Complete Idiot

[richard]

In India the horn is hard wired to Live on the battery.

I remember as a kid on a visit to India someone came round a corner, found us in the car and drove into a wall. He blamed my dad for not using his horn to warn him that he was there !!

My brief experience of driving in a town in italy was that (a) it seems completely random (b) everyone is not moving fast enough to cause any major damage when the seemingly randomness results in someone appearing where you wouldn't expect them to !!

Richard

 

[markmifsud]

Back home in Malta where traffic lights were rare to be seen and often turned off as they were the cause of most accidents, it is normal to hear a car "toot" at nearly every turning to say "i am here" and not really used as a sign of aggression.

Of course times change and there are traffic lights and speed cameras a plenty, but the "tooting" continues

 

[jotter22]

Back home in Malta where traffic lights were rare to be seen and often turned off as they were the cause of most accidents, it is normal to hear a car "toot" at nearly every turning to say "i am here" and not really used as a sign of aggression.

Of course times change and there are traffic lights and speed cameras a plenty, but the "tooting" continues

I completed my first Maltese bus ride while on holiday last year...Are you sure there are speed cameras and traffic lights? As nothing seemed to impede the bus drivers progress!

Hopefully back there in September

Tony.

 

[markmifsud]

I completed my first Maltese bus ride while on holiday last year...Are you sure there are speed cameras and traffic lights? As nothing seemed to impede the bus drivers progress!

Hopefully back there in September

Tony.

Oh yes, there are quite a few. Have been for years. Ill be back there in August so I will ask the drivers to slow up a little for you BTW, new bus company in place now, no weekly tickets for 6 euros

 

[Blowpipe]

Back on topic, common courtesy is great but the 'give way' markings on a side road are there for a reason.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect anyone travelling at thirty to suddenly slow down to allow someone out - ok in very slow moving traffic, but not when traffic on the main road is flowing well. Recipe for an unnecessary rear ender as the OP was correctly warned about.

 

[markjay]

My driving instructor was always answering my questions with 'If it is safe to do so'.

Is it OK to slow down and let another vehicle merge?

When waiting to turn right, is it OK to continue and cross a junction if I passed the traffic light and it then went red?

Etc.

 

[kid-jensen]

After trying many options over the years, I now adopt the philosophy of treating every car waiting in a side road as a BMW (ie: NEVER let them out). That way, you don't screw-up the main road progress behind you and the majority of road users are happy.

I't just the car in the side road that has to wait, which is how it should be.

Having commuted to Heathrow for a decade, I know about traffic...I've found this philosophy to work best for the majority. Occasionaly, you find yourself in a situation where it's best not to apply this, but we can still make these decisions on the fly, because self-driving cars are not mandatory yet...

 

[flowrider]

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.

I agree, i am a non-local so every time i use that junction i should be allowed to push in the lane.:bannana:

 

[flowrider]

After trying many options over the years, I now adopt the philosophy of treating every car waiting in a side road as a BMW (ie: NEVER let them out). That way, you don't screw-up the main road progress behind you and the majority of road users are happy.

I't just the car in the side road that has to wait, which is how it should be.

Having commuted to Heathrow for a decade, I know about traffic...I've found this philosophy to work best for the majority. Occasionaly, you find yourself in a situation where it's best not to apply this, but we can still make these decisions on the fly, because self-driving cars are not mandatory yet...

The only vehicles i ever let out of a side road are other ML's.

 

[E55BOF]

Letting other cars out depends mostly on the traffic on the main road, or should. I wouldn't brake to let somebody out - unless she was young, attractive and wearing very little - but easing the throttle to leave a usable gap slows nobody up appreciably.

Sadly, pushy, bad-mannered driving is almost universal these days. We all do it sometimes, but a lot of people do it ALL the time...

 

[Robfen100]

Letting other cars out depends mostly on the traffic on the main road, or should. I wouldn't brake to let somebody out - unless she was young, attractive and wearing very little - but easing the throttle to leave a usable gap slows nobody up appreciably. Sadly, pushy, bad-mannered driving is almost universal these days. We all do it sometimes, but a lot of people do it ALL the time...

I thank you for the line:

"unless she was young, attractive and wearing very little -"

Now that's what should be mandatory!

 

[Meldrew2]

My driving instructor was always answering my questions with 'If it is safe to do so'.

Exactly

 

[itaintemeyouno]

It's all about reading the road. If I see someone waiting to come out and I can see an obstruction ahead, be it traffic or traffic lights changing to red, then I will generally let the car emerge. If the vehicle behind can't read what i'm doing then they are either too close or they aren't reading the road ahead of me. In situations like this it costs you all of umm 0.03 seconds.

I drive in London quite regularly and if people don't use their heads in this way, the place would completely seize up.

 

[219]

After trying many options over the years, I now adopt the philosophy of treating every car waiting in a side road as a BMW (ie: NEVER let them out). That way, you don't screw-up the main road progress behind you and the majority of road users are happy.

I't just the car in the side road that has to wait, which is how it should be.

Having commuted to Heathrow for a decade, I know about traffic...I've found this philosophy to work best for the majority. Occasionaly, you find yourself in a situation where it's best not to apply this, but we can still make these decisions on the fly, because self-driving cars are not mandatory yet...

The only time I let people out of side roads is when the main road is congested with stop/start traffic which is nose to tail and the person wishing to join might sit there an age . In such a case , if I find myself just before a junction and someone is waiting to join , I will leave a gap , but won't invite them out : I just leave them the opportunity and they can decide for themselves ; the danger of waving someone out is that if a cyclist/motorcyclist or other road user appears at speed and there is a collision , you then assume part of the responsibility because you indicated that it was safe for them to emerge when it wasn't - I always leave the decision to the person waiting to emerge ; they do so at their own risk .

I would never stop on a free flowing road , but where traffic behind me is already stopped it is a different matter .

 

[Squirrelcatcher]

Back on topic, common courtesy is great but the 'give way' markings on a side road are there for a reason.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect anyone travelling at thirty to suddenly slow down to allow someone out - ok in very slow moving traffic, but not when traffic on the main road is flowing well. Recipe for an unnecessary rear ender as the OP was correctly warned about.

I'm with the OP. Daaawn Saaawf (Home Counties) you'd never get out of a side road between the hours of 05:00 and 23:00 unless someone let you out. I really don't think that a bit of courtesy hurts.
Anyone who goes up the backside of anyone else is either:
1) too close;
2) not concentrating; or,
3) both.
We should have the automatic fine for rear ending as in Germany. Drivers just might pay a little more attention.

 

[mat8n]

I'm with the OP. Daaawn Saaawf (Home Counties) you'd never get out of a side road between the hours of 05:00 and 23:00 unless someone let you out..

So you have a different highway code down there?

I'm all for courtesy but rules is rules.

You do not hinder progress on the main carriageway. other vehicles have to find a suitable gap and be able to join the flow of traffic without hindrance to other vehicles.

 

[E55BOF]

"Rules is rules" Oh dear! You come across as very dogmatic; lighten up a little. In my view, sticking slavishly to the rules just because they are the rules makes no sense in this context. Show a little courtesy; next time, you may be the one looking to get out of a side turning.

And of course, if you have to push your way out in front of an oncoming car, make sure it is the smallest and newest in the queue...

 

[mat8n]

You couldn't be soooooo wrong.

I've spent 20 years driving very large Left Hand drive cranes around the UK, I've probably pushed my way into more traffic than the lot of you put together.......but slowing down on a main road when the way ahead is clear is not the thing to do, again while driving the crane and a car in front slows unnecessarily , causing me to brake, to let a car out will effectively take me about 3 miles to make it back up, cause a huge tailback and a whoping blast from the airhorns

I would have been looking beyond the car in front and after seeing there was no reason to slow down I would not have been prepared to brake,more than likely accelerating, even at less than 30mph it makes a huge difference to large vehicles.

None of us stick to all the rules, I don't, but one I do stick to is MIRROR, signal, manoeuver, which makes you aware of what's going on around you, which in turn should help you make the decision on what to do. So in this context i'd say the rules were pretty important, if he'd have checked his mirror before braking he would have seen angry white van man bearing down on him, probably changing his decision to brake. Angry van man was probably looking over the op's car and accelerating as there was a gap to go and no reason to slow. Yes it would have been white van mans fault if he had rear ended him.

Just pointing out that people have different agendas while driving

I more often than not when driving my car let cars out while i'm in slow traffic, but I always make sure that it won't affect other drivers, I will accelerate slower to leave a larger gap as i'd have judged the road ahead, not simply brake

 

[E55BOF]

Good point, well put. I was looking at it purely from the point of view of a car driver; and actually, I might well let a large, slow vehicle such as yours out. I am always conscious that professional drivers have a living to make on the road , whereas I haven't.

" I more often than not when driving my car let cars out while I'm in slow traffic, but I always make sure that it won't affect other drivers, I will accelerate slower to leave a larger gap as I'd have judged the road ahead, not simply brake"

 

[revpermin]

Be careful when you make a gesture to another road user, as, if anything happens to them you could be held responsible!

Phill