Aussie insurance broker shares tip on why you should always reverse park
The advice could save you plenty if you are involved in a car park collision.
An Aussie insurance broker has shared a little-known tip that could save drivers from being liable for damage when involved in a car park accident.
Industry insider Dan Ufer has urged drivers to "reduce your risk of being at fault" in any carpark fender bender with one helpful tip, saying drivers should always reverse into a parking spot. Why? Because reversing out with limited vision could increase the chance of a collision and in a two car prang, the reversing driver is always deemed responsible.
"It’s best practice to reverse park into a car park because if you’re reversing, you’re 100 per cent always at fault," the Queenslander explained in a recent TikTok video.
"So in shopping centre situations, if one vehicle is driving out of a car park and one is reversing out and they collide in the middle, the reversing vehicle will always be at fault."
The Insurance Council of Australia, the representative body of the industry, confirmed to Yahoo News Australia the little-known fact, that in most cases the driver who is driving in reverse is automatically deemed to be the at-fault driver, regardless of other circumstances.
Why would the driver reversing be liable?
Mr Ufer explained in a follow-up video the reason "usually comes down to road rules", which in Australia determines that "reversing vehicles have to give way to everyone and everything".
"So unfortunately if [a driver is] the reversing party and they cause a collision, because they were the ones reversing or failing to give way, or as per the terminology on the QLD Department of Transport website, didn’t do it ‘safely,’ they are going to be the party at fault," he said.
However, he explained that if both cars are reversing and collide, this falls under a 'Each Bare Own' insurance claim, where "one party pays for their loss and the other party pays for their loss, and the insurers don’t really get involved at all."
Social media users react to insurance broker's advice
The video garnered more than 1.2 million views online, with many commending Mr Ufer for his hot tip. "This makes so much sense. Thanks for that explanation," one person said.
"Great tip! Now just to master the reverse parking," another joked.
"I do it because it's easier to get out if crowded or for an emergency, but this adds to it," a third person said.
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Some car parks will however instruct cars to park 'front to kerb' in which case drivers should obey signs.
When it comes to car accidents, reversing is one of the largest contributors to motor vehicle insurance claims, according to the Queensland government website, with most of the collisions occurring at low speed when simple safety steps aren't taken.
"Get into the habit of reverse parking into parking spaces that have obscured vision. Reversing into these spots will give you better vision when you drive out," it says on the website.
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