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Lorry's flashing
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If you're in the left lane in your car (eg doing 50) and a lorry decides to overtake you, they miraculously know when they're clear of you to know when to pull back in again. Always struck me as a bit odd that - you could easily swipe a car off the road with a lorry yet another lorry will offer some resistance so it seems they're willing to chance a family in a car but not each other.
I always flash them as soon as they are clear of my car if I'm in that position.Totally Debt Free & Mortgage Free Semi retired and happy0 -
The other day driving down the M40, I came across a truck overtaking a car, I have no idea why the car was being driven so slowly, but this truck was stuck in the middle lane for a good few miles with a long line of cars jammed up behind. The car driver wasn't maintaining a constant speed!!
When I got around the truck I moved over to lane 1, and slowed right down, forcing the car driver to slow down enough for the truck to finally get passed us both.
Then when I pulled out and overtook the truck again, the driver flashed me and gave me the thumbs up :cool:“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
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Don't think I've ever been overtaken by a lorry. The reason that they don't side swipe you, if it is a serious question, is because they're generally experienced drivers (usually have to have so many years experienced), and know how to drive a lorry (my licence only up to a certain weight) and know how much of a gap they need to leave after being forced to overtake by someone trundling along in a car at 50 for no reason at all other than be an extra hazard.
Not sure what you mean by a lorry offers resistance, it will take longer to overtake a 50mph lorry than it will a 50mph car?!
Yes it was serious otherwise I wouldn't have posted it. Sometimes a car may develop a fault on a long journey so you have to nurse it to the other end hence drop your speed. Also these days with fuel prices so high, driving anything over a 2L engine becomes expensive at 70mph. At 50mph my mpg goes right back up again and thats proven by the live onboard MPG computer. Admittedly I have a conscience and only go slow during off peak periods - in busy times I'd be a danger to myself.
Gapwise is also true but if they know how much of a gap to leave then why do they need other lorries to flash them? - Thats the point I was trying to make. Although there is the point that lorries generally don't obey the minimum space rule...
Resistance is quite easy. If a car gets side swiped by the back end of a lorry it's going to be forced off the road. If the rear of a lorry strikes another lorry it will at least have more weight and grip and offer more resistance to being forced off the road. Maybe not enough to prevent the rear lorry from being forced off but maybe just enough to prevent it going into a spin like a car might.
@Strider: Good tip that, next time I end up in a similar situation I'll remember that0 -
TrickyWicky wrote: »Always struck me as a bit odd that - you could easily swipe a car off the road with a lorry yet another lorry will offer some resistance so it seems they're willing to chance a family in a car but not each other.
Utter rubbish. As a lorry driver I flashed lorries in when the rear of them was a few feet past the front of my cab so they could pull in early and minimise the time in L2.
As a lorry driver overtaking a car, I would leave it a lot longer than I would when passing a wagon before pulling back in. Once the car disappeared out of view in the mirror, I would look at the shadow of the car I was overtaking on the ground and make sure there was plenty of room before pulling in. I wouldn't pull in in front of a car at the same distance I would a wagon.
And the point has been made about experience. I did 400-500 miles PER DAY as a wagon driver. Some years I was doing around 120,000 miles a year driving wagons alone and 150k including car mileage as well.
When you did your once a year "long distance" 150 mile trip to your UK holiday, that would be what I'd typically do in less than half a days work.
How many weeks would it take you to do what I did in a day, how many months to do what I did in a week and how many years to do what I did in a single year?0 -
Strider590 wrote: »The other day driving down the M40, I came across a truck overtaking a car, I have no idea why the car was being driven so slowly, but this truck was stuck in the middle lane for a good few miles with a long line of cars jammed up behind. The car driver wasn't maintaining a constant speed!!
When I got around the truck I moved over to lane 1, and slowed right down, forcing the car driver to slow down enough for the truck to finally get passed us both.
Then when I pulled out and overtook the truck again, the driver flashed me and gave me the thumbs up :cool:
Regrettably if you slow down this seems to enrage the dopey motorist who thinks you are being stupid trying to overtake them, so they promptly slow down to 45mph again. The vehicles I drive have fifteen gears and can take over a minute to accelerate from 45mph to 56mph, so it is a MASSIVE pain.
The same thing often happens if you move over into lane 2 to allow someone to join from a slip - they then sit there at 56mph blocking you into lane 2.
I've solved the problem by mounting my horn in the nearside wing, pointing directly at the driver's window. Once quick, very loud, honk normally makes them jump and slow down enough to let you pull back in0 -
TrickyWicky wrote: »Gapwise is also true but if they know how much of a gap to leave then why do they need other lorries to flash them? - Thats the point I was trying to make. Although there is the point that lorries generally don't obey the minimum space rule...
It's simply that it allows the overtaking lorry to get back to the left quicker. The drivers can judge the gap themselves but will (hopefully) err on the side of safety by staying out longer than they really need to. If the overtaken vehicle "flashes them in" then they don't have to leave that extra time to make sure they're clear.
I get overtaken by lorries a fair bit because 50 - 60 is about cruising speed for a 750cc Daf. Flashing them in is second nature and says (1) you're far enough past and (2) I'm aware you're likely to pull in and won't be suddenly speeding up to stop you.
Some lorry drivers will accept a flash in from a car, while others seem to ignore the flash and leave extra space anyway - fair play seeing as they can't assume that an unknown car driver is sending the same signal as someone who drives lorries for a living. Most will still thank you for the invite though.
Personally, the ones I pay more attention to are the caravan and large trailer drivers who're likely to be much less accustomed to the length of their vehicle - or even forget they've got the extra length completely!0 -
Happens all the time, the M40 is particularly bad for it unfortunately. I assume what happens is the dopey driver being overtaken is not checking their mirrors. They suddenly realise a lorry is beside them and realise how slowly they are driving, and speed up, stranding the lorry in lane 2 and forcing all cars into lane 3.
Regrettably if you slow down this seems to enrage the dopey motorist who thinks you are being stupid trying to overtake them, so they promptly slow down to 45mph again. The vehicles I drive have fifteen gears and can take over a minute to accelerate from 45mph to 56mph, so it is a MASSIVE pain.
The same thing often happens if you move over into lane 2 to allow someone to join from a slip - they then sit there at 56mph blocking you into lane 2.
I've solved the problem by mounting my horn in the nearside wing, pointing directly at the driver's window. Once quick, very loud, honk normally makes them jump and slow down enough to let you pull back in0 -
Strider590 wrote: »The other day driving down the M40, I came across a truck overtaking a car, I have no idea why the car was being driven so slowly, but this truck was stuck in the middle lane for a good few miles with a long line of cars jammed up behind. The car driver wasn't maintaining a constant speed!!
When I got around the truck I moved over to lane 1, and slowed right down, forcing the car driver to slow down enough for the truck to finally get passed us both.
Then when I pulled out and overtook the truck again, the driver flashed me and gave me the thumbs up :cool:
Who swore you in to police the motorway?0 -
Sgt_Pepper wrote: »Who swore you in to police the motorway?
I leave that to the idiots who hog lane 3 at 68mph and sit there muttering "im doing the speed limit, im not moving over" to themselves.“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
<><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/0 -
Strider590 wrote: »The other day driving down the M40, I came across a truck overtaking a car, I have no idea why the car was being driven so slowly, but this truck was stuck in the middle lane for a good few miles with a long line of cars jammed up behind. The car driver wasn't maintaining a constant speed!!
Inconsistent car speeds drive me potty. Like the people who poodle at 60 in the outside lane, eventually pull in so you can overtake, and then floor it in the inside lane so you struggle to overtake them.
Why? Just why?
Got stuck for ages once on the A9 in Scotland (single carriageway) in a queue behind someone slow but the worst part was they constantly sped up from 30 to 45 then back down to 30. Can't even use cruise control and relax when someone's doing that.0
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