better off in a collision with a bike, not the other way around! :unsure:

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With a bike hitting a car, the impact is concentrated into a smaller area and the bike doesn't have any crumple zone.

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Just one of those unfortunate incidents that happen. There's always a touch of risk when driving as you can't look everywhere at once all the time. I was more concerned at the damage to the Prius! The biker was discharged but the guy in the Prius had to be cut out of the car and was still in hospital? I'd have thought the guy in the car would be better off in a collision with a bike, not the other way around! :unsure:

If you say you have ANY pain in your back or neck to the emergency services they err on the side of caution and cut you out. No ifs or buts. Off with the roof.

So if the driver was genuinely suffering then their health comes first. But you can see why even a relatively minor bump (nobody maimed or seriously hurt) can cost thousands. Now wait for the injury claim from the motorcyclist, the lawyers fees on both sides, the written off bike and car and you're close to £100k, perhaps double that depending on the motorcyclists injuries.

That's a lot of £400 insurance premiums.

Wanna know why your insurance goes up and rarely goes down? And as I mentioned before, over 70% of people involved in non fault accidents will attempt to claim injury. That's 7 in 10 for the hard of understanding :)

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Last week the Tour of Britain went past the front of Lindop's. Lots of people standing outside waiting for the bikes to go past, then some Police Motorbikes came through, pulled up at a junction next to the dealership for maybe 10 or 20 seconds, then the next wave of Police bikes came through, the first lot pulled off, and the second wave took over. This happened about 20 times BEFORE any push bikes arrived. Then the Tour bikes came through and I can only describe the next level as downright dangerous!!! The first lot of tour bikes went past, maybe 10 or 15, and a minute later the rest of the pack, followed by more Police PLUS the Tour's own motorcycle outriders, then all the Team vehicles many of whom were on the wrong side of the road, Police bikes weaving in and out at speed, I have never seen anything so dangerous in my life. There must have been 30 or 40 Police Motorbikes, plus the Police Helicopter up. I think it could only be good fortune nobody was injured, I know these guys are well trained, I was a motorcyclist myself for donkeys years, and know how dangerous it can be on a bike, but the Police have to conform to road traffic regulations, even in an emergency (yes I know there are certain exemptions). I would suggest being on the wrong side of the road asks for trouble, even on blues and two's, a child could step off a kerb let alone a driver pulling out in a car. I personally think that Police motorcyclist was in the wrong, I know they have a job to do but they still have to drive within the law

My Cousin was in the Fire Service for donkeys years as a driver, he tells me stories about how people react when they see blue lights, some slow down, others stop, some just have no idea what to do and behave completely out of character by trying to make a sudden move or turn, the 10 ton fire engine then has to swerve out of the way!! He was involved in a number of shunts where people do this and it happens because people panic and just don't have time to compute what they need to do. The emergency services are very aware of this and train their drivers accordingly

Anyway whatever the reason for the bump, lets hope everyone makes a full recovery

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Yup! My first Prius was written off because the guy who went through a red light and hit it while I was passing at 40 mph had a blues & 2s ambulance behind him. These days, they're told to switch off the siren near traffic lights and junctions to reduce this risk. The only shock for me was when I learned later the other driver had told his insurer I was the one to blame for the crash! Fortunately, I had lots of witnesses, not least the ambulance crew!

On the case of roof coming off, it can be costly being a good Samaritan -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/9786539/Good-Samaritan-horrified-as-car-destroyed-after-helping-crash-survivors.html

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Hmmm it's a fine line this good samaritan business. I remember coming across a car that had an engine fire and the owner running around in a flap. Being a good taxi driver I had a fire extinguisher on board. I helped put the fire out hopefully minimising any further damage and then asked the owner if he would like to make some contribution to my fully used up £30 fire extinguisher and was told to f*** o**. The fire extinguisher has to be of a certain capacity, hence the cost. I wasn't going to hang around to try and obtain his insurers details.

So next time I see someones pride and joy on fire I will be somewhat tempted to drive on by. Maybe call the fire brigade, certainly check that nobody is in danger, but certainly won't be offering the use of an expensive single use item.

Was I cheeky to ask? Perhaps. But the response could have been somewhat more pleasant too, especially under the circumstances and the item consumed was a few hours wages for me. Tricky one. What would you do?

I've also lost blankets, coats (due to blood damage), time off work, significant valeting costs all due to helping out in road accidents that I wasn't even involved in. The joy of being a rural taxi driver on quiet country roads. Being a good samaritan has its costs.

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I had exactly the same thing in the 1980s. On a fire marshal's course, I persuaded the tutor to let me test my aged Simonize "hair spray" fire extinguisher in his trough of water and thimblefull of petrol - it only just coped as it ran out, and I no longer had any hairs on my wrists!

I bought a 1 Kg Chubb Halon extinguisher and very soon came across a well alight Cavalier. The driver had stalled in the middle of a road pulling out from a T junction and pumped the accelerator whilst turning the key until the paint on the bonnet started blistering! He then had the presence of mind to fan the flames by opening the bonnet, and when that didn't help he tried to smother the engine bay with foam cushions!

Then a passer by tried his extinguisher, which didn't touch it.

I then passed by and it looked almost ready to engulf whole car. Parked well up the road, ran up, and a two second burst made the fire history. All the bystanders and I said "WOW" in unison.

The owner wasn't impolite when I suggested his company (whose car it was) might want to reimburse me, but like GC I felt it not worth the hassle of pursuing.

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Just one of those unfortunate incidents that happen. There's always a touch of risk when driving as you can't look everywhere at once all the time. I was more concerned at the damage to the Prius! The biker was discharged but the guy in the Prius had to be cut out of the car and was still in hospital? I'd have thought the guy in the car would be better off in a collision with a bike, not the other way around! :unsure:

Although we don't know the full circumstances. The driver of the Prius might not have been wearing a seat belt, or wasn't seated correct etc. All can be contributing factors to injury in an accident.

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Just one of those unfortunate incidents that happen. There's always a touch of risk when driving as you can't look everywhere at once all the time. I was more concerned at the damage to the Prius! The biker was discharged but the guy in the Prius had to be cut out of the car and was still in hospital? I'd have thought the guy in the car would be better off in a collision with a bike, not the other way around! :unsure:

Although we don't know the full circumstances. The driver of the Prius might not have been wearing a seat belt, or wasn't seated correct etc. All can be contributing factors to injury in an accident.

You're much more likely to suffer a whiplash type injury when your head is at an angle; such as looking right at a roundabout when you're walloped from behind or when looking right when turning right out of a T junction before being hit head on such as in this case.

When you're in stationary traffic on a motorway and hit from behind your head is thrown back and forth quickly but can often (not always) be ok. Now imagine your head looking right on a roundabout? Now imagine it being hit at the same speed. That twist causes the damage.

Often you don't feel whiplash until the next morning but if it's a nasty one then you feel it straight away - believe me.

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On the case of roof coming off, it can be costly being a good Samaritan -

Yup.

Even the Police don't like to have accident victims sitting in their cars.

Better to make sure the person is safe and warm outside until help arrives.

You shouldn't really move accident victims. You never know what is broken.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't think the prius driver had a chance. That estate car would probably have obscured the bike right up until the point of impact. It'll probably end up as a 50/50 accident - Prius pulled out in front of bike and Bike was on wrong side of road and going at huge speed.

Bet the cabbies insurance didn't pay out enough for a replacement car.

Just hope Prince Harry had a nice day watching the games, otherwise two ruined lives wouldn't have been worth it.

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Don't think the prius driver had a chance. That estate car would probably have obscured the bike right up until the point of impact. It'll probably end up as a 50/50 accident - Prius pulled out in front of bike and Bike was on wrong side of road and going at huge speed.

Bet the cabbies insurance didn't pay out enough for a replacement car.

Just hope Prince Harry had a nice day watching the games, otherwise two ruined lives wouldn't have been worth it.

Probably not. They base the value on the value of the car. A taxi with a high mileage is worthless and that's what the insurers will pay out. You might also want to consider the insurance excess on a taxi insurance policy. They generally start at £500 and many drivers will have it set at £1,000 to try and reduce the premiums which are usually in the thousands of £'s with full bonus. In a taxi you don't want to make a claim unless you cause damage to someone else or you significantly damage your car.

Being an old git my last taxi insurance with full protected bonus, no accidents or motoring convictions in a rural area was £1,400 which was cheap. Many younger drivers or anyone with an accident or speeding ticket were well into £2,500 or more. Move to a city and double those figures. You really don't want to be involved in an accident, though some cabbies haven't cottoned on to that it seems :(

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