Rules of the road

bugslet

freeman3030 wrote: »

But how is that fair?
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Could be a forensic examination of how long his indicator was on, how much space precisely there was between you and the front car and was his a SWB van or an extra long, was he lost, were you being aggressive,w as he...and on and on. But the short answer is - life isn't fair and that really isn't worth getting wound up about.

Deastons wrote: »

I sometimes drive a car and sometimes a van, and I would argue I drive the same in both.

I'm amazed in the difference in other people's driving around me. I'm overtaken much more when in the van, and people are quick to pull out in front of me. I guess the perception is that vans are slower and van drivers don't deserve being polite to.
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Absolutely spot on. I only drive a small Combo van now, but at one point I had a VX220 and Renault Master van. People would almost leap out of the way if the VX came up behind them, in a van they would speed up, then 'forget' they 'wanted' to do that speed, slow down, etc, etc. It used to just make me laugh. But generally, less courteous, more aggressive towards me when I was driving a van.

NBLondon

Car_54 wrote: »

Including yourself, it seems. It's MirrorS, plural.

Not when I learnt it - and such irrelevant parties as the RAC and IAM still use it in the singular.

Pedantry aside - Mirror(s), Signal, Mirror Again, Manoeuvre is even better....

IanMSpencer

Deastons wrote: »

I sometimes drive a car and sometimes a van, and I would argue I drive the same in both.

I'd argue that I drive very differently in a van - there are mega-blind spots and you have to do strange things at angled junctions, like taking the left turn at a triangular island to turn right as going right means you are trying to look through two sheets of metal. Vans trail more around corners and an unloaded van has much poorer roadholding (and a loaded van has much poorer stopping distance).

And, as has been said, people react differently to vans. Van drivers tend to be more cooperative aside from the absolute nutters who think that as they are working they have additional road rights over anyone else, including the law.

bugslet

IanMSpencer wrote: »

And, as has been said, people react differently to vans. Van drivers tend to be more cooperative aside from the absolute nutters who think that as they are working they have additional road rights over anyone else, including the law.

Just observation built over years of driving, that there's a big difference between people who driver vans all day, particularly long distance drivers, and tradespeople, for whom a van is there just to carry their work tools. I find the former are generally better drivers than tradespeople. I did say generally!

IanMSpencer

bugslet wrote: »

I find the former are generally better drivers than tradespeople. I did say generally!

Ah, the builders' mobile phone exemption for example?

Robisere

Reminds me of the large, overweight driver who tried to overtake me, uphill, in lane marked for turning into a RH junction. There was a sharp LH bend directly in front, followed immediately by a LH junction. Heavy traffic uses this single carriageway 'A' road, which is a bypass. I knew there was sure to be oncoming traffic, so forced him to pull in. He pulled in behind and overtook me later on the straight, shaking his fist and pointing to a layby, obviously wanting to settle what he saw as a grievance with fisticuffs. I gave him a thumbs up of agreement and he pulled into the layby. The following traffic prevented him escaping as I accelerated on, taking one of 4 exits from the roundabout further around another bend and going home. What an idiot, why do people get themselves into such an aggressive state on the roads?

OP, try not to let things like this affect you. Life is too short and hearts can wear out eventually, hopefully only after a long and happy life. Getting angry about another person's perceived encroachment on your space, can only hurry that wear along. Learn to meditate!

System

freeman3030 wrote: »

Anyway there is about a 4 to 5 meter gap between me and the car in front of me that he's attempting to get into. He indicates and starts to veer into my lane so I sound my horn for about 2 seconds to alert him of my presence.
I am correct in thinking that it is my right of way as I'm currently in the lane and hes trying to cut me up?

No.

Highway Code Rule 168:

If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass.

I'm annoyed because when I sounded my horn, he brakes quite sharply (probably because he didn't even look in the near side mirror) and when I'm along side him, he sticks his middle finger up at me. He then pulls in behind me and flashes his lights a few time. A mile down the road, I need to turn left and he proceeds to beep his horn at me again as he passes me. Obviously he's angry, but am I in the wrong for not braking and letting him into my lane?

Yes. See above.

I mean, the courteous thing would have been for me to slow down and allow him in ahead of me. But how is that fair?

Oh jesus. PLEASE HAND BACK YOUR LICENSE NOW. Good driving is nothing to do with being fair, IT IS TO DO WITH BEING SAFE. I drive a lorry, if I took your attitude there'd be wrecks of cars strewn all down the M1, the M6 and M62. There are many times where because of the usual "must get in front of the lorry at any cost" I have to give way even if I have the right of way because if I don't then said moron is likely to end up in hospital.

---lee---

A little patience goes a long way. The assumption that all drivers know the road ahead is flawed.

A couple of days ago I took my land rover into town to drop my daughter off. I was committed to a small two way road in queuing traffic when I noticed the height restriction for the car park was too low for my vehicle.

Fortunately there was an entrance to a park of something to the left. Not a through road but somewhere I could manouver. So as the traffic crawled past it, I switched on my reversing lights to stop the car behind, indicated right and turned into the opposite lane, which had no traffic in it). This gave me enough room to reverse back into the space I mentioned. As I have hardtop, I then had my first view of the driver behind me when I raised my hand to thank him for waiting and leaving the space I needed. He was literally jumping up and down in his seat foaming and making hand gestures.

My entire manouver had taken less than a minute and there were still 3 cars in front waiting to get their tickets, so I had not even delayed him. I shrugged and pointed at the barrier making a gesture that it was too small and I was too big but he continued to rage.

IanMSpencer

---lee--- wrote: »

My entire manouver had taken less than a minute and there were still 3 cars in front waiting to get their tickets, so I had not even delayed him.

As a cyclist, I am all too familiar with the illusion of delay driving people insane. It is very rare that a cyclist will actually increase someone's journey time - there is always a lorry or car ahead that will genuinely delay someone but many motorists clearly believe that the few moments delay to pass a cyclist will bring their life to an end.

I do enjoy looming in the mirrors of such people, shooing them out of my way when they've sat on their horn or flicked the Vs.

Robisere

I have completely stopped reacting to road rage idiots now. I simply carry on whatever manoeuvre I was going to make and totally ignore whatever gestures they make. Of course, this seems to increase their apoplexy and I carry on waiting, stony faced, for the first head to explode. I have also stopped worrying about the occasional driver in front who wants to drive at speeds well below the limit of whatever road I am driving.