Where would the blame lie?
Discussion
The overtaking and right turn thread has reminded me of something I wanted to ask the more experienced drivers on here.
The stretch of road in question is a 50mph dual carriageway that often has a camera van parked up so most people stick to or just under the limit. Some of the sliproads on this road are both an on ramp and an off ramp for the next junction, so there are very brief stretches where there are 3 lanes.
Google maps: here
I was where the black car is in the "middle" lane, just under A899, being overtaken by a Transit, and a Fiesta had just joined the sliproad and was accelerating pretty hard but not indicating. Coming up onto the DC and leaving at the next junction is fairly common so I never thought anything of it. At this point the 3 of us are beside each other, with the Transit moving slighty faster. The Fiesta driver then decides to move into my lane which of course is where I happen to be, still no indicators.
My instinct was to get over into the next lane. The Transit was about 2 feet in front now so I had space to move over.
In the second I had to think, hitting the brakes was a bad idea in case the Fiesta had the same idea and also anyone behind me wouldn't be expecting sudden braking on that road. I know that moving lane quickly also isn't a good idea either but seemed like the best way out.
It's also worth noting that I will always move out to allow anyone wanting to join the DC if there is space for me to do so.
Did I do the right thing? There was no contact, just a surprised me.
Also, if the outcome had been an accident, I can't help feeling that I would be put at fault. I'm a 19 year old male and drive a 1.2 Corsa, Fiesta was being driven by a middle aged female. Everyone knows young people in Corsas drive like idiots don't they? The thing is, I value my life and my licence and don't fancy becoming a statistic so don't drive the way most people automatically expect me to.
Is there anything I could have done to prevent this situation?
The stretch of road in question is a 50mph dual carriageway that often has a camera van parked up so most people stick to or just under the limit. Some of the sliproads on this road are both an on ramp and an off ramp for the next junction, so there are very brief stretches where there are 3 lanes.
Google maps: here
I was where the black car is in the "middle" lane, just under A899, being overtaken by a Transit, and a Fiesta had just joined the sliproad and was accelerating pretty hard but not indicating. Coming up onto the DC and leaving at the next junction is fairly common so I never thought anything of it. At this point the 3 of us are beside each other, with the Transit moving slighty faster. The Fiesta driver then decides to move into my lane which of course is where I happen to be, still no indicators.
My instinct was to get over into the next lane. The Transit was about 2 feet in front now so I had space to move over.
In the second I had to think, hitting the brakes was a bad idea in case the Fiesta had the same idea and also anyone behind me wouldn't be expecting sudden braking on that road. I know that moving lane quickly also isn't a good idea either but seemed like the best way out.
It's also worth noting that I will always move out to allow anyone wanting to join the DC if there is space for me to do so.
Did I do the right thing? There was no contact, just a surprised me.
Also, if the outcome had been an accident, I can't help feeling that I would be put at fault. I'm a 19 year old male and drive a 1.2 Corsa, Fiesta was being driven by a middle aged female. Everyone knows young people in Corsas drive like idiots don't they? The thing is, I value my life and my licence and don't fancy becoming a statistic so don't drive the way most people automatically expect me to.
Is there anything I could have done to prevent this situation?
craig_s said:
The overtaking and right turn thread has reminded me of something I wanted to ask the more experienced drivers on here.
The stretch of road in question is a 50mph dual carriageway that often has a camera van parked up so most people stick to or just under the limit. Some of the sliproads on this road are both an on ramp and an off ramp for the next junction, so there are very brief stretches where there are 3 lanes.
Google maps: here
I was where the black car is in the "middle" lane, just under A899, being overtaken by a Transit, and a Fiesta had just joined the sliproad and was accelerating pretty hard but not indicating. Coming up onto the DC and leaving at the next junction is fairly common so I never thought anything of it. At this point the 3 of us are beside each other, with the Transit moving slighty faster. The Fiesta driver then decides to move into my lane which of course is where I happen to be, still no indicators.
My instinct was to get over into the next lane. The Transit was about 2 feet in front now so I had space to move over.
In the second I had to think, hitting the brakes was a bad idea in case the Fiesta had the same idea and also anyone behind me wouldn't be expecting sudden braking on that road. I know that moving lane quickly also isn't a good idea either but seemed like the best way out.
It's also worth noting that I will always move out to allow anyone wanting to join the DC if there is space for me to do so.
Did I do the right thing? There was no contact, just a surprised me.
Also, if the outcome had been an accident, I can't help feeling that I would be put at fault. I'm a 19 year old male and drive a 1.2 Corsa, Fiesta was being driven by a middle aged female. Everyone knows young people in Corsas drive like idiots don't they? The thing is, I value my life and my licence and don't fancy becoming a statistic so don't drive the way most people automatically expect me to.
Is there anything I could have done to prevent this situation?
You should try and avoid putting yourself alongside others on the approach to junctions. Well done for asking too, always the sign of someone who cares about improving their driving The stretch of road in question is a 50mph dual carriageway that often has a camera van parked up so most people stick to or just under the limit. Some of the sliproads on this road are both an on ramp and an off ramp for the next junction, so there are very brief stretches where there are 3 lanes.
Google maps: here
I was where the black car is in the "middle" lane, just under A899, being overtaken by a Transit, and a Fiesta had just joined the sliproad and was accelerating pretty hard but not indicating. Coming up onto the DC and leaving at the next junction is fairly common so I never thought anything of it. At this point the 3 of us are beside each other, with the Transit moving slighty faster. The Fiesta driver then decides to move into my lane which of course is where I happen to be, still no indicators.
My instinct was to get over into the next lane. The Transit was about 2 feet in front now so I had space to move over.
In the second I had to think, hitting the brakes was a bad idea in case the Fiesta had the same idea and also anyone behind me wouldn't be expecting sudden braking on that road. I know that moving lane quickly also isn't a good idea either but seemed like the best way out.
It's also worth noting that I will always move out to allow anyone wanting to join the DC if there is space for me to do so.
Did I do the right thing? There was no contact, just a surprised me.
Also, if the outcome had been an accident, I can't help feeling that I would be put at fault. I'm a 19 year old male and drive a 1.2 Corsa, Fiesta was being driven by a middle aged female. Everyone knows young people in Corsas drive like idiots don't they? The thing is, I value my life and my licence and don't fancy becoming a statistic so don't drive the way most people automatically expect me to.
Is there anything I could have done to prevent this situation?
Avoid bein the meat in this particular sandwich. Off gas, cover brakes, consider a horn warning - a single blast of around a second. If the vehicle behind is quite close then a light pressure on the brakes will put the lights on but not significanly slow the car and should increase the gap behind.
The inside lane car is responsible for merging safely but you are right to be concerned. The driver may not have seen you or may just be a bully. Either way you don't want to be where they are putting their car.
The inside lane car is responsible for merging safely but you are right to be concerned. The driver may not have seen you or may just be a bully. Either way you don't want to be where they are putting their car.
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff