Going round a sharp left hand bend I was faced with a vehicle reversing out of a drive into the road.I braked hard blew my horn and the said to my wife "God they're still coming" .I manged to miss the car and looked in my rear view mirror to see the poor sod who had been behind me stopped a bit sideways .A few hundred yards I was stopped at a red light and the car pulled up behind me then overtook me jumping the red lights and pulled into a drive.So i stopped and said I thought reversing into the main road was stupid ..to whiich the woman said..."I got out ok no thanks to you the kind gentleman behind you let me out" . To which I replied the poor sod didn't have much of a chance to do any other . . She then got quite abusive before going indoors!!!!!!!
Thanks that made us both laugh out loud....wouldn't do that any way ...now where are my cutters?
davidjpowell
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It could be argued that if you could not stop in the distance that you could see you would be going too fast.
I have some sympathy for the other driver. If it's a blind corner, then it's not a nice choice to decide whether to get hit reversing in or out!
I have some sympathy for the other driver. If it's a blind corner, then it's not a nice choice to decide whether to get hit reversing in or out!
Dieselman
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Being hit reversing in is probably better...it won't make you late if going somewhere..
My point is reversing into a main road on a blind bend is STUPID do you go round every corner at 10mph in case an idiot is reversing out ?? I doubt it . Any way I was not going too fast because I did miss the silly cow.
Dieselman
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PJH
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Do they have a mirror across the road from their driveway ? If not then suggest it. Everyone will benefit.
Didn't have time to look ..good idea though ,but you would have thought they would have one if it was possible ...the thing that frightened me was the speed she reversed out and just kept coming .I still say that if I had been going too fast I would have hit her .
davidjpowell
MB Enthusiast
You obviously were going too fast. In this instance it was a woman reversing out - it could equally have been a kid off his bike, a horse etc.
It's not to say I don't go around bends faster than I should. But if I hit something or have a close call because I can't stop, I accept it means that I'm going too fast.
From the woman's point of view - you've seen her, the car coming behind you has seen her. It's better to go than go back in and start the blind manoeuvre again.
It does recall me of one unfortunate incident when due to circumstances beyond my control I had to reverse down a long driveway and out onto the road, complicated by kids waiting for the school bus who insisted on using the driveway to do so and further obscuring any limited vision I had.
All I could do was revere slowly and carefully, until one delightful woman blasted her horn, and gave a rather charming mouthful of abuse. All it needed was a gentle beep to alert me of her presence.
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Take it as a lesson learnt,parked around the next blind bend could be a bin lorry.
Exercise caution when you can't see.
Exercise caution when you can't see.
Dieselman
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I was once on the school bus (52 seater coach) where the driver hadn't cleared ice off the windscreen properly, and we went round a bend straight into the back of a parked lorry.
One advantage. You could see through the screen properly then...
Charles Morgan
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It is certainly not recommended in the Highway Code, but I don't think reversing out of a drive is unlawful under the Road Traffic Acts.
However, I live 100 yards from a blind corner in a built up area and the number of cars who come storming round it at speeds well in excess of the limit (30) and have difficulty stopping in time to allow me to reverse in is far too high.
However, I live 100 yards from a blind corner in a built up area and the number of cars who come storming round it at speeds well in excess of the limit (30) and have difficulty stopping in time to allow me to reverse in is far too high.
What's the offence ??
Dieselman
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iirc. You aren't supposed to reverse onto a main road.
Says who ??
I appreciate what you are saying but it isn't actually an offence.
It may be classed as driving without due care and attention depending on the circumstances.
Dieselman
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177. Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can.
Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements. If these rules are disobeyed, a criminal offence is committed. Offenders may be fined, given penalty points on their licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases offenders may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence.
Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.
177. above says 'do not' which is advisory not legal requirement. To establish liability yes but not R.T.A offence.
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