I had a little difference of opinion today with another driver. Well, a private cab driver, so you know.....
Three lane dual carriageway, becomes two lanes about 150m after some lights. I was in lane two and set off briskly. He was slightly slower away and then suddenly decided to make something of it, so much so that it in the space of a couple of seconds it was a real 50/50 so I let him in. Presumably he was pleased with this outcome.
If I had decided to maintain my speed and rebuff him and we had collided, who would have been deemed to have been most at fault ie is the lane closing that has the greater responsibility to the lane he is joining or is it a free for all?
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Were there 'merging arrows', if you know what I mean? I've always believed that, if for example the said arrows indicate that cars in lane three should merge into lane two then it's their responsibility to do so safely. Of course, in an ideal world those in lane two should let those in lane three do so...
Sounds like the private cab driver you encountered today has a serious issue with the size of certain part of his anatomy.
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Think you would be "in the right" had collision occurred Nsar, but I have to say that these days, like you, I tend to give way and often give them a flash of the lights to let them in. Not worth the stress of "fighting" them for position. After all, what is lost or gained? A couple of seconds maybe? I get greater satisfaction from showing a bit of courtesy - but a wave or flash of indicators in acknowlegment is nice!
I had a similar (?) thing today. I happened to be driving a Boxster S and joining the M23 (roof down, lovely day, sun shining down on my blonde (OK, grey) hair) when a BM 3 series drew alongside, he looked across at me and suddenly put his foot down on the 2 lane slip road. I think he was looking for a bit of a race - but what's the point? Maybe he had the faster car, maybe he was the better "race driver" but I don't care - stuck the cruise control on 70 and enjoyed cruising in the sun with the nice purr of that engine. OK, I must admit that on a couple of occasions I put my foot down in the lower gears to hear a more raucous note - but not in order to "compete" with others - it ain't worth the stress and danger that may pose to you and others - if "you/they" want to race/compete go to a race track!
Stay cool!
Phil
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It's usually the most timid that gives way.
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Or someone driving their own car and not their employers.
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Snail,
"Shakespeare, in Henry IV,
Falstaff: 'The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.' "
Phil
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Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost! ;-)
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"Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost! ;-)"
Ah but - "the devil has all the best tunes"!!
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"the devil has all the best tunes"!!
Mmmm Honda VTEC at 7000 rpm ?
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"the devil has all the best tunes"!!
Mmmm Honda VTEC at 7000 rpm ?"
You are probably right PU, but having been banned from owning a motorbike first by my mother and then by my wife on the grounds that I would probably be dead within weeks, I have spent the last 50 odd years lusting after a bike that would recreate the sounds I first heard when I used to sneak onto the Olivers Mount Circuit at Scarborough to watch the m/b races in the early '60s - the trees used to shake as the Nortons, MV Agustas (?) etc with Geoff Duke, Hailwood, Surtees, McIntyre (? bloke who first "did" IoM at 100mph plus? ) roared past. Nothing like a modern Honda I admit, but awe-inspiring to a young lad nonetheless.
Must admit that these days, I like the quietly understated deep sound of power that emanates from the like of 997s, Maserati (V8s?), Bentley Continental, SL 500 etc. - Cayman also sounds really good to me. It's the sort of sound that says "I don't need to scream - but you will take notice anyway"
Maybe "best exhaust note" should be a separate thread?
Cheers
Phil
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People try this with bikes as well - as if a belching diesel can ever hope to burn a 107 bhp of Honda VTEC on the cam. As Phil says let 'em go.
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Three lane dual carriageway becomes two lanes .........
It's probably wrong to think of it as three lanes becoming two lanes. In reality it's more likely that the road markings indicate that one lane peters out. In that case it's up to drivers in the lane that peters out to take whatever action is necessary for them to get into a lane which continues forward. Drivers already in lanes which continue forward shouldn't need to take any action to accomodate drivers in a lane which has petered out.
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Three lanes into two - who gives way?
The drivers should "merge in turn" usung normally accepted standards of courtesy, civility and sensible standards of driving.
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normally accepted standards of courtesy civility and sensible standards of driving.
Hahahahaha... creases up laughing... since when do we see such driving these days? Everyone seems to have L'es's attitude...
Worse luck.
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He who hesitates is last.
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Everyone seems to have L'es's attitude...
I just don't happen to like it when an arrogant driver tries to bully his way out of a lane which is about to peter out by making you change your speed or risk a collision. There's no reason they can't be courteous and plan their actions rather than leaving it until the last minute to try to barge their way into the lane you're in when they're alongside you.
Edited by L'escargot on 03/10/2009 at 10:09
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It was, to my delight, suggested to me yesterday that now I have a black 4x4 things have simplified re right of way............
Tee Hee !
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>> Everyone seems >> to have L'es's attitude... I just don't happen to like it when an arrogant driver tries to bully his way out of a lane which is about to peter out by making you change your speed or risk a collision.
Sorry, m8, was refereing to your earlier post about the devil!! Birmingham seems to have these types of junction on all their four lane roads into the city, you just get used to them... Me? I take the inside lane and leave 'em to it!
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Although I'm not a timid person or a 'saint', it always seems sensible to let people who desperately want to get past, get past. Be that in hairy-chest encounters at the traffic light grand prix, or someone who's (apparent) low self-esteem makes even the victory (in their undeveloped minds anyway..) of merging out-of-turn the hormonal charge necessary for successful conjugal encounters. I wouldn't deny them that -they've little else after all!
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I'd rather have such an aggressive driver in front of me where I can see him.
Hard not to 'get involved' sometimes though, depending on your mood.
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L'escargot and others, it's not a question of timidity, it's a question of control. I chose to control the situation by letting him in. I had a foolish driver where I wanted him, not in a position that he wanted out of, possibly at my cost if he really got his hair off.
Confusing that with some sort of lack of c****** is bizarre.
Risking a collision for no greater prize than to be first to the next red light is simply bonkers.
In answer to other questions, Lane 3 has arrows indicating merge ahead so I guess that would have added to my cause had it come to deciding blame.
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A spanish swear filter? You boys are getting devious.
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Nobody expects the Spanish Swear Filter - Cardinal Fang ?
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I face this problem twice practically every time I go out, but with two lanes merging to one. I try to keep left, but if I find myself on the outside and having to merge to the left, I give way. I don't expect a car behind me on the outside to race ahead and cut in before they find themselves over the centre line and face oncoming traffic but they do, they do.
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If you are somewhat ahead of the car to your left you are overtaking them,they should let you complete the manouvre.By insisting on forcing their way through they are overtaking on the inside.I have had a double decker bus in this situation who would rather have forced me into the oncoming traffic rather than let me get in front.He then pulled in at a bus stop,which gave me the opportunity to have some words with him.
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He was on my outside. I imagine he set off from the lights intending to drive at speed, but not knowing the lane would be closing and then realised he would either have to floor it to get past me in time or throttle back and tuck in behind.
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hen pulled in at a bus stop which gave me the opportunity to have somewords with him.
Oh yes i love them, and i imagine his reply was to quote a statement from the highway code requiring you to give way to buses (forgetting to add the 'if safe to do so') in a Monty Python parrot sketch voice, laughable if it wasn't so provocative, he'd just pushed me over a central reservation, luckily in a 4x4 so no tyre damage no thanks to him...it got worse after deregulation if that was possible..the pulling out regardless that is not the Pythonesque voices..;)
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>>I'd rather have such an aggressive driver in front of me where I can see him.
>>Hard not to 'get involved' sometimes though, depending on your mood.
That neatly summarises it for me as well, ifithelps..
Edited by b308 on 03/10/2009 at 13:11
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If two people were walking along a wide pavement and the pavement narrowed, would you race ahead trying to elbow the other out of the way? Would you give a hoot who had priority? Or would perhaps both of you say "sorry" in a rather embarrased way and hang back, afraid of encroaching on the other's personal space? (I'm assuming you are both English, of course)
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I think you might have misunderstood my original posting.
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The driver in the outer most lane is the one who should give way to the inner lane.
Unfortunately too many drivers think the opposite applies, just like they do when overtaking on a single carriage road, result a crash, sometimes fatal, some people never learn.
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We used to have ex-Police driving instructors for Defensive (a misnomer, if ever there was one) Driving training at work, and one of them reckoned that if the driver in the disappearing lane 3 is indicating left and the driver in lane 2 refused to yield, then the lane 2 driver was guilty of driving without due care & consideration (think that's just careless driving now). If an accident resulted then it could be dangerous driving.
There isn't always room to easily merge in - I use a road every day where the RH lane disappears a few car lengths off a roundabout. At busy times the LH lane is solid so coming 3/4 of the way around the roundabout you have no choice but to leave the roundabout in the RH lane. 2 days out of 5 a driver in the LH lane will try to block me out.
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The driver in the outer most lane is the one who should give way to the inner lane.
Near me there's a road which approaches the lights at a cross-roads as a two lane dual carriageway and changes to a single lane carriageway after the lights. At the start of the single carriageway it's two lanes and the right hand lane quickly peters out. Some drivers in the right hand lane seem to think they have an automatic right to move into the left hand lane regardless of what's in the left hand lane. If you don't brake and let them in they get stroppy, blow their hooter, give obscene finger gestures, and threaten the paintwork of your car by deliberately moving to the left regardless. 99% of these drivers are local and know that the right hand lane peters out, but they still try to gain one car's length after the lights. They know they're going to have to thrash their car to get into the left-hand lane. They use a deliberately intential bullying manoeuvre and are aware before the lights that that's what they're going to have to do.
Edited by L'escargot on 04/10/2009 at 10:26
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I think you might have misunderstood my original posting.
How so? I am drawing attention to the way motorists adopt ridiculously pointless notions of "priority" and "give way", in contrast to the behaviour of those same people when in pedestrian mode.
Why do cars change normal peoples' personalities so much?
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>>Why do cars change normal peoples' personalities so much?<<
A combination of the anonymity and projection of the class system (I have a bigger/better car than you so it follows that I am superior to you)
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>> Hahahahaha... creases up laughing... since when do we see such driving these days? >>
Just because the world is not perfect, that is no good reason for not trying to make it so.
;-)
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If you hadn't clipped my post, drbe, you'd have realised thats what I said!! ;)
Edited by b308 on 04/10/2009 at 11:14
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... 99% of these drivers are local and know that the right hand lane peters out...
Same near me, I can forgive someone new to the area getting into a pickle over lanes - we've all done it.
But why a driver who knows the area deliberately sparks a confrontation is beyond me.
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