Safe Speed Forums

when you see a car waiting at a side road so slow down just in case they have not seen you, well I did this today (slowed down) and guess what?, they assumed I slowed down to let them out!, CRUNCH!

aparrently it's all my fault for slowing down and giving the "Impression" I was going to let them out when in fact all I was doing was driving to IAM recommendations

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Welcome to the UK, the Land of "Selective Freedoms"

Oh that's a bit sickening. You merely slowed down as a precautionary measure as you approached, but gave no signal of any kind that they might reasonably take as an invitation to come out?

Sounds like their fault to me, but it's a bit galling when you were trying to be a bit safer, and this is the result. I trust there were no injuries, but you've got bent cars and some general upset and inconvenience nevertheless.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Yes, a real bummer. Was there any way you could have steered to where the other fella came from as a secondary route?

I was taught to essentially ignore signs given by other drivers in these situations (assume they do and don't carry though what they indicate to do) i.e. don’t assume you can pull from a junction onto a main road where an oncoming driver already on the main is indicating/motioning to leave - the oncoming driver may change their mind.
(the same applies at roundabouts)

I can only assume the ‘assumer’ cut off your escape routes TB?
I hope you’re unhurt.

If you are slowing down in case they don't see you and pull out are you doing so as to avoid a collision (in which case you failed) or to minimise any damage?

Or is it to give them more time to see you?

If you are slowing enough to avoid a collision then you are effectively leaving them room to pull out and you shouldn't be suprised if a certain portion of people take the opportunity.

So if you had slowed because you had seen something they had not the would gave pulled outand crashed any way?

Definatly thier fault. (In my humble opinion)

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Being a Devil's Advocate, you can't go around slowing down at every side road with a car waiting. Anyway, how slow is OK (just in case they pull out)?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

How did the driver know that you weren’t slowing down to stop on the left just after the junction?

The driver assumed that you gave them priority, they were wrong.

You anticipated the vehicle at the junction might pullout in front as you had not maintained eye contact with the driver so you checked the mirrors, altered your position to left of centre (extra safety margin), covered the brake pedal and signalled to any following traffic with your brake lights that you may slow down, you continued looking and assessing what the driver might do and at the same time you considered sounding the horn, as soon as the vehicle started to move you sounded the horn and performed an emergency stop.

You anticipated the vehicle pulling out, you was right it pulled out.

If the report form looks something like this then you couldn’t possibly be to blame.

The other vehicle tuck priority when it wasn’t safe to do so, the driver should have waited for you to stop before emerging if they thought you were giving priority to them.

In future when confronted with the same sort of situations try to take in all the information, look at the driver if he’s not looking at you he won’t know your there. Check the mirrors and gently glide out to just left of centre if safe to do so, it should be just a slight deviation in your normal driving position then cover the brakes, if the driver as not looked your way before you are within your actual braking distance you should give a couple of short notes of the horn to alert him of your presence then smile and thank the driver.

Any change in position and speed should be such that it is hardly noticeable by others including passengers.

My guess is that you over did the slowing down phase and mislead the other driver. Remember speed is a good indication of a drivers intentions, you could be slowing to give way or turn off but either way the other driver should have waited.

I think you might be reading advanced driving techniques such as IAM without fully understanding the concepts of what they mean.

Take care

Paul

There are occasions when you get the 'feeling' that someone is going to be a twat and you try to take measures accordingly. IMHO, you were the victim of what my son and his mates refer to as a 'twunt'!
This driver couldn't read the road unless it was explained to him using crayon pictures and a baseball bat.
For me to join streaming traffic at a junction, I need a polite invite - eye contact and some form of gesture from the driver. A car simply slowing down a bit means nothing. A car slowing considerably with the driver looking at me and making a suitable gesture shows the presence of a fellow gentleman (or, on very, very, very few occasions a gentlewoman!) and, with suitable gestures of thanks, I will take them up on their kind offer.
Your consideration has highlighted something that is all too uncommon on our roads - that consideration, politeness and good manners on the road, as in all life, costs nothing and carries huge rewards; low-brow, ignorant, arrogant stupidity can cost a great deal.

I sincerely hope that any actions come out in your favour and Mr. Twunt has his car crushed...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Still the Devil's Advocate ...

At night it's dark and you can't see the driver's face in the other car. Should you therefore always toot twice when passing all cars waiting in side roads?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Everything you're doing there is consistent with you slowing down to turn left, your 'body language' isn't making it clear to the other driver that you are driving straight past. Why move to the left if you are driving past a hazard on your left? Eye contact with the other driver isn't the issue, in this case surely there's no reasonable doubt that the other driver has seen you, just that they have mistaken your intentions.

In that situation I would prefer to maintain my right of way very positively (no obvious loss of speed, and choose a course that makes it clear which side of them I intend to go) while being prepared to take an escape route if they do pull out anyway.

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Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

In most situations I have no problems seeing the faces of other drivers at night especially on roads with street lamps. if you can’t see their face look for reflections of the whites of their eyes and teeth, if you can’t see anything then assume they are looking the other way, consider sounding the horn and be prepared to stop. It’s just a bit of defensive driving that might one day safe your life.

hi greenv8s

moving to just left of centre means moving to the right hand side of the road just left of the centre road markings if present. This allows a larger safety margine should the vehicle on the left start to emerge or over shoot the give-way markings.



take care,

Paul