Complete Idiot

[V6lad]

On holiday driving through A small village in Devon doing just under 30 when a car is waiting to come out of a side turning so I slow and let it out, all of a sudden I am blasted by a IDIOT in a large camper van behind me because I must be slowing his progress. Ignoring him I continue only for him to ride my rear bumper because I am only doing 30 in a 30 limit. He then starts blasting his horn again why! If it wasn't for the other half he would be wearing it.

 

[moonloops]

Have mercy on his soul, it took 8 hours for him to get up to 36mph

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Please do not try to bypass the swear word, especially with that one!

 

[geraldrobins]

V6lad well done on keeping calm. Best and safest way.

 

[moonloops]

Please do not try to bypass the swear word, especially with that one!

Try saying Brian Cant (born in 1933) - in a cockney accent

 

[MD5]

On holiday driving through A small village in Devon doing just under 30 when a car is waiting to come out of a side turning so I slow and let it out,

Can I just ask how you let the driver behind you know you were going to do this?

 

[neilrr]

I frequently see people doing this (slowing down & letting traffic out) on the A4, a 50mph road, & consider it dangerous & stupid.

Driving along at the speed limit behind a queue of cars when one of them decides to let a single car out from a minor road, slowing the whole queue down to 20 or 25 mph is nuts, especially when there is a suitable gap a couple of cars & 3 seconds back that would allow the emerging car to join safely without impeding anyone.

Just drive on & clear the road, the car wanting to emerge will do so when it can.

 

[jotter22]

Years ago while working for a mini mix firm in Dartford i was driving up the Thames road towards Erith and while passing a few parked cars at 40mph i checked my rear view mirror to see i was clear of the parked cars to pull back in to my own lane only to find a lady stopped in front of me to let someone out of a side turning! I hit her firmly up the ar5e with the front mounted PTO and virtually turned her van inside out...When the case went to court the lady was blamed for the accident and had to pay for the damage to our lorry (i think a coat of paint on the PTO cover) as apparently it is/was illegal

Tony.

 

[mattc43]

If i recall correctly the Highway Code states that you should not stop on a public road to let someone out of a junction.

I also have read warnings about being flashed to be let out of a junction, only to have the other car smash into you. The other car denies all knowledge of flashing their lights and you are found to be entirely at fault. Classic crash for cash scenario.

 

[V6lad]

The village I was driving through was a 30 limit not 40 not 50 with quite a few pedestrians about but on re reading my original post I left out the fact that just past the side turning that I let the car out was a virtually stationary que of traffic because of traffic lights that had been on red and just changed to green. I am sorry, but if a car driver reads the road ahead and not the cars rear bumper in front there would be less accidents.
I didn't stop to let the car out I eased of the throttle to slow from just under 30 to approx 20.The Highway Code also states you should leave a safe distance between you and the car in front long enough for you to stop safely in an emergency and not to tailgate.

 

[boxbrownie]

Sometimes you just have to let them out, when it's the knobheads who insist on gradually edging out until there is little or no room to pass the nose of their car poking into your lane, it's at those times I wish I still had my LR 90 with RSJ bumpers!

Before condemning the OP I wonder what the full circumstances were?

 

[boxbrownie]

Beat me to it.......

 

[Wheelsnuts]

Drivers that slow down or stop to let someone out sometimes appear to be totally unaware of the vehicles behind them. They happily hold up a queue of traffic and risk being rear-ended just to let one vehicle out.

 

[MD5]

I am sorry, but if a car driver reads the road ahead and not the cars rear bumper in front there would be less accidents.
The Highway Code also states you should leave a safe distance between you and the car in front long enough for you to stop safely in an emergency.

Agreed, but no driver can read minds, which is why I asked if you indicated that you were slowing down. If you flashed the car in front, the car behind wouldn't necessarily be aware.

As stated, it's a classic crash for cash situation, addressed in advance driving courses, and not recommended.

 

[MancMike]

I had a similar situation a few months ago where the road was completely clear, other than a ford focus in front of me. On approach to a pelican crossing, which was green, the focus slowed pretty abruptly and stopped to let someone cross. The light didn't even go amber/red at all. They hadn't even gotten to the lights yet to press the button!

I'm all for being kind and if I see someone stranded in the middle of the road who's tried to cross, but only made it half way (not at an island, stood on the dashed line) then I'll signal and slow to let them cross, but when someone's not even gotten to a green pelican crossing yet!

 

[tec]

A few months ago I was on a main road doing 30 with other cars in front, and there was a car on a slip road waiting to join.
The car on the slip road tried to pull out in front of me in a gap that did not exist, and then had a cheek to blast his horn at me because I did not open the gap for him.

A basic periodic Highway Code retest would help a lot of drivers.

You definitely should not be slowing down to let others out of side roads, as cars behind may overtake and cause an accident as they assume you are stopping.

 

[neilrr]

The 2 most dangerous pieces of road I know are the M4 E bound where it meets the M25 & the M25 N bound where it meets the M4.

They are dangerous because, instead of driving along & joining the lane they need when an opportunity presents itself, people arbitrarily pick a spot to merge & stop, trying to force their way into a gap that isn't there, effectively parking on the motorway as cars whiz past them at 40 or 50 or 60 mph.

Invariably this happens hundreds of yards, sometimes half a mile, before the motorways diverge.

Parking or slowing way down in the middle of a road with fast moving traffic is just crazy.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Yep - entirely lethal spot which in the four years I have been regularly using it has been getting worse and worse. There will be one almighty accident there in the not too distant future.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The 2 most dangerous pieces of road I know are the M4 E bound where it meets the M25 & the M25 N bound where it meets the M4.

They are dangerous because, instead of driving along & joining the lane they need when an opportunity presents itself, people arbitrarily pick a spot to merge & stop, trying to force their way into a gap that isn't there, effectively parking on the motorway as cars whiz past them at 40 or 50 or 60 mph.

Invariably this happens hundreds of yards, sometimes half a mile, before the motorways diverge.

Parking or slowing way down in the middle of a road with fast moving traffic is just crazy.

Yep - entirely lethal spot which in the four years I have been regularly using it has been getting worse and worse. There will be one almighty accident there in the not too distant future.

I know the M4 E bound junction well, that is the key.

The layout is that an extra lane opens up to the left and this is the ONLY route to turn off the motorway. This is not the most common type of junction.

My belief is that drivers using the junction for the first time don't realise the layout until it's too late and they are stuck in lane 1 and have to rely on those in the filter lane to let them in - London commuters are not known for their largesse in such situations.

Doesn't the E bound Slough slip road also run straight onto the filter lane?

Those who know the junction get in the right lane soon after the Slough Forge sign and cling grimly onto their position.

Agrees it's a poorly designed layout which locals will be fine with but liable to trip up those unfamiliar with it, it's a shame that locals could not be a little more forgiving of non-locals. I assume that they think that those left out in lane 1 are trying to push in deliberately.

 

[cb1965]

Drivers that slow down or stop to let someone out sometimes appear to be totally unaware of the vehicles behind them. They happily hold up a queue of traffic and risk being rear-ended just to let one vehicle out.

If they risk being rear ended just by slowing down then the knob jockey following them is driving too close and would likely cause a major accident should an emergency stop be required by the vehicle in front of them!

Sensible driving and some patience and manners wouldn't go amiss on the UK roads!