Was my driving technically correct?

[Hammersia]

I was going uphill, 30 limit, cars parked along left hand side. Only room on the road for one car in either direction, middle of village.

200 yards away coming in the opposite direction comes BMW X6 travelling at 38mph.

I am approaching just before the line of parked cars and it is clear that the BMW expects to plow ahead and I should wait for him.

I knew there were occasional gaps between the parked cars, so I keep going at 25mph aiming at the next gap to pull over and allow BMW through.

In the process sadly the BMW had to slow down quite a bit to allow me to carry on to the gap.

Cue wild gesticulating from him and his wife, they seemed angry.

Surely I had right of way? Was I being unreasonable about making a point about right of way?

[Jordie Barretts sock]

How do you know the BMW was doing a very specific 38mph?

As you've posted, it sounds like you didn't have right of way. If the obstruction is your side you should give way.

So in short, they were right, you were wrong.

[ScoobyChris]

May have misunderstood, but if the cars are parked in your lane, what makes you think you have “right of way”?

Chris

[Pica-Pica]

No such thing as ‘right of way’; its ’priority’, if that would apply.
Misjudgement of position and speed by both parties, it would seem.

[Super Sonic]

Hammersia said:

I was going uphill, 30 limit, cars parked along left hand side. Only room on the road for one car in either direction, middle of village.

200 yards away coming in the opposite direction comes BMW X6 travelling at 38mph.

I am approaching just before the line of parked cars and it is clear that the BMW expects to plow ahead and I should wait for him.

I knew there were occasional gaps between the parked cars, so I keep going at 25mph aiming at the next gap to pull over and allow BMW through.

In the process sadly the BMW had to slow down quite a bit to allow me to carry on to the gap.

Cue wild gesticulating from him and his wife, they seemed angry.

Surely I had right of way? Was I being unreasonable about making a point about right of way?

Lol

[Hammersia]

ScoobyChris said:

May have misunderstood, but if the cars are parked in your lane, what makes you think you have “right of way”?

Chris

I don't think they were parked in my lane exactly

It's a village so it's just cars parked against the curb, no road markings

Edited by Hammersia on Sunday 17th March 17:17

[ShredderXLE]

Pretty sure the highway code says you should give way to vehicles travelling up a hill when its down to a single lane

[rgf100]

Highway Code
> Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can.

Don’t know about this case, obviously, but I can see how someone going uphill might think they have priority, all else being equal.

[Ian Geary]

But cars are either parked on one side of the road, or the other.

(Unlikely they were in the middle)

Ignoring "lanes", were they on the left side of the road (your side) or the right side? (oncoming car side)?

If the obstruction is on my side of the road, I would always give way (whilst signalling to overtake the obstruction).

It winds me up no end when people can't follow common courtesy.

Ok, the car might have been speeding , but you still misjudged it and made it brake. That's driving without care and attention surely.


Sorry, but I think you're driving wasn't at all technically correct - I think it was quite actually incorrect.

[Super Sonic]

Rule 163 says if there are parked cars on your side of the road you should give way.

[Metric Max]

How did the OP know that the passenger in the BMW was the man's wife?

[Jordie Barretts sock]

I still want to know how the OP knew the BMW was doing a very specific 38mph.

[Hammersia]

Metric Max said:

How did the OP know that the passenger in the BMW was the man's wife?

Because they were of a type

[ScoobyChris]

rgf100 said:

Highway Code
> Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can.

Don’t know about this case, obviously, but I can see how someone going uphill might think they have priority, all else being equal.

The full rule is:

HC said:

Rule 155
Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Not sure it’s applicable to a “normal” road. When I learnt, giving priority to vehicles coming uphill was encouraged although I’d always assumed this was because in the old days cars were underpowered and might require a “run up” to get up hills. Don’t think that’s such an issue now.

Chris

[Bluevanman]

No, your driving was technically incorrect....or more correctly, just incorrect.Next time give way until the road is clear

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Hammersia said:

Metric Max said:

How did the OP know that the passenger in the BMW was the man's wife?

Because they were of a type

And what was that 'type'?

Mate this thread is not going to end as well as you hoped it would.

And looking at the picture you posted, no, you definitely didn't have right of way.

[Super Sonic]

There is also the consideration that if one of the vehicles is established on it's manoeuvre through the obstruction, the other vehicle should give way regardless of priority.

[Pica-Pica]

Super Sonic said:

There is also the consideration that if one of the vehicles is established on it's manoeuvre through the obstruction, the other vehicle should give way regardless of priority.

Size and weight come into it too!

[Pica-Pica]

Super Sonic said:

Pica-Pica said:

Size and weight come into it too!

'Momentum' lol

I would say ‘kinetic energy’ !

[Hammersia]

Super Sonic said:

There is also the consideration that if one of the vehicles is established on it's manoeuvre through the obstruction, the other vehicle should give way regardless of priority.

Well it wasn't one obstruction, more groups of different obstructions (gaps between the parked cars).