Th footage is jerky because it has been slowed down 6 times, the original being timelapse where 30 minutes is compressed into 5.
It is natural as truck drivers to want to maintain momentum as much as possible, but in the real-world compromise is usually needed. In trying to maintain full throttle, the positions of both vehicles meant he (or possibly she) actually had to stop. However, might it be argued viewing the footage that the car driver, not just “tootling along”, oblivious to everyone else seemed to deliberately hinder the artic wanting to join the A42.
It was a rather strange incident.
I would put blame to a degree on both parties, but the law/highway code would probably favour the car.
The car had the right of way, and the truck is obliged to give way to the car, …but apparently the car driver is willing to risk his life rather than pull over to let the truck out.
Maybe the truck driver was giving the car driver more credit than he deserved, thinking that he would actually have a brain, and use a bit of common sense and courtesy to move over for him,.to which there would have been no problem in doing so.
At least the truck driver stopped short of pulling out and going over the top of the ■■■■.
That is my personal take on it anyway.
It is like when you are trying to overtake and some 2hat who has travelled in the middle lane for the last god knows how many miles continues to sit there and baulk you up rather than move into lane 3.
The quite possibly selfish, unaware, incompetent, sonso, in the car, is pretty much all in the right.
Joining traffic has to adjust speed and position to join traffic already on the main road.
No where is it written about speed differentials, speed limiters, weights, loaded/empty, up-or-down-hill, nor a miriad of other things.
It is polite and good manners for traffic on the main road to adjust for joining traffic, but it is not obligatory.
I will add that I rarely, if ever have a problem entering a carriageway simply because I’m prepared to alter my speed in the knowledge that the onus is on me (the joiner) to merge smoothly.
As the person already on the carriageway I rarely move over or alter my speed for joining traffic unless my hand is forced, I’ve been stuck out in lane two like a lemon too many times to fall for that again. My reasoning being that on most (not all sliproads) the driver in the joining vehicle has two pedals of which either can be used to effect smooth joining. If they elect not to use either of these pedals due to distraction or incompetence that is not my problem.
Looks like trying to bully his way on. You cant assume just cos lane 2 is empty the person in lane 1 will oblige…Just ease off and pull in behind.
5 seconds wasted on your journey?
As said car is in the right although a decent driver would move over if safe. As for the truck, it’s the type of bullying others by his/her size I can’t abide. Absolutely no need for it.
As a professional he should have been aware of the car at the earliest opportunity, and made adjustments to his speed - had that been his HGV test, I very much doubt this near miss would have happened. The older I get, the more I realise that I’ve constantly overestimated the average car driver’s abilities. I’ve expected too much from them. I’ve travelled with people who’s awareness is just atrocious, and best described as reactive, and not proactive. The car driver in the video probably didn’t even think about the situation until the lorry was locking up and moving over the line, and was just reacting. I fully understand it.
A lot of our dramas and pain in life can be annulled by simply expecting less from people, and take responsibility for ourselves and the situation around us as much as we can.
The other night I had a car joining the M1 s/b at J10. He was just in front of me, matched speeds, and I could see the glow from his phone - he was scrolling through his phone. He was at the literal end of the sliproad before he even checked and indicated. Luckily I’d spotted this and eased off the throttle, so he joined, sped up, my cruise control was resumed, and about 1 second lost overall on my journey time, no dramas,. Sadly, his behaviour is very common. I see a lot of this. I see lots of car drivers playing with their phones. But I expect it, I expect less from people, not more. When I get more, when I see good responsible driving, I’m pleasantly surprised.
A couple of similar incidents I had on Friday, 5am-5:30am I’m on the A1 southbound at Gonerby Moor, I’m on the A1 traffic is moving past me in lane 2, and as I start passing the bridge I notice that there’s a truck coming down the S/B slip road and he’s clearly flat to the mat Maritime style. I decide that there’s no way for me to move over but he’s not backing down, I give him a blast of the horn, and cue the inevitable slamming on the brakes near the end of the slip as he figures out that I’m not moving over.
Later on around 4pm coming back I’m A1 N/B at Markham Moor in lane 1, as I pass the bridge I look up left and see 3 cars coming down the slip road to join the N/B carriageway, 2 of them successfully joined the A1 in front of me, and the 3rd in lemming mode is trying to accelerate to warp 9 in a reasonably priced car with tiny engine.
I give em some credit they tried, they put the accelerator to the floor instead of braking and merging in behind me, so I hit the horn button but by that time they where only level with the landing legs, and there was no way they would get in front of me before running out of slip road, which they inevitably did. The last thing I saw in the mirror was the N/S of the car on the grass verge coming to an abrupt halt as the trailer wheels where passing them.
Same here. I’ve been on the main drag in my car when a ■■■■■■■■ accelerates to get beside me and then gets upset because I’m in his way. They’re all out there.
Rule 259 of the Highway Code makes this the HGV’s fault; yes we want to keep our momentum up and yes common courtesy says the car should move over (there was no danger in him doing so). But, there’s no legal obligation for the car driver to move over a lane.
This is one of my top five pet hates about modern driving, people not knowing the rules of joining the main carriageway. Dense car drivers expecting trucks to move over being the worst example, without fail they have no clue as the what’s on the right hand side of the truck.
Has no one else seen that the car was being overtaken so could not move out?
I suspect the car slowed down to let the truck out in front (which would never have worked).
I think the car may have done the best they could (given their limited abilities).
My brother in law, who is an ex traffic plod in the north, reliably informed me that the lines on a slip road, are give way lines, which means you stop if you cannot enter the carriageway safely.
Anyone already on the carriageway, has right of way.
Quinny:
My brother in law, who is an ex traffic plod in the north, reliably informed me that the lines on a slip road, are give way lines, which means you stop if you cannot enter the carriageway safely.
Anyone already on the carriageway, has right of way.
Ken.
Quite correct and every driver should know that but we know what drivers do with rules…make up their own to suit themselves.
And I think the term is “priority” rather than right of way.
