Getting off the motorway

[brucemillar]

Yesterday morning my wife was taking the girls to school. This involves driving along the M2 in Kent in rush hour. While going along the car (C240 Auto Petrol) suddenly and without warning cuts out - no power.

She is in the outside lane in heavy traffic doing about 65. As she hits the indicator to move in a lane and try and get to the hard shoulder, white van man behind her decides to offer some kind assistance.

This assistance takes the form of holding one hand (possibly a stump) on the horn with his lights on main beam, while his passenger made a gesture simulating what he likes the driver to do to him when they are in bed together.

As my wife and kids managed to get into middle lane (Hazards on and slowing rapidly) the car behind decides it is a "no invitation required honk along" and joins the fun beeping his horn like he is in a Noddy and Big Ears re-run (Honk Honk Get out of my way)

On finally reaching the hard shoulder another white van decides to ensure that the hard should is clear for her obvious distress. He achieved this feat of gallantry by undertaking her on the hard shoulder and giving her a cheery wave with his fist as he went past.

I am comforted to know what knights we have traversing our motorways looking out for the well-being of others in the same manner that they would want their own looked after.

So if you know any of these helpful chaps please pass on the eternal thanks of my wife and two terrified children.

These knights will be easily identified. Volcanic acne, cap back to front, genital mutilation carried out at birth. A childhood spent being force fed boiled sweets fired from a catapult has clearly heightened their need to show how retardation and pooh in the gene pool can gain a driving license these days.

Marvelous.

 

[rossyl]

It makes me sad to think that so many people in this country are like that.

Hazards on show that there is some problem. First instinct should be to offer help/be concerned.

Instead we have idiots who offer abuse.

Feel sorry for your wife. That would have infuriated me.

 

[jonnyboy]

It's tw*ts like that who get the rest of the white van men (my guys drive my vans, all white) a bad name. My guys always let people out at junctions, cross the road etc as I feel it's important to dispel the myth.

 

[kwakdonut]

I think your wife was terribly ignorant and selfish. How dare she use their road!!

Seriously, these kind of people need a serious shoeing for being such bar stewards. It must have been obvious that the car was in trouble.

Hope wife and kiddies are ok

 

[brucemillar]

All

Thank you for your thoughts. Yes the wife is fine. The Fuel pump failed so the car quite simply spluttered then ran out of fuel (so to speak). No warning.

Please note. I am not branding all white van drivers in the same bracket as the low life from yesterday.

It does raise a question though. If the car in front suddenly slows for no reason on the outside lane of a busy motorway how do you react:

a) If you are the driver - this is a scary point as you try and engage brain - to a completely alien event. Wife did say it took a couple of seconds to register that the car was indeed completely out of power and slowing rapidly.

b) If you are in the car behind. Do you assume that it's some dumb idiot in front not paying attention and reach for the horn/lights.

I personally would want to think that those behind would reach for their brakes and hazards to give me room to get out the way safely.

Ho Hummm..

Q. How absolutely thick do you have to be to make a W*nker gesture out your window to a woman with two kids who is obviously in trouble. I read nothing in last nights news about escapes from the local loony bin

 

[NormanC]

Glad to know that your wife has survived the ordeal.

I'm certain that a lot of the problem is that "hazard warning" lights have turned into "look at the stupid place I've parked" lights.

 

[BQF]

I drive the M2 motorway most days (to Ebbsfleet to catch the train, and down to Deal at weekends), and imho it is jam-packed with brainless chav t8ats who drive like complete brain-deads - it's easily the worst motorway for cack driving I have come across, and I am including the M20

 

[steve333]

It's tw*ts like that who get the rest of the white van men (my guys drive my vans, all white) a bad name. My guys always let people out at junctions, cross the road etc as I feel it's important to dispel the myth.

I drive a van for a living & am appauled at some peoples driving(yes some of them are white van men but a lot are what appear to be respectable/middle aged executive car drivers),it's unbelievable these people saw a woman driver with kids onboard trying to get to the hard shoulder(with hazards on) & not only ignored her obvious plight but thought it appropriate to sound horn & make rude jestures-low lifes

 

[steve333]

I drive the M2 motorway most days (to Ebbsfleet to catch the train, and down to Deal at weekends), and imho it is jam-packed with brainless chav t8ats who drive like complete brain-deads - it's easily the worst motorway for cack driving I have come across, and I am including the M20

Try the m25 on a daily basis

 

[PXW]

Nasty. Had a similar experience in my old Saab 9-5 (the conked-out engine and total loss of power in the outside lane of a motorway, not the white van man abuse, thankfully). It required, though I say so myself, incredible self control and presence of mind to knock the car out of gear, then use what momentum was left to move across to the hard shoulder. My passengers didn't even realise anything was wrong until we had stopped. But there is NO WAY I could have done that with a white van A-team cutting me up, undertaking on the hard shoulder etc. It's where you really wish you had one of those little camera recorder thingies to show the police precisely who did what - I'm sure the van drivers would have looked a lot less angry in front of the magistrates.

 

[mbenz76]

It does make you wonder about some people. I encounter half-wits daily on the road and it seriously makes me wonder a) how the hell they got a licence in the first place, and b) how the hell they manage to keep it.

Had a similar(ish) experience myself once. M5 heading south (day before the 1999 eclipse). Doing 70 in the fast lane when all of a sudden the steering puller VERY heavily to the left. Car veered and before I could react I was in the middle lane - luckily the road was quiet. Car carried on as I struggled to keep it straight and I ended up missing a car in the slow lane and piling onto the hard shoulder.

A check on the car showed a front n/s tyre stripped to the steels.

Apparently (so I was told by the garage that did the repair) the wheel bearing has shattered and generated such heat that it had welded the wheel to the hub!

Not a nice experience, and nothing but luck stopped me having a serious accident.

On the plus side, I made it to Weymouth to see the eclipse (on the back of a low loader - at 50mph all the way from Tewksbury) and spent a couple of days down there enjoying the summer while a local garage repaired the car

 

[219]

Despicable bad conduct .

I don't know that motorway - don't suppose there would be any CCTV which might have recorded the event ?

It is still worth reporting the matter to the police in case a) someone else reported them along with a registration number - all the police need to act is a second corroborative statement b) just in case one of them does the same to someone else , a previous recorded incident can be taken into account .

 

[MOCAŠ]

I'm certain that a lot of the problem is that "hazard warning" lights have turned into "look at the stupid place I've parked" lights.

The other problem is that with the hazard lights on, it would have been less clear to those in other lanes that the driver was attempting to move over onto the hard shoulder.

There's no excuse for the abuse issued by the other drivers, but I can understand how they may have failed to read the situation, at least initially.

 

[BenzedUP]

No offence but I really hate rude white van drivers, bunch of chavvy knobs.

Only way to shut the idiots up is to come out with a baseball bat and see what the idiots have to say, not so mouthy anymore..

Sorry I just get fed up with these idiots.


glad your family are ok.

 

[finisterre]

Bet they were transits.

 

[brucemillar]

Bet they were transits.

Do you mean the drivers or the vans ;^)

 

[corned]

Whilst not making any excuses whatsoever for the poor behaviour, you may bear in mind that the van driver's reactions were probably tempered by a long and sustained experience of brainless feckwits who wait until the hatchings after the exit sliproad to suddenly pull over from the outside lane across all the other lanes and shoot up the sliproad - without indicating, naturally. You know the sort.

I don't know how it would be immediately apparent that this one isolated incident was a genuine case!

Of course, it could still well be because they are complete feckwits.

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

Some months ago now i was on a call on M25 B junct 24 to 25 (the big dip) with the ells and whistles going when at speed I blew my rear near side 'no warning and the run flat just shredded'.

50p 20p moment follows.

Luck saw me back and fourth over a number of lanes and onto the hard shoulder.

A 'squire' of the road (well a van 'aint an HGV size Knight) felt he needed to stop and advise me with regards my lane changing habits.

He was advised in return

In short some drivers dont care who or what is happening ahead as long as the bit they can see at the end of thier bonnet it is getting out of thier way

It may change, but sadly i doubt it.

 

[219]

So many of them drive like Stevie Wonder .

 

[Charles Morgan]

Except most don't call to say they love you.