| Re: BBC News - This Always Happens |
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Group: uk.transport · Group Profile
Author: PalindromePalindrome Date: Sep 2, 2008 04:36
Mortimer wrote:
>> Mortimer wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Often I see several lorries driving at the same speed keeping the same
>>> distance from each other, and therefore not prime candidates for
>>> overtaking. Suddenly one will indicate and pull out, after which he will
>>> start to accelerate. That's a perfectly realistic scenario, isn't it. Not
>>> every vehicle that overtakes does so from a position where he was
>>> travelling faster than the vehicle that he is about to overtake before he
>>> began the manoeuvre.
>> Unless you think the driver is doing this purely to screw you up - he has
>> a reason.
>>
>> It may be because there is an approaching incline and he knows that the
>> vehicle in front will not be able to maintain speed.
>
> Agreed. But I'm making the point that you have to treat *every* HGV as
> likely to overtake another one (possibly without giving *advance* wanring of
> his intention) which makes it difficult to overtake an HGV safely unless
> there is a clear lane on the right to be able to move it if it does so. You
> cannot rely on observation and say "this lorry is closing on the one in
> front and so may overtake - hang back in case he does without checking that
> it safe for him to do so" but "this lorry is goign at a constant speed and
> so is probably content to carry on doing so - safe to overtake".
>
>
I appreciate that you are making that point - but I just don't agree
with it. :).
I can't remember the last time a lorry driver pulled out on me
unexpectedly, or pulled out on me when it was unsafe for him to do so.
If this was really happening as often as you suggest, there would be
many accidents - many of them very serious ones. Being pushed into a
barrier (or another car) by an HGV is likely to be extremely damaging.
As a regular driver of reasonably large, underpowered, vehicles I may be
more attuned to the thinking of drivers of similar vehicles.
Including being very aware of their rear-view limitations. Being very
aware of what is behind me - it may be such that a driver would need an
extended period of time to spot my presence if there are other
distractors/ low sun/ etc behind me. If I am not very sure that he has
had enough of a possibility of seeing me - then I assume that he hasn't.
But then, I don't speed, either.
I am not saying that you speed, or don't take the utmost care, but just
that YMMV. when it comes to interacting with large vehicles on the highway.
--
Sue
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