Overtaking on dual carriageway when car pulls out from side

[therag3]

Looking at it from the other car's perspective... I hate it when people try to let you out under these circumstances. Appreciate they are trying to be helpful, but you feel somewhat obliged to accept their courtesy, which means trying to move out when you have no idea what is going on in the 2nd lane - particularly if it's a large lorry trying to let you out...

[DannyT1985]

therag3 said:

Looking at it from the other car's perspective... I hate it when people try to let you out under these circumstances. Appreciate they are trying to be helpful, but you feel somewhat obliged to accept their courtesy, which means trying to move out when you have no idea what is going on in the 2nd lane - particularly if it's a large lorry trying to let you out...

Agree but surely safety first above all else and you inch out, even if it means holding up the guy who has let you out. Same should apply when turning right into a side road in heavy traffic, you never know if the driver letting you go has checked their nearside mirror for bikes.

[dvenman]

DannyT1985 said:

Agree but surely safety first above all else and you inch out

Yup, but the number of folks whose thought process is "he's let me out so the rest of the traffic will psychically know as well".

And as another driver on the dual carriageway the thought process needs to be "something with an exit ahead, stopped lorry near the exit, I wonder..."

[davepoth]

Mandat said:

If you are overtaking stationary traffic with a 40mph speed differential, then that doesn't sound particularly safe or appropriate, particularly due to the risk of traffic emerging from side turnings, fuel stations, etc precisely in the manner that you experienced.

Absolutely this. I'd feel really uncomfortable about passing a solid line of traffic that quickly because you can't hope to judge what every driver is thinking. I like to think of this more or less along the same lines as filtering on a motorcycle, and for that the guideline is around 10mph quicker than other traffic.

https://www.bmf.co.uk/news/show/10-tips-for-safe-m...

Probably a little slow for this circumstance, but every mph slower gives you more time to think and react.