Trapped again!

Author
Discussion

real4star

Original Poster:

7,032 posts

143 months

Saturday 8th December 2012
quotequote all
16:20ish this evening

Two lanes entering Medway Tunnel from the Gillingham side with a slip road joining at the entrance.

50MPH LIMIT

It's dark so everyone's got their lights on

I'm in a 52 year old Land Rover (not a sports car)



I'm in lane one, I know there's a slip-road joining over a blind crest so I back off slightly (down from 40 to 35ish mph) and check mirrors. Motorbike behind, car in lane 2 hovering in my blind-spot.

Two cars joining from the slip-road are a blue hatch and a Silver Citroen

I can't go into lane 2 because the car in lane 2 is too close but won't pass.

I check the mirrors again.

I can't brake because the lights on car in lane 2 are dazzling me in the mirrors and I can't see the motorcycle.

So I really back off and take my foot off the gas.

The blue car joins but doesn't accelerate

The Silver Citroen can't join cause he's along side me fast running out of slip road.

In the time I have to make a decision I think of 3 options:

A) Brake hard and risk taking out the motorcycle

B) Wipe out the Citroen trying to join

C) Take avoiding action by cutting up the guy in lane 2

What other choices did I have?

And which one should I have taken?

Not wanting to kill a motorcyclist I took option (C) I don't know who hit their horn to show their displeasure, I'm assuming the car I cut off in lane 2... I think the motorcycle took the exit slip just after I checked the mirror the 1st time cause I never saw him again.

Neal

ETA: I know it was a bad choice BUT A) I was in a 1960's car with no seat belts
and B) the vehicle doesn't belong to me (even though I am FULLY INSURED to drive it)so accepting a collision (option's A & B) wasn't my first choice.

Edited by real4star on Saturday 8th December 18:41


Edited by real4star on Saturday 8th December 19:12

the stigs dad

378 posts

144 months

Saturday 8th December 2012
quotequote all
B. the slip road is a give way; existing traffic has right of way.

barker22

1,037 posts

173 months

Saturday 8th December 2012
quotequote all
You took the wrong decision. As the poster above put... The joining traffic must give way.

Dangerous Dan

624 posts

177 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
the stigs dad said:
B. the slip road is a give way; existing traffic has right of way.
100% this.

Problem is 99% of drivers in the UK don't know anything about motorway driving and the Citroen driver would have probably assumed he has ROW to join the carriageway regardless.

Collisions would have ensued.

davepoth

29,395 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Legally, don't let people in; they're supposed to be giving way.

Logically, ease off the accelerator more and earlier, brake if necessary. Whoever is behind you should be leaving a safety gap, and it's not your responsibility to give up your safety in exchange for theirs. If it's a motorcyclist up against the back of a landie you'll likely not even see a scratch on your bumper.

PH Style, deploy the turbo boost and jump out of trouble.


GadgeS3C

4,516 posts

170 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Legally, don't let people in; they're supposed to be giving way.

Logically, ease off the accelerator more and earlier, brake if necessary. Whoever is behind you should be leaving a safety gap, and it's not your responsibility to give up your safety in exchange for theirs. If it's a motorcyclist up against the back of a landie you'll likely not even see a scratch on your bumper.

PH Style, deploy the turbo boost and jump out of trouble.

This ^^

Hooli

32,278 posts

206 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Dangerous Dan said:
the stigs dad said:
B. the slip road is a give way; existing traffic has right of way.
100% this.

Problem is 99% of drivers in the UK don't know anything about motorway driving and the Citroen driver would have probably assumed he has ROW to join the carriageway regardless.

Collisions would have ensued.
This again & with any luck the strun driver will get hurt & not buy french again either.

the stigs dad

378 posts

144 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Hooli said:
This again & with any luck the ströen driver will get hurt & not buy french again either.
laugh

anonymous-user

60 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
davepoth said:
PH Style, deploy the turbo boost and jump out of trouble.

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier to just use the lift like everyone else?? ;-)

davepoth

29,395 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
davepoth said:
PH Style, deploy the turbo boost and jump out of trouble.

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier to just use the lift like everyone else?? ;-)
But how else would have have got the car up on to the 20th floor?

As he was flying through the air, I bet Michael Knight was thinking "I wish I was on Airwolf".

Munter

31,326 posts

247 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
What should you do? Avoid a collision by using the available space.

The Citroen driver should be shot or, he should have filtered in behind you.

One thing though .. if you had not slowed before the junction how far ahead of both cars would you have been?

I often see people slow up on the main carriageway which buggers the people trying to join who thought the car on the main carriageway would be past them by the time they want to join.

real4star

Original Poster:

7,032 posts

143 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Munter said:
One thing though .. if you had not slowed before the junction how far ahead of both cars would you have been?

I often see people slow up on the main carriageway which buggers the people trying to join who thought the car on the main carriageway would be past them by the time they want to join.
This slip road has a high concrete divider so you can't see the carriage way your joining till the last 150-200yards.

I backed off initially to let the guy in lane 2 (the one in my blind spot) pass so I could move out to clear lane 1 for the slip road... but he didn't pass, he slowed down as well.

Neal

PS: Turbo boost, in a 1960 Land Rover?


Himself

483 posts

153 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
You avoided a collision so although you may have technically made the wrong decision you came out of it ok. No one can know if the Citroen would have continued to join if you'd stood your ground.

It's easy to sit at an iThing and say that you should have stood your ground.

davepoth

29,395 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
real4star said:
PS: Turbo boost, in a 1960 Land Rover?
I take it you've not tried to flick the top off the gearstick then? that's where the button is.

real4star

Original Poster:

7,032 posts

143 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
davepoth said:
real4star said:
PS: Turbo boost, in a 1960 Land Rover?
I take it you've not tried to flick the top off the gearstick then? that's where the button is.
laugh

Which gearstick? there are 3, a black one, a red one and yellow one

Neal






Black= 1-2-3-4-R
Yellow= 2wd/4wd selector
Red= High-2wd/Neutral/Low-4wd range on the transfer box

croggers

215 posts

193 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
It's a rubbish junction all round really. Poor vision for main carriageway and slip road due to that wall and a pretty short section for actually joining. The amount of times you're trying to join there and people don't move into the empty lane 2 is my bug bear.

jaspermolly

19 posts

142 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
Trapped again that's exactly what you done you boxed yourself in!

When on a motorway approaching a off slip you should be expecting there to be a on slip shortly after therefore anticipate that there will be vehicles joining and move over to lane two nice and early if you pass the on slip and no one joins its not a problem you move back two lane one when safe to do so.If vehicles where to join you are already in lane two and will not be bothered by vehicles in lane one.

If approaching a junction to leave and lane one becomes the off slip and the motorway becomes two lanes you can expect the on slip two become lane one and you can hold your position in lane two,moving back to lane one when safe to do so. Take notice of all the signs they tell you what is going on.

When joining match your speed to that of the vehicles on the motorway signal your intention and join.

Jaspermolly

ShampooEfficient

4,274 posts

217 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
jaspermolly said:
Trapped again that's exactly what you done you boxed yourself in!

When on a motorway approaching a off slip you should be expecting there to be a on slip shortly after therefore anticipate that there will be vehicles joining and move over to lane two nice and early if you pass the on slip and no one joins its not a problem you move back two lane one when safe to do so.If vehicles where to join you are already in lane two and will not be bothered by vehicles in lane one.

If approaching a junction to leave and lane one becomes the off slip and the motorway becomes two lanes you can expect the on slip two become lane one and you can hold your position in lane two,moving back to lane one when safe to do so. Take notice of all the signs they tell you what is going on.

When joining match your speed to that of the vehicles on the motorway signal your intention and join.

Jaspermolly
Works, in a perfect world. In reality if you move out into lane 2 early, in heavy traffic, you're only going to ps off the guy in L2 behind you, and probably end up with something coming up your inside.
Anticipate something joining, move yourself into position with a gap ready to move out into if necessary, but in heavy traffic as described don't just move "in case".

real4star

Original Poster:

7,032 posts

143 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
ShampooEfficient said:
jaspermolly said:
Trapped again that's exactly what you done you boxed yourself in!

When on a motorway approaching a off slip you should be expecting there to be a on slip shortly after therefore anticipate that there will be vehicles joining and move over to lane two nice and early if you pass the on slip and no one joins its not a problem you move back two lane one when safe to do so.If vehicles where to join you are already in lane two and will not be bothered by vehicles in lane one.

If approaching a junction to leave and lane one becomes the off slip and the motorway becomes two lanes you can expect the on slip two become lane one and you can hold your position in lane two,moving back to lane one when safe to do so. Take notice of all the signs they tell you what is going on.

When joining match your speed to that of the vehicles on the motorway signal your intention and join.

Jaspermolly
Works, in a perfect world. In reality if you move out into lane 2 early, in heavy traffic, you're only going to ps off the guy in L2 behind you, and probably end up with something coming up your inside.
Anticipate something joining, move yourself into position with a gap ready to move out into if necessary, but in heavy traffic as described don't just move "in case".
I couldn't move into L2 because the car in my blindspot (rear O/S corner) slowed with me instead of passing irked

Neal

davepoth

29,395 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th December 2012
quotequote all
real4star said:
I couldn't move into L2 because the car in my blindspot (rear O/S corner) slowed with me instead of passing irked

Neal
Did you indicate?