Coach driver causes speeding

[page3]

Was a passenger in my Dad's car last night coming home from Town on the A40. Three lane road but 40 MPH limit at that point.

We're in the outside lane overtaking a car in the middle lane, doing about 40 (I know because he commented on it so I was glancing at the speedometer at that point).

Oxford Shuttle coach comes up right behind, flashes lots of times and when my Dad doesn't move in (he cannot, as he's still passing the car on the left - this is only a couple of seconds later), the Coach driver puts his full beam on and leaves them on. My Dad increases speed to 50 in order to complete overtaking quicker and get out the way...and flash flash gets done by a speed camera.

The coach driver should be done for dangerous driving, not my father for speeding.

[Hughesie2]

Why, was the bus driver driving your dads car, if he told you dad to jump off a cliff, would your dad jump ??

Unless your dad got out of the car and let the bus driver drive through the Gatso your dad should get the ticket, did nobody ever explain how dangerous peer pressure can be ??

[FastShow]

Heh, I'd have dipped my rear view and slowed down to ensure the overtaking maneuver took as long as humanly possible.

Having said that, I'm just a stubborn git and this course of action does no-one any good.

[Hughesie2]

FastShow said:

Heh, I'd have dipped my rear view and slowed down to ensure the overtaking maneuver took as long as humanly possible. Having said that, I'm just a stubborn git and this course of action does no-one any good.

Here here, or stick at the limit and ring that nice helpful number on the side of the bus and report him for intimidation...

[pdV6]

Probably a game he plays - see how many cars he can get to set the Gatso off in a week!

[page3]

Hughesie2 said:

Why, was the bus driver driving your dads car, if he told you dad to jump off a cliff, would your dad jump ?? Unless your dad got out of the car and let the bus driver drive through the Gatso your dad should get the ticket, did nobody ever explain how dangerous peer pressure can be ??

Well I wasn't the driver so can only comment as a passenger. Having a huge coach sitting right on your tail with its full beam on is extremely intimidating and I believe a lot of drivers would simply complete their manoeuvre as soon as able to, in order to get back to a safe driving position.

The jumping off a cliff bit I'm not going to bother replying to.

[bad company]

Is it worth your dad defending himself and outlining the circumstances. He could say that he had assumed the coach must have been taking a passenger to hospital or something.

Worth a try.

[MR2Mike]

FastShow said:

Heh, I'd have dipped my rear view and slowed down to ensure the overtaking maneuver took as long as humanly possible.

Not that I could possibly condone such actions

A few years ago a cretin in an old Jag came hurtling up behind my brother car whilst he was in the outside lane of a motorway, overtaking a line of slow moving traffic. The dickhead proceeded to tailgate my brother flashing his lights and weaving around until the prat decided to use the central reservation to overtake, putting the Jag into a huge slide as it hit the grass. Fortunately no one was hurt, but I can remember being stunned that anyone could be so stupid and impaitient that they couldn't wait for 30 seconds

[justinp]

MR2Mike said:

but I can remember being stunned that anyone could be so stupid and impaitient that they couldn't wait for 30 seconds

Not that I drive flashing my lights, but when travelling from home to work which is over 150 miles all those 30 seconds can add up to 2 hours extra driving. So its not 30 seconds it 2 hours!


Cheers

JustinP

[onedsla]

If the coach was really tailgating, would it not be between the gatso and the car?

[nightmare]

wouldnt have thought so.....both together doing 40....chap in car decides 'enough is enough, Im getting out of the way of this moron', and accelerates to 50...even if the coach driver floored it it would take a goodly while to get up to 50. (compared to any car except my citroen AX)

I also reckon it sounds like bus driver playing game.

page3 - if yuor dad does get a ticket, I would strongly sugegst writing a very polite ltter with it apologising, accepting responsibility, but explainnig the circumstances and why it was safer to go slightly faster there rather than not. If this has happened before then maybe it'll make a difference.....

[Pete Cros]

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the situation, if you are going to fight the speed ticket, you should make a complaint to the bus company as backup to your complaint.

If it was a red bus, thats Oxford Tube 01865 772250 www.stagecoach-oxford.co.uk/

If was a blue bus, thats Oxford Bus Company and the airline fleet 01865 785400 www.oxfordbus.co.uk/ email [e-mail]

Pete - Oxford - nothing to do with buses though

[page3]

Thanks everyone (and especially Pete Cros for all the phone numbers) - i'll pass them on.

(edited because I cannot type)

>> Edited by page3 on Tuesday 5th August 16:09

[cdp]

When that happens I tend to ease off the throttle (a government official once said there were no circumstances where you could accelerate out of trouble so slowing down where dangerous) and watch them suddenly wake up in the rear view mirror. In the case of a bus the standing passengers may even fall over.

[Sgt^Roc]

Hughesie2 said:

Why, was the bus driver driving your dads car, if he told you dad to jump off a cliff, would your dad jump ?? Unless your dad got out of the car and let the bus driver drive through the Gatso your dad should get the ticket, did nobody ever explain how dangerous peer pressure can be ??

That is a tab harsh, being intimidated by other drivers is difficult for some to handle hence the phrase "Road Rage" these singular issue speed cameras that detect only speeding are completely reversing the trends on our roads and for what revenue, of course the Plods will say otherwise but even you must know better?

[TheExcession]

In my opinion no excuse.

If tailgated, immediately indicate left so the arsehole behind knows you are trying to get out of the way, slow down (don't speed up) until you can get into the left lane and let the sucker go past.

Nothing more to it.

best
Ex




>> Edited by TheExcession on Tuesday 5th August 18:57

[huge_ego]

justinp said:

Not that I drive flashing my lights, but when travelling from home to work which is over 150 miles all those 30 seconds can add up to 2 hours extra driving. So its not 30 seconds it 2 hours!

They do? 2 hours saved over 150 miles, eh?

Not just a few minutes then ...

[james_j]

Page 3: are you sure that your car was not creeping past at about 1 or 2 mph faster than the car you were overtaking? This can be a major cause of congestion on 2, 3 and 4 lane roads. (I'm not supporting the coach driver's actions, but trying to think of a reason why he did what he did.)

[page3]

I'd agree we weren't overtaking very fast, but with a 40 MPH limit there isn't a lot of room for maneuvering. My opinion is that a 40 MPH zone on a three lane road is an actual cause of congestion, as it necessitates overtaking slowly, if you see what I mean.

I hate being in the outside lane when there is a very restrictive limit so would have stayed in and then blasted past later on

>> Edited by page3 on Tuesday 5th August 21:35

[Mr2Mike]

justinp said:

MR2Mike said: but I can remember being stunned that anyone could be so stupid and impaitient that they couldn't wait for 30 seconds Not that I drive flashing my lights, but when travelling from home to work which is over 150 miles all those 30 seconds can add up to 2 hours extra driving. So its not 30 seconds it 2 hours!

That's entirely possible, if these people are holding you up by doing 20mph in the outisde lane of a motorway 50 miles at a time.

In the case I mentioned we were already travelling at a velocity "likely to annoy an officer of the law".