car accident who is liable?

Idiophreak

alm721 wrote: »

Have to say I'm really concious of leaving a safe stopping distance between myself and the car in front and it really annoys me when someone cuts in front of me into the space I've left because they feel the need to overtake to get a few yards ahead!

If they've overtaken you, they probably intend to overtake whoever's in front of you, as well...

Seeing as you have no intention of overtaking the person in front, what's wrong with them doing this?



I just don't get it....

darich

Idiophreak wrote: »

If they've overtaken you, they probably intend to overtake whoever's in front of you, as well...

Seeing as you have no intention of overtaking the person in front, what's wrong with them doing this?



I just don't get it....

i can understand what Alm721 is getting at - the gap in front is braking distance - not a space for someone to overtake and move into. If someone overtakes and moves into your braking zone, then it forces you to slow down to re-establish that safe braking zone.
Put it this way - you overtake someone and pull in in front of them and are in their braking zone. If that car you've just passed doesn't slow down, then they're too close (since you're in their braking distance). If you have to brake and that person you've just overtaken, hits the rear of your car, i know you'd be out saying that they were too close. So why overtake and place your car where it shouldn't be?

That's the point i was getting at with the reps and impatient drivers who FORCE their way back in where there is no room/space and slow others down.

I've overtaken several cars at once numerous times - today i passed a van and trailer following a car in one move - the car behind me did the same. i don't see a problem with overtaking several cars at once but when some drivers do it and pull in where there is no space (a braking zone is not "space") then it causes others to slow down and get angry.

Idiophreak

darich wrote: »

That's the point i was getting at with the reps and impatient drivers who FORCE their way back in where there is no room/space and slow others down..

I'm not sure it really adds up like that

a) there should always be space...yes, I know it's your stopping distance, but you can't start hugging the bumper of the car in front just to stop people overtaking. If someone's overtaking you, you probably want to ease off the gas anyway to make it easier for them to pass

(nobody ever does this though - I know that - I do when people are passing me (admittedly this doesn't happen very often ), but have never noticed someone slowing down to help me past - have noticed plenty of people speeding up whilst I'm trying to get past though )

- this will naturally create more of a gap between you and the car in front, so they have plenty of space to pull back into without messing up braking distances.

b) it will balance out. the "angry rep" pulls in in front of you - you fall 20 yards back from the car you were following with no intention of overtaking. The "angry rep" then overtakes the things in front and heads off into the distance...where are you now...right behind the car you were following in the first place. Not lost anything at all.

darich

Idiophreak wrote: »

I'm not sure it really adds up like that

a) there should always be space...yes, I know it's your stopping distance, but you can't start hugging the bumper of the car in front just to stop people overtaking. If someone's overtaking you, you probably want to ease off the gas anyway to make it easier for them to pass

(nobody ever does this though - I know that - I do when people are passing me (admittedly this doesn't happen very often ), but have never noticed someone slowing down to help me past - have noticed plenty of people speeding up whilst I'm trying to get past though )

- this will naturally create more of a gap between you and the car in front, so they have plenty of space to pull back into without messing up braking distances.

b) it will balance out. the "angry rep" pulls in in front of you - you fall 20 yards back from the car you were following with no intention of overtaking. The "angry rep" then overtakes the things in front and heads off into the distance...where are you now...right behind the car you were following in the first place. Not lost anything at all.

Agree with most of what you say - i'd probably say that although in Part b) you are correct, it's the same with road rage when someone pulls out in front of you or cuts you up....you get angry and pump the horn......how often do we see that and then the one who pumped the horn is either shouted at or is shown a rude sign?
I'm sure everyone has seen that but like you say - where are you after the event? the same place you started.

But that doesn't mean it's not annoying!!

alm721

Idiophreak wrote: »

If they've overtaken you, they probably intend to overtake whoever's in front of you, as well...

Seeing as you have no intention of overtaking the person in front, what's wrong with them doing this?



I just don't get it....

What I mean is when there is a long queue of traffic for whatever reason its really annoying when people pull into your stopping distance forcing you to slow down when there is no prospect of them really getting any furthur.
This tends to happen a lot on the motorway in really bad weather when some idiots seem to think that provided there is a least a couple of feet between them and the car in front there is no problem. I do make a point of holding back far enough for anyone who wants to overtake if for example I just don't want to go any faster but there are maybe on a couple of cars in front and other drivers can clearly get on their way quicker by overtaking, I was really talking about the times when there is no prospect of the other driver making any headway hope that make sense.
Oh and I slow down for overtaking cars all the time providing that there is no one right up behind me. I also do not particulalry drive slowly, I just wont do 90 on the motorway with 2 children in the car so do tend to get overtaken sometimes.

MarkyMarkD

darich wrote: »

It's quite clear you didn't actually read my post in full.

The reps i refer to FORCE their way back in - their is no clear space in the queue ahead of them but they FORCE their way back in causing the drivers behind to brake otherwise the rep would be in a head on collision with on coming traffic.

I agree there should never be a need to force your way back in but the drivers to whom i refer pull out to overtake when it is unsafe to do so and are a danger to themselves and others purely because of their impatience or lack of judgement.

I also said that I've overtaken several cars at one time which clearly doesn't make me a "numpty timid driver". And i'd also be fairly confident in saying I've owned and driven cars with performance that puts them in the top few percent in the country so i can and do overtake where others are unable.

Going by your reaction, are you one of the reps in a mondeo or vectra to which i refer????

No, I DID read your post in full.

You are wrong.

If you are incapable of overtaking, and are determined to not overtake the car in front of you, driving exactly your stopping distance behind it is inconsiderate in the extreme.

Just because you don't think it's safe to overtake doesn't mean that it IS unsafe to overtake.

You shouldn't impose your own driving ability on others. Others may be able to overtake far more quickly than you if their car is more powerful; they may know the road better than you and know where it is safe to overtake where you do not; they may simply be better able to assess the time taken to complete the manouevre; they may simply want to drive slowly.

There are many reasons why others may overtake where you would not.

If

their(sic) is no clear space in the queue ahead of them

then that's because there are other inconsiderate drivers in the queue.

Are you seriously suggesting that just because there are one or two inconsiderate moron drivers in a queue, driving exactly their braking distance apart, and refusing to overtake where there is ample opportunity, then nobody else should overtake at all?

If so, you are daft. And people like that cause immense congestion on single carriageway roads across the country.

And no, I'm not a rep in a Mondeo or Vectra. And nor am I making stupid generalising comments.

darich

driving with my stopping distance in front of me is inconsiderate? strange point of view.

i agree that other would overtake where i wouldn't and vice versa but leaving my braking distance between me and the car in front is sensible, not inconsiderate.
i have overtaken many times where others won't or can't because i know the road, have a more powerful car and am in the correct gear because i know an opportunity is about to present itself.

I've already said that i've overtaken several cars in one move - in more than one post - so why do you think i'm suggesting "just because there are one or two inconsiderate moron drivers in a queue, driving exactly their braking distance apart, and refusing to overtake where there is ample opportunity, then nobody else should overtake at all"???

And at the risk of making you even more angry and annoyed at my apparent lack of consideration, i nearly always drive at or close to the speed limit where conditions allow meaning that anyone passing me is breaking the law by speeding. When they do, i have no issue as long as they don't cause me to have to brake or change direction.

It would seem that you consider someone's braking zone to be an area that will allow you to overtake, hence your annoyance. You also come across as someone who takes it as a personal insult if there is a car in front of you and have an almost uncontrollable urge to pass.

I'd suggest calming down a bit and easing back on the accelerator - you'll live longer.