Is truck "elephant racing" against the law?

Is truck "elephant racing" against the law?

Author
Discussion

Stevorocket

Original Poster:

408 posts

218 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
Happens a lot on the A34 Newbury to Winchester, two trucks side by side for miles at 50-60mph with a line of cars all stuck behind because its a dual carriageway.

My thought is its obstructing the highway or driving without consideration for other road users.

Thoughts?

jazzyjeff

3,652 posts

258 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
Stevorocket said:
Happens a lot on the A34 Newbury to Winchester, two trucks side by side for miles at 50-60mph with a line of cars all stuck behind because its a dual carriageway.

My thought is its obstructing the highway or driving without consideration for other road users.

Thoughts?
I can assure you it also happens throughout the A34 stretch from Newbury to Oxford as well wink

Undoubtedly it's discourteous but AFAIK there's no specific law against it (in the same way as MLM/OLMing).

oj121

1,548 posts

171 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
Its a tough one really but im sure there is caselaw somewhere. I know of people that have pulled them with consideration to driving without due care and consideration after failing to overtake for quite a few miles at cronically slow speeds. Not sure where it went though.....

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/prosecution/pbd...
Inconsiderate driving

flashing of lights to force other drivers in front to give way;
misuse of any lane to avoid queuing or gain some other advantage over other drivers;

unnecessarily remaining in an overtaking lane;

unnecessarily slow driving or braking without good cause;
driving with un-dipped headlights which dazzle oncoming drivers;
driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed;
driving a bus in such a way as to alarm passengers.

================================================================


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Hig...

168

Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.


Edited by R0G on Thursday 23 February 13:32

ferdyg

193 posts

170 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
all of which is a nonsense until we have a LAW the same as in Germany which prevents HGV's from being in the overtaking lane on dual carriageways at all.

And at road works they MUST be in the inside lane, no exceptions at all, and it works really well.

It happens all to often that you are held up for mile after mile on a gentle up hill gradient when one is trying to get past another, especially as they are supposed to be limited to the same speed.

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
ferdyg said:
all of which is a nonsense until we have a LAW the same as in Germany which prevents HGV's from being in the overtaking lane on dual carriageways at all.
That only works if all the LGVs can do the same rough speed but what about if just one can only manage a very slow sped due to a hill and all the others can manage the posted limit???

Better to have a time related law - say 1 minute to complete it - along with a law that states the one on the inside MUST give way

CommanderJameson

22,096 posts

225 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
R0G said:
along with a law that states the one on the inside MUST give way
That's hardly fair.

If you can't make your overtake stick in a reasonable time, surely it's up to you to abandon it and return to lane 1?

jazzyjeff

3,652 posts

258 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
CommanderJameson said:
If you can't make your overtake stick in a reasonable time, surely it's up to you to abandon it and return to lane 1?
I believe I've seen that happen a few times biggrin

KevinA3DSG32

11,553 posts

279 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
ferdyg said:
all of which is a nonsense until we have a LAW the same as in Germany which prevents HGV's from being in the overtaking lane on dual carriageways at all.

And at road works they MUST be in the inside lane, no exceptions at all, and it works really well.

It happens all to often that you are held up for mile after mile on a gentle up hill gradient when one is trying to get past another, especially as they are supposed to be limited to the same speed.
I thought in Germany the no LGVs in the overtaking lane is only where signed though?

Chris Stott

13,180 posts

196 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
ferdyg said:
all of which is a nonsense until we have a LAW the same as in Germany which prevents HGV's from being in the overtaking lane on dual carriageways at all.

And at road works they MUST be in the inside lane, no exceptions at all, and it works really well.

It happens all to often that you are held up for mile after mile on a gentle up hill gradient when one is trying to get past another, especially as they are supposed to be limited to the same speed.
Never heard of this but it sounds like a great idea. I have to travel up and down the A1 (from the M18 to Wetherby) every week, and the ignorant T***S sit side by side on the DC sections for miles with a >1mph speed differential and miles of queueing traffic behind them.

If they can't maintain their already limited speed on a gradient then they shouldn't be on the road in the first place.

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
CommanderJameson said:
That's hardly fair.

If you can't make your overtake stick in a reasonable time, surely it's up to you to abandon it and return to lane 1?
Not according to the highway code - see my earlier post

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
According to the highway code the truck being overtaken should actually slow down to let the overtaker in. I can't imagine that happens often though.

It's a real shame they can't have some kind of "push to pass" option to legally defeat the governor and get past quickly, with the number of times it's pressed logged in the tacho to ensure people aren't naughty with it.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

283 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
muahhhh. Deal with the rest of the muppets and you might be onto something. With regards the Germany thing, like driving in a conga at a party. Nose to tail road block.

roachcoach

3,975 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
In fairness to truckers, it's not like they're the only ones who do this. Except the assholes in cars are worse because they could do something about it if they wanted.

Landshark

2,117 posts

180 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
Stevorocket said:
because its a dual carriageway.

Thoughts?
Just because this is PH, and because of recent threads;

It's nothing to do with being a dual carriageway, it's more to do with only having two lanes!!!
(dual carriageways can have any number of lanes)

C8PPO

19,530 posts

202 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
We do badly need a law banning trucks from the outside lane, be that lane 2 or lane 3, on any DC. So they have to travel 0.5mph slower - instead of holding up 20 or 30 cars which can legally travel significantly faster?

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
C8PPO said:
We do badly need a law banning trucks from the outside lane, be that lane 2 or lane 3, on any DC. So they have to travel 0.5mph slower - instead of holding up 20 or 30 cars which can legally travel significantly faster?
no we dont

we need a law that prevents one of the drivers doing it for x amount of time

jazzyjeff

3,652 posts

258 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
R0G said:
C8PPO said:
We do badly need a law banning trucks from the outside lane, be that lane 2 or lane 3, on any DC. So they have to travel 0.5mph slower - instead of holding up 20 or 30 cars which can legally travel significantly faster?
no we dont

we need a law that prevents one of the drivers doing it for x amount of time
Surely in this world of LCD the less complicated law (i.e. the one easiest to determine whether or not it's been broken) would be preferable?

roachcoach

3,975 posts

154 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
jazzyjeff said:
R0G said:
C8PPO said:
We do badly need a law banning trucks from the outside lane, be that lane 2 or lane 3, on any DC. So they have to travel 0.5mph slower - instead of holding up 20 or 30 cars which can legally travel significantly faster?
no we dont

we need a law that prevents one of the drivers doing it for x amount of time
Surely in this world of LCD the less complicated law (i.e. the one easiest to determine whether or not it's been broken) would be preferable?
It could easily be done with existing legislation - minimum speed limits.

streaky

19,311 posts

248 months

Thursday 23rd February 2012
quotequote all
Landshark said:
Stevorocket said:
because its a dual carriageway.

Thoughts?
Just because this is PH, and because of recent threads;

It's nothing to do with being a dual carriageway, it's more to do with only having two lanes!!!
(dual carriageways can have any number of lanes)
Including only on one side. wink

Streaky