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Reversing roadrage

littleowl

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
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Location
North Shropshire
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C220 AMG Sport Edition Auto Estate, VW T5, Ducati Scrambler
Among the many things that bug me about general driving these days, is when you meet someone on a narrow country lane and the nearest passing place is behind them, but they can't reverse. I encounter this almost daily as I live on a single track farm lane.

I frequently have to reverse about a quarter of a mile because the person in front of me can't reverse a few yards, but a lot of people fly into an absolute rage if they have to. On a narrow road someone will have to reverse so why get mad about it? I've lost count of the times they end up in the hedge which is why I usually go out of my way as it would take longer to wait for them to go a short distance in a straight line.

I met someone at the other extreme last week. He was barrelling up the lane way too fast and we met nearly head on at a bend. The nearest passing point was behind him so after sitting there glaring at me for a while, he slammed his car into reverse and took off like a bat out of hell almost out of control - reversing like he was crazed and if something had come round the blind bends he would have gone straight into it. He shot backwards into a farm gateway and shouted at me as I went by, even though I thanked him.

Another time I met a lorry which was just 20 yards past a field gate, but there was a slight bend. He sat there looking at me and I was gesticulating to him to reverse to the gateway, but he still sat there. So I ended up reversing round three blind bends to another gateway. When he passed, he stopped and said 'sorry love but we're not allowed to reverse around bends, we'll get in trouble as it's all recorded on the camera' - what utter rubbish!

I thought that reversing was a skill that you had to be able to do in order to pass your driving test, but clearly a lot of people don't use it enough, or ever! o_O
 
Among the many things that bug me about general driving these days, is when you meet someone on a narrow country lane and the nearest passing place is behind them, but they can't reverse. I encounter this almost daily as I live on a single track farm lane.

I frequently have to reverse about a quarter of a mile because the person in front of me can't reverse a few yards, but a lot of people fly into an absolute rage if they have to. On a narrow road someone will have to reverse so why get mad about it? I've lost count of the times they end up in the hedge which is why I usually go out of my way as it would take longer to wait for them to go a short distance in a straight line.

I met someone at the other extreme last week. He was barrelling up the lane way too fast and we met nearly head on at a bend. The nearest passing point was behind him so after sitting there glaring at me for a while, he slammed his car into reverse and took off like a bat out of hell almost out of control - reversing like he was crazed and if something had come round the blind bends he would have gone straight into it. He shot backwards into a farm gateway and shouted at me as I went by, even though I thanked him.

Another time I met a lorry which was just 20 yards past a field gate, but there was a slight bend. He sat there looking at me and I was gesticulating to him to reverse to the gateway, but he still sat there. So I ended up reversing round three blind bends to another gateway. When he passed, he stopped and said 'sorry love but we're not allowed to reverse around bends, we'll get in trouble as it's all recorded on the camera' - what utter rubbish!

I thought that reversing was a skill that you had to be able to do in order to pass your driving test, but clearly a lot of people don't use it enough, or ever! o_O

It seems a countrywide problem as it is certainly prevalent in Wiltshire. I had a similar issue recently, a "Gentleman" in an old Volvo estate was coming toward us but there was a large passing place no more than 5 metres ahead of him, I slowed assuming he would pull in but no he carried on and flashes his headlights at me. Both now at a stop I get out and ask him if he would mind reversing, "I was here first, you move" was his ungracious reply.

I pointed out the passing place now only a couple of metres behind him, no, he still refuses to reverse and insists he has right of way. We were in no hurry so I turned off the engine and picked up a newspaper and made it obvious I was happy sitting there :)

After about 30 seconds he reverses.
 
Same here in Rural Kent. My Wife reaches breaking point last week, having reversed three times in quick succession for cars coming in the opposite direction piloted by people who happily drove past a “ passing place”. The fourth was a transit three up, the driver refused to go back. Wife calmly switched off her engine, got out her book and started to read. They reversed back.


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See similar up here often,
my view is that if they can't handle the little roads they should stay on the big ones.

The common one here is on roads that will fit 2 cars, just, the cars coming round bends and over blind rises are in the middle. Avoiding action wouldn't be needed by either if they stayed left and at a speed meaning they could stop rather than plough down a cyclist.
 
I think I've seen more cars over the middle line on our lanes than those that stay on the right side! When we moved to the country, I thought drivers would be little old ladies and men pootling along at 20mph - how wrong I was o_O. Country lanes are used as racetracks by some people determined to stick to 60mph regardless of whether the safe speed would be around 20, and regardless of whether some farm vehicle, people or animals might be around the next blind bend.

Once coming home with my daughter saw a car hurtling towards me at speed. I managed to stop, and even got into reverse gear but couldn't move in time before the driver had ploughed into the front of my car :mad:.
 
Very many years ago I was towing a caravan down hill along a narrow winding road when I came face to face with a car coming up the hill. The car stopped just a couple of yards past a good sized passing space that I pointed to but to no avail. The lady driver just sat there. I got out and asked her if she would kindly reverse into that space because there were no passing spaces behind me for some distance, and of course it was harder to reverse the outfit. She said she didn’t feel able to reverse down hill, so I offered to do it for her. She refused to let me, so I had no option other than to reverse several hundred back up the hill round a couple of bends to find a space. Fortunately no other vehicles came along whilst I was blindly negotiating the bends. The lady drove by without a hint of acknowledgement!

In contrast, only a few weeks ago I was driving along a narrow road and saw a car approaching from the opposite direction. It was easy to see that there were no passing spaces between us so I stopped and immediately reversed to one 20 or 30 yards back. When I stopped in the space I looked forward to see that the other driver had done exactly the same thing, having reversed into a space! We both just sat there laughing. Sometimes things happen on the road that make your day.
 
I drive through a single track piece of road daily, it's only about 100 metres but you cannot see the end from your point of entry, there are 3 passing places.

Seeing the state that the angry old grunter retirees that live around me were getting into made me resolve to take the higher moral ground (yeah I know) and always reverse back cheerfully and let everyone through whether they deserve it or not.

The look of entitlement on some of their faces as they pass me by is priceless, the rest are very appreciative.

Either way I can laugh it off as I made the decision not them.
 
It usually happens I find at a passing point.. they seem to cause all sorts of rage and confusion.. including trying to beat you into one.. I can't recall the number of times that I've been forced off the road or raced into a passing point in order to get by even when they are in the wrong.. for all you "Scots Tourists" out there that plan to see Scotland BE WARNED once off the main road there are plenty of passing areas, and you will find the local that is willing to race you one and won't give way. i.e block you so that you can move over out of the way..outside Aberdeen and Dumfries are great areas for this.. THE LOCAL HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY (No, he does not but he thinks he does) Its the thought of having to reverse that's the inconvenience of it ..Passing points and reversing are now a thing of the past, its grit your teeth and be damned..


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I have a neighbour that just passed her test.. can she reverse, Nope! Instead she's nearly rammed the Jeep that's a good 20 ft away from her driveway, I've had words and politely advised to drive forward and use the turning circle at the end of the road.. instead I got the "The Bird" and still she persists.. so we have a little game now where I move the Jeep ever so slightly, that she has potential to hit it.. plus she's on my land and the vehicle is stationary under a CCTV Camera..
 
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Why can't they just sort these thin roads out? It's 2018 and it's only going to get worse. Just buy a couple of metres of land and widen the lanes. :confused:
 
I have a neighbour that just passed her test.. can she reverse, Nope! Instead she's nearly rammed the Jeep that's a good 20 ft away from her driveway, I've had words and politely advised to drive forward and use the turning circle at the end of the road.. instead I got the "The Bird" and still she persists.. so we have a little game now where I move the Jeep ever so slightly, that she has potential to hit it.. plus she's on my land and the vehicle is stationary under a CCTV Camera..

How do you mean? You have Jeep, and she tries to run you off the road?
 
I'm not very good at reversing and don't like driving down narrow lanes and close to bushes and walls. So I avoid them as much as I can. Wonder how self driving cars will handle it.
 
I'm not very good at reversing and don't like driving down narrow lanes and close to bushes and walls. So I avoid them as much as I can. Wonder how self driving cars will handle it.

They'll ban narrow lanes.
 
Insightful as ever. :rolleyes::doh:




It isn't free? No shit, I thought when I said the word "buy" that it meant that the land and labour would be given as a Christmas present. o_O
#

How do you think autonomous cars will cope with narrow lanes?

There's no money to "buy" anything let alone land and labour and tarmac etc...for every narrow lane in this cramped UK.:wallbash:

And even if they could I wouldn't want them doing it outside my door.
 
#

How do you think autonomous cars will cope with narrow lanes?

There's no money to "buy" anything let alone land and labour and tarmac etc...for every narrow lane in this cramped UK.:wallbash:

And even if they could I wouldn't want them doing it outside my door.

I'm going to answer your question with a question, WDB12498723402 style...

Why do you assume that the solution to problems with technology is going to be solved with legislation, rather than technological solutions? I think the cars will detect the problem, wait to see if the other car starts to reverse, and if not, it'll reverse. Not difficult is it?

I know it's not going to be cheap, or simple, or even possible for some stretches, but it's 2018. Are we going to still have these lanes that were designed for a horse drawn cart in 2050?

That situation is a complete show stopper for me ever living in a place like that. It's the same as living on a busy duel carriageway like Princess Parkway in Manchester. You can't go out anywhere near the two 3 hour long rush hours each day as you have to crawl home in stop start traffic watching your house inch ever closer. It'd be infuriating to put up with on a permanent basis.
 
^ @renault12ts Lie Back.. Breathe Deep, close ah eyes... Breathe deep, In.....Out..

Now, whilst your eyes are shut picture this if you will..

She parks in a row of houses, on the pavement about 20ft away from mine... (NOT a direct next door neighbour but one up from me). My driveway is in a kind of "Y" shape. I can park a vehicle direct in the Y in front of the house (Where my Jeep usually sits) then the rest of the driveway runs down the side of the house in a straight line. So, instead of taking the easy route i.e forward and round, she'll attempt to reverse into the driveway (yes, its some 20ft - the length of a semi detached house), and try to turn in my driveway.. soooo, she reverses, reverses reverses all very slowly, but doesn't turn the wheel early enough.. still reverses (thankfully its slowly) then turn into the Y space of my drive way, mounting a kerb as she goes that marks the end of my garden (Open Plan) and stops just off the bumper of the Jeep, gets out and checks that she's all OK then drives off.. Its happened more than once now.. I have it on camera.. and wished I could show you all the file.. but I don't know how to up load this particular file ...

Here's an old photo of my drive empty.. ( Where the black car in the photo is sitting is where she'll revers from its a common occurrence around this neighborhood.. :( )

Google Maps
 
^ @renault12ts Lie Back.. Breathe Deep, close ah eyes... Breathe deep, In.....Out..

Is there something wrong with you? I'm fairly sure Ciaran is capable of reading my replies without boiling in rage...

If you don't like my posts, just hit the ignore button. Am I to expect another shit filled abusive 2000 word personal message coming my way? :dk:
 
Same here, I’m happy to reverse if I get stuck on the daily single track of my daily commute. Seems the sensible thing to do when Charlie Carrolli is honking his big red nose at you in fury that you dared to use his road.
My pet hate at the moment are Charlie’s colleagues who frequently decide to do a three point turn on very busy roads and seem oblivious to the carnage they cause. I was taught mirror, signal, manoeuvre, but this lot just miss the first two out then look astonished at the jam they’ve caused.
 

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