Emergency stopping on a motorway, Cool or uncool?
Discussion
This phenomena comes from the UK I realise but I've not seen it much over here before this afternoon.
Picture the situation...
A pal is over from the UK so we've taken him to a particularly nice lunch at a pub with a private and beautiful beach in the sunshine. A fantastic day at the beach and some snorkeling later we are returning home.
We are on one of the few motorways that have the signs, 'stay left unless overtaking'.
We come up behind a Quartz or Silver Lotus Elise registration available if interested...
The cruise control is set to the relevant 100km/h but he isn't doing 100km/h so I have to hold back. There is nothing in the inside lane and he makes no move to move over. Assuming he is the law abiding and self righteous type, I joke to my passenger, "Does this guy really think I am speeding though all these camera's (there are speed camera's under every bridge)or does he not realise his Elise speedo might be reading a little low?" I am in an Audi A8.
The opportunity arises to swing past, I do so and reset the cruise control.
Some miles later, the guy cuts from my inside at speed, just missing both me and the car in front on the inside lane.
Once into my lane however, he proceeds to do an emergency stop in a 720kg plastic sports-car in front of my 2 tonne 1990's Audi (with my wife and 5 month old in the back) - to prove a point I am guessing?!?
The electronics in the car saved the day as I reacted, ducking back into the inside lane to miss the motherf
ker under full anti-lock as the rear end is trying to overtake the front.
At the behest of my wife and with my five month old screaming uncontrollably, I decided to call the 'police' rather than further endanger the folk on the roads by trying to catch the bd and have a word.
So here we are - there are idiots out there that think this acceptable?!? 50 year old idiots no less!!!
From the brief conversation through the window we had, I am guessing the fellow, who looked a little like Timothy Spall by the way, was from Essex.
Aussies everywhere beware, an idiot is here.
Very UNCOOL in my book little man!
Picture the situation...
A pal is over from the UK so we've taken him to a particularly nice lunch at a pub with a private and beautiful beach in the sunshine. A fantastic day at the beach and some snorkeling later we are returning home.
We are on one of the few motorways that have the signs, 'stay left unless overtaking'.
We come up behind a Quartz or Silver Lotus Elise registration available if interested...
The cruise control is set to the relevant 100km/h but he isn't doing 100km/h so I have to hold back. There is nothing in the inside lane and he makes no move to move over. Assuming he is the law abiding and self righteous type, I joke to my passenger, "Does this guy really think I am speeding though all these camera's (there are speed camera's under every bridge)or does he not realise his Elise speedo might be reading a little low?" I am in an Audi A8.
The opportunity arises to swing past, I do so and reset the cruise control.
Some miles later, the guy cuts from my inside at speed, just missing both me and the car in front on the inside lane.
Once into my lane however, he proceeds to do an emergency stop in a 720kg plastic sports-car in front of my 2 tonne 1990's Audi (with my wife and 5 month old in the back) - to prove a point I am guessing?!?
The electronics in the car saved the day as I reacted, ducking back into the inside lane to miss the motherf
ker under full anti-lock as the rear end is trying to overtake the front.At the behest of my wife and with my five month old screaming uncontrollably, I decided to call the 'police' rather than further endanger the folk on the roads by trying to catch the b
d and have a word. So here we are - there are idiots out there that think this acceptable?!? 50 year old idiots no less!!!
From the brief conversation through the window we had, I am guessing the fellow, who looked a little like Timothy Spall by the way, was from Essex.
Aussies everywhere beware, an idiot is here.
Very UNCOOL in my book little man!
Edited by Gollum on Friday 28th February 14:01
Edited by Gollum on Friday 28th February 14:19
Yep, totally agree. What an asshole. If you had not avoided him, surely he would have been killed.
I had a guy do a similar thing in Sydney many years back just because I overtook him. He started doing emergency braking in front of me, then started swerving into other cars, heaps of crazy st, so I called the police. I told them where he was (by that stage entering the harbour bridge) and the car he was driving...but they could not do anything because I could not remember the actual road name...Apparently the Sydney harbour bridge south bound is not enough information.
What was the result of your incident?
I had a guy do a similar thing in Sydney many years back just because I overtook him. He started doing emergency braking in front of me, then started swerving into other cars, heaps of crazy s
t, so I called the police. I told them where he was (by that stage entering the harbour bridge) and the car he was driving...but they could not do anything because I could not remember the actual road name...Apparently the Sydney harbour bridge south bound is not enough information. What was the result of your incident?
Hopefully he reads Pistonheads.
Lane hogging in the fast lane when the others are free is retarded. Brake checking (I think this is what you mean when you say emergency stopping because I doubt he actually came to a stop) is retarded.
Tailgating (I am not suggesting you did this but if you are close enough to be affected by a brake check then you are too close) is also retarded.
Did you use a headlight flash from safe ditance or right indicator from safe distance to show you wanted to pass and did he ignore those?
I think that sometimes you just have to exhibit some patience with the idiots on the road, especially when carrying precious cargo.
Lane hogging in the fast lane when the others are free is retarded. Brake checking (I think this is what you mean when you say emergency stopping because I doubt he actually came to a stop) is retarded.
Tailgating (I am not suggesting you did this but if you are close enough to be affected by a brake check then you are too close) is also retarded.
Did you use a headlight flash from safe ditance or right indicator from safe distance to show you wanted to pass and did he ignore those?
I think that sometimes you just have to exhibit some patience with the idiots on the road, especially when carrying precious cargo.
Lambchopski said:
Lane discipline in this country is an utter JOKE. I always thought it could get no worse than the middle lane hoggers in the UK but boy how wrong I was!
The police don't even bother with good lane discipline so why should the general public.I always found 9 times out of 10 if you were making good progress in the UK, people would get the idea and move. Not here. I had a lady go from the hard shoulder at standstill to the far lane on a 90kph road last week. She was only doing 50kph when I had to do an emergency stop to avoid hitting her. Once composed I beeped my horn and went up the inside. I have never seen such a face of distain directed at me before. Seems it was me in the wrong
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