Advice regarding dangerous driving?
Discussion
Do any of you have any thoughts on the following situation? I'm especialy interested in thoughts/advice from the BiB.
Last night I was stopped in the right hand lane at some lights. Shortly after the lights (100yds) the lanes merge into one. I was behind one car with one car behind me. To might left were two cars followed by one truck which was followed by more cars.
When the lights turned green, both lanes moved forward. The car in front of me pulled away (slowly) and pulled in front of the truck. As a gap was opening up between him and the truck I waited for the space to safely pull in. The truck driver was aware that the road was merging and would have seen me as I was in front of him. However, the truck driver accelerated and deleberately closed the gap at the last second.
I was left with three options. Brake heavyly - Car behind me would have hit me. Speed up and get into the gap before it was closed (and get caught by camera). The final option which I took, was to drive into the middle of the road and slam on the anchors before I hit the central reservation.
I was pretty shock up by at all. So the question is, was this dangerous driving on part of the lorry or did I misread the situation?
The lorry had no number plate but I did manage to get the lorrys code number (given it by the depot I guess). Is it worth reporting to the Bib and would they do anything about it?
Last night I was stopped in the right hand lane at some lights. Shortly after the lights (100yds) the lanes merge into one. I was behind one car with one car behind me. To might left were two cars followed by one truck which was followed by more cars.
When the lights turned green, both lanes moved forward. The car in front of me pulled away (slowly) and pulled in front of the truck. As a gap was opening up between him and the truck I waited for the space to safely pull in. The truck driver was aware that the road was merging and would have seen me as I was in front of him. However, the truck driver accelerated and deleberately closed the gap at the last second.
I was left with three options. Brake heavyly - Car behind me would have hit me. Speed up and get into the gap before it was closed (and get caught by camera). The final option which I took, was to drive into the middle of the road and slam on the anchors before I hit the central reservation.
I was pretty shock up by at all. So the question is, was this dangerous driving on part of the lorry or did I misread the situation?
The lorry had no number plate but I did manage to get the lorrys code number (given it by the depot I guess). Is it worth reporting to the Bib and would they do anything about it?
First of all, was it a centre merge or Left/Right.
If it was a centre merge then it is basically a 'free for all'.
If the Lorry was merging into your lane then he was certainly driving without due care, and if you were merging into his lane then...well you take your chances.
You certainly wouldnt get a charge for Dangerous Driving, thats a totally different ballgame.
I would pout it down to experience and experience always tells me to give way to Trucks, Lorries.
Rightly or wrongly, they have the upper hand in circumstances like that and unless you can take an extract from his mind at the time you wouldnt get any sort of conviction in my experience.
Self preservation is the order of the day...especially for the sake of a few seconds.
If it was a centre merge then it is basically a 'free for all'.
If the Lorry was merging into your lane then he was certainly driving without due care, and if you were merging into his lane then...well you take your chances.
You certainly wouldnt get a charge for Dangerous Driving, thats a totally different ballgame.
I would pout it down to experience and experience always tells me to give way to Trucks, Lorries.
Rightly or wrongly, they have the upper hand in circumstances like that and unless you can take an extract from his mind at the time you wouldnt get any sort of conviction in my experience.
Self preservation is the order of the day...especially for the sake of a few seconds.
Thanks Tony
It was a merge into his lane so I guess there was little I could do. I didn't realise that a merge lane actualy meant "merge lane if some @rsehole doesn't close the gap and run you off the road"
What about the offence of having no number plate - is that worth reporting or would he be imposible to trace?
Where are those "am I driving safely" numbers when you need them.
It was a merge into his lane so I guess there was little I could do. I didn't realise that a merge lane actualy meant "merge lane if some @rsehole doesn't close the gap and run you off the road"
What about the offence of having no number plate - is that worth reporting or would he be imposible to trace?
Where are those "am I driving safely" numbers when you need them.
As tonyrec says, lorries have the upper hand.
The very typical situation that easy results from your description is: you squeeze in in front of the lorry, the car in front of you brakes, you brake, the lorry shunts you ap the 4r5e.
What you have described is extremely common, not just the lorry accelerating - which he might be doing anyway - but the apparent lack of awareness on the part of the car in front. It seems that a large majority of drivers only use their mirrors (if at all!) in the 'mirror-signal-mirror-maneuver' sequence (usually executed as maneuver-signal-mirror) and not as part of maintaining all-around awareness of the relation of their car to surrounding traffic (etc.), moving forwards, easing sideways, speeding up (within the limit obviously), etc. to allow vehicles behind them more 'comfort space'.
Streaky
The very typical situation that easy results from your description is: you squeeze in in front of the lorry, the car in front of you brakes, you brake, the lorry shunts you ap the 4r5e.
What you have described is extremely common, not just the lorry accelerating - which he might be doing anyway - but the apparent lack of awareness on the part of the car in front. It seems that a large majority of drivers only use their mirrors (if at all!) in the 'mirror-signal-mirror-maneuver' sequence (usually executed as maneuver-signal-mirror) and not as part of maintaining all-around awareness of the relation of their car to surrounding traffic (etc.), moving forwards, easing sideways, speeding up (within the limit obviously
), etc. to allow vehicles behind them more 'comfort space'. Streaky
Streaky - you are correct that many drivers have no awareness of others around them. It may have been a contributory factor in this situation. However, the lorry driver was definately not wanting me to "take his space".
The thing that really bugs me though is the consideration I give to lorrys when I drive. I will signal to lorrys to allow them to over take, make way for them and generaly help them maintain their speed. Its tw@ts like this one who cause other drivers to lose respect for the good ones.
The thing that really bugs me though is the consideration I give to lorrys when I drive. I will signal to lorrys to allow them to over take, make way for them and generaly help them maintain their speed. Its tw@ts like this one who cause other drivers to lose respect for the good ones.
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