Giving way to oncoming traffic

andygb

So there I was, yesterday morning, on my way to the station at 6.30. As I drove through our village at 30MPH, on the nicely marked road, in perfect driving conditions, I saw another car approaching in the distance.
As the other car went through a width restriction a couple of hundred yards away, it maintained a course on my side of the road - why?
The answer was becoming obvious. Between the width restrictions and me there was a nother car parked on the opposite side of the road to me. The other driver obviously thought it would be too much trouble to keep to their side of the road, even though I was now fifty yards away. As I approached the parked car, the other car kept on coming, so I slowed up slightly, until I had stopped level with the parked car, and with the other driver (a woman in her late twenties), now stopped in front of me, we had a standoff.
The woman was making gestures at me to reverse, which I did not do. She then reversed, back and to her side of the road. She then wound the window down and started swearing at me "Couldn't you see I was coming through, you should have given way" - I have left out the more interesting vocabulary. I then asked her if she knew the highway code, or had even passed adriving test, to which she just swore and wound her window up.
Is this a typical case of bad driving, ignorance of when you should give way, or should I have reversed and just let her through?

Gloomendoom

I had something similar on a long narrow bridge. I was nearly half way across it and another car drove onto the bridge from the other direction, ignoring the 'Give way to vehicles already on the bridge' sign.

The driver of the other car expected me to reverse back to get out of the way. I just put the handbrake on, turned off the engine and got out my newspaper. You should have heard the language... from a woman too!

bosseyed

If I've read that right I put her in the wrong - I have a vague recollection (I read the highway code once upon a time...) that you have to give way if the obstruction is on your side of the road, ie parked car on her side of the road, so she should give way.

Yeah, just rude driving really.

maninthestreet

If the obstruction was indeed on the other side of the road, then the other driver should have given way to you.

bosseyed

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I had something similar on a long narrow bridge. I was nearly half way across it and another car drove onto the bridge from the other direction, ignoring the 'Give way to vehicles already on the bridge' sign.

The driver of the other car expected me to reverse back to get out of the way. I just put the handbrake on, turned off the engine and got out my newspaper. You should have heard the language... from a woman too!

:rotfl: Now thats awesome

[Deleted User]

Taxi drivers are the worst for this kind of stuff. I was going along a local road that had cars parked all long one side making it a single lane. It was my right away and ahead I saw a taxi bus pull into a space to drop school run kids off. So I carried on, then all off a sudden as I approached the taxi bus, it decided to pull out and then just sit there as if it was his right of way. He wanted me to go up onto the path to let him past. I just sat there until he reversed back into is space. Moron.

andygb

Thinking about it, she drove for about two hundred yards on my side of the road, just to pass one parked car. I don't know if this was laziness, or just a bad attitude, trying to get me stop and let her pass.

Harry_Flashman

I think in your case Andy, you very much had right of way.

As I understand it, you have to give way if the obstruction is on your side UNLESS you've already begun the manouvre to get around it. Pretty subjective really ain't it?

sickparrot

andygb wrote: »

Thinking about it, she drove for about two hundred yards on my side of the road, just to pass one parked car. I don't know if this was laziness, or just a bad attitude, trying to get me stop and let her pass.

It's not just laziness it's downright dangerous. Anyone pulling out of a side road on your left wouldn't be expecting someone to be on completely the wrong side of the road.

vikingaero

I think part of the problem is that women are so used to us men holding doors open for them and allowing them to go first at pinch points, that they expect the same and think "yay me me me" on the road.

newlywed

vikingaero wrote: »

I think part of the problem is that women are so used to us men holding doors open for them and allowing them to go first at pinch points, that they expect the same and think "yay me me me" on the road.

:rotfl: where on earth do you live???? That doesn't happen much here!

(and yes I have read and do abide by the highway code).