If he found driving stressful and over reacted, what on earth is he going to find life in a kitchen like?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8326305.stm
p.s. may i request this doesn't become an anti-lorry driver thread. IMO most are pretty good and as ever the few ruin it for the many.
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About to post the same link. And as a mod I hope this does not become anti-lorry!
I've had tailgating with foreign HGVs in speed limited areas before now. And on one occasion the lorry was very very close!
Also survived a rear-end collision with an HGV going into the back of a Fiesta hire car. Still think we were very lucky to survive. Have the scars (both of us) to this day.
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I'm sure one of our "continental" friends will be able to confirm or deny this but I'm sure I read or heard somewhere that tailgating is an offence which is monitored rigourously in Germany, more so in fact than speeding. Makes a lot of sense and even more so on the de-restricted sections of autobahn.
Far too much like common sense for the likes of us of course...
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Tailgating must be more dangerous than speeding. But don't debate speeding here.
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Tailgating must be more dangerous than speeding.
Along with a load of other things
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Another thread too... Been rear-ended by an HGV in a lowly Fiesta and thankfully survived. If I could find a photo I'd email you.
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After being tailgated across the peak last week, I parked in front of a similar sized truck yesterday on a car park. I reversed up to it until my rear screen was level with the bottom of it's windscreen...the Vitara is bit higher than a saloon......I paced out the gap, it was about 12 ft......not much at 50 mph ! Not a scientific test but good enough for me. No reply to my EMail to his company, hope it was the same guy as the one in the report !
Ted
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It's probably safer. That's why when the Police suspect they are to be rammed, they close the gap so that the rammer can't create much of a speed differential before impact. The lorry driver was carefully and skilfully doing the same. If the car in front were to brake suddenly, the lorry would have no time to slow down and create a big speed differential before impact. It would just be a thump and the car would be pushed along. The only problem would be if the car hit something in front and stopped suddenly, but at least the lorry driver is high up so can foresee such impending disaster and drop back. Anyway someone has to defend the driver of the lorry or it would be boring chorus of agreement.
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The film 'Duel' with Dennis Weaver as a wimpish car driver comes to mind. I have a sneaking sympathy with the faceless devilish truck driver with the sort of evil blackish arm.
Reading that story it seemed to me that some ghastly mimser had made a crummy complaint and somehow enlisted the authorities on his side.
What on earth are people doing pretending to drive on the road when they can't even keep out of the way of some lumbering juggernaut?
The trucker may have been a bit gross. But there was no accident. He has my sympathy, although he may have been a bit bullying. The temptation must be almost irresistible sometimes. Indeed I know it is.
Naturally the courts know best. Naturally.
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Just had a look on you tube ,duch motorway program (Blik op de weg) (look on the road).The motorway police do stop trucks for tailgating its classed as a offence .Saying that the majority of truck drivers are reponsible people with a inportant job.
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There's no excuse for that whatsoever and what is alarming is that he allowed his anger at being 'cut up' to affect his driving.
That's always a recipe for disaster whether it's a lorry car or bije.
Pat
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Having had another cup of coffee and time to think about this it makes me angry.
All I can say is thank goodness for VOSA.
There should never be a situation of your choice where it is 'too dangerous to brake'. What about taking his foot off the accelerator and allowing the gap to widen slowly?
It appears that he also ignored the first request by VOSA to follow them and subsequently passed the checkpoint and went into the services.
This sort of action undoes all the good that GB, Harleyman and a few others do in the backroom to explain a lorry drivers reasons for antagonising others at times.
I'm pleased to hear he is working as a Chef now, I just hope I never get to eat in his restaurant. Can you imagine what he would do if waiter annoyed him.........spit in the gravy!
Pat
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 27/10/2009 at 10:20
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Don't criticize a man - until you've walked in his moccasins for 6 months (old Indian proverb)
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I have walked in his moccasins many times Perro, and exercised control as the majority of us do.
Pat
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I wasn't aiming the reply solely to you Pat. its just that I was in a similar situation once upon a time and the lorry driver was charged with dangerous driving.
He was lucky enough to have the charge reduced to careless driving on the day.
The lorry driver had just lost his mother in law due to a brain tumour @ the age of just 45.
It doesn't excuse what the lorry driver did, I know ... I gave up lorry driving soon afterwards.
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Thinking back Pat, daughter and me driving back to zeebrugge she a passenger in the back i think she was about 6 or 7.Lorry tailgating me big container job.In the dark i stopped at the side of the road let him go by me terrified ,it happens.I class myself as a average driver i used to be to inpatience but i learnt over the years one big accident and its over.I am going to have a cup of tea now :)
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What on earth are people doing pretending to drive on the road when they can't even keep out of the way of some lumbering juggernaut?
I'm not always wrong when no one agrees with me. But I think I must be on this occasion. Hadn't taken in one or two important details.
'Read in haste, repent at leisure.'
Damn!
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Meanwhile the Honda, and occupants, end up as the meat in the sandwich. Don't worry H, I can recognise irony. Eighteen inches isn't tailgating, it's intimidation. Thank goodness he was spotted. I'll try not to comment on the value and effectiveness of proper policing v revenue cameras which would not have caught this. Oops, failed :-(
JH
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Tailgating must be more dangerous than speeding. But don't debate speeding here.
I wasn't debating speeding, merely contextualising the dangers of tailgating and highlighting other countries attitudes to it.
I will however, bear the mildly patronising response in mind.
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Idiot, deserves to be washing dishes, hope it's not Fairy so he gets his puddies all wrinkly..;)
For those that haven't been dangerously tailgaited by a huge truck it really is quite terrifying, no excuse for it whatsoever.
25 and more years ago the front of a truck would have shown exactly what was contained there, a bumper made out of solid steel, possibly another solid bar above that and either part of the bar or either side would be 2 towing points bolted to the main chassis...no pretty camouflage.
Nothing's changed except the front bumper is now plastic, but above that and behind a couple of inches of plastic is that chassis and towing points..they look rather nice and soft and friendly now, totally misleading.
There is no crumple zone of any worthwhile description, that chassis will not yield, the towing points are designed to take the full weight of a 44 ton truck.
A truck driver has a responsibility to other road user's, unless hit by another truck the driver's cab is almost impregnable in an accident involving smaller vehicles.
Pat's quite right, bullying fool's like this take all the years of good driving by the vast majority of truckies and flush it round the U bend....i assure you we hate them more than car driver's, get us all a bad name.
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....i assure you we hate them more than car driver's get us all a bad name.
EDIT....wrote that badly, that should say we hate them more than car driver's possibly could....get meself banned..;)
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I knew what you meant:)
Pat
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