When "helpful" is a bad idea on the road.
Discussion
Many years ago I was filtering between two lanes of stationary traffic behind a fellow ‘L’ plate rider. The driver of one of the stationary cars waved a little girl across the pedestrian crossing, although the lights to traffic were green. The first I knew of it was the girl dashing right out from behind the column of traffic and being collected by the motorcyclist in front of me.
By the time I’d got my bike on its stand and removed my helmet, the car driver had already bullied the motorcyclist almost to tears, insisting that the girl had used the crossing correctly and he had run a red light and hit her. The driver just trying to blame someone else after making the mistake of waving the girl across. The relief and gratitude of the biker when I reassured him that the light was green and he was not at fault…
Fortunately, the girl’s injuries weren’t serious. As I was leaving, Mum was on her way, and the motorist was getting ready to blame Mum and Dad for letting such a young girl walk to school, crossing a dual carriageway, at such a young age (a young eight, maybe?)
By the time I’d got my bike on its stand and removed my helmet, the car driver had already bullied the motorcyclist almost to tears, insisting that the girl had used the crossing correctly and he had run a red light and hit her. The driver just trying to blame someone else after making the mistake of waving the girl across. The relief and gratitude of the biker when I reassured him that the light was green and he was not at fault…
Fortunately, the girl’s injuries weren’t serious. As I was leaving, Mum was on her way, and the motorist was getting ready to blame Mum and Dad for letting such a young girl walk to school, crossing a dual carriageway, at such a young age (a young eight, maybe?)
The worst I come across is people who stop to let me through when in the work truck. It's a lo bigger than people realise and anyone who could have carried on through a gap but stops to let me through invariably never leaves enough room for me to get through. No amount of waving or flashing at them to come through and leave the way clear works, they just sit there thinking they're helping but in reality blocking up the whole road.
Donbot said:
Slowing down on a busy carriageway to give way to people on slip roads.
Have seen this so many times, once where I was on a dual carriageway and the car in front pretty much did an emergency stop to let the car on the slip road in but the car joining also did a hard stop at the end of the sliproad and the angle of the two meant that all lanes were blocked and they then stayed there for a good few seconds waiting for each other to move! How the traffic behind didn't pile into each other in the ensuing chaos I have no idea as it was raining and in the rush hour. BertBert said:
Donbot said:
Slowing down on a busy carriageway to give way to people on slip roads.
Just curious, what is the "advanced driving" approach to such situations?Donbot said:
BertBert said:
Donbot said:
Slowing down on a busy carriageway to give way to people on slip roads.
Just curious, what is the "advanced driving" approach to such situations?
As to the OP's question braking slightly (or lifting off) to let someone out of a side road isn't automatically creating danger. Nor is stopping to let pedestrians cross - it's all a gradated scale between jamming your brakes on at 70 and dropping your speed from 30 to 25 to give someone a gap to go into, allowing traffic to flow.
Edited by _Neal_ on Friday 9th September 16:24
People wont just blindly drive into the side of you 
and are typically looking to merge behind, so slowing down just makes the gap smaller. If someone is ahead of you and looking to merge in front then lifting off to give a bigger gap is fine.
It's pretty obvious what I meant by my comment.
and are typically looking to merge behind, so slowing down just makes the gap smaller. If someone is ahead of you and looking to merge in front then lifting off to give a bigger gap is fine.It's pretty obvious what I meant by my comment.
Edited by Donbot on Saturday 10th September 08:47
I was on an 800cc bike and a chap in an old Merc (who I had not been following too closely and my headlamp is properly adjusted and wasn't on main beam) stopped and waved me past. Just before a blind brow with a right turn on the other side.
I'll bet it was three or four minutes of sitting there before he set off again.
Those of you who have never ridden a big bike probably don't realise quite how unimaginable the performance available to us is, and that if a bike wants to pass, short of killing the rider, it's passing - you don't need to slow down! (Hypercars excepted)
Don't try to help us by stopping, waving us past, or otherwise doing unexpected stuff. By all means demonstrate that you have seen us, that's always nice, as is moving across slightly in traffic (more to visually nudge other car drivers that a bike is coming), but as has been said previously in this thread, don't make riding decisions for us, as they're usually wrong.
I'll bet it was three or four minutes of sitting there before he set off again.
Those of you who have never ridden a big bike probably don't realise quite how unimaginable the performance available to us is, and that if a bike wants to pass, short of killing the rider, it's passing - you don't need to slow down! (Hypercars excepted)
Don't try to help us by stopping, waving us past, or otherwise doing unexpected stuff. By all means demonstrate that you have seen us, that's always nice, as is moving across slightly in traffic (more to visually nudge other car drivers that a bike is coming), but as has been said previously in this thread, don't make riding decisions for us, as they're usually wrong.
BertBert said:
Donbot said:
Slowing down on a busy carriageway to give way to people on slip roads.
Just curious, what is the "advanced driving" approach to such situations?That applies to most situations I encounter.
I think it was in the Roadcraft advanced driving manual where I read not to flash or wave anyone into/out of a junction. I learnt from somewhere (maybe also Roadcraft) that you can slow or stop to allow someone to make such a manoeuvre but don't give them any signal (flash or wave) to give them a potentially false impression that the coast is clear for them.
I find in practice that if I do this people will get the message that I want to let them out at least 99 times out of 100, but it makes them extra cautious about making their turn, they double check all is clear, so seems like a good way of doing it overall to me.
I find in practice that if I do this people will get the message that I want to let them out at least 99 times out of 100, but it makes them extra cautious about making their turn, they double check all is clear, so seems like a good way of doing it overall to me.
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