A risky undertake on the A11. Any opinions?

[Magog]

ORD said:

Mave said:

Of course there's a queue. There's more than one car closing on a tractor. Someone up ahead is overtaking the tractor at 80, people behind are stacked up at the correct separation doing 80, so that lane is at maximum capacity through the overtaking bottle neck. How is dipping in and out of lane 1 going to get more traffic through that bottleneck?

It's not. Those criticising the cammer are really saying "Why isn't he tailgating if he is making progress? That's what I do!"

I agree with all that, I still think the driver of the camera car boots it when he spots the focus coming up the inside in order to close the door. He may well have thought it was the best thing to do in order to discourage the manoeuvre... clearly not reckoning on what a numpty the focus driver was. Anyway, thankfully no one died.

[anonymous-user]

Magog said:

I still think the driver of the camera car boots it when he spots the focus coming up the inside in order to close the door.

Are you watching the same video? He doesn't do that at all.

His speed drops to 53/54mph prior to and during the cars ahead ahead are pulling out and he stays at that speed until he's level with the tractor.

He only starts to accelerate once the Focus is in front of him. Arguably to make sure he records the number plate before the Focus shoots off.

[LucreLout]

Mave said:

Of course there's a queue. There's more than one car closing on a tractor. Someone up ahead is overtaking the tractor at 80, people behind are stacked up at the correct separation doing 80, so that lane is at maximum capacity through the overtaking bottle neck. How is dipping in and out of lane 1 going to get more traffic through that bottleneck?

There should be no need for a stack of cars if everyone pulled out only when they needed to overtake rather than wanting to follow the car in front.
Somehow I just know that most of those defending the camera car are middle lane morons themselves, because they just don't see it and they sure as st won't listen.
I still maintain though, that the focus driver doesn't belong on the roads, and am a little surprised anyone has defended the pass.

[Mave]

LucreLout said:

There should be no need for a stack of cars if everyone pulled out only when they needed to overtake rather than wanting to follow the car in front.

So if the camera car had moved into lane 1, where do you think the focus would have gone?

[ORD]

LucreLout said:

Mave said:

Of course there's a queue. There's more than one car closing on a tractor. Someone up ahead is overtaking the tractor at 80, people behind are stacked up at the correct separation doing 80, so that lane is at maximum capacity through the overtaking bottle neck. How is dipping in and out of lane 1 going to get more traffic through that bottleneck?

There should be no need for a stack of cars if everyone pulled out only when they needed to overtake rather than wanting to follow the car in front.
Somehow I just know that most of those defending the camera car are middle lane morons themselves, because they just don't see it and they sure as st won't listen.
I still maintain though, that the focus driver doesn't belong on the roads, and am a little surprised anyone has defended the pass.

The cammer IS overtaking. I don't know what is hard to follow about that - he would have passed the tractor very quickly if he didn't have to ease off to allow others out. You would prefer him to first pull in behind them and then pull out after them, presumably, all of which would just slow down the traffic even more and get even more in the way of the Focus or anyone else.

I have never hogged the middle lane in my life, but I have this strange idea that tailgating is not good driving, so will ease off to allow others out and maintain a safe gap.

[anonymous-user]

deltashad said:

I bet he nearly orgasmed when the incident happened- Woo hoo!!! youtube!!!

Regardless of anything else said on this thread, this is the most applicable part for ANYONE with a dash/helmet camera.

[fatboy18]

Mave said:

LucreLout said:

There should be no need for a stack of cars if everyone pulled out only when they needed to overtake rather than wanting to follow the car in front.

So if the camera car had moved into lane 1, where do you think the focus would have gone?

I reckon he would have shot into the Garage forecourt Past the petrol pumps at 90 mph then back down the exit ramp in a Dastardly Dick sort of way!

[anonymous-user]

silentbrown said:

KingNothing said:

I had to undertake a learner driver recently

No, you didn't. You chose to. Learner drivers are like horses - give them a wide berth, plenty of time, and try and remember when YOU had 'L' plates on.

I know it's frustrating when you come up behind juggernaut racers or lane-hoggers on an empty motorway/DC, but next time try just relaxing, leaving a safe gap, and congratulate yourself on how much better your driving is than theirs. Patience is a virtue, and trying to 'make progress' in those conditions usually just ends in frustration. Or worse.

Patience runs out when following an incompetent. Highway Code Rule 169.

[Magog]

Phil303 said:

Magog said:

I still think the driver of the camera car boots it when he spots the focus coming up the inside in order to close the door.

Are you watching the same video? He doesn't do that at all.

His speed drops to 53/54mph prior to and during the cars ahead ahead are pulling out and he stays at that speed until he's level with the tractor.

He only starts to accelerate once the Focus is in front of him. Arguably to make sure he records the number plate before the Focus shoots off.

I'm not convinced, It may just be the frame rate deceiving me, but I think he speeds up around the 01:01:09 mark on the video timestamp before he's passed the tractor or the focus has passed him. I think he sees the focus in his mirror (commendable observation to be fair) and tries to close the door on him, I think the fact that he doesn't seem to brake or slow at all on the focus's move or shortly after suggests to me that he's aware of it's presence before it passes. Could also be why there is no sound, probably wouldn't be wise to send a video to the police with the driver of the camera car exclaiming 'no you don't mate' just before the focus passes!

It's just my opinion though, and none of that excuses the focus's manoeuvre.

[anonymous-user]

Phil303 said:

He only starts to accelerate once the Focus is in front of him. Arguably to make sure he records the number plate before the Focus shoots off.

I disagree. He's a cammer. Cammers, in my experience, go out of their way to try and find/provoke/generate the worst driving, so they can youtube it.

[otolith]

LucreLout said:

There should be no need for a stack of cars if everyone pulled out only when they needed to overtake rather than wanting to follow the car in front.
Somehow I just know that most of those defending the camera car are middle lane morons themselves, because they just don't see it and they sure as st won't listen.

OK, hypothetical question to see if this works. You find yourself approaching the back of this.



You are driving at 70mph. All of those cars are going at about 55mph. The truck currently being overtaken is driving at a little less than that. Question one - will you (a) slow down to 55mph and join the back of the queue in lane one and wait for your chance to overtake or (b) overtake all the cars in the line and drive up to the back of the car which is currently overtaking. Question two - why do you think that in reality those cars would have all queued up in lane 2, not lane 1?

[Mave]

fatboy18 said:

reckon he would have shot into the Garage forecourt Past the petrol pumps at 90 mph then back down the exit ramp in a Dastardly Dick sort of way!

He obviously need a prof pat pending car - telescopic wheels so he can go over the top :-)

[anonymous-user]

Magog said:

Phil303 said:

Magog said:

I still think the driver of the camera car boots it when he spots the focus coming up the inside in order to close the door.

Are you watching the same video? He doesn't do that at all.

His speed drops to 53/54mph prior to and during the cars ahead ahead are pulling out and he stays at that speed until he's level with the tractor.

He only starts to accelerate once the Focus is in front of him. Arguably to make sure he records the number plate before the Focus shoots off.

I'm not convinced, It may just be the frame rate deceiving me, but I think he speeds up around the 01:01:09 mark on the video timestamp before he's passed the tractor or the focus has passed him. I think he sees the focus in his mirror (commendable observation to be fair) and tries to close the door on him, I think the fact that he doesn't seem to brake or slow at all on the focus's move or shortly after suggests to me that he's aware of it's presence before it passes. Could also be why there is no sound, probably wouldn't be wise to send a video to the police with the driver of the camera car exclaiming 'no you don't mate' just before the focus passes!

It's just my opinion though, and none of that excuses the focus's manoeuvre.

Okay, so you're basing your claim on 'I think he speeds up due to a deceptive frame rate', rather than the speed indicated on a GPS camera. Right.

[anonymous-user]

OpulentBob said:

Cammers, in my experience, go out of their way to try and find/provoke/generate the worst driving, so they can youtube it.

I agree, there's something a little 'Daily Mail' reader about having a dash cam.

[Matthen]

Red Devil said:

Indeed the Focus veers to the edge of lane 2 with its tyres on the white line and there is not even a momentary flicker of the brake lights.

Braking would not have helped the situation at all. He could see the road ahead was clear, no point upsetting the balance of the vehicle for no reason.

[anonymous-user]

otolith said:

That spacing is amazing... Photoshop?

[otolith]

OpulentBob said:

That spacing is amazing... Photoshop?

GIMP - hypothetical scenario

[LucreLout]

Mave said:

So if the camera car had moved into lane 1, where do you think the focus would have gone?

Passed him on the outside. Where do you think it would have gone?
Clarkson had this right, if there's space to pass you safely to the left and move over in front of you then there was space for you to move over and let me through.
Now, I'm not saying the focus driver was right to pass where he did. He wasn't. But the camera car has no business being in the outside lane until he reaches the point of needing it to pass the tractor.

[Retroman]

Phil303 said:

I agree, there's something a little 'Daily Mail' reader about having a dash cam.

After being stung by someone's lies in a previous insurance claim i run one all the time now
Without independent witnesses or other evidence a lot of insurance claims result in 50:50 when it's your word against someone elses.
Dash cam helps resolve that in he evident of a liability dispute.

I don't read much news from mainstream media myself, least of all the Daily Fail.

[LucreLout]

ORD said:

The cammer IS overtaking.

For most of the video, he isn't. What he is doing is bimbling along in the overtaking lane while overtaking nothing. Eventually, just as he needs to be in the outside lane to pass the tractor, matey boy in the focus sends one up the inside, and appears to be bailed out of an impending smash by the car in front moving over having passed the tractor.
You can't reasonably tie up the outside lane mile after mile because the car in front hasn't moved over. If you're not passing something then you don't belong there. End of. There is no queue.