Thought Game – what would you have done…

[Dommo]

12 minutes ago, Dave (OnliestSmeg) - Joint Manchester AO said:

I just can't believe that everyone's sat there patiently waiting for the dual carriageway before starting to overtake!  

Unfortunately we've been placed into a "sporty sub compact" so it's taken us that long to stop wondering why we're teenagers again and build some speed up.

[Stu Faulkner]

5 hours ago, John K said:

Dear Mr Chairman,

I suggest we have just found the 2017 resident of "Sporty Diesel House"

If you need the exact wording, copy and paste from my profile..!

I need to sort my profile after it was 'plundered' last time.

[corsechris]

Saw a bike courier on the M4 trying out all possible variations of that scenario on Saturday, traffic was moving normally too. I never realised the M4 had 7 lanes. Silly me.

[Captain Colonial]

If I was in my tin top, I'd brake, fall back, patiently await the next safe passing opportunity, complete the overtake and then empty my windscreen washer bottle all over the idiot to send them a message,  This is known as fair play and standard procedure.

[Northwarks]

I'd pull back in and let him embarrass himself in said racy MPV then if he's that slow drop a couple of gears and get past him as soon as possible .. legally .. I'd just be wary of do-goodies with dash cams these days when doing something they assume is dangerous .. 

[John K]

All good and boringly sensible opinions...

In my mind if the MPV driver was actually telegraphing he had it in for 'annoying little buzz boxes' and had performed an aggressive lane change to block, my view would be to hold back because you have to assume they are actively out to get you and would be likely to swap lanes on you no matter what you did.

In my scenario, its fairly obvious the MPV driver is ambling along and - reduced to a comatose like state by Eddie Mair on Radio 4 and it would take the entire neurological department of the UCLH to find any evidence of brain activity - so a cheeky pass would be over and done with before he realised what was going on.

Exactly the opposite of what you would expect from a mid level exec in his german vunder-vagen - you have to assume they hate you and want you in a ditch

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

Watch this for an example of some of the 'tools' we share the road with.http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/video-dashcam-footage-captures-bmw-driver-cutting-up-motorist-and-then-punching-victim/story-30387523-detail/story.html 

The incident above was all at low speed! Imagine what's he would have done at higher speeds?

You've only got one life, so you need to do your best to protect it as plenty of others won't! Defense driving may be boring but if it keeps you alive to enjoy open roads and other things, it's worthwhile! I was taught to assume everyone that uses the road (that includes pedestrians, cyclists etc) are idiots and not many prove otherwise!

[Luke Algar]

Clearly you lot all know you're on an open forum and therefore posting the sensible options! Afraid I'm still a child, clearly I'd undertake on the left, rip the handbrake once past spin it round give said MPV driver the birdy for blocking my path when I'm clearly trying to make progress! Handbrake it back round and disappear off with the thing bouncing off the limiter after all I'm driving a mildly sporty hatchback and it's much better than the van I normally drive!

Actually sensible option, I'd pass him on the right, two wheels on the grass and then side swipe him back into the lane he belongs in......

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Also, another cautionary tale, and this ain't hearsay, it's personal experience.

Short version:

If you were to go for an overtake or undertake, and he moved back out on you, causing a collision, unless you had VERY solid evidence of careless driving on his behalf, I'm afraid your going to cop the full lot insurance wise, for both vehicles.

Full story:

Travelling back home from a job site about 4.30 in the afternoon, ordinary A road, single lane either way, the typical short to medium straights interspersed with a mix of bends. Three cars in front is a very sedately driven Citroen AX, never doing more than 40 even in the very clear, straight sections - the whole road was national speed limit, tighter bends, he'd be below twenty. I forget what the two cars ahead of me were, nothing overtly sporty, but at a minimum modern, quickish saloons. At least one was German. Both could happily cruise that section of road at a steady 80, with no need to drop below 50 on the tighter bends, other than to obey the speed limits of course, but I mention it for context.

Both had been behind him for fifteen minutes or so, that I knew of and were getting increasingly frustrated, starting to try and encourage him along by their road positioning and driving style. On one short straight, the car immediately behind him finally got past, in a very aggressive overtaking manoeuvre, (I've got a great view of this, as I've been hanging a long way back, in a big, loaded, tank of a Carlton Estate). The next car along then carries on the tailgating and "hurrying" manor for another mile, before pulling off another highly aggressive overtake.

I'm next, still a good 500 yards or more back, but I also know there's a much longer straight, with good visibility coming, though not a massively wide section of road, full two lane I should add, just with immediate soft verges.

So, I start a run up, keeping a  close eye on both the vehicles and the other drivers "body language" and watching his eye line through the mirrors. From 25 metres or so back, I have about twenty/thirty now on him and accelerating, I also have firm eye contact and a tracking head as he follows my movement, so I KNOW he's seen me, and not simply glanced in my direction and missed me. 

As I can see him continue to watch me, I'm now committed and probably have a good 40 mph on top of him. I've approached from around 25 m back on the other side of the road, indicating, so know mistake can be made over intent. I'm also deliberately, after the last two, not making sudden moves towards him, and physically trying to let him see me give him as wide a berth as possible, and not crowd.

So, at two metres away, he indicates right and moves over!!

As I say, soft verges, I have no where to go but forwards, and no way to scrub off the speed difference. The plastic rear tailgate of the AX was never found! It just disintegrated into unidentifiable shards of plastic! His car ended up three foot shorter.

To this day, no one knows exactly why he did what he did. The police speculated road rage, brought on by the other two motorists and I was just the final straw. He claimed he hadn't seen me. The Police's statement at the time made it plain they believed me, but nothing could be proven one way or the other.

The insurance company also believed me, and fought long and hard in court to get the blame placed on him. They failed. The long and short of it was that without very powerful evidence to the contrary, the motorist behind, that collides with the vehicle in front, will ALWAYS get the blame. The best you can hope for is knock for knock.

[John K]

29 minutes ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

So, I start a run up, keeping a  close eye on both the vehicles and the other drivers "body language"

As soon as I read this bit, I knew what was coming...

A grim tale well told - and I totally understand it's the guys behind who will cop it unless there is biblical evidence written in tablets of stone to the contrary

Which is why all the cars have a dash cam - yes it could be used against me, but in my mind the ratio between me doing something stupid against the other muggle doing something stupid probably makes the risk worth it...

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

1 minute ago, John K said:

As soon as I read this bit, I knew what was coming...

A grim tale well told - and I totally understand it's the guys behind who will cop it unless there is biblical evidence written in tablets of stone to the contrary

Which is why all the cars have a dash cam - yes it could be used against me, but in my mind the ratio between me doing something stupid against the other muggle doing something stupid probably makes the risk worth it...

Agree fully. Of course, it's also something, these days, you should assume everyone else has too...

[John K]

2 hours ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

plastic rear tailgate of the AX

Totally unrelated but it's my thread so I can drift it...!

Many years ago a good friend had the world's biggest ever Rottweiler - and an AX

Henry the Rottie used to travel in the back of the AX (completely filling it) and occasionally my mate would leave him in the back when running an errand.

Henry discovered the rear hatch was flexible and if he lent on it hard enough from the inside, it would pop open.

Many times we would find him sat outside the car with its boot wide open.

Funnily enough, the car nor nothing in it was ever stolen...

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Almost as good as having a trunk-monkey!

[John K]

3 minutes ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

Almost as good as having a trunk-monkey!

To save all the other members the trouble of Googling it - because I had to..!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunk_Monkey

I thought it was "Seymour Bunz" related - to be honest if anything would kick of a road rage incident, a ropey overtake and then this, probably would...

 

[Captain Colonial]