Stopped on the HS with wheels turned in or out ?
May seem like an obvious one, however today spotted a police car 10 yards behind an unfortunate soul with it wheels turned out - ie if pushed from behind would end up in lane 1.
Steve
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Personally it would depend on whether being booted onto the lane 1 would be a lesser fate than going the other way.
If the Motorway is elevated at that point I would much prefer to take my chances in lanes 1,2 and 3 than a 100ft plus drop to another stretch of tarmack or a railway line.
Also, having been pulled over by the police, I would argue that hard shoulder etiquette is often not the first thing on the driver's mind - wrongly I agree.
Hugo
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Was there an embankment? If so wheels in means the car will be back down off the bank into the side of the car in front
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Often wondered, what would be the thoughts on an accident when you are in process of breaking down and pull on to hard shoulder, only to be hit by something coming along it?
Is there the same element of mirror, signal manoeuvre required? OK, probability is other car was using hard shoulder for undertaking a queue of traffic but what if it had a genuine reason eg. it was breaking down as well?
Also, what if you pull onto hard shoulder and hit an emergency vehicle coming along it? Thought about this last week when stuck on M8 in stationary traffic and 5 fire engines all went along hard shoulder, doing approx 40mph! The dust that they stirred up from the road was horrendous!
Who is the onus on in that situation?
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May seem like an obvious one, however today spotted a police car 10 yards behind an unfortunate soul with it wheels turned out - ie if pushed from behind would end up in lane 1.
There has been MUCH debate by rank and file Officers about the 'which way tyres should point' debate and ACPO have ruled that tyres must point outwards.
This is mired in technical material but I hope that you saw that the Police vehicle was aprked at a slight angle on the hard shoulder so that as you drove towards it, you could see part of the rear and most of the offside of it?
With a vehicle parkd like that and there being a corridor of safety for the Patrol Officers to approach the stopped vehicle, with wheels turned outwards - the thinking is that if the Police car was hit it would then push out into Lane 1, thereby avoiding hitting the stationary vehicle and the pedestrian Officer.
I'm not sure if it makes sense to you but it has to do with the actual stopping position of the Police vehicle staggered such that it is slightly off set against that of the parked vehcile.
Clear as mud? :)
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Makes perfect sense to me jhpj, and I have to confess it's something I've never thought about before.
The one time I've used the hard shoulder it was a case of getting there as soon as possible and getting away from the car. Can't say the direction of the wheels was my number one priority, but perhaps it should have been a bit further up the list!
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There has been MUCH debate by rank and file Officers about the 'which way tyres should point' debate and ACPO have ruled that tyres must point outwards. This is mired in technical material but I hope that you saw that the Police vehicle was aprked at a slight angle on the hard shoulder so that as you drove towards it, you could see part of the rear and most of the offside of it?
Clear as mud? :)
Very clear - thanks for the explanation !
Yes - the police car was angled on the HS exactly as you describe - obviously done very deliberately.
Steve
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Well I do a LOT of motorway miles, and regarding the hard shoulder, what REALLY ticks me off are the brain transplant doners who , for whatever reason, decide that they dont need to be on the shoulder anymore (flat tyre changed, water added to radiator, kids had a pee etc)and then just pull out into lane 1 from a stand still then floor it. I swear my seat has a ridge front to back because of the clenchers this causes.
(rant mode off)
incidentally what does amuse me are the number of people broken down in the rain. they usually sit in the car (not going to argue-its their life after all) with the hazards on and the bonnet up, ensuring the electrics get a thorough soaking and making things ten times harder for the poor sould who comes out to try and fix it.
WTM
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Get up to speed on the hard shoulder then INDICATE and if clear pull out.
Seems right to me.
Clive.
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Ref being stopped by police, it always used to be said that it gave a much more cooperative impression to get out of the car and greet the policeman, rather than just winding the window down a bit and making him peer in.
Also talking from a seated position to someone who is standing always puts one at a disadvantage. Like a job interview or being called in to see the headmaster.
And he won't appreciate it if he trips over your front wheel in the dark.
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>>to get out of the car and greet the policeman
I have always assumed so, but I couldn't recommend that practice in the US. There you should keep your bum firmly rooted in the car until told otherwise. Hands on the steering wheel is a good idea also.
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in the US...you should keep your bum firmly rooted in the car until told otherwise. Hands on the steering wheel is a good idea also.
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Well thats the way thinking is going in this country too - especially if you are stopped on a 'fast road' where the driver exiting a vehicle might cause danger to themselves and other road users. Thats part of the reason why there is this 'new way' of parking the Police vehicle behind the stopped vehicle, to give those exiting/approaching the driver's side better protection and more visibility to the other road users in teh hope that they wont plough into the stationary vehicles.
At the end of the day, it's trying to keep everyone safe.
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