What should I have done?

suffolkb

Coming back from Ipswich, I was doing 50 in the 50 limit. As we came to the end of this, a juggernaut in the outside lane was doing about 52 with a huge queue behind him. The limit was now 70, so I began to accelerate and he starts beeping away - must have upset him. It took him nearly a mile to pass me as we were now going uphill. If I had just shot off, he could have simply pulled into the inside lane and all the people he was blocking could have gone on their merry way. There was no way that I was going to slow down to 40 for him, but what would you have done?.

steveo3002

i would have sped off assuming he wasnt ready to pull in front of me, like you say it makes sense that he can then pull in behind you and let the traffic get past

suffolkb

Nope, he was still behind me at the time. It took me ages to get past him as I had to wait for the queues to overtake. Next time he can watch my trusty MZ shoot up the road.

Conor_3

suffolkb wrote: »

Coming back from Ipswich, I was doing 50 in the 50 limit. As we came to the end of this, a juggernaut in the outside lane was doing about 52 with a huge queue behind him. The limit was now 70, so I began to accelerate and he starts beeping away - must have upset him. It took him nearly a mile to pass me as we were now going uphill. If I had just shot off, he could have simply pulled into the inside lane and all the people he was blocking could have gone on their merry way. There was no way that I was going to slow down to 40 for him, but what would you have done?.

You created the situation and perpetuated it. There was only one person at fault here - you.


As a HGV driver, what you do annoys the living hell out of me.

Why the hell couldn't you have slowed down 1MPH and let him complete the overtake? Would your life have come to an end?

READ THE SODDING HIGHWAY CODE. It explicitly states that you must give way to an overtaking vehicle, not just sit there next to them mile after mile.

If he'd let off the accelerator on the hill, he'd drop to a speed a damned sight slower than 40MPH and now be stuck in the outside lane with a queue of cars behind him and a stream of selfish morons like you undertaking him which is far more dangerous.

We have speed limiters which are set to roughly 56MPH. We can't go any faster.

You're typical of the absolute dire rubbish standard of car driving I have to put up with for 2000 miles a week. Bet you leave your foglights on too and brake at speed cameras.

Muppet.

Conor_3

suffolkb wrote: »

Nope, he was still behind me at the time. It took me ages to get past him as I had to wait for the queues to overtake. Next time he can watch my trusty MZ shoot up the road.

Why did it take you ages to get past him? His vehicle is limited to 56MPH.

anewman

Conor wrote: »

You created the situation and perpetuated it. There was only one person at fault here - you.

I agree! Had some loser in a subaru imprezza like 5 inches behind me at just over 70mph and I couldn't move back in and was in fact advancing on traffic in the inside lane. I tapped the brakes to try make him put some distance. A gap appeared on the inside lane, and he swerves straight in, undertakes me and squeezes between me and the car in the inside lane I'm advancing on (but I slowed to let this dangerous driver through as I could see this coming a mile off) swerving back in front of me, then we're at a speed camera and he slams on the brakes. Not sure if it's his usual reaction to speed cameras or if he thought he'd try p*ss me off. Had I done what I would have liked to he'd have come straight into me, all because he's an arrogant loser with nothing better to do. And with this style of driving you have to wonder if they did pass a driving test.

Conor wrote: »

You're typical of the absolute dire rubbish standard of car driving I have to put up with for 2000 miles a week. Bet you leave your foglights on too and brake at speed cameras.

Muppet.

It's the old people going around my 20mph limit estate at under 15mph and braking for the speed bumps that *really* do my nut. Second of course to insane drivers who tailgate you inches at national limit then undertake dangerously.

I must admit I have occasionally undertaken traffic but only after waiting and giving them plenty of space and opportunity to move back in. If they do not move back in I assume they don't know the highway code and I'm of course not willing to pull into their lane then the next lane then all the way back for some loser in the middle lane. Maybe I'm wrong, but there you go. My sister claims she saw police pull a slow middle lane hogger over, only wish it happened more often.

See http://www.middlelanemorons.com/ for details of this annoying phenomenon

But in the situation of the speed change yes, you should have allowed him the opportunity to pull back in.

Another pet hate of mine is ending up behind someone doing 30mph on the slip road to a motorway, but luckily it's only happened once so far.

suffolkb

Conor. Why was the HGV driver breaking the speed limit and being in the outside lane in the first place. Seems pretty stupid to me. That 50 limit is there because it is a high risk area and I do not remember seeing any signs saying `50 except if you are an idiot in a lorry`. Not too many fog lights on my motorbike. And I do not brake for speed cameras because I keep to the limits - hence I was doing 50 and the prat in the lorry was speeding. And it took me ages to pass him because of the bloody great queue of cars that had built up while he had chosen to be in outside lane (of 2). I thought it would be a good idea not to just pull out on them `cos I`m not a HGV driver and like to overtake safely.
Also, please tell me how I was undertaking a lorry that was behind me the whole time?
And I really can`t figure out why my simply driving at the new limit of 70 thus leaving the inside lane now totally clear would make him take his foot off the accelerator. Or do HGV drivers only want to pull in when they are well under what is generally regarded as a safe stopping distance.
Of course, perhaps you are one of those HGV drivers who think that speed limits do not apply to them and condone speeding in an accident zone. Almost all lorry drivers are excellent. I do not think that this one falls in that category.
I still think that my clearing off once the 50 limit ended would have been the `right` thing to do and will do so if the situation ever happens again. Never happened to me before because most HGV drivers would not have been breaking the speed limit and would not have been in the outside lane.
Terribly sorry if my liking for obeying speed limits upsets you, but I feel that they are there for a reason and so stick to them.

suffolkb

Conor - I think we`ll have to agree to disagree on this one. I think that he should not have been speeding in the outside lane in the 50 limit and you think that I should gone under 50 mph in the now 70 limit to let him pass instead of just getting out of the way. I`ve seen your other posts and you seem a decent chap - so let`s leave it there.
You did wind me up a bit. Just come back from my hilly run round the village in 31 min 15 s, a record by 34 secs thanks to the anger I was feeling. So thanks for that.

iluvmylexus

everyone knows that MZ's are highly sophisticated machines with speedos that are much more accurate than the speed limiter on a modern HGV. what you should have done was sped up and got out of his way, what you did do was stupid and dangerous to yourself and others. i bet you also flashed your lights to let the truck driver it was safe to move over. No? i thought not.

I am now going to shout to make sure the message gets through:

wHEN YOU ARE ON A MOTORBIKE THERE IS NO POINT BEING RIGHT IF YOU ARE DEAD

suffolkb

When I did start to speed up to get away, he got very indignant and started with the air horns so I stopped. I agree I should have left and let him pull in behind me. Where I think he should have been all the time. Don`t know about newer models, but my German version doesn`t have a flasher. Makes no difference anyway as he pulled in well before he was what I would consider a reasonable distance ahead. When I am in the car, and on all my previous bikes, I always flash when I think it`s safe. Very few lorry drivers wait that long. If I pass you, I would not pull back in until I was a safe stopping distance in front of you. That would be putting you in danger and I choose not to do that.
We get a lot of speed indicators on the roads near here. I always get the smiley face and my speedo agrees with the speed the machine says I am doing. Surprising on such an agricultural machine, but true.

espresso

Conor wrote: »

READ THE SODDING HIGHWAY CODE. It explicitly states that you must give way to an overtaking vehicle, not just sit there next to them mile after mile.

:rotfl:

It's all very well quoting the Highway Code when it suits you but how many times have we seen HGV's duelling in lanes one and two on the motorway. Does the HGV in the inside lane ease off to let the overtaking HGV past? No the duel often goes on for miles, until the the next incline and the less laden HGV wins! There has to be a bit of give and take and common sense helps.

:beer: