Discussion
There are few things that I see on the roads these days that cause me genuine surprise, let alone shock, but I've just encountered one.
Picture the scene. A Daihatsu 4x4 towing a large horsebox through the outer-most suburbs of Bristol (houses to the left, open green countryside to the right). A line of probably 10 cars unable to get past, 30mph and 40mph limits, 9.00am so lots of kids, mums and commuters about. Behind me a young couple in an M reg Mondeo. We follow the Daihatsu at 25-35mph for a couple of miles, nobody able to get past. Approaching my village is a short incline with a blind rise at the top and a right turn into a single track country lane. Bus stops on both sides of the road.
Matey in the Mondeo pulls out to overtake. There are at least six cars between me and the Daihatsu. By the time he hits the crest of the blind rise, Mondeo man hasn't even got level with the fourth. I couldn't believe that there was nothing coming the other way - I would say that the chances of him having a head-on collision must have been at least 70 per cent in favour.
Just over the rise, there it is, a Freelander coming the other way. By now the Mondeo is level with the last car before the Daihatsu. Does he hang back and signal in? No, he goes for it. Fortunately the Daihatsu driver, the Freelander driver and the driver of the car behind the Daihatsu all realise what is about to happen - cue much panic braking and fishtailing trailer with two horses clearly being thrown off their feet. He made it with literally inches to spare.
Two hundred yards later it goes into a 30mph limit and there are some TTLs at some roadworks where there are some houses being built. Last time I saw Mr Mondeo he was in the traffic light queue and was being approached by a very burly and clearly rightfully furious Daihatsu driver. I decided this man could probably handle the situation without my help, so I didn't hang around. All I can say is that I hope he beat the crap out of him.
Picture the scene. A Daihatsu 4x4 towing a large horsebox through the outer-most suburbs of Bristol (houses to the left, open green countryside to the right). A line of probably 10 cars unable to get past, 30mph and 40mph limits, 9.00am so lots of kids, mums and commuters about. Behind me a young couple in an M reg Mondeo. We follow the Daihatsu at 25-35mph for a couple of miles, nobody able to get past. Approaching my village is a short incline with a blind rise at the top and a right turn into a single track country lane. Bus stops on both sides of the road.
Matey in the Mondeo pulls out to overtake. There are at least six cars between me and the Daihatsu. By the time he hits the crest of the blind rise, Mondeo man hasn't even got level with the fourth. I couldn't believe that there was nothing coming the other way - I would say that the chances of him having a head-on collision must have been at least 70 per cent in favour.
Just over the rise, there it is, a Freelander coming the other way. By now the Mondeo is level with the last car before the Daihatsu. Does he hang back and signal in? No, he goes for it. Fortunately the Daihatsu driver, the Freelander driver and the driver of the car behind the Daihatsu all realise what is about to happen - cue much panic braking and fishtailing trailer with two horses clearly being thrown off their feet. He made it with literally inches to spare.
Two hundred yards later it goes into a 30mph limit and there are some TTLs at some roadworks where there are some houses being built. Last time I saw Mr Mondeo he was in the traffic light queue and was being approached by a very burly and clearly rightfully furious Daihatsu driver. I decided this man could probably handle the situation without my help, so I didn't hang around. All I can say is that I hope he beat the crap out of him.
LOL. I just love the way frequenters of this forum can turn absolutely ANYTHING into a 'speed limits and cameras are bad, mmkay' discussion. That chaps actions have nothing to do with the speed limits - he was annoyed at being behind a horse box that was travelling slowly. I can sympathise with that, but overtaking over a blind crest is completely unacceptable. Some people need to be reminded that they are in charge of a potentially lethal weapon - any number of people could have been injured or killed by his actions.
Ahhhhh no. 
very true, and remember to keep your eyes on the speedo and not the road while overtaking as mr scamera will have you, especially if it's a nice straight road as this is where most overtaking takes place.
no s**t!
hae they updated the highway code yet by the way?
highway code section 139 para 4
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
bit dangerous that isn't it?, should read
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking (but constantly check your speedometer to ensure you don't exceed the posted speed limit), once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can (within the constraints of the speed limit) but do not cut in
no s**t!
hae they updated the highway code yet by the way?
highway code section 139 para 4
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
bit dangerous that isn't it?, should read
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking (but constantly check your speedometer to ensure you don't exceed the posted speed limit), once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can (within the constraints of the speed limit) but do not cut in
outrider said:
I always thought slow moving vehicles are obliged to pull over if there is queue behind them.
Daihatsu man is obviously a selfish ignorant prick.
However Mondeo man needs some IAM training and some quiet life pills.
Daihatsu man was only 5mph below the speed limits, and may not have found anywhere suitable to pull in. (But your assessment may well be more accurate
) Mondeo man needs some f
king common sense before anything else. outrider said:
I always thought slow moving vehicles are obliged to pull over if there is queue behind them.
Daihatsu man is obviously a selfish ignorant prick.
However Mondeo man needs some IAM training and some quiet life pills.
In the time that I was following there were no clear opportunities for the Daihatsu driver to pull over and he drove perfectly correctly. IMHO Mondeo man must have already taken some pills, but I doubt very much that they were of the variety you suggest.
Okay,
Look sensible people know that overtaking over a blind crest is stupid and dangerous. Preaching to the choir here.
Unfortunately, if you look around the roads, you will have noticed that there are not that many sensible calm people around.
Sensible road users know that frustation caused accident are often terrible ( the driver is quite literally not thinking ) and are therfore horrified when measures are proposed that will increase the frustration felt by joe public motorist : as they know it will lead to more senseless, horrific accidents, in which they play the part of the freelander with a lunatic on the wrong side of the road coming towards them.
The vast majority of dangerous behaviour I see is caused by frustration rather than real willfull lack of respect for their own and other peoples lives.
Look sensible people know that overtaking over a blind crest is stupid and dangerous. Preaching to the choir here.
Unfortunately, if you look around the roads, you will have noticed that there are not that many sensible calm people around.
Sensible road users know that frustation caused accident are often terrible ( the driver is quite literally not thinking ) and are therfore horrified when measures are proposed that will increase the frustration felt by joe public motorist : as they know it will lead to more senseless, horrific accidents, in which they play the part of the freelander with a lunatic on the wrong side of the road coming towards them.
The vast majority of dangerous behaviour I see is caused by frustration rather than real willfull lack of respect for their own and other peoples lives.
outrider said:
However Mondeo man needs some IAM training and some quiet life pills.
Mondeo man need the s**t pounding out of him.
Even better Mondeo man needs to head on an artic to remove him and his stupidity from the gene pool.
You don't need IAM training to know not to overtake with a blind bend or blind crest coming up.
Sorry to have no sympathy - but I don't. The nitwit could have taken out innocents. It wasn't an excusable mistake. It was lunacy.
Of course. I wasn't there. I can't know for certain. But if it panned out like M-A-M described it Mondeo man's a loon.
ohopkins said:
The vast majority of dangerous behaviour I see is caused by frustration rather than real willfull lack of respect for their own and other peoples lives.
I agree frustration can cause erstwhile sensible drivers to act without their usual calm regard for safety.
But having a head on because the driver was frustrated is just as bad as having a head on because the driver was a
loon...they're both as deadly. If a driver has a propensity to lose their cool when others act inconsiderately then I don't want them controlling two tonnes of lethal machinery on the same roads I'm driving on thank you very much.
"if a driver has a propensity to lose their cool when others act inconsiderately then I don't want them controlling two tonnes of lethal machinery on the same roads I'm driving on thank you very much."
How, exactly, do you propose keeping these drivers off the road then ? There is always going to be this "element" on the road. Its just tough, and we need to deal with it sensibly not bleat about how it should not happen.
How, exactly, do you propose keeping these drivers off the road then ? There is always going to be this "element" on the road. Its just tough, and we need to deal with it sensibly not bleat about how it should not happen.
ohopkins said:
if a driver has a propensity to lose their cool when others act inconsiderately then I don't want them controlling two tonnes of lethal machinery on the same roads I'm driving on thank you very much.
How, exactly, do you propose keeping these drivers off the road then ? There is always going to be this "element" on the road. Its just tough, and we need to deal with it sensibly not bleat about how it should not happen.
I propose an increase in flesh and blood Trafpol patrolling our roads and when they spot stupidity booking the perpetrators and ensuring they either never drive again as their licence is revoked or receive just punishment to discourage them from ever doing it again.
As we often say: "cameras can't catch dangerous drivers."
ohopkins said:
How, exactly, do you propose keeping these drivers off the road then ? There is always going to be this "element" on the road. Its just tough, and we need to deal with it sensibly not bleat about how it should not happen.
How, pray, should one "deal" with a car oncoming at high speed around a blind corner towards you?
There is no "dealing" with someone doing that. You just get to swear a bit before dying.
Unacceptable.
Don said:
How, exactly, do you propose keeping these drivers off the road then ? There is always going to be this "element" on the road. Its just tough, and we need to deal with it sensibly not bleat about how it should not happen.
How, pray, should one "deal" with a car oncoming at high speed around a blind corner towards you?
There is no "dealing" with someone doing that. You just get to swear a bit before dying.
Unacceptable.
Exactly. This section of road is about a mile from my front door and I regularly ride my motorbike along there. If I had been there today I would have died. In future when I approach this crest on my bike I'll be positioning myself on the kerb, just in case matey and his Mondeo are approaching. With any luck he'll meet an artic in the meantime and remove the concern, but I guess he's only one of millions. I'm afraid BIB wouldn't have helped today. They may have seen the accident and nicked him, but I can't believe they would either have been able to remove him from the road or make him see the error of his ways. The only way he will change is if he has the accident that he is clearly longing for. I just hope he doesn't take others with him.
Of course Mondeo man was crazy to be overtaking there and I expect most of us have run through in their mind "...what if it was me coming the other way at the time, perhaps with the family on board...".
It may even be that he himself is going over and over what might have happened.
However, I've seen that sort of driving many times and it must be down to the ever-increasing frustration of driving on UK roads.
More and more previously good overtaking opportunities are being closed off (traffic islands etc), cameras to scare you into overtaking slowly, cameras placed on roads where a higher limit should be in place, ever-reducing speed limits to absurd levels, drivers behind slow vehicle seemingly unable to overtake no matter how slow the obstructive vehicle (is overtaking taught in the test?), slow vehicles not moving over and letting long traffic convoy past and so on.
Ever more frustration just shifts across to a wider pool of drivers the possibility that dangerous manoeuvers will be executed.
Highway engineers should be thinking of improving traffic flow, not reducing it. It seems that clamping down is all that is ever done.
It may even be that he himself is going over and over what might have happened.
However, I've seen that sort of driving many times and it must be down to the ever-increasing frustration of driving on UK roads.
More and more previously good overtaking opportunities are being closed off (traffic islands etc), cameras to scare you into overtaking slowly, cameras placed on roads where a higher limit should be in place, ever-reducing speed limits to absurd levels, drivers behind slow vehicle seemingly unable to overtake no matter how slow the obstructive vehicle (is overtaking taught in the test?), slow vehicles not moving over and letting long traffic convoy past and so on.
Ever more frustration just shifts across to a wider pool of drivers the possibility that dangerous manoeuvers will be executed.
Highway engineers should be thinking of improving traffic flow, not reducing it. It seems that clamping down is all that is ever done.
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