A DRIVER has released a shocking video of the moment his car ploughed into the side of a van at 50mph.
The clip shows the van pull out in front of the dashcam vehicle, followed by an unavoidable impact which shatters the windscreen and sends thick smoke pouring from the engine.
Despite the crystal-clear video evidence, the motorist claims the insurers for the driver have only just admitted liability – eight months later.
A spokesman for the AA said the incident demonstrated the need for drivers to fit dashcams.
The video was filmed by the driver of a red MG ZT saloon car on August 24 last year, whilst driving on the B743 Mauchline to Ayr road.
The driver’s dashcam footage clearly shows the van, emblazoned with the logo of Surrey-based Nurture Landscapes, pull out from the Tarbolton turnoff less than 15 feet from the approaching car.
A sickening crash follows, as the sound of the driver’s horn is cancelled out by the horrific thud of the collision which causes the windscreen to smash and smoke to billow from the engine.
The driver, a local from the Ayrshire area, was left with whiplash and a sore back for months after the smash, whilst his car was written off as a result of the damage caused.
The driver, who asked not to be identified, said: “It still took ages to get sorted and it was only a few weeks ago the third parties’ insurance admitted liability and the claim has finally been settled.
“I ended up with whiplash and a sore back for a few months. He didn’t see me. As soon as the car going the other way passes, he pulls out.
“I think I was doing around 50 to 55mph and I didn’t scrub off much speed as the ABS went nuts as I hit the brakes.”
A spokesman for the Automobile Association (AA) said the use of dashcams in situations like this can be vital.
He said: “This appears to be a straightforward case of the van driver not properly looking as the car approached or completely misjudging its speed.
“Most people would never be involved in a collision of this sort, but when it does happen it can make the process of establishing liability much more straightforward.
“Evidence from dash-cam recordings is accepted by both insurance companies and police.”
Sandy Allan, road safety manager in Scotland for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Dashcams can provide useful evidence of people’s driving, including your own, if you need to make an insurance claim.
“Drivers shouldn’t be tempted to try to get footage of someone else’s driving by deliberately following them or changing how you’re driving.”
Police Scotland say they are currently looking into the incident.
