I remember watching one of the many police camera shows once. the camera was mounted on a police pursuit vehicle doing about 140mph down a pretty empty motorway with blues and twos on.
At a point where there was no other traffic on the raod at all, a lorry ahead pulled across from the left hand lane, straight across two lanes into the fast lane. The police driver braked HARD, drove over the verge slightly, but still got clipped by the lorry, then gave up wherever he had been going and pulled the lorry driver.
There was surprisingly little damage to the policce Volvo, just a pretty bent front wing where I think the lorry wheel had caught it, but I bet the driver had to have a change of underwear.
He was incredibly restrained in his treatment of the lorry driver, but as I remember, the driver could give no explanation for his strange manouvre.
My guess would be that he was a cop-hater, and decided to get in the way a bit, not realising just how fast the police car was travelling.
Anyway, the point of all this was: in his remonstrations the PC completely concentrated on how the driver had entered the third lane, which was illegal. Didn't even mention the possible legal ramifications of running over members of the police force!
|
|
|
Are lorries allowed in lane 3 of a three lane motorway to pass a gritter spreading in lane 2 or should they undertake in lane 1?
I ask because I witnessed a very near accident on the M56 last Sunday night when a lorry went from lane 1 to lane 3 rather erratically to pass a gritter, nearly causing a multiple pile up in the process.
PP
|
Talking of gritters, on the M3 last week saw a stream of cars diving from the outside lane across onto the Hard shoulder in what I assume was an attempt to minimise the impact with the grit.
Seemed a bit silly to me on several levels !
P
|
And talking of undertaking - if I'm in the inside lane, doing, say, 75, on close to an empty motorway. Up ahead is a car doing 50 in the middle lane. Should I:
a) Continue in my lane and pass him on his inside.
b) Change across two lanes to pass him, and then return back to the left hand lane.
|
Jeese - that's b) every time - you know that really don't you?
|
It'd just be nice once in a while if lorries left their indicator ticking for a few seconds before pulling out.
Most just seem to flash it a couple of times as they're already on their way to crushing you against the central reservation.
|
>>White van man in his sprinter limmited to 56.....
Now that would be an election pledge sure to get my vote...
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
|
|
White vans constitute a very small percentage of motorway traffic. As such I think the overall effect on the flow of motorways will be small if they are trained properly. The style of driving is completely different on a vehicle not fitted with a speed limiter compared with a vehicle fitted with a speed limiter.
|
|
|
|
And talking of undertaking - if I'm in the inside lane, doing, say, 75, on close to an empty motorway. Up ahead is a car doing 50 in the middle lane. Should I: a) Continue in my lane and pass him on his inside. b) Change across two lanes to pass him, and then return back to the left hand lane.
Reduce your speed to 70(!), and then (b).
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
|
Re the speed limiter issue. If anyone cares to pop in to the local HGV testing station they can pick up the latest 'in house' mag which has a couple of pages listing all of the relevant weights, limits and enforcement dates. I think VOSA have put the same info somewhere on their website.
From memory, from 2005 new vehicles over 3.5t and up to 7.5t GVW must be fitted with a speed limiter. This won't include the average luton or jumbo van as these usually fall into the sub 3.5t group. Actually there are few vehicles with a GVW between 3.5t and 7.5t except for the 7.5 tonners - so this is the group most affected. If the vehicle is to be used only in the UK the buyer can opt to have the limiter temporarily disabled, but vehicles used for continental trips must have the limiter working. By 2008 all affected vehicles must have an operative speed limiter. This will mean retro fitting to some older vehicles.
|
I'd say the chap driving the wagon that nearly crushed the police car had fallen asleep.
If I'm driving in lane one and someone is dawdling in lane 2, I would normally illegaly undertake, sometimes overtake. It cracks me up the people that sit behind the dawdler trying to muscle them over and showing irritation, yes they are driving poorly but what's the point in getting upset about it? Just go past.
If there is a Q to get off in lane 1, I'm in my truck in lane 2 and you get people trying to force their way in from that lane, I would use lane 3 to get past even though this is illegal, does need to be pretty cut and dry though. I would also use lane 3 to avoid an accident as sometimes may occur with the scenario described above.
I find it amazing the amount of people who think you just simply cannot drive on the hard shoulder to join lane 1 safely from either a standstill or when merging on a slip road.
It's quite hard driving a fully freighted lorry and bear in mind that some of us simply aren't very good at it!
Also when we haven't a clue where we are, aren't sure where we're going and are trying to read a map and drive at the same time, are irritated and tired, we may drive erratically.
|
Okay everyone here is the link to the actual legislation :
www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/newsevents/newsreleases/21-12...m
To be honest as a professional coach driver I will not undertake anyone in lane 1 (for fear that driver could panic and change lane into mine - never minding the fact it is illegal) and I won't use lane 3 on a motorway unless avoiding an accident etc. I get stuck often behind two lorries doing 90 kph but I just have to wait.
|
It seems as though some people either don't know or ignore the law re towing in Lane 3.
I have seen it a number of times . including a Transit-type car delivery truck who presumably is towing every day and does this regularly .
There are all kinds of reasons why this is a sensible law .
Also I don't tow, but I know that for at least 20 years there have been anti-snake devices which towers can use. It's amazing to me to see that some clearly don't , and I wonder if using them ir or should be, covered by the law.
|
I sat behind a lorry yesterday for a couple of miles, IMO well over 7.5 tonnes on the south west quadrant M25 in lane 4 never mind lane 3 as he struggled to overtake another lorry in lane 3 overtaking the car in lane 2 which couldn't be bothered to return to the empty lane 1 ....
Utter madness.
|
'need to have the speed limiters reset so the current set speed of 100kph will need to be reduced to a setting that will ensure that the maximum stabilised speed will not exceeding 100kph'
Similar stuff is mentioned in several places in the VOSA site.
How does the set speed differ from the maximum stabilised speed?
Are the brakes automatically applied on downhill sections?
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
|
|
This is for coaches only. It means that all new coaches, that is to say any vehicle with more than 8 seats including the driver must now have a speed limiter set so the powered speed can never exceed 100 kph (62 mph). But coaches registered prior to 2005 can continue with limiters 'set' at 62 mph, ie 62 mph and a 5 percent tolerance - 105 kph (65 mph). I have argued with VOSA about this but its in writing on the EU website that we now are only strictly allowed 62 (that is all new coaches). This makes it even more difficult when overtaking HGVs. Brakes are not part of the legal speed limiter set up although some vehicles have this as an extra which is under the drivers control and can be switched off. This device applies brakes when the set speed is exceeded by 2 kph.
|
greenhey
Yes, and it's quite clear most people towing don't know (or choose to ignore) the fact they are limited to 60 miles/hr when towing!
JS
|
BB your story about the lorry pulling into lane 3 is very similar to a police video footage where the lorry in question had left the motorway and was at the exit roundabout and was moving over to turn right. Plod who was pursuing a mysterious BMW (for the benefit of the in car camera?) raced up the outside lane and failed to notice the lorries intentions: too late our hero realised he could not get past on the outside, and collided with the lorry and the barrier. OK the lorry driver did not signal but it was obvious (too all but the traffic cop) from watching the video exactly what the lorry was doing.
Same story different interpretation?
|
|
It could be. I'm pretty sure though that this was just on a three lane motorway, no roundabout involved. It was a fair while ago I saw it though, so could be mis-remembering.
|
No - I remember the film BB. It was a motorway, the cop was ragging it, and the lorry really did just veer out into him.
Would have been a bit of a wake up though!
--
Adam
|
ISTR that you are all correct, it was a three lane motorway that ended in approx 2 miles with a roundabout (in the centre of Leeds?)
the lorry driver claimed to be pulling over ealry to turn right at the end of the roundabout. (Ignoring the fact of no signalling, even two miles is rather early and that he plainly didnt see the fast approaching car behind).
StarGazer
|
|
|
|
"Talking of gritters, on the M3 last week saw a stream of cars diving from the outside lane across onto the Hard shoulder in what I assume was an attempt to minimise the impact with the grit.
Seemed a bit silly to me on several levels !"
It was on the section from M25 inot Sunbury cross.
Yes I was one of those who drove on the hard shoulder to get past. It was clear, I checked first. You ever overtaken a gritter on the lane right next to it?
|
>>>If I'm driving in lane one and someone is dawdling in lane 2, I would normally illegaly undertake, sometimes overtake.
Hope you don't mean all those people 'dawdling' at 70 mph.
Cheers, SS
|
Should I assume that by reading the majority of posts here that everyone in the backroom does exactly 70MPH on motorways.
This would make a good poll, though I wonder how many people would answer truthfully.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
