Did I do something wrong?

parking_question_chap

Andrew_Ryan_89 wrote: »

Mate, 2-3 minutes is a long time. You need to edge yourself out and block of the traffic coming from the right. Someone coming from your left is bound to let you past or see a gap. Just have to put your foot down.

Yeah I second this.

You didnt do anything wrong, but if waiting for more than a minute start to edge out and hope somebody lets you do. Even edge out all the way if there is a big gap in the traffic coming from the right.

Strider590

barbiedoll wrote: »

I drive a car with a small engine, and I'm a middle-aged woman, so some drivers just seem to think that they're going to get stuck behind me whilst I drive at 25mph the whole way home.

If your small car is on my ditherers list (most small cars), i'd not even give you a chance, i'd be past at the first opportunity.

This is not a slight on you, but I believe in overtaking whenever the opportunity is there, because should that driver end up behind a really slow driver I know they won't overtake and I know i'm either going to be stuck for miles or i'll be facing an overtake the length of a large truck (not something I want).

On my way to and from Wales a few weeks back, I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me (based on speed limits), I worked out that if I got stuck behind ditherers doing 40mph, my journey would take 4hrs+. The way I see it, forcing other drivers to extend their time on the road by over an hour is very unreasonable and highly inconsiderate.
So I was literally leaping frogging past cars all the way, ensuring I didn't end up 20 cars back from some muppet with no chance at getting past. Some people got upset, some people flashed their lights or sounded their horns, but in all honesty every single overtake was worth it.

Sagz_2

Strider590 wrote: »

If your small car is on my ditherers list (most small cars), i'd not even give you a chance, i'd be past at the first opportunity.

This is not a slight on you, but I believe in overtaking whenever the opportunity is there, because should that driver end up behind a really slow driver I know they won't overtake and I know i'm either going to be stuck for miles or i'll be facing an overtake the length of a large truck (not something I want).

On my way to and from Wales a few weeks back, I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me (based on speed limits), I worked out that if I got stuck behind ditherers doing 40mph, my journey would take 4hrs+. The way I see it, forcing other drivers to extend their time on the road by over an hour is very unreasonable and highly inconsiderate.
So I was literally leaping frogging past cars all the way, ensuring I didn't end up 20 cars back from some muppet with no chance at getting past. Some people got upset, some people flashed their lights or sounded their horns, but in all honesty every single overtake was worth it.

I really hope I'm never in as much rush as you seem to be!
I'd much rather leave an hour earlier or arrive an hour later than take risks leap-frogging to overtake.
In 30+ years driving I can count on one hand the number of times someone has sounded their horn at my I'll mannered driving.

khcomp

Interesting thread - you did nothing wrong, and although many people are advocating blocking half of the carriageway by pulling out into the road & waiting for a gap in traffic coming from your left, it is completely wrong. It would mean a failure if you did it during a driving test, and should you be involved in an accident by being hit by a vehicle coming from the right, it would be deemed to be your fault. Think about doing this in the dark: A car approaching from the right will see no lights, perhaps other than your side indicator repeater, which wouldn't tell them the position, or direction, of your car. And they are heading straight for your side of your vehicle. Does that sound like a sensible idea?
Two or three minutes SEEMS like a long time, especially for the impatient !!!!!!s behind you, but if I didn't think it safe, I wouldn't pull out - I'd probably give up, turn left and then right further down the road rather than risk my life or that of other road (and pavement!) users.

khcomp

Just read Strider590's post - I live in the Welsh borders, and I can guarantee that we have one serious or fatal collision every weekend over the summer locally caused by someone intent on passing everything on the road. I'm surrounded by roads that have a 60mph speed limit, but you'd be suicidal to drive at 60 on some, if not most of them. Don't get me wrong, I drive fast; I probably exceed the speed limit somewhere most days - very fast on occasion, and extremely fast on my bike, but I've never had a crash, injured myself or anyone else, or had a point on my licence in 30 years. I've done a round trip to Belgium from home in 12 hours more than once on a booze & tobacco run more than once, in a diesel Land Rover Discovery (several years ago)!
If I end up stuck behind a lorry (which can now do 50mph, not 40mph on an unrestricted single carriageway) for a while, that's life!
Like Sagz, people don't need to sound their horn or flash their lights at me - even if I'm in a hurry, I'd rather get where I'm going: You're a long time dead..

Strider590

Sagz wrote: »

I really hope I'm never in as much rush as you seem to be!
I'd much rather leave an hour earlier or arrive an hour later than take risks leap-frogging to overtake.
In 30+ years driving I can count on one hand the number of times someone has sounded their horn at my I'll mannered driving.

Overtaking is not ill mannered, it is not illegal, it is not rude, it is not inconsiderate. People need to wake the hell up and realise that the road is not a bloody queue.

As for "leaving an hour early", why should I? Why should I have to change my plans to account for incompetent road users? Why should I have to spend an hour longer in the drivers seat JUST because other people should never have been issued a driving license?

"leaving an hour early" again (as I discussed in another thread) this is one of those "one liners" that can't be answered as easily as it is said and therefore the people who say it get the misguided impression that they've "won" the argument. These don't work on internet forums because I do actually have time to sit down and prepare an accurate response. Offline this sort of comment just tells me the person is lacking the grey matter required to process my response and I probably wouldn't even bother wasting my time trying to respond.

"It's not a race", "it's limit not a target", "leave earlier", one liners, all just excuses for incompetent driving.

khcomp wrote: »

Just read Strider590's post - I live in the Welsh borders, and I can guarantee that we have one serious or fatal collision every weekend over the summer locally caused by someone intent on passing everything on the road. I'm surrounded by roads that have a 60mph speed limit, but you'd be suicidal to drive at 60 on some, if not most of them. Don't get me wrong, I drive fast; I probably exceed the speed limit somewhere most days - very fast on occasion, and extremely fast on my bike, but I've never had a crash, injured myself or anyone else, or had a point on my licence in 30 years. I've done a round trip to Belgium from home in 12 hours more than once on a booze & tobacco run more than once, in a diesel Land Rover Discovery (several years ago)!
If I end up stuck behind a lorry (which can now do 50mph, not 40mph on an unrestricted single carriageway) for a while, that's life!
Like Sagz, people don't need to sound their horn or flash their lights at me - even if I'm in a hurry, I'd rather get where I'm going: You're a long time dead..

Accidents occur when people lose their patience and take silly risks, they occur when you risk overtaking too many vehicles at once. By leap frogging one or two cars at a time, I can stay calm and I can avoid situations where my only choice is 50 miles at 35mph OR a risky overtake. I will overtake anyone who isn't going at a reasonable pace, on a clear dry day, on a good road, reasonable is the indicated speed limit.

facade

And if someone like Strider comes up behind me and overtakes, I let him- well actually I don't take any notice.

I couldn't care less what anyone else does, as long as they don't cause me to have to brake or swerve.

Go round me on the inside? fine.
Go the wrong side of a "KEEP LEFT" island to overtake me? fine.
Do either whilst holding a mobile 'phone in one hand, loading a shotgun, eating a banana and reading a map? fine if they can do all that and still drive. :T

But what I can't stand are the people who insist on overtaking me in the 30, because I don't accelerate to 60 before I pass the NSL sign, and then drive right on my front bumper* at 40 in the 60 whilst there is the slightest bend in the road, but accelerate upto 75 as soon as there is any chance that I could overtake them.

* Not leaving enough space between you and the car behind should be a crime. Either speed up, or move over to let them pass

Nodding_Donkey

Nobody seems to have mentioned road positioning yet. Was the op in the correct position to turn right? If he was too far over to the left and just sitting there then I can understand someone driving round him.

Mercdriver

Andrew_Ryan_89 wrote: »

Mate, 2-3 minutes is a long time. You need to edge yourself out and block of the traffic coming from the right. Someone coming from your left is bound to let you past or see a gap. Just have to put your foot down.

I was delayed in London by multiple drivers doing this and the traffic in the jam not letting them in. It doesn't always work

contrivant

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

Nobody seems to have mentioned road positioning yet. Was the op in the correct position to turn right? If he was too far over to the left and just sitting there then I can understand someone driving round him.

I was quite to the right as I was trying to let the person directly behind me move up as they had their indicator on to turn left. They were in a large vehicle and were being cautious about the space and didn't move up though. I couldn't have been any further right without being in the other lane, and if I'd moved up any further, I'd have been in the middle of the road. I'm guessing the Audi was impatient with both of us (me for not forcing my way across and the guy behind me for not moving up).

Anyway, lots of good feedback on this thread, and I appreciate that. I had a close call this morning from another guy (not in an Audi, for the record) here: 52.4440825,-1.9422585 I was on Harborne Lane going straight across towards Chapel Lane. I'm in the left hand lane, and as my lane splits, guy to my right just comes over into my lane. Never even looked over at me. I successfully managed to get out of his way, but I swear, I'm cautious because of people like this. Some people are honestly not aware that others are even on the road, and 22 years without an accident now...I'm not trying to break that record.