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It is an accident that nearly occurred. It is in UK; so cars go on the left.

I was standing at a junction, and there was busy traffic on my right. Occasionally, there are cars turning left, and I was looking for a gap to walk across. Then there is Taxi coming up on my right; it did not signal left, so I thought it was going straight. So I walk across, and the car turned left nearly hitting me. The driver was swearing at me after this near accident.

So my question is: if the driver did hit me, who is responsible for this accident?

Appreciate any suggestion.

Edit: I was not on a pedestrian passing, but in my town, people always go across like that. I think the taxi was driving at about 15 miles. I was also walking quickly and may not have allowed the driver to response. When I started to cross, the taxi is already ahead of me.

Supplement: The junction enter image description here

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From Rule 170 of the Highway Code:

watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

If this was indeed the case, then it suggests that the OP had right of way, and the driver was at fault. In any case, the driver should have indicated before turning.

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  • Thanks for the code reference. The driver did not signal, but when I started to cross, the taxi is already ahead of me.
    – zlin
    Apr 5, 2017 at 12:32
  • @zlin: Could you edit your question to include a drawing of the respective position of you and the taxi? Apr 5, 2017 at 12:56
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The rules: a. If a pedestrian is crossing before a vehicle turns in, the pedestrian has the right of way. b. If a vehicle turns in before the pedestrian starts crossing, the vehicle has the right of way. c. The driver of a vehicle must not endanger or injure pedestrians. d. If there is an accident and you are the pedestrian involved, it hurts you more than the driver of the car.

The driver would always have to be careful. If the driver doesn't indicate, he or she must drive even more carefully. On the other hand, as a pedestrian you should be aware of what's going on around you, and don't watch just a car's indicator but also how the driver is behaving; usually you can predict that someone will be turning without indicating from their behaviour.

In your situation, an accident would probably mostly the fault of the driver, with some small fault on the pedestrian. Responsibility is often not 100% on one person.

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