Sounds like a big mistake to me but it’s a good job those coming the other way were paying attention on the OP’s behalf. Would have been a different outcome if they weren’t… 
Tasteless and not required. (Bath incident).
I think the OP’s post would have been good if the final words were: “I was too close due to complacency, and have had a sharp reminder of safe distances!”
widget:
Expecting all kinds of replies, I have thick skin … I work in the real world and not behind a keyboard… i know it is my fault as much as the car drivers and if the worst had happened I would be on a manslaughter charge no doubt!! You cant afford mistakes in our job and i am ashamed of what happened because I let myself downGive me some examples of safe distances for the weight and speed you are doing and give useful feedback for myself and every other lemming on here
Keep the comments rolling…
Give you some examples of safe distances!!! You are meant to be a professional driver and you do not know how to keep a safe distance. You were not even fully loaded thank goodness. You are quite correct though there seems to be plenty lemmings on here and even more on the road…God help us.
Evil8Beezle:
I think the OP’s post would have been good if the final words were: “I was too close due to complacency, and have had a sharp reminder of safe distances!”
If he said he ■■■■■■ up by being too close and not paying attention, narrowly avoiding making the car look like an accordion. I would be fine with that.
Instead, he said he was following at “a reasonable speed with a reasonable gap”. WHILST TRYING TO BLAME THE CAR DRIVER.
eagerbeaver:
I almost had a problem today. Driving along minding my own business listening to Buck’s fizz, when all of a sudden a black Mini overtakes me, then an arm comes out of the window signalling me to stop and then the car hits the brakes!!I was expecting it really. It was the wife with my butties that I’d forgot.
Another one of your efforts at humour I suspect. One day you might actually post something that is funny.
Evil8Beezle:
I think the OP’s post would have been good if the final words were: “I was too close due to complacency, and have had a sharp reminder of safe distances!”
+1
bobdebouwer:
Instead, he said he was following at “a reasonable speed with a reasonable gap”. WHILST TRYING TO BLAME THE CAR DRIVER.
Agreed, everyone makes mistakes. It’s what we learn from them that is important! 
Totally agree that you were too close and maybe not paying enough attention. As for stopping distances, well… I’d have thought that any driver would if he was in a car count to two seconds on a good dry road and increase that accordingly for bad weather. In a lorry, depending on how heavy and how it stops, whether it’s a rigid, lorry and trailer, artic etc, you’d at least double the count, maybe even more. You were by inference on a single lane road, so not much chance of having the gap filled by a numpty overtaking. You need to learn what a reasonable distance is to follow at.
Thanks for the comments chaps… I did F@#k up and i will hang my head in shame… I shall now proceed to the front of the queue driving in Tosco mode
eagerbeaver:
Tasteless and not required. (Bath incident).
Talking of which that incident’s all gone quiet.
albion1971:
eagerbeaver:
I almost had a problem today. Driving along minding my own business listening to Buck’s fizz, when all of a sudden a black Mini overtakes me, then an arm comes out of the window signalling me to stop and then the car hits the brakes!!I was expecting it really. It was the wife with my butties that I’d forgot.
Another one of your efforts at humour I suspect. One day you might actually post something that is funny.
You won’t, I am sure of that.
I once chatted to a girl called Simile. She was boring though.
I don’t know what I metaphor.
Any better…?
widget:
Thanks for the comments chaps… I did F@#k up and i will hang my head in shame… I shall now proceed to the front of the queue driving in Tosco mode
Just think of all the ‘RIP drive’ posts you see on here as a aide memoir. 
Widget you know you screwed up and you know it. So you’re on your first step towards redemption. . Seriously though I think secretly not one of us who’ve been driving for while can honestly that at some time we’ve “got away” with something that could have had catastrophic consequences. The important thing is to learn the lesson and never repeat it. That’s what separates the pro’s from the licence holders.
You’ve learned that you need to be 100% on the ball 100% of the time. I can guarantee that the Corsa would have given out some kind of indication prior to stopping though. I don’t mean the blink blink orange type, I mean that I always watch the body language of other drivers around me, and invariably, with practice you get to spot by their body language (or vehicle positioning) that they’re about to do something out of the ordinary, the trick is to spot that in advance and prepare.
It is mentally draining, but hell, that’s why we get the big bucks! 
LIBERTY_GUY:
widget:
Thanks for the comments chaps… I did F@#k up and i will hang my head in shame… I shall now proceed to the front of the queue driving in Tosco modeJust think of all the ‘RIP drive’ posts you see on here as a aide memoir.
It honestly did shake me up… just thinking of what could have happened… I dont want to be part of any statistics or make someone else one either… big lesson learnt
raymundo:
Always expect the unexpected, and assume everyone else on the road is an idiot.No need to assume as most are …
That’s roughly what I was taught when I was learning to drive back in the mid-90s. Such things as “don’t assume that someone will turn left just because they’re indicating left”.
When learning to drive HGVs, I was told the opposite in some of these situations. I was even told to drive faster along narrow two-lane B-roads in an artic, and told off for pulling in when there was an obstruction on the other side which would have resulted in people pulling over to my side, because it would have inconvenienced the people behind me. Then again, I was never taught to tailgate, but have often found myself doing that when other truckers pulled in too soon after overtaking.
It was good of you to post it mate, that way we can all debate/discuss and ultimately move on. I had a similar incident this week and my first week i might add! But I wasn’t at fault, lorry coming the other way load shifted and fell into my side of the road!
widget:
It honestly did shake me up… just thinking of what could have happened… I dont want to be part of any statistics or make someone else one either… big lesson learnt
Although the thread title should read ‘careless driving’ we have all been in tricky situations which to a lite vehicle will be a non event but to a hgv can have dire repercussions.
To become a good driver one must have lots of these occasions to realise not only their limitations but also that of the vehicle they are in control of.
This is class 1 stuff and as mentioned your environment will always give clues of what may or is about to unfold, eg a car slowing down for no reason is looking for a turning, a car behaving eratically may have a fault or the occupants or having a row.
Women in the passenger seat giving directions will scream “quick turn right here” usually causing an emergency stop situation.
Expect the unexpected and dont drive too close, you dont need to calculate the stopping distance you will one day just know automatically without thinking.
widget:
Thanks for the comments chaps… I did F@#k up and i will hang my head in shame… I shall now proceed to the front of the queue driving in Tosco mode
Nothin Wrong with tesco mode fella it’s a limit not a target which is what everyone seems to forget. We’ve all did the big dance with the arse clenching like the toy grabber in the arcades .
As it’s been said the post title didn’t do you any favours.
Learn and move on which I’m sure you I and many others have done