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Driving question

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
So today I was driving along, waiting at lights where after the lights two lanes merge to one, I'm in right hand lane.

Lights change and the car I'm next to goes off slowly, but so do I because I'm in a laid back mood and figure I'll merge behind him. However, the car behind him played the 'don't allow him in!' game where to avoid a collision I was forced into the oncoming lane of traffic.

Obviously braked, beeped, merged in behind him, he didn't even pay any notice. I wonder if there are any ways to actually report driving like this. I can't be sure but since we were merging, if there was a collision (his bonnet was stuck on my rear wheel not allowing me space) it would be his fault presumably?

I'm all happy to accept blame if it was my fault, but I've merged at plenty of these junctions before and never had someone force me onto the other side of the road before. My alternative course of action of course would be to predict he would ignore standard merging etiquette and just slap on the indicator and wait in the junction.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sounds like a merge-in-turn to me and that driver was a dick. You can't really do anything because nothing happened.

    He's a cock, look out for that in future, let it go.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At merge-in-turns you give way to the right, but nothing happened so there's nothing to report.

    I find driving a Land Rover Defender 90 prevents most of these "misunderstandings"...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I always just assumed you gave way in a zip fashion, everyone just naturally finds the 'gap' to merge into, especially after the lights where everyone is going relatively slow.

    It is annoying that dangerous driving is pretty much unpunished unless something comes of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, its annoying, get used to it is the only real advice though. I find driving as if I haven't seen them helps sometimes, people back down if you've got big enough balls. But its not recommended.

    One left, one right, is how I would have done that. Even if I thought you were being cheeky I personally wouldn't force dangerous situations. Some people really think 30secs is worth more than someone else safety. Or perhaps don't think at all beyond their ego.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Best car I ever had for driving in a city was a Ford Mondeo which was dented and battered to buggery after my father in law had rolled it down a mountain.

    Turns out that if you're driving a battered old shed the tiny-dicked sex offenders in Audis aren't so interested in cutting you up.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I mean, I've been driving for a couple of years and am used to the regular bad drivers. Just wish people who being deliberately dangerous for their ego's sake could be pulled over and tazered in the face.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Don't we all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    in those situations I just tend to stay in the left hand lane. were you forced into the right hand lane or did you go in it cos the queue was shorter? if there is a big queue in the left hand lane and cars zoom past into the right, only to try and merge again in a matter of minutes some people seem to think 'well I'm not letting them in when iv queued longer'. I'm not saying it's right its anything that's just what they do. Theres a junction like that near my house and I just stay in the left to save the hassle of trying to merge. although what that person did to you today is stupid and dangerous.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fiend_85 wrote: »
    Don't we all.

    :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The problem is at the traffic lights you can turn left, right or go straight. Left lane is left and straight, right lane is right and straight. The queue on the right was shorter but people usually do queue in both lanes (because the cars in left might be turning left for example). We were all stationary at red light and I was a car length ahead of the 'naughty' car. There were cars ahead and behind me in my lane (though again it was shorter than left lane, but that's not unusual I think)

    I wouldn't have minded so much if he was aggressive and undertook me completely, but it seems his intention was to prevent me from, merging altogether by matching my speed (I started slowing by going off gas, to allow him to pass and he slowed as well to keep in the passive 'fuckyou' position off my rear quadrant, which forced me to break sharply when the lane narrowed )

    I think if I was more decisive and gave it some revs and said "I'm merging and if you don't move you're going to get hit" but I generally drive quite defensively. There are plenty of junctions I aware of where bad overtakes / undertakes occur but this is just your run of the mill two lanes to one (its actually a single road that goes into two lanes for about four sets of traffic lights, and then back into one)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I suspect that, if there were an accident, that would have been your "fault", as you entered the opposing lane of traffic.
    Some people are very possesive of their spots in merge lanes. It's quite odd. Driving life is much easier if you don't care about that sort of thing.
    Sadly, I don't think there's any way to report shit driving.
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