Discussion
Driving North from Portsmouth on the A3 (and A3(M). The weather was atrocious. I was making headway at 55mph and frankly thought that could be a little high.
However 1) BMWs, Mercedes and 4x4s were all flying past - often in convoys. There was standing water everywhere.
2) A learner pulled off a slip road directly in front of me causing me to brake heavily. What the hell was a learner doing out in those conditions?
Needless to say not a BiB in sight and I doubt cameras would have caught anyone!!!
However 1) BMWs, Mercedes and 4x4s were all flying past - often in convoys. There was standing water everywhere.
2) A learner pulled off a slip road directly in front of me causing me to brake heavily. What the hell was a learner doing out in those conditions?
Needless to say not a BiB in sight and I doubt cameras would have caught anyone!!!
m-five said:I certainly did notice him - but as the weather was atrocious my concentration was mostly forward and I could not be 100% secure in the knowledge the outside lane was empty. Hence I didn't do the normal thing of moving over to let someone on - which I'm not obliged to do.
2) A learner pulled off a slip road directly in front of me causing me to brake heavily. What the hell was a learner doing out in those conditions?
So you are saying your observation is so bad that you didn't notice this learner approaching
I do know the dotted line as the learner joined directly in front of me said 'give way'. He did not, but I was certainly aware enough to back off and give him enough space so as not to collide.
If anyone knows the A3 it's the part on the Downs when a slip road joins at a great angle from a narrow road when heading North.
edc said:Sadly the person with the learner wasn't doing a good job! They should have given way and they should not have been driving at that speed (the vehicle was an old Metro or similar). I was doing 55mph in a good vehicle (ok, ok, it's not a TVR or similar
Learner's still got to learn. Better to first come across this situation when accompanied than when still 17, fresh with licence and no experience.
)puggit
Only kidding (hence the), as I know exactly what you mean.
I was driving down from Liverpool early on Monday and it was bloody cold (-5) and foggy (about 50m visibility). You would see drivers indicating out of slip roads into the inside lane at the same time as other drivers moving into the inside lane as if it was clear and not at a junction.
The other problem was when the fog cleared (around Stoke) to be replaced by rain, almost everyone drove at normal motorway speeds (80-90) with a car's-length gap in between (except for the lorries which kept 6ft between them)
I don't know how many near misses I watched from a safe-ish distance.
BTW I hope the guy on the Yellow Suzuki survived his drive to work today as he seems to be colour blind! The traffic at our lights moved off on the amber/green (I was fourth in the queue) and as the driver in front of me was a little slow to move off, a motorcyclist at another set of lights to the left of us decided to set off as well - straight through the gap and shot off up the road. The guy in front of me didn't even have time to brake! Do tinted visors hide the colour red or something?
Only kidding (hence the
), as I know exactly what you mean. I was driving down from Liverpool early on Monday and it was bloody cold (-5) and foggy (about 50m visibility). You would see drivers indicating out of slip roads into the inside lane at the same time as other drivers moving into the inside lane as if it was clear and not at a junction.
The other problem was when the fog cleared (around Stoke) to be replaced by rain, almost everyone drove at normal motorway speeds (80-90) with a car's-length gap in between (except for the lorries which kept 6ft between them)
I don't know how many near misses I watched from a safe-ish distance.
BTW I hope the guy on the Yellow Suzuki survived his drive to work today as he seems to be colour blind! The traffic at our lights moved off on the amber/green (I was fourth in the queue) and as the driver in front of me was a little slow to move off, a motorcyclist at another set of lights to the left of us decided to set off as well - straight through the gap and shot off up the road. The guy in front of me didn't even have time to brake! Do tinted visors hide the colour red or something?
A couple of weekends ago i was out in bad weather, it was so bad that over 75mph (the one time i attempted it) the car squirmed so badly on the amount of water on the road, i dropped my speed and decided i wouldn't be playing on that particular day.
However i still saw really bad manouvering - its not so much the speed in weather like this, its people not leaving enough time for gaps etc - infact i think i see more tailgating/undertaking etc in attrocious weather than good weather. It seems that some people want to drive at *a* speed regardless and because in bad weather more people drive slower, they become more frustrated and do more silly things.
I was relatively unharmed at my steadier speed of between 60-70mph, until i has just entered a long slip road that ran alongside the slow carriageway, happily at 70mph, when out of nowhere, some repmobile came straight from the outside lane, cut up the two inside lanes and me in the sliproad, just because he'd left it too late. I signalled my displeasure.
Leaving it to the last minute on dry roads, means at least your car will likely remain tracted to the road, in that amount of water he was lucky not to lose it in my opinion. I just felt it inappropriate given the weather.
However i still saw really bad manouvering - its not so much the speed in weather like this, its people not leaving enough time for gaps etc - infact i think i see more tailgating/undertaking etc in attrocious weather than good weather. It seems that some people want to drive at *a* speed regardless and because in bad weather more people drive slower, they become more frustrated and do more silly things.
I was relatively unharmed at my steadier speed of between 60-70mph, until i has just entered a long slip road that ran alongside the slow carriageway, happily at 70mph, when out of nowhere, some repmobile came straight from the outside lane, cut up the two inside lanes and me in the sliproad, just because he'd left it too late. I signalled my displeasure.
Leaving it to the last minute on dry roads, means at least your car will likely remain tracted to the road, in that amount of water he was lucky not to lose it in my opinion. I just felt it inappropriate given the weather.
Hi all
In the rain a larger gap has to be left and attention to detail is all the more important.
However because one person feels safe at 55- 65mph and another feels safe at 80mph does not give one the right to castigate another persons driving. Driving like a twat will mena you end up in a steaming wreck
some of us castigate "numpties" in the dry, perhaps that have good skills in the wet and they are better drivers in this scenario.
Me I was in the pub for the weekend
In the rain a larger gap has to be left and attention to detail is all the more important.
However because one person feels safe at 55- 65mph and another feels safe at 80mph does not give one the right to castigate another persons driving. Driving like a twat will mena you end up in a steaming wreck
some of us castigate "numpties" in the dry, perhaps that have good skills in the wet and they are better drivers in this scenario.
Me I was in the pub for the weekend
Funny enough I was going along just south of the A3M on Sunday morning towards the Havant bypass section of the A27 when the heavens opened up. I kid you not it was down to 40mph and I was in the omegod with the lamps and bells, TC etc so in theory just about comfortable. The misses doing her usual, having kittens bit, in the passenger seat 
.
I could not believe the amount of muppets still doing 70
, even had coach going over 60 
drifting out into the outside of 3 lanes in those conditions , very nearly took his number to report him for reckless driving.
Unbelievable some people, probably the same people that flash you if you happen to go past them over 75 in perfect conditions .
Harry
. I could not believe the amount of muppets still doing 70
, even had coach going over 60 drifting out into the outside of 3 lanes in those conditions , very nearly took his number to report him for reckless driving. Unbelievable some people, probably the same people that flash you if you happen to go past them over 75
in perfect conditions . Harry
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