Safe Speed Forums

On saturday morning around 6:30 AM I crossed the redgate junction on the a5, following the a444 away from nuneaton.

To my slight frustration I had to wait for a truck (sainsbury i think) to pass before i pulled out and gritted my teeth as it too turned right to continue up the a444. In hindsight if i had been a little less cautious and gunned it I could have been out ahead, but hey whats the rush?

I waited patiently a sensible distance back through the curves and relatively downgraded 50 zone, no sniff of an overtake here anyway.
I bid my time up the hill with the double whites where the NSL section begins.

As the hill crests I know there's a good overtaking spot approaching assuming it's clear, although there is a little doubt in my mind as whatever position i put myself in now a small section of the LHS of the road is always going to blind to me due to the size of the truck.

Approaching the top of the hill I somewhat cheekily put my wheels on the double white line (the two white lines are separated by about 2ft & hatching) to get a clear view as I come over the brow.

Just as the truck crests the brow he gives two ticks of the left hand indicator, a few fractions of a second before I can see into the dip.
Allowing me to move fully across with when the double whites end, get a clear view and make a straightforward pass.

After the pass I thanked him in the way that trucks do and was on my way.

Was it at any stage a risky pass ? no
Did I need the indicator to make the pass possible ? no

But it did give me a very warm feeling of harmonious road user interaction.
I knew the road and positioned myself accordingly, the truck driver most likely knew the road well, was aware of me and ready and willing to cooperate.

So just to balance all the threads on conflicting interactions


(I'm sure there was a thread somewhere we discussed use of left indicator to assist an overtake?)

Indeed.

I find this interesting:

And then:



Hence why I think it's a bit of a placebo effect, even if a welcome one.

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If you think everyone else around you is driving badly, perhaps it's time to examine your own driving.

hmmmm i think on the other discussion we were concerned about misinterpretation of or confusion caused by the indicator, and how the context was important.
in this context it was clear to me and gave me the added confidence that the blind part of my view that i couldn't initially see was clear.
(i hesitate to say the last line as i wouldn't dare to assume it was just from that one signal)

I agree, interpritation is important, that's exactly what my point is.



I think we can agree that most of the time that's what someone means when they indicate in that fashion. But maybe just that once, someone was looking for a turning they thought was there, and it wasn't, so they speed up...

Still, it was good to find a like minded driver I bet.

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If you think everyone else around you is driving badly, perhaps it's time to examine your own driving.

Happens up here a lot. Not just heavy trucks struggling to get up a hill, but even ordinary fast-moving cars with a bike coming up behind them will stick 2 wheels in the gutter and give a flick on the left indicator to assist the overtake. It's one of the best things about being up here - most (not all, it has to be said!) people still have good manners!

Of coure, I take the point that one shouldn't blindly trust the judgement of the driver you're about to overtake, but I think Ed's point is that it just gives a bit more information. I think this has two good effects - The first is that both drivers are aware of each other and the impending manoeuvre. The second is to ENCOURAGE drivers to take responsibility for their own decisions. It's a 2-way thing. The "overtakee" takes some responsibility (morally if not legally) for the safety of the "overtaker". The "overtaker" takes ultimate responsibility for his own actions. As in so many aspects of life, the "blame-claim" culture is doing it's best to kill it off. It's just easier and less likely to get you into trouble if you simply don't bother. Soon doctors passing an accident won't stop to help because they will be too likely to get sued and their Trust's professional indemnity insurance won't cover them unless they're on duty.

It's just one of the prices we have chosen to pay as a society.

i think motorbikes was one of my prime examples in the other thread... wherever it is.