Stupid driving by flat-cap Mercedes driver
Discussion
Was following a flat-cap Mercedes owner a few days ago, he was driving along at a leisurely 28mph on a straight 50mph road, so I pulled up behind him to enjoy the drive as we meandered through the countryside, then captured what has to be one of the dumbest overtaking manoeuvres I've seen for a long time.
So picture the scene, flat cap Mercedes driver driving at approx 25mph, push-bike struggling up the hill, and a blind left-hand bend, what could possibly go wrong?
You guessed it, the Merc driver indicates right to overtake (which in his mind makes it OK to overtake), then swings right into the opposite lane as he passed the bike, only problem was the stream of oncoming vehicles that emerged from the blind bend just as he was mid-overtake, and if it hadn't been for the swift reaction by the oncoming driver there would have been an almighty great big accident involving four or five cars plus the cyclist.
Snapshots enclosed from the video and take a look at the time index shown in the bottom left of the pics to appreciate just how quick this all happened.
I have a copy of the dash cam video but haven't bothered to upload it onto YouTube as yet, just wanted to demonstrate that it's not only excessive speed that can kill. What would it have cost for the Merc driver to have waited for a couple more seconds before overtaking the cyclist?
So picture the scene, flat cap Mercedes driver driving at approx 25mph, push-bike struggling up the hill, and a blind left-hand bend, what could possibly go wrong?
You guessed it, the Merc driver indicates right to overtake (which in his mind makes it OK to overtake), then swings right into the opposite lane as he passed the bike, only problem was the stream of oncoming vehicles that emerged from the blind bend just as he was mid-overtake, and if it hadn't been for the swift reaction by the oncoming driver there would have been an almighty great big accident involving four or five cars plus the cyclist.
Snapshots enclosed from the video and take a look at the time index shown in the bottom left of the pics to appreciate just how quick this all happened.
I have a copy of the dash cam video but haven't bothered to upload it onto YouTube as yet, just wanted to demonstrate that it's not only excessive speed that can kill. What would it have cost for the Merc driver to have waited for a couple more seconds before overtaking the cyclist?
Believe me, it was perhaps half a second before impact as the video would have shown. Have been using several dash cam for well over a year now and haven't bothered posting any videos on YouTube because most of the footage is of minor infractions. I posted one video to plod when a van decided to overtake in roadworks when everyone else was slowing down and the lights were green for traffic approaching from the opposite direction which wasn't good!!!
The snapshots were taken using the VLC video viewer, the actual dash cam footage was recorded using a Mobius action cam using an 'A' lens which is the cheapest version they manufacture. the lens quality in the daytime is excellent but not so good at night.
The Mobius manufacturer has an ebay shop, the link is:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32GB-HD-Mobius-Action-Ca... which is the camera plus mount and 32GB card, but you will still need to add the suction cup or permanent mount to stick on the windscreen, plus the 3m charging cable from the camera to the cigarette lighter and the USB adapter.
I ordered the above from their ebay shop and everything arrived just 7 days later which was most impressive. Since the purchase I bought a 128GB SD card from Amazon and it has been 100% reliable to date. Comes highly recommended.
The snapshots were taken using the VLC video viewer, the actual dash cam footage was recorded using a Mobius action cam using an 'A' lens which is the cheapest version they manufacture. the lens quality in the daytime is excellent but not so good at night.
The Mobius manufacturer has an ebay shop, the link is:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32GB-HD-Mobius-Action-Ca... which is the camera plus mount and 32GB card, but you will still need to add the suction cup or permanent mount to stick on the windscreen, plus the 3m charging cable from the camera to the cigarette lighter and the USB adapter.
I ordered the above from their ebay shop and everything arrived just 7 days later which was most impressive. Since the purchase I bought a 128GB SD card from Amazon and it has been 100% reliable to date. Comes highly recommended.
To me it looks like he was past the cyclist and back on his side of the road before the cars came past towards him.
He overtook the cyclist on a sweeping bend and looks like he could see the cars approaching and did a safe pass.You were too far back to judge if it was safe or a dangerous pass.
Edited to say looking at your photos again it is hardly a bend and pretty much a fairly straight road.
He overtook the cyclist on a sweeping bend and looks like he could see the cars approaching and did a safe pass.You were too far back to judge if it was safe or a dangerous pass.
Edited to say looking at your photos again it is hardly a bend and pretty much a fairly straight road.
Edited by btcc123 on Saturday 8th August 19:20
The OP is being a bit over-dramatic about this video. Seems OK to me and of course being closer to that bend will give more view to the accused flat-cap driver.
Maybe the OP has been in posession of the dash-cam for a few months and is dissapointed at not having something to show from it and this is a desperate attempt at dash-cam action.
Driving is far from stupid and as a northerner there is f-all wrong with flat caps.
Hardly worth starting a thread with that non-event.
Maybe the OP has been in posession of the dash-cam for a few months and is dissapointed at not having something to show from it and this is a desperate attempt at dash-cam action.
Driving is far from stupid and as a northerner there is f-all wrong with flat caps.
Hardly worth starting a thread with that non-event.
Nope I'm not being over-dramatic, this particular bend in the road is pretty tight and quite a few accidents occur each year. I posted this because it always amazes me that we have the safety brigades always whinging on about excessive speeding kills, when in actual fact sometimes it is plain stupid impatient driving that kills, and that is why we need more traffic police out on the roads.
In this particular instance the Merc driver was quite happy to drive along at well under 30mph on the straight bits of the road, so was obviously in no particular hurry, yet the one time when he could have waited and hung back for a few seconds so that he could see round the bend, he chose in fact to overtake on it. You can see from the time index shown in the bottom of the screen how quickly all this unfolded, and if you look carefully you will see the approaching white car having to move over to avoid a collision, now what would have happened if it had been a lorry? What would have been the scenario if someone travelling down the hill had a similar idea to overtake?
I wonder what any BIB think about this kind of driving, any traffic police on the forum care to comment?
In this particular instance the Merc driver was quite happy to drive along at well under 30mph on the straight bits of the road, so was obviously in no particular hurry, yet the one time when he could have waited and hung back for a few seconds so that he could see round the bend, he chose in fact to overtake on it. You can see from the time index shown in the bottom of the screen how quickly all this unfolded, and if you look carefully you will see the approaching white car having to move over to avoid a collision, now what would have happened if it had been a lorry? What would have been the scenario if someone travelling down the hill had a similar idea to overtake?
I wonder what any BIB think about this kind of driving, any traffic police on the forum care to comment?
zarjaz1991 said:
Don't stress about it. Whether it's a dodgy overtake or not isn't clear from the pictures, but I don't think we want to live in a world where every little mistake gets captured on video and sent to the police.
I'd call it snitching. Just forget it and move on.
So you don't think it is a dodgy overtaking manoeuvre, even though there is just one second between the Merc and the white car having a head-on collision. If it was a straight road with one second before impact I would say that was pretty stupid, but on a blind bend it is pure insanity. I'd call it snitching. Just forget it and move on.
I've seen plenty of stupid antics on the road over the years, and I have no interest in capturing and uploading every little mistake on video, mainly because I have better things to do, but when it is life threatening then yes, someone needs to step in and have a quiet word before a real accident occurs.
I wonder what you would call it if you had been the driver in the approaching white car that had to take evasive action to avoid the Merc, would you have said oh well, just forget about it and move on...? i don't think so!
Might be a daft question, but how do I upload a video onto Pistonheads?
rich888 said:
So you don't think it is a dodgy overtaking manoeuvre, even though there is just one second between the Merc and the white car having a head-on collision. If it was a straight road with one second before impact I would say that was pretty stupid, but on a blind bend it is pure insanity.
I've seen plenty of stupid antics on the road over the years, and I have no interest in capturing and uploading every little mistake on video, mainly because I have better things to do, but when it is life threatening then yes, someone needs to step in and have a quiet word before a real accident occurs.
I wonder what you would call it if you had been the driver in the approaching white car that had to take evasive action to avoid the Merc, would you have said oh well, just forget about it and move on...? i don't think so!
Might be a daft question, but how do I upload a video onto Pistonheads?
I wouldn’t bother ... it was possibly (maybe even probably) a mistake ... but not a massive one from the stills.I've seen plenty of stupid antics on the road over the years, and I have no interest in capturing and uploading every little mistake on video, mainly because I have better things to do, but when it is life threatening then yes, someone needs to step in and have a quiet word before a real accident occurs.
I wonder what you would call it if you had been the driver in the approaching white car that had to take evasive action to avoid the Merc, would you have said oh well, just forget about it and move on...? i don't think so!
Might be a daft question, but how do I upload a video onto Pistonheads?
Get on with your life and stop being such an arse
I'm sure it's a mistake...we all make them.
Yes I've had to take evasive action in the past from people who have very obviously misjudged an overtake. I get out of their way and do whatever I can to help them correct it. In most cases I'll be watching the road ahead closely and will be driving sensibly so I'll have some room to get out of the way, though I accept that won't always be the case. However, I have sympathy and empathy, not anger.
Even if I had video evidence, I wouldn't dream of trying to wreck someone's life (for almost certainly that is what you will do) by attempting to have them prosecuted for dangerous driving etc.
I don't get the "snitch culture" in this country. I can only assume it's driven by a primeval human instinct to eradicate "rival" human beings.
People make mistakes, if it's not deliberate or malicious - let it go. If the overtake really was as bad as you say, then the Merc driver will probably have shat himself and will be a lot more careful in future anyhow.
Yes I've had to take evasive action in the past from people who have very obviously misjudged an overtake. I get out of their way and do whatever I can to help them correct it. In most cases I'll be watching the road ahead closely and will be driving sensibly so I'll have some room to get out of the way, though I accept that won't always be the case. However, I have sympathy and empathy, not anger.
Even if I had video evidence, I wouldn't dream of trying to wreck someone's life (for almost certainly that is what you will do) by attempting to have them prosecuted for dangerous driving etc.
I don't get the "snitch culture" in this country. I can only assume it's driven by a primeval human instinct to eradicate "rival" human beings.
People make mistakes, if it's not deliberate or malicious - let it go. If the overtake really was as bad as you say, then the Merc driver will probably have shat himself and will be a lot more careful in future anyhow.
Edited by zarjaz1991 on Sunday 9th August 07:38
Can't judge much from stills but overtaking cyclists and swinging into the path of oncoming traffic is commonplace, as is the general act of failing to give way to oncoming traffic when the obstruction is on your side of the road. It's funny, almost as if people are reluctant to use their brakes and slow down in any way.
tapereel said:
The OP is being a bit over-dramatic about this video. Seems OK to me and of course being closer to that bend will give more view to the accused flat-cap driver.
Maybe the OP has been in posession of the dash-cam for a few months and is dissapointed at not having something to show from it and this is a desperate attempt at dash-cam action.
Driving is far from stupid and as a northerner there is f-all wrong with flat caps.
Hardly worth starting a thread with that non-event.
My thoughtsMaybe the OP has been in posession of the dash-cam for a few months and is dissapointed at not having something to show from it and this is a desperate attempt at dash-cam action.
Driving is far from stupid and as a northerner there is f-all wrong with flat caps.
Hardly worth starting a thread with that non-event.
Nice dash cam OP and a great advert too.
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