Road Traffic Incident and Police Scotland

George_Michael

Tarambor wrote: »

He wasn't in a car, he was in a van with very limited visibility on his left side. His van is also wider than a car so it would make it even tighter for him.
.................
His "tearing towards you" as you describe could have been him trying to get through the narrow part quickly to save holding you up.

You make it sound as if you think that someone who was driving a large vehicle with limited visibility (your description) and who was driving quickly (again, your wording) in an area with lots of traffic which was close to a school and with children about was driving in a sensible manner.
IMO, it sounds like he was driving like a total idiot.

Warwick_Hunt

Mercdriver wrote: »

I don't see any issue with the OP reporting it. It's better to have a record of it ASAP rather than be on the back foot if the other driver tries to report it as DWDCA. He didn't ask for a constable to come around the police made that decision themselves. So they don't think it's a waste of time. Who would I listen to - the police or a few people back biting on an internet forum? I'll give you a clue - it's not the latter.

if the OP had reversed into the main road and there was an incident, he would immediately been held at fault. Would any of you be prepared to indemnify drivers against that?

No, I thought not.

Why? He either has corroborated evidence or he doesn’t. The OP can’t change any of that now.

Marvel1

Fact is if you did reverse onto main road, and posted it here, most would be saying your fault for reversing into a main road, you can't win!

Joe_Horner

DoaM wrote: »

I don't get all the hate towards the OP ...

It's the MSE Motoring section. They don't need any more reason than that

[Deleted User]

For anyone interested I!!!8217;ve just had a conversation with a lovely police officer. I have been assured that reporting road rage incidents is the right thing to do and not a waste of police time. The incident log forms part of police intelligence gathering.

It was also confirmed that reversing out on to a busy main road would not have been the right course of action.

For those asking for a streetview I shan!!!8217;t be posting a streetview of somewhere so close to my place of work on a public forum.

Herzlos

Good-oh, just ignore the complainers on here, it's a hobby for most of them.

Personally I think you did the right thing, I may have been tempted to drive round the van after a while since the road was quiet enough, but I absolutely wouldn't have reversed back out when it was easier and safer for the van to do so.

unholyangel

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

Interesting, so the consensus from a number of posters is that the correct course of action would be to ignore the highway code and for me to reverse out on to a busy main road rather than the van driver reversing into an empty lane and moving on to the correct side of the road.

Tbh I think part of the issue is how you've described the scenario. You said that the lane was big enough for 2 vehicles to pass (and that you turned from a main road into a lane) - although from later posts it seems that you mistakenly said lane when you should have said road.

You didn't even tell us why the van was over your side (or even that he was on your side!).

If you'd said something like: I turned from a main road into a side street and about 30m up the road I had to stop as a van was coming towards me in my lane because xyz (still unclear on why he was in your lane, you mention a stationary vehicle but also that he was able to reverse and get by without you moving).

Who should have given way would depend on the details.

Theres a road in my home town that had similar issues - has a nursery at one end, highschool in the middle and primary school at the other end - and connects 2 main roads. Council had to put up signs telling people who should be giving way because most drivers don't seem to know (or seem to think if you get to that spot first, you have right of way).

Comms69 wrote: »

In case someone really, really doesn't like you and now has a narrowed down search area of what several square miles....

OP says their office is on that road (well actually they said lane but I'm assuming they meant road). Could be the only office on there!

shaun_from_Africa

unholyangel wrote: »

You didn't even tell us why the van was over your side (or even that he was on your side!).

The Op was quite specific about this on more than one occasion and they also gave possible reasons why this may have been the case

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

I had to stop. I couldn't move forward because he was on my side of the road

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

I’m not sure why the van was on the wrong side. Often you do get cars parking in the lane even though there are double yellow lines but there weren’t any parked cars at this time.

Maybe he came out a drive or car park too fast or was swinging out to turn on to the main road. Who knows?

unholyangel

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

The Op was quite specific about this on more than one occasion and they also gave possible reasons why this may have been the case

Yes in posts #18 and #50 (the post I was replying to was #35 btw), not in their OP though (some posters will read replies but not all).

So at the point the OP was saying about the consensus, even people who had read every reply would only know that the van was on OPs side of the road and not that the vans own side was unobstructed. Plus there was also OP's post #11 of:

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

Indeed he was able to get passed a stationary vehicle once he had backed up a bit and got on his own side of the lane.

Which I understand might be the OP referring to themselves, but other posters may not have realised that.


All I'm saying is that OP's description of events has caused some confusion for posters.

Mercdriver

unholyangel wrote: »

Yes in posts #18 and #50 (the post I was replying to was #35 btw), not in their OP though (some posters will read replies but not all).

So at the point the OP was saying about the consensus, even people who had read every reply would only know that the van was on OPs side of the road and not that the vans own side was unobstructed. Plus there was also OP's post #11 of:



Which I understand might be the OP referring to themselves, but other posters may not have realised that.


All I'm saying is that OP's description of events has caused some confusion for posters.

try and read it again, looking at the bit in bold...

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

This morning I was involved in an incident where no one was hurt and no vehicles were touched. I was driving to work and turned from a main road into the lane where the office I am working in is based. My office is near a school so I always drive slowly and crawl into the lane because you often get parents parking in the lane with doors wide open trying to wrestle young children out the car.

This morning as I was turning into the lane I had to come to a complete stop due to a van driver tearing towards me on my side of the lane. The lane is wide enough to accommodate two vehicles passing each other if both vehicles are taking it easy.

He point blank refused to move and told me to reverse. I told him that you aren't supposed to reverse on to a main road. (This is road which is very busy during rush hour and has parents and school busses dropping kids off.) He said that it wasn't a main road which is BS. He became quite aggressive when I refused to reverse, even if I had decided to reverse I couldn't because of all the traffic, so I just put my car in park.

He got out his van and sat on a wall to finish his cigarette and then got his phone out to take a photograph of my car and text someone/play a game/whatever. I turned off my engine and took a note of his registration and the company's phone number. I wish I had just taken a photo.

Eventually he got back in his van and manoeuvred past me, then revered back to hurl some abuse at me. I think he had been working on his parting shot and was quite proud of it.

I was concerned about his photographing me and my car, don't know why he just gave me the creeps. When I arrived at the office and told my colleagues they said I should report it so I have. Now the police are coming out to see me. I feel a bit silly and like I am wasting police time.

What would you have done in that situation?