Driving is a team sport with a lot of non-team players
Discussion
This happened on a dual carriageway section of the A303. It was very quiet. Good weather, good visibility. I was approaching a layby and there was an articulated lorry waiting to re-join the road. In my mirror were two cars 300 yards behind. I flashed the lorry and moved into the right hand lane and the lorry started to roll. As I went by the driver waved but he was stopping. In the mirror, both cars behind me stayed in lane and prevented the lorry from pulling out.
Why would they do that? There's a lorry waiting to pull out, indicating, the car in front indicates and moves over, the lorry starts to move and you don't know what's going on? You can't see that? Either of you?
Driving is a team sport. We're all trying to get somewhere and can help one another. But some drivers can't see that help is appropriate, some see it and can't be bothered and some see it and are deliberately obstructive because they can. Some are asleep at the wheel. Not actually asleep but totally unaware of what's going on.
It's so easy to work together and costs nothing.
Why would they do that? There's a lorry waiting to pull out, indicating, the car in front indicates and moves over, the lorry starts to move and you don't know what's going on? You can't see that? Either of you?
Driving is a team sport. We're all trying to get somewhere and can help one another. But some drivers can't see that help is appropriate, some see it and can't be bothered and some see it and are deliberately obstructive because they can. Some are asleep at the wheel. Not actually asleep but totally unaware of what's going on.
It's so easy to work together and costs nothing.
Quite recently my wife asked me what I think about when I'm driving. She was surprised when I said I think about driving. I'm thinking about what I'm doing, what the car's doing and what others are doing. I met an old boy years ago who told me all the time he's driving he's running scenarios through his mind, "If this happens, I'll do that. If that happens, I'll do this. If that car pulls out, I'll drive off there." I don't go quite that far, but it worked for him. He was in his eighties and claimed he hadn't had an accident since he was a teenager.
Okay, here's one for you. Also on a dual carriageway section of the A303 (me poor old mum's not well in Devon and I'm up and down a lot). Again the road was quiet, it was daylight with good conditions. Bowling along the slow lane I catch up with a bloke going slightly slower in the outside lane. I wasn't in a hurry so I just hung back and went at his speed. After a mile or so there's a layby with someone waiting to pull out. This time I didn't flash but simply pulled out behind the right hand lane moron. What could possinly go wrong? Instead of staying in the right hand lane allowing the car out of the layby, he sees me at last and moves into the slow lane cutting the bloke off.
Sake.
Sake.
The trouble is though, that when it works, it works well and it works smoothly and it takes very little effort. See a situation, make space, everybody's happy. A couple of posts back funinhounslow saying it would be ten seconds. Ten seconds is an eternity in real driving. Even in Hounslow I would have thought.
You're painting my actions as being frantic when they're not. I'm just bowling along glad to help fellow road users when I can. It just astonishes me when other people can't see it. Maybe my examples aren't good enough to withstand your detailed criticism. I'm sure many readers know what I'm trying to convey, which is, a lot of people drive around and don't give a damn or drive around and don't recognise that there is a damn to be given.
Put another way, driving would be a lot better for everyone if we all treated it as a team enterprise. Unfortunately, there are too many who consider the road as every man for himself.
It's a team sport with a lot of non-team players.
Put another way, driving would be a lot better for everyone if we all treated it as a team enterprise. Unfortunately, there are too many who consider the road as every man for himself.
It's a team sport with a lot of non-team players.
It seems as though some of the negative posters here would be surprised to learn how much communication is done between drivers of large vehicles, particularly using lights. And it's a universal language; lorry drivers from all over Europe are using the same signals. Flash you out, flash you in, flash thanks, flash hello, use indicators quickly left-right-left, to signal thanks. The 'flash you out' signal isn't an order, it's a 'here you are, mate, here"s a bit of help if you need it.' If, as a car driver, you join in, they really appreciate the help.
Something I should have added in last night's exchanges is part of my wishing to be courteous to other road users is to not endanger them.
I just like to envisage a world where drivers work together to make traffic flow better and to make the road a more pleasant place to be.
Something I should have added in last night's exchanges is part of my wishing to be courteous to other road users is to not endanger them.
I just like to envisage a world where drivers work together to make traffic flow better and to make the road a more pleasant place to be.
LHB said:
I haven’t ridden a motorbike on the road for a few years now but drive along as if I’m still on one, constantly thinking what if, reading the road ahead and trying to predict how the mentalists out there will try and kill me but I have the opinion that most people who ride bikes make much better drivers than your average driver.
A route home years ago through North London included a staggered crossroads, where the staggered roads were minor roads joining a main road. Almost every night a queue would develop on the main road behind someone waiting to turn right. If, as usually happened, no one let them across, someone would then want to turn right into the other minor road but there was no gap and the whole junction would seize up.
Come along, chaps. Let's work together on this.
Come along, chaps. Let's work together on this.
Just remembered an example of non-team play that was one of the most stupid bits of driving I've ever witnessed. Twenty years ago, working in Sheffield and living in Newbury, I used the M1 twice a week; North on Monday, South on Friday. Coming home one Friday I was approaching Junction 21 where the M69 departs for Coventry and Birmingham and the road becomes four lanes and then five with very long off lanes. At this point there has been warning of the Junction for probably a mile and a half. I'm in the left lane of the M1 continuing South. Up ahead in the outside lane is an elderly Fiesta going slower and slower. Cars behind it are slowing down and cars in the middle and slow lanes are easing up as a precaution. Then it stops, just shy of the gantry signs and everyone is braking hard not knowing what the hell is happening. Luckily, because we had a bit of warning, there were no collisions. The occupants of the Fiesta, necks craning to read the gantry sign above, conclude they are in the wrong lane, notice all the stationary and slow moving traffic around them and set off, from stationary, at forty five degrees for the M69.
No one hooted; I think we were all too shocked. How did they get away with it? Where's the Old Bill when you want them?
No one hooted; I think we were all too shocked. How did they get away with it? Where's the Old Bill when you want them?
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