Driving over the middle lines.
Discussion
Right,
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
This happened to me in a along a blind crest/hidden dip. To avoid a head on accident at nsl, I swerved, clipped the kerb and mounted it, lost control and crashed into in a parked van near a cottage. I'm here because of BMW's last great car; my parent's 2003 E39 5 which was written off in the process. I'll never forget, I had my 4 uni finals in the following 4 days.
jasandjules said:
Right,
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
What do you expect from a plastic bint in an X5, typical stereo type
ED965 said:
jasandjules said:
Right,
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
This has to be an offence. At least I hope so.
3 times today in a 10 mile journey I had to execute emergency braking to avoid a front end collision with some p***k who thought the middle of the road was where they are meant to drive. Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving 1" from my mirrors despite the fact I was almost in the hedges...
Now, can any plod on here PLEASE tell me they nick people for this!!
What do you expect from a plastic bint in an X5, typical stereo type
not that you'd say no!
jasandjules said:
This has to be an offence.
Obviously the lady in the X5 had to finish her mobile conversation before driving
Jas what a pity you don't drive a wreck, her on the phone(check her phone records), over the white line, she's bang to rights.
Admittedly you might lose a leg in the process, may be a LHD car would be better.
slowly slowly said:
Jas what a pity you don't drive a wreck, her on the phone(check her phone records), over the white line, she's bang to rights.
When we had the Mondeo estate and it was time to be traded in, I seriously thought about just travelling round the same roundabout that I have to take avoiding action on every other day, and just let someone crash into me. But self preservation is a wonderful thing...
I honestly feel like setting up a video camera and handing it in to plod. What was worse was yesterday was foggy, and there were some damp patches on the road, so conditions were not ideal for hard braking. What really pi***s me off is they don't even bother to pull over when they see you coming (yes, that means you big white van driver!).
I don't think you're committing an offence, but it does sound like you might be driving too fast. Perhaps a charge of careless / inconsiderate might stick. If you are unable to stop in the distance you can see to be clear with these vehicles taking up a larger portion of road, then you might want to reconsider your driving tactics. In narrow roads there is often give and take and cooperation with other road users - if either side fails to play then there can be accidents and they should both be looking at a S3 charge, hospital food and let the courts sort it out.
I appreciate that might not be popular, but just because someone is out over the white line isn't necessarily going to make it their fault, and you are going to have a bad day (see subsequent poster's post) if there is a crash. If you are regularly having to execute emergency stops (which you don't say you are), then you probably want to have another think about your own driving plan before pointing the finger outside of the vehicle.
Obviously driving whilst using a hand-held phone is an offence, if that was your question, as is crossing or straddling a double white line system except in some circumstances.
I appreciate that might not be popular, but just because someone is out over the white line isn't necessarily going to make it their fault, and you are going to have a bad day (see subsequent poster's post) if there is a crash. If you are regularly having to execute emergency stops (which you don't say you are), then you probably want to have another think about your own driving plan before pointing the finger outside of the vehicle.
Obviously driving whilst using a hand-held phone is an offence, if that was your question, as is crossing or straddling a double white line system except in some circumstances.
Crossing the white lines on bends is so common now, I find myself driving defensively to avoid potential collisions on certain corners. It seems to involve a combination of people who are driving too fast, so they can't make their turns, but mostly people who are just bone idle and can't be bothered taking a corner correctly.
To turn right into our road, I have to stop just as the opposing traffic is coming out of a left-hander (and they can see me standing there, it's not like it's a blind bend or anything...). The number of times I've nearly been hit by morons just not bothering to make the turn is astounding. Then if you sound your horn (to make other people look round so that there's a witness if the worst comes to the worst!) they react as if you just ran over their dog.
To turn right into our road, I have to stop just as the opposing traffic is coming out of a left-hander (and they can see me standing there, it's not like it's a blind bend or anything...). The number of times I've nearly been hit by morons just not bothering to make the turn is astounding. Then if you sound your horn (to make other people look round so that there's a witness if the worst comes to the worst!) they react as if you just ran over their dog.
Edited by SGirl on Wednesday 20th December 12:20
7db said:
I don't think you're committing an offence, but it does sound like you might be driving too fast.
I think the OP meant that the "p***k" travelling in the middle of the road was committing an offence.
How does it sound like the OP might be driving too fast, when someone is coming at you as discribed, stopping is not going to prevent a collision, one or both of you have too pull to their left, IMO If there was a head-on on your side of the road, how can you be held partly responsible.
7db said:
slowly slowly said:
IMO If there was a head-on on your side of the road, how can you be held partly responsible.
If the other person stops and you drive into him. My question about whether the OP was driving too fast was based on the emergency braking which he needed to do.
No, still not with you on this one, he didn't say the p***k came to a stop on the wrong side of the road so we must assume they kept coming, If it was you and you where travelling at 30mph (again lets assume that was the speed limit)and the other person is also doing 30mph that's a 60mph collision speed, If someone wants to commit suicide by driving head-on into you it's not going to matter whether you are within the limit, above it, or even stationary, so how do you conclude that the OP was above the limit, we don't even know what the limit was, he mentioned nearly driving into a hedge so it sounds like it might be above 30mph.
If you always drove as though the car coming towards you was going to swerve into you, you could come to stop and it still might happen.
7db said:
I don't think I mentioned the limit at all. I just said too fast.
If it was a public road it would have a speed limit, when you say "too fast" what do you mean?, if you mean too fast for the possibility that someone might swerve causing a head-on then any speed is too fast.
I only refered to an assumed speed limit to give us some ground rules, If a big hole opened up in the road and someone drove into it would you say they where driving too fast, you don't expact a hole to open up just like you don't expect someone to suddenly swerve onto your side of the road(or drive down the middle of the road), like I said what is the appropriate speed to prevent a sudden head-on crash?.
slowly slowly said:
when you say "too fast" what do you mean?
I mean having to execute an emergency stop several times in one journey to avoid oncoming traffic.
I assume in this that all these oncomers weren't entirely suicidal - that the OP hadn't lucked out in finding so many people intent on damaging themselves and others, but rather they were just occupying more space than he thought necessary and certainly more than he had allowed for in his driving plan, and his pig-headedness meant that he wasn't prepared to slow down or yield any of "his" space to them until the last minute. That's my assumption, but I'm going a little beyond the original post's facts in making that assumption.
I didn't really go as far as that in supposing that he was going too fast, however. The appearance of oncoming traffic in a conflicting position is not like aliens landing or holes opening up, it is a reasonable thing for a good driver to expect and manage his speed to cope with.
7db said:
I don't think I mentioned the limit at all. I just said too fast.
If you are finding yourself doing emergency braking, your first question ought to be why you allowed yourself to be in a position where it was necessary.
If you are finding yourself doing emergency braking, your first question ought to be why you allowed yourself to be in a position where it was necessary.
There must be plenty of occasions where an emergency stop is required through no fault of your own, why else would it be included in the driving test? Surely they are not going to teach you something which you only have to do if you are at fault?
In regard to the original question, its not specifically an offence to drive over the middle lines (unless they're unbroken, and even then there are circumstances when its permitted), i.e. you can use the whole of the road if its available. However, if there is oncoming traffic I believe you'd have to have a very good reason for being on the "wrong" side of the road for it not to be considered your fault should an accident occur.
We drive on the left by convention, I believe, rather than by the letter of the law.
Awaits resident BiB to pooh-pooh this
We drive on the left by convention, I believe, rather than by the letter of the law.
Awaits resident BiB to pooh-pooh this
7db said:
slowly slowly said:
when you say "too fast" what do you mean?
they were just occupying more space than he thought necessary
Normally when I read a one sided story I'll play devil advicate and suggest it may not be as they discribe but in this case if the other vehicle is on the wrong side of the road it sounds like they are using their size to bully the other motorist, I don't like it, It sounds like he doesn't like it either, If I was approaching an obstacle on my side of the road I would give way, the woman in the X5 was not concentrating due to using her phone and you say he should ask himself(herself) what he(she) did wrong.
It's not OP that needs to change it's X5 driver that should change their style IMO.
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