Roundabout Near Miss

Car_54

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

Maybe the other driver realised too late that they needed the next exit; happens. Also if you are going straight on, its safer to use the left-hand lane, the right-hand lane being for the third (right-hand) exit only is what I was taught.

You're only remembering part of what you were taught.

The first rule on roundabouts is "On approaching a roundabout take notice and act on all the information available to you, including traffic signs, traffic lights and lane markings which direct you into the correct lane."

And the rules about choice of lane all include "unless signs or markings indicate otherwise".

DoaM

@Adrian ... As you quoted me ... almost side-by-side. They were enough ahead of me such that I could detect and respond to what happened.

By your definition (me coming from the north on A723), the 1st exit (Carfin) is about 2 o'clock, the 2nd exit (new road into what used to be Ravenscraig) is about 4 o'clock, 3rd exit (A723 to Motherwell) is about 8 o'clock.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.8007955,-3.9643244,17.25z

From my point of entry, the new road into Ravenscraig is "straight on" ... if it was the A723 to Motherwell then there wouldn't be a right turn exit at all, hence the road markings would be nonsensical.

AdrianC

DoaM wrote: »

@Adrian ... As you quoted me ... almost side-by-side. They were enough ahead of me such that I could detect and respond to what happened.

But side-by-side enough that you needed to take serious action to avoid an impact.

From my point of entry, the new road into Ravenscraig is "straight on" ... if it was the A723 to Motherwell then there wouldn't be a right turn exit at all, hence the road markings would be nonsensical.

Lovely, an' all. But totally irrelevant.

Somebody did utterly predictable thing. You failed to predict it. Near crash.

Now, children, what is today's lesson we can take from this...?

greatgimpo

All this blah, blah, blah. If you're on the inside lane of a roundabout you should always be prepared to go round again if your exit is compromised. Who cares about right and wrong, who done what - if there's a collision, everybody loses. Defensive driving, and be pillock-prepared.

DoaM

AdrianC wrote: »

Somebody did utterly predictable thing. You failed to predict it. Near crash.

If I'd failed to predict it then it would have been a crash ... as there was no crash then I acted in time.

But of course if everyone predicted everything perfectly (like you obviously do) then there would never be any altercations on the road.

AdrianC

<shrug> Fine.

There's nothing you could possibly learn from this... Nothing you could possibly do better next time.

What. Ever.

Car_54

DoaM wrote: »

The other car decided to keep going round to go right (3rd exit)! As I said, I saw their manoeuvre and was able to stamp on the brakes to avoid hitting them ... they continued on oblivious to what they had done. (I didn't blast the horn ... I concentrated on stopping).

But the other car didn't maneuvre, it carried on in the same lane. It seems to follow that for you to need to brake you must have started to change lane, into the path of the car which was "almost side-by-side ... although ... they were slightly ahead".

Or have I misunderstood?

unholyangel

kmb500 wrote: »

What do you hope to achieve with this thread?


Okay, some people don't drive as excellently and precisely as you do.... and, of course, you'd never make a mistake either. I bet you've never been on an unfamiliar road and got in the wrong lane.

I've been in the wrong lane a few times. But I do what I was told whilst learning - follow the signs/markings for the lane I am in and find a suitable place to turn around.

That being said, personally I'd go for the left lane at that roundabout for Ravenscraig although I do agree with OP its straight on and not left. There are 3 exits (not counting the one you approach from). Therefore if there are 3 directions indicated by road markings (left, straight on and right) they should each correspond to 1 exit.


There is a roundabout out by Lanark/Whitburn/Livingston way, Google informs me its called Boghead Roundabout. You can see on the first sign that the 1st Exit is signed as Bathgate B7002, 2nd is Broxburn A706, 3rd is Livingston, Edinburgh, Glasgow A801 (M8) and last is Whitburn, Lanark A706. Next sign tells you left lane for Bathgate B7002 and Livingston A7066, right lane for A801 (M8) and Whitburn A706. Yet the number of people who go in the left lane purely because the sign says "Livingston" and they don't even look at the road numbers. If they did, they'd realise they should be in the right lane (for the 3rd exit).

Marvel1

kmb500 wrote: »

Okay, some people don't drive as excellently and precisely as you do.... and, of course, you'd never make a mistake either. I bet you've never been on an unfamiliar road and got in the wrong lane.

When I'm unfamiliar and approaching a roundabout intend to use right lane/inside and go all way around if I must.

System

DonnySaver wrote: »

This practice at roundabouts happens to me almost every day on my way to work. And it's normally HGV drivers that do it !

Something to do with the vehicle being 53ft long and needing to take a wider line around the roundabout to account for the trailer taking the shortest path. York ring road has a particularly bad 2 lane roundabout at the junction with the A59 which when approaching from the west on the A59 to turn right on the ring road it is safest to straddle both lanes in the truck when you get to the give way line because of the sheer amount of car driving morons who fail to understand why it is a bad idea to try to barge past you.