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Anti-Social Driving/Tailgating fines
Comments
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Idiophreak wrote: »There are a lot of things that aren't against the law that are stupid and dangerous...
Not saying that passing a MLH on the left is either, but when I refer to "undertaking", that's not what I'm talking about...
Ahh, see I interpret the "under" in "undertaking" as "the opposite of over" e.g. passing on the left instead of passing on the right.0 -
Drive in whatever lane you like, at whatever speed you like, however if there is someone approaching from behind you should move as far left as you can without moving into a lane that would immediately slow you down or send you into an exit that you don't want
Or forces the vehicle you have overtaken to slow down as you are within their 2 (or 4 second if an HGV) rule distance, and is not going to mean that you have to ping back out again in a few seconds when you reach the 2 second rule of the vehicle in front.
And as I pointed out before, that means a big space.0 -
Good point. I kind of took not pulling in front of people as a given under "as far left as you can", but yes it bears pointing out explicitly.
I am concerned that if middle lane hogging is enforced too strictly then we are going to start seeing people pulling into every single two-car-length gap for a couple of seconds and then coming straight out again, all at 70mph even though there is nobody behind in the middle lane.
What's the betting that half the traffic cops out there don't even know that rule.
As for HGVs disobeying it amongst themselves. My understanding is that there is a certain element of trust between HGV drivers, they might even be keeping the trucks behind up to date over CB, and in any case an HGV isn't able to stop as suddenly as a car driver might.0 -
Good point. I kind of took not pulling in front of people as a given under "as far left as you can", but yes it bears pointing out explicitly.
Yes , but this is one of my real pet hates, when someone overtakes and then almost takes your bonnet off cutting back in. So you then have two choices, slow down to create the 2 second rule space, or pull out and overtake them.
My real point was that the tailgater behind who wants to get past is making *their* judgement on whether they space they want *you* to pull into is big enough. That is my decision, not theirs.I am concerned that if middle lane hogging is enforced too strictly then we are going to start seeing people pulling into every single two-car-length gap for a couple of seconds and then coming straight out again, all at 70mph even though there is nobody behind in the middle lane.
Some people in this thread seem to think that is the appropriate way to behave. Perhaps time to re-run the Weaver Bird information film.0 -
Yes , but this is one of my real pet hates, when someone overtakes and then almost takes your bonnet off cutting back in. So you then have two choices, slow down to create the 2 second rule space, or pull out and overtake them.
One of my favourite bugbears. I'm guessing you're an HGV driver, which I'm not. I'd never heard of the 4 second rule* before but tend to leave around about that sort of space anyway as a guesstimate of a typical HGVs stopping ability and distrust of car drivers.
* Other than the one for car stopping distances in the wet.
Tailgating is also covered as an offence under this new scheme is it not. My view is that the stopping distance of the person you are about to pull in front of (someone who has done no wrong) trumps the need for the car behind to be able to go faster and that if you pull over too soon you are technically committing an offence. However I guess that one could be argued if you felt that the tailgater was creating a particularly dangerous situation... it's a tricky one.My real point was that the tailgater behind who wants to get past is making *their* judgement on whether they space they want *you* to pull into is big enough. That is my decision, not theirs.
A bit before my time that one I think. The only film of that sort I ever saw was "Charly Says" and even then I'm more inclined to think of The Prodigy when someone mentions it.Some people in this thread seem to think that is the appropriate way to behave. Perhaps time to re-run the Weaver Bird information film.0 -
I'm guessing you're an HGV driver
Nope. Just someone who is quite happy to get from A to B safely, and gets irritated by people who feel the need to shave 5 seconds off their journey and damn everyone else.
I used to commute 70 miles a day by road, and seeing the aggression on the road now, I am very glad that I now use the train.II'd never heard of the 4 second rule
Highway Code 126.
As for the Weaver Bird public information film, "The Weaver Bird has little brain he weaves about from lane to lane"0 -
Joe_Horner wrote: »
But that's not the usual situation that people complain about, though. It's usually that the left lane has slow traffic (lorries or whatever) and the middle has people doing (indicated) 60 - 65 who are overtaking the 55mph lorries, just not as quickly as the person behind thinks they should.
That's not my experience. Quite the opposite in fact.
It's the idiots that just sit in the middle lane for mile after mile, passing nothing, that get people's backs up.
If someone is passing slower traffic then they can do so at whatever speed they like as they are legitimately using the overtaking lanes.What goes around - comes around0 -
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Highway Code 126.
Apparently only applies to tunnels. How odd.Highway_Code_126 wrote:remember, large vehicles and motorcycles need a greater distance to stop. If driving a large vehicle in a tunnel, you should allow a four-second gap between you and the vehicle in front.0 -
It sounds like a good idea - but it will require the traffic cops to make a judgement on "how close is too close" and "how long in the middle is too long".
Like 5tide sez - if people appeal, it costs time and money anyway and then we're just seeing if the magistrate's judgement agrees with the cops.
If they appeal, and the magistrates turn down the appeal, then they can increase the penalty.0
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