ROG:
The new laws allow cops to give a FPN for inconsiderate driving etc so if they see two trucks side by side for a long time then they can issue a FPN to the one being overtaken if that truck is the only reason the one overtaking cannot progress and return to the left allowing those behind to use that lane
As for being tailgated - if unable to safely get out of the way then leave more room in front to control both your own vehicle and the one behind - a driver cannot control space behind but they can control speed and space in front so take control of what is possible to do so
Had a guy on the A43 in a 7.5 tonner on Monday. He kept out braking me at roundabouts, getting nearly level with my arse end then flashing his lights & offering me coffee once he realised his flat speed wasn’t quite up to mine. He finally overtook me on the big incline up towards Stokenchurch on the M40 giving me dog’s abuse. I laughed at him, and this caused him slow right down in front of me and pull out (even though the carriageway was clear) into the 2nd lane everytime I moved to overtake him once we levelled out. I just knocked 3 mph off the limiter and tootalled along at 53. He soon got bored and sped up…so I did the same, staying behind him all the way to the M23 where I turned off to head to the South Coast. I hope he thought I was following him to wherever and was going to cause a scene! (I wasn’t)
Can’t believe there are truck drivers who are scared just to back off a bit due to the risk of someone running into the back of them. These folk are in charge of 44 tonnes plus of metal FFS Unbelievable
ajt:
Can’t believe there are truck drivers who are scared just to back off a bit due to the risk of someone running into the back of them. These folk are in charge of 44 tonnes plus of metal FFS Unbelievable
Jesus. Can you people actually read? No one’s saying they’re scared to back off a few k, just that it seems better to be aware of what’s going on around you and, by extension, not tap the exhaust brake when someone is right behind you. We all know they shouldn’t be driving right on the back bumper of your trailer, and equally, we all know that people do. I don’t tap the exhaust brake when one of these people is on the back bumper because I can do without the hassle of having to disentangle my trailer from the front of his cab. You may well be one of those drivers who delights in teaching tailgaters a lesson, but that’s not what most of us are out on the road for. If I have to slow to get my braking distance back then I will - as someone else said, you can control the distance in front of you - but I prefer not to surprise the idiot tailgating me when I do so. Does that make anything clearer, or would you prefer me not to use long words?
ajt:
Can’t believe there are truck drivers who are scared just to back off a bit due to the risk of someone running into the back of them. These folk are in charge of 44 tonnes plus of metal FFS Unbelievable
Born Idle:
Also…If you just slip the exhauster on for a second or two you will slow up but without brake lights…not great practice if somebody is too close!
Exactly, that’s the point I’m trying to make. I slow down to let folk past if they’re crawling past me at one inch per week, but I prefer not to do that if there’s another truck right behind me. Once he’s pulled out, then I slow and let them both go, as I don’t like being hung out to dry in the middle lane and (by extension) I don’t like doing it to other drivers. Nor, come to that, do I like having my middle lane “escape route” blocked by another vehicle for mile after mile. This doesn’t strike me as difficult to understand and I’d be genuinely grateful if someone would explain why I seem to have attracted some hostility. Maybe in future I’ll stick to going everywhere flat out and ■■■■ the people behind the guy overtaking me.
4aaaa4dd:
Think you will find it says in the Lgv high way code "if your been over taken by a vehicle of similar speed to slow down and let them pass " this keeping the other vehicle sat out in the outer lane is a European thing that’s been adopted by the newer Brit drivers ,me personally will always let over taking vehicles in because they are going to pass you sooner or later so why delay it like a twot …
I agree. I always slow down a bit (assuming there’s nothing right up my chuff) and let the overtaking truck go. As often as not, I need to slow down to get my braking distance back once he pulls in anyway, so why not just slow down a bit earlier and let him go?
If your in a 44 tonne truck, who the hell are you gonna bother if you back off a bit to let some one pass you, I don’t see what difference it makes, even if there is some one up your chuff!!
I don’t really want another 44 tonne truck climbing into my trailer. I know he shouldn’t be driving that close, but it doesn’t seem fair to tap the exhaust brake to let someone go if there is someone right behind me.
That is one of the most rediculous statements i have read on here for a while! Who’s driving your truck, you or the idiot behind you?
Your just putting yourself in a more dangerous position than you are already in!
I think you might have misunderstood my post … I still maintain my braking distance, I just don’t slow down to do it, not if there’s someone right on my back bumper. Like I said, I know he shouldn’t be that close, but I don’t really want anyone running into the back of me, even if it would technically be their fault.
I don’t think I did misunderstand what you put, there is nothing wrong with backing off to let the tailgater pass you.
I have a cure for tailgaters, and it confuses them enough to make them see sense and back off!
weeto:
I don’t think I did misunderstand what you put, there is nothing wrong with backing off to let the tailgater pass you. I have a cure for tailgaters, and it confuses them enough to make them see sense and back off!
Fair enough, I don’t like being tailgated myself. On the other hand, we’re not on the road to teach other drivers a lesson: whatever the rights and wrongs of any given situation, a good driver will not do anything which makes an incident more likely. I will certainly back off to let a tailgater past me, but usually only once he’s pulled out.
ajt:
Can’t believe there are truck drivers who are scared just to back off a bit due to the risk of someone running into the back of them. These folk are in charge of 44 tonnes plus of metal FFS Unbelievable
Jesus. Can you people actually read? No one’s saying they’re scared to back off a few k, just that it seems better to be aware of what’s going on around you and, by extension, not tap the exhaust brake when someone is right behind you. We all know they shouldn’t be driving right on the back bumper of your trailer, and equally, we all know that people do. I don’t tap the exhaust brake when one of these people is on the back bumper because I can do without the hassle of having to disentangle my trailer from the front of his cab. You may well be one of those drivers who delights in teaching tailgaters a lesson, but that’s not what most of us are out on the road for. If I have to slow to get my braking distance back then I will - as someone else said, you can control the distance in front of you - but I prefer not to surprise the idiot tailgating me when I do so. Does that make anything clearer, or would you prefer me not to use long words?
I got what you were saying in the first place and agree with what your saying. I’m not scared off someone rear ending me but could do without the hassle off it. I think that’s pretty much what you were trying to say .
ROG:
The new laws allow cops to give a FPN for inconsiderate driving etc so if they see two trucks side by side for a long time then they can issue a FPN to the one being overtaken if that truck is the only reason the one overtaking cannot progress and return to the left allowing those behind to use that lane
As for being tailgated - if unable to safely get out of the way then leave more room in front to control both your own vehicle and the one behind - a driver cannot control space behind but they can control speed and space in front so take control of what is possible to do so
Good advice Rog but I would add… a driver CAN control the traffic behind by simply being the lead vehicle, it can be achieved by altering position/speed/distance from the vehicle/s in front (as you point out). An example might be to increase following distance giving you more time to slow down or stop. The more space and time you give yourself, the more space and time you give following vehicles to slow/stop behind and hopefully prevent a rear end shunt. We all know most drivers don’t look further than the vehicle in front and react to that vehicle/s brake lights, as sure as day follows night most LGV drivers drive way too close.
weeto:
I don’t think I did misunderstand what you put, there is nothing wrong with backing off to let the tailgater pass you. I have a cure for tailgaters, and it confuses them enough to make them see sense and back off!
Fair enough, I don’t like being tailgated myself. On the other hand, we’re not on the road to teach other drivers a lesson: whatever the rights and wrongs of any given situation, a good driver will not do anything which makes an incident more likely. I will certainly back off to let a tailgater past me, but usually only once he’s pulled out.
I certainly am not saying I would do anything that is a danger to other road users, or blantantly do anything to hinder there progress, like slowing down or flashing the brake lights, it’s very easy to do by maintaining a constant speed and they don’t even know what is going on, but they soon back off! I’m not doing anything to try and educate other road users, they actually do it them selves.
Some drivers don’t even know they are tailgating, just because they can’t see any further than their nose!
Oh but it’s ok for the po-lice to let car drivers pretty much do wtf they want ie cause crashes, lane hog etc…complete tossers in my opinion, should be out catching burglars, rapists & murderers or something, instead of trying to penalise us for such trivial zb…!!!
What will generally happen is some foreign truck will bomb past me doing well over 100km/h down the hills, then crawl up the next hill at 40km/h, just as the “7.5t limit in second lane” bit starts. So, you’re stuck behind him at a crawl, then at the top, instead of accelerating on the flat, he keeps going at 40km/h, then when you’ve finally decided enough is enough, and pull out around him, you get level - and the bugger then decides to put his foot down. FFS!
It feels like “Take the ■■■■ out of the daft brits, who’s taxes we don’t pay in the slightest whilst shagging up all their roads, nerves, and tempers alike.”
What will generally happen is some foreign truck will bomb past me doing well over 100km/h down the hills, then crawl up the next hill at 40km/h, just as the “7.5t limit in second lane” bit starts. So, you’re stuck behind him at a crawl, then at the top, instead of accelerating on the flat, he keeps going at 40km/h, then when you’ve finally decided enough is enough, and pull out around him, you get level - and the bugger then decides to put his foot down. FFS!
It feels like “Take the ■■■■ out of the daft brits, who’s taxes we don’t pay in the slightest whilst shagging up all their roads, nerves, and tempers alike.”
There are probably a number of seperate issues.One is that modern trucks have the conflicting combination of stupidly high gearing for an overall low speed limit based on the erroneous premise that it saves fuel.Another is the problem of speed limiters not allowing the ability to create decent speed differentials when overtaking anything on the flat.The answer from the authorities just seeming to be for the vehicle being overtaken to back off even more from an already obviously ridiculously low speed thereby backing up the traffic in lane 1 of a motorway thereby making it a liability and a no go area for anything running above around 45-50 mph.
Backing off to let things past works well in the dead of night when there’s sod - all traffic; it doesn’t work quite so well in the daytime. All that tends to happen is you find yourself slowing down to let one truck past, then while you’re doing that another one pulls out to overtake, so you continue going slowly to let him past. And so on and so on …
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