I would have been inclined to wait for a proper gap in the traffic.
It might be near impossible once stationary, and even dangerous as you are then a potential victim for being rear ended by other vehicles, especially in poor visibility. And of course you are not supposed to drive along the hard shoulder, especially in bad visibility when there might be stationary vehicles ahead. Sounds like a case of being caught between a rock and a hard place.
We do not know the exact details, but it sounds like the truck driver was showing lack of consideration. Even if the OP had made a misjudgement (and I am not saying he did), the truck driver should not have bullied him.
I have experienced the exact same issue a at least once i.e. the motorway is busy, lane 1 has a long line of trucks nose to tail, and getting on is hard. And when I did move in to a gap, I was given some aggression.
However, most truck drivers are not idiots and do show respect and manners. But I do not like the fact that they often sit nose to tail and hence block entry to the motorway.
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I was given the following advice whilst taking advance driving tuition:
The 2 second rule is not just for the direction you are traversing in.
Ideally, although impossible, you should have 2 seconds all around you.
Just make your gap and if an another vehicle enters it, front or rear, reduce your speed (Just decelerate slowly as opposed to just stabbing the brakes on because that will probably do no more than aggravate the driver behind you making ?it? come closer) and increase the gap you need either to your side front or rear.
A lot safer to have an aggressive driver in front than behind ? make it over take you. As in, when it is safe for you to do so, let it get in front.
If it is safe to stop, again do so. Never use the hard shoulder to do this. Use such as service stations etc., on motorways.
Allow the aggressive driver to safely pass you. Do not block its progress. Do not make eye contact or exchange any hand gestures with the driver or any passengers.
Pay attention to detail. Always keep an escape route open and in all directions.
Be aware of traffic and weather conditions ahead of you by having the radio tuned to the area you are travelling through. Use Traffic Reports [TP] if your radio has the facility.
Better to go on to the grass verge/embankment than in to a ?solid stationary object? should all ahead suddenly come to an abrupt halt.
Then again, if you have your safety margin in front and to your side still and all ahead has stopped ? it is now your rear you should be watching?.
If you are being dooged by an aggressive driver that feels he has some 'justice to give to you' leave the area and get to a safe loaction - petrol station etc.
Edited by Tron on 12/01/2008 at 11:56
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I had a situation this thursday with an arctic on the M1/M62 interchange.
Basically I was coming off the M1 North bound, then onto the Eastbound M62.
A newish black Arctic with bright silver fuel tanks came up alongside me in the inner lane and myself in the outer as we were held at the roundabout lights coming off the M1.
Arctic started to indicate right *as it passed* the other exit back onto the M1 and kept indicating right as we both approached the left turn off the roundabout onto the eastbound M62. (us both having gone almost 3/4 way round)
At this point as I was level with his cab and clearly visible to him as I accelerated past him (myself still indicating left) and moved into the left lane as I went down the sliproad.
Slower traffic in front and his spirited driving with no presumably no load meant he caught up, he reduced the safe gap left by me to approx 18 inches from my bumper and that`s how we both entered the M62, until I was able to get away from him as the traffic in front cleared.
I don`t know what all that was about, but it was clearly being driven with `verve` and empty so able to get a move on. ( that being the motivator, I think)
As we were alongside each other at cab level (British truck) at the first set of lights coming off the M1, he knew I was there and I felt he was playing some sort of intimidation game as he kept his right indicator on right in front of the left turn onto the M62.
I was level with his cab and SWMBO could see him looking down at her.
We both felt he was trying to force us round the roundabout again by keeping his right indicator on and he just went ballistic when that failed.
This is just an observation on one driver and not an `open letter rant`-> ( time perhaps for an `attitude` filter?)
(The last paragraph written with a wry smile)
Regards
Edited by oilrag on 12/01/2008 at 12:20
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As somebody who spends 12hours a day Policing the motorway, I can only agree that the standard of driving is appalling. Having a large brightly coloured Volvo doesn't seem to make a difference.
I was on my way to work the other evening, when I came upon a gritter in the middle lane doing around 45-50 mph. Weather was appalling and traffic at 50mph across all three lanes. I was about a half a mile from my junction, so stayed in lane 1, leaving enough gap so the front of my car didn't get shot blasted. Artic comes barreling up behind me, so all I had sight of was a grill. He then swerves out to overtake, suddenly finds his was blocked by the gritter (good observation skills mate- being higher up didn't help you there did it!) and then swerves back into lane 1. I was just ahead of his rear wheels at this time and had to do some serious movement onto the hard shoulder to avoid becoming toast.
I don't normally get angry when driving, but I was somewhat upset. I was going to send him an NIP, but decided I didn't trust myself not to throttle the arrogant ****** (I'll censor myself) when I saw him.
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It must be great being you MLC, for the rest of us there's never a copper around when you want one, but for you there always is.
Can you pull people over when you're in your civvies if you really want to?
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>>>>>>I don't normally get angry when driving, but I was somewhat upset. I was going to send him an NIP.
As that driver caused you to take such evasive and defensive action, I in your position, would have persued the matter further.
Why?
A lesser trained or inatentive driver would have probably been seriously hurt if not killed on that day.
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As I said, it was just a bit personal and knowing how ineffective CPS and the magistrates courts are, particularly without any technical evidence, I would have just been wasting my time.
No, I don't pull people over when I'm off duty. 1/ It would be just very sad 2/ I've been hit on the hard shoulder with displaying more lights than an overdone christmas tree, so I certainly don't spend any more time there than I have to 3/ I would leave myself open to all sorts of accusations 4/ refer to 1.
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It can be very nasty on busy motorways in bad weather. And there's no excuse for angry, intimidatory tailgating especially in an HGV with its long stopping distances.
However in the OP's position (and just anyway) I would have been looking for a gap in the outside lane to get out there and get past some of the HGVs before my exit. Depends on yr car really. Some can get to feel very flimsy and unstable in those conditions.
There's no disgrace though in the OP's decision to get off the motorway pronto. If something feels dangerous it probably is. Valour on its own, unaccompanied by skill, observation and intelligence, is of little use on the road, indeed often causes death and destruction.
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As the original author of this thread I am referred to in a couple of the replies as the 'OP'. Could somebody kindly interpret for me.
Many thanks to those of you who responded. The point I was trying to make was that, every now and then, you are more or less at the mercy of other drivers. Billy25 suggested that I was being a bit selfish in leaving 80 feet ahead of me - I'm assuming that it was a humorous dig at the artic driver behind! GroovyMucker seemed to suggest that I should have come to a stop on the slip road to await a suitable gap in the traffic! I find that suggestion unbelievable. And Lud thought that it would have been better to have somehow got out into the outside lane. I could only have done that by driving as boorishly as the idiot in the artic behind me but I must admit that I did consider doing it before deciding to make my excuses and leave them to it by exiting the motorway.
Thanks again from the 'OP' (?)
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OP = Original Poster.
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Thank you P but why did it take you 12 minutes?!!>> OP = Original Poster.
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GroovyMucker seemed to suggest that I should have come to a stop on the slip road to await a suitable gap in the traffic! I find that suggestion unbelievable.
It may be some time since last you read the Highway Code (from what you as OP (!) say), but "When you join the motorway ... You should give priority to traffic already on the motorway" (r. 259 of the 2007 edition). I take that as meaning - if necessary - you should come to a halt if you can't join it safely.
12 mins for PU to answer: maybe we expect too much!
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>> GroovyMucker seemed to suggest that I should have come to a stop on the slip road to await a suitable gap in the traffic! I find that suggestion unbelievable. It may be some time since last you read the Highway Code (from what you as OP (!) say) but "When you join the motorway ... You should give priority to traffic already on the motorway" (r. 259 of the 2007 edition). I take that as meaning - if necessary - you should come to a halt if you can't join it safely.
There are usually two sides to most discussions and I would suggest that para. 270 would support my premise that almost the most dangerous thing to do on a motorway is to stop when all other traffic is moving:
You MUST NOT stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, HA traffic officers in uniform, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals. Do not stop on the hard shoulder to either make or receive mobile phone calls.
Let us not fall out but would you feel safe stopped on a motorway with all traffic alongside you moving at 30-40 mph and more traffic following behind you. It's definitely not for me.
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There are usually two sides to most discussions and I would suggest that para. 270
Difficult choice here, but in the circumstances OP describes, if I was unable to match my speed to join the existing traffic safely in a big enough gap, I think I would NOT stop on the slip road as apparently Groovymucker would do. Instead I would break another rule and carry on moving down the hardshoulder and try to filter in a bit later if a safe gap. It has to be split second decision at the time based on the circumstances.
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I saw a car full of what looked like Japanese tourists stationary at the end of a downhill sliproad onto the M1. (mentioned this before, sorry)
They had stopped at an angle at the end as though it was a T junction.
Cars were flashing past them at 70+ on the sliproad and HGV`s thundering past their front bumper in the inside lane.
I just saw terrified faces peering out through the car windows as I too flashed in front of them and slotted in between the trucks.
The danger of course is that everyone is concentrating on looking right to fit in with traffic on the motorway and not expecting a car stationary at the end of the sliproad.
I think actually stopping instead of running down the hard shoulder would be a worse hazard than the Lady that was doing 10MPH recently.
That said, I guess most of us `know` we will always fit into the gap in the inner lane, even though it makes us grit our teeth sometimes.
Bottom line though, is that courtesy in the `inner lane` has in general been lost, as far as the motorist is concerned and its perhaps time for a law change on priority being given to traffic entering the Motorway.
Regards
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It used to be the case when driving on a Motorway and approaching a "slip-entry" that you used to see most of the traffic moving over into the second or third lanes to give the "new-comers" room to join, but not anymore, curtesy has been curtailed by volume - hence the origin of road rage.
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