Death trap driveway

Lbuk

Our property is on a 60mph road and the driveway entrance is hidden within a slight bend so very poor visibility.

It is also on a 45 degree angle from the road so we can’t easy check both ways and have to cut across oncoming vehicles to exit.

I had a real near miss yesterday.

I realise that I’m going to have to prioritise widening the entrance and cutting back the trees etc but even still I feel like there should be signage or something.

Can I bang my own ‘Slow - Concealed Entrance’ sign into the grass verge or can I get an official one put in and how would I do that?

MultiFuelBurner

Unless it's an official speed change implemented on the road regular users of said road will just speed on by as usual.

Some residents like to leave their bins out with the speed signs on them.

Can someone legally park on the road outside your house something like that there for a month would certainly slow people down. (Taxed and insured and roadworthy of course) 

Contact your local parish council and the council and have a chat with them as well.

pinkteapot

Can you put up a convex mirror to improve what you can see when exiting? I live rurally and various properties around here have done that where they're exiting at angles or with poor visibility round bends. 

We regularly visit a hotel bar/restaurant and their exit has one of those mirrors up - it really does make a huge difference. 

Again, people here do put signs in the verges, particular telling people to slow down when they've just entered a 30 from a 60 (as many don't slow down). 

pinkteapot

MultiFuelBurner said:

Can someone legally park on the road outside your house something like that there for a month would certainly slow people down. (Taxed and insured and roadworthy of course) 

Well, I've just learnt something: 

"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

From the Highway Code. What are parking lights?! (I don't think I've ever broken the law because I don't think I've ever parked on a faster road at night). 

GrumpyDil

pinkteapot said: 

Well, I've just learnt something: 

"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

From the Highway Code. What are parking lights?! (I don't think I've ever broken the law because I don't think I've ever parked on a faster road at night). 

Possibly you know them as side lights. 

MultiFuelBurner

pinkteapot said:

MultiFuelBurner said:

Can someone legally park on the road outside your house something like that there for a month would certainly slow people down. (Taxed and insured and roadworthy of course) 

Well, I've just learnt something: 

"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

From the Highway Code. What are parking lights?! (I don't think I've ever broken the law because I don't think I've ever parked on a faster road at night). 

Good advice me too👍 learning everyday

daivid

Lbuk said:

Our property is on a 60mph road and the driveway entrance is hidden within a slight bend so very poor visibility.

It is also on a 45 degree angle from the road so we can’t easy check both ways and have to cut across oncoming vehicles to exit.

I had a real near miss yesterday.

I realise that I’m going to have to prioritise widening the entrance and cutting back the trees etc but even still I feel like there should be signage or something.

Can I bang my own ‘Slow - Concealed Entrance’ sign into the grass verge or can I get an official one put in and how would I do that?

Exiting with the flow then turning around in a suitable place would be far safer so widening the drive to allow (if it doesn’t currently) would be a priority for me. My parents drive is similar, I find listening for cars really helps - window down, radio off, and I'll only turn right from the drive at extremely quiet times of day.

oldernonethewiser

I can remember flicking the indicator when leaving the car to turn the parking lights on. Used to put the sidelights on on whichever side the indicator was turned to. 

Now, where's my starting handle?

Postik

GrumpyDil said:

pinkteapot said: 

Well, I've just learnt something: 

"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

From the Highway Code. What are parking lights?! (I don't think I've ever broken the law because I don't think I've ever parked on a faster road at night). 

Possibly you know them as side lights. 

My car (German) actually has parking lights, with the ability to turn them on independently each side. I could be wrong, but I would imagine it would flatten the battery if left for any length of time. None of my previous cars ever had them.

Section62

Lbuk said:

Can I bang my own ‘Slow - Concealed Entrance’ sign into the grass verge...

People do, but technically it is illegal to do so.  Some councils will routinely remove them.  If you do put one up then you may be held liable if it causes an accident or injury to road users.

Lbuk said:

...or can I get an official one put in and how would I do that?

You can ask the highway authority, but they should apply criteria to requests before agreeing to them.  E.g. that the entrance is actually concealed, rather than it being solely an issue with your own visibility of oncoming traffic.  "Concealed" means the access is not visible to oncoming traffic.

If they agree, they may try to charge a fee, which I'd expect to be in the region of £500.

As with your rear fence issue - the responsibility for safety is largely yours.  If your access onto the highway is unsafe then you have the responsibility to make it safer, or use it in a way which reduces risk (e.g. get someone to guide you out of the driveway and/or only turn out of the drive in the safer of the two directions)

user1977

Postik said:

GrumpyDil said:

pinkteapot said: 

Well, I've just learnt something: 

"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

From the Highway Code. What are parking lights?! (I don't think I've ever broken the law because I don't think I've ever parked on a faster road at night). 

Possibly you know them as side lights. 

My car (German) actually has parking lights, with the ability to turn them on independently each side. I could be wrong, but I would imagine it would flatten the battery if left for any length of time.

I doubt modern lights use enough power to drain the battery that much. Rules are stricter in some other parts of the world (I seem to remember the Austrians using them even in roads with streetlighting, but that was a while ago).