Indicating- can you resolve this debate for us please?

[fucthest8]

Courtesy, which you seem to be a little short of, dictates that if you can, you let the other vehicle join the motorway.

I'm full of courtesy mate, always let people out if it's safe to do so, always checking far ahead so I can plan accordingly, always driving in a way that allows for all the twits who can't do it by the rules.

Do I have to let people out? No, no I don't.

Edie asked if she was correct - and she is. If you want to start a thread about courteous driving, go right ahead, but that wasn't the point of this one.

 

[Sasaferrato]

What have you got against rabbits?

You can look for deer but when the buggers are hiding behind a hedge and leap out in front of you it's shit your pants time. IME.

My mate hit a horse which had escaped from a field, its arse end came through the windscreen. He was lucky not to be killed.

I've had to take evasive action for deer a few times, the buggers keep going across the road, they don't go back.

 

[Saul Goodman]

This thread makes me glad that a lot of the respondents are not 'driving' anywhere near me.

I meet them on the road every day. Maybe not the same people but the same attitude... "I've read the Highway code, so I know how to drive".
You should always assume that everyone on the road is an idiot that doesn't know how to drive, and that they're out to kill you, and drive accordingly.

 

[fucthest8]

I do. I look for bikes and people and dogs and deer and squirrels.

Ditto, since I often am a pedestrian, and a cyclist - although not, admittedly, any of the animals, but I care about them and would rather not cause them harm.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Shouldn't have pulled in right in front of them and slowed down then, should you?

Death please, move him to the chair.

I didn't you idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you well know. Contentious git.

Never in my driving life (51 years) have I ever pulled out in front of someone and slowed down, I'm not suicidal. That is probably the biggest 'don't' in driving.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I meet them on the road every day. Maybe not the same people but the same attitude... "I've read the Highway code, so I know how to drive".
You should always assume that everyone on the road is an idiot that doesn't know how to drive, and that they're out to kill you, and drive accordingly.

I do. Defensive driving.

 

[Looby]

Defensive driving sounds like something tobyjug would have wanged on about.

 

[mauvais]

That is probably the biggest 'don't' in driving.

No it's not. As you would know if you had actually read Roadcraft, it's hitting a lady with your car.

 

[Spymaster]

No it's not. As you would know if you had actually read Roadcraft, it's hitting a lady with your car.

Masturbating on motorways is pretty high up too.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Defensive driving sounds like something tobyjug would have wanged on about.

On the one hand you boast about your 'experience', on the other, 'defensive driving' seems to be something you have never heard of.

Evans Halshaw Blog

The Evans Halshaw Blog provides helpful advice and guidance on a wide range of topics including, buying, owning and selling a car or van.

www.carstore.com

Educate yourself.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Masturbating on motorways is pretty high up too.

Only if you get caught

 

[mauvais]

Masturbating on motorways is pretty high up too.

Like indicating, have a look around first and see if there's someone that will benefit.

 

[existentialist]

No I mean, when you are approaching to pass a car on your left, and they start indicating right. They want you to pull over, but you can’t always safely do so. It occurs to me, maybe they haven’t seen me and are indicating because they are about to pull into me!

In that situations, the best option you might have is to check to see if you can move out. If not, prepare to slow down and allow them to move out. It doesn't matter if they're wrong, the main aim is to avoid having two vehicles sharing the same piece of tarmac. You will lose a few seconds and a few dozen metres, but nobody pranged.

Although I should admit that, when people do that to me, I do sometime give it a bit of the old "Ah, bless, got his licence by correspondence course". But if someone wants to drive like a twat, I'd rather they were in front of me so I can see what they're up to

 

[SpookyFrank]

If you're on a busy motorway I dunno how else you'd do it - do you just stay trapped in the slow lane until a gap that's big enough comes up?

Yes, clearly you don't change lanes until there's space to do so. Only exception would be if traffic is moving at a crawl and you need to move over to leave at a junction. If traffic is flowing normally and you don't have time to get in the correct lane then that's shit planning on your part and you should just live with it.

 

[killer b]

Yes, clearly you don't change lanes until there's space to do so. Only exception would be if traffic is moving at a crawl and you need to move over to leave at a junction. If traffic is flowing normally and you don't have time to get in the correct lane then that's shit planning on your part and you should just live with it.

we've already covered this and you're wrong

 

[Looby]

On the one hand you boast about your 'experience', on the other, 'defensive driving' seems to be something you have never heard of.

Evans Halshaw Blog

The Evans Halshaw Blog provides helpful advice and guidance on a wide range of topics including, buying, owning and selling a car or van.

www.carstore.com

Educate yourself.

Bore off

 

[existentialist]

Defensive driving sounds like something tobyjug would have wanged on about.

It probably is something he would have wanged on about, yes. But with his hair-trigger temper, I suspect it wasn't something he actually practiced.

 

[bimble]

People who are convinced that they are very outstandingly excellent drivers (this is about 97% of men) , can you explain what evidence you base that conviction on?

 

[mauvais]

People who are convinced that they are very outstandingly excellent drivers (this is about 97% of men) , can you explain what evidence you base that conviction on?

I got a policeman to watch me doing it and he said I was a very good boy.

 

[JimW]

Should see some of the driving here, reckon a lot of drivers think if they don't look to see it it's just not there. Then theres all the trucks well aware that they can do what they like and you'll have to work round it.

 

[Orang Utan]

People who are convinced that they are very outstandingly excellent drivers (this is about 97% of men) , can you explain what evidence you base that conviction on?

I’m sure there’s a correlation with men who think they never make a mess when they have a stand up piss

 

[existentialist]

People who are convinced that they are very outstandingly excellent drivers (this is about 97% of men) , can you explain what evidence you base that conviction on?

I think I am a marginally above-average driver, but only marginally. Which is why I am quite careful to drive sensibly and safely, although I am a little prone to driving too quickly sometimes. So far, I'd say I've done OK, with two minor prangs in 35 years of driving, one of which was someone reversing into me in a motorway service station

ETA: I think I'd want everyone on the road to at least think they were a competent driver, otherwise what are they doing driving? Occasionally you'll hear someone saying "oh, I don't like turning right, so I go around the block", or "I can't reverse"...and I wonder what other skills they may be lacking that they don't know they haven't got? Anticipating problems, or hazard perception, for example?

 

[killer b]

oh, I'm a terrible driver. that's why I have to ask people to let me in lane all the time. I do that tight-lipped smile thing and mouth 'sorry!' if we make eye contact.

 

[Orang Utan]

It probably is something he would have wanged on about, yes. But with his hair-trigger temper, I suspect it wasn't something he actually practiced.

Bet he gets car happy when driving on a motorway

 

[weltweit]

On motorways and dual carriageways I indicate and quickly twist my head to the right to check no one has managed to get into my blind spot.

 

[bimble]

Ive been doing it for two years now and i can see it in myself, the creeping idea that I'm really a brilliant diver, just because i haven't fucked up yet. Its absolute bollocks though and I think its making me worse at driving, this idea that I'm really great at it.

 

[SpookyFrank]

This is what the Highway Code says Motorways (253 to 273) - The Highway Code - Guidance - GOV.UK

'Make sure the lane you are joining is sufficiently clear ahead and behind'

- Pretty unambiguous IMO. If there's no space to move over, tough shit.

I do however echo mauvais' sentiment that people who overtake you and a vehicle ahead of you when they should have anticipated that you would also need to overtake and held back are an annoyance. But the safest thing to do is just let them go by and then move, not indicate and hope that someone who has just demonstrated poor road conduct will suddenly become considerate and let you out.

 

[killer b]

Ive been doing it for two years now and i can see it in myself, the creeping idea that I'm really a brilliant diver, just because i haven't fucked up yet. Its absolute bollocks though and I think its making me worse at driving, this idea that I'm really great at it.

I loved that bit of being a new driver, It felt great. Then I crashed into the back of another car at speed on the motorway about 6 months into my first year driving. Been pretty cautious ever since that...

 

[Saul Goodman]

People who are convinced that they are very outstandingly excellent drivers (this is about 97% of men) , can you explain what evidence you base that conviction on?

A RoSPA gold award for advanced motorcycle riding.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Yes, clearly you don't change lanes until there's space to do so. Only exception would be if traffic is moving at a crawl and you need to move over to leave at a junction. If traffic is flowing normally and you don't have time to get in the correct lane then that's shit planning on your part and you should just live with it.

Yep. Not necessarily shit planning, if you haven't driven the route before, you can get caught out. Trying to cut across lanes in heavy traffic is plain stupid.