Had one of those days yesterday, Coming back down the A34 between Oxford and Winchester there were 4, yes 4, occasions when cars tried to pull out of the slip road straight ito the side of me.
Now I had 40ft of bright orange container on the back of me, I was doing about 52mph (speed limiter has been turned down) and on each occasion the cars were trying drive under the trailer as they were no where near the unit end. One of the times a stupid women (that is not a generic remark b4 I get a kicking) looked at me in my mirror then continued pulling out until she saw the trailer then she had to visit the grass verge for a few hundred meters, another guy nearly hit a van on the hard shoulder and the other two just nearly hit me.
I was not driving aggresively, I just could not pull out into lane 2 as it was occupied all 4 times. I have always been under the impression that the vehicle joining the major road had to give way, is that not what the dashed white lines mean on the slip road!
After yesterday I am glad I dont drive full time anymore, these people were just stupid, they should all be shown the damage a truck does to a car. Not only that but why should I have the possibility of their deaths on my consience beacuse of their stupitidy.
I have formed my own opinion about some drivers on certain stretches of roads!
The A34 is terrible for stupid manoevres by truck and car drivers. Other places that always seem to have more stupidity than most are: Stoke on Trent, Middlesboro and Leicester.
I dont know if there is a reason for this, maybe its religion and the blind belief that they have some superior force looking after them
The daft lad in the Iceland actros on the M4 on Friday as well, he was mouthing something about Frogs as I overtook him on a hill then he sat half way down my trailer then passed me on the inside because he wouldnt let me in! I had another truck behind me so If I brake I hold him up too…
Some time ago a truck driver was taken to court after being hit by a car coming down the slip road. It was in slow moving heavy traffic. The witnesses accused him of road rage because he didn’t try to avoid the car, but he couldn’t see the car as it was in his blind spot.
Also many of the witnesses and even the magistrates had to have it explained to them that vehicles on the main carriageway have right of way, not the vehicles joining the road.
The other thing is weekend drivers are a real menace on motorways. Most don’t often drive on motorways and they are most likely not on thier normal route so are more concerned with navigation than avoiding your truck.
muckles:
Some time ago a truck driver was taken to court after being hit by a car coming down the slip road. It was in slow moving heavy traffic. The witnesses accused him of road rage because he didn’t try to avoid the car, but he couldn’t see the car as it was in his blind spot.
Also many of the witnesses and even the magistrates had to have it explained to them that vehicles on the main carriageway have right of way, not the vehicles joining the road.
The other thing is weekend drivers are a real menace on motorways. Most don’t often drive on motorways and they are most likely not on thier normal route so are more concerned with navigation than avoiding your truck.
I remember this as even the police said he should have given way to the traffic on the slip road.
This happened on the M27 but luckily for the driver involved there was another witness - The editor of Commercial Motor he arranged for the head of engineering ( I think) for DAF (the make of truck involved) to be a witness to the fact the lorry has a blind spot at the front nearside as well as some other expert witnesses (I think vehcle engineers etc) to prove the reason the truck hit the car twice was because of it’s momentum and not road rage.
Believe it or not but it is Police Policy to blame a truck driver for not giving way at a slip road if he is on the main carriageway.
A friend of mine who went on a driver improvement course after an accident (and is probably reading this) in his truck was told this in a “scenario” they give you in a class room & apparently you can see for yourself if you get a copy of “the police drivers manual” from HMSO
north surrey haulage:
Believe it or not but it is Police Policy to blame a truck driver for not giving way at a slip road if he is on the main carriageway.
A friend of mine who went on a driver improvement course after an accident (and is probably reading this) in his truck was told this in a “scenario” they give you in a class room & apparently you can see for yourself if you get a copy of “the police drivers manual” from HMSO
Unless they have changed the Roadcraft manual, the only thing I think they would say is that you should be aware of vehicles joining the main carriageway and be prepared to make way for them. This is because the roadcraft manual and advanced driving is about usin
g high levels of observation and aticipation to avoid situations, even if they are caused by the action of other drivers. As professional driver we should also be trying to drive towards those standards.
However the Highway Code states:
Joining the motorway [Section number 233]
When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the
left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should
give priority to traffic already on the motorway
check the traffic on the motorway and adjust your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
not cross solid white lines that separate lanes
stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking.
muckles:
Unless they have changed the Roadcraft manual, the only thing I think they would say is that you should be aware of vehicles joining the main carriageway and be prepared to make way for them. This is because the roadcraft manual and advanced driving is about using high levels of observation and anticipation to avoid situations, even if they are caused by the action of other drivers. As professional driver we should also be trying to drive towards those standards.
All very well and good, but go past any motorway slip-road of a busy intersection when the lights have just changed at the junction and you’ll be faced with a tightly packed line of around 30 vehicles all determined to get out in front of you.
Your theory is good ‘in theory’ but doesn’t work in reality.
There’s only so much ‘anticipating’ you can do : you can ease off as much as you like so that granny in her Pug 106 can join the main carriageway but more times than not you find yourself well under 50mph and still slowing while they dilly-dally about with the indicator on too frightened to pull out in front of you despite repeated flashes.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, if you keep it toed on the limiter and adopt the highway code attitude that it’s their give-way, you find them slowly accelerating up your nearside, on to the hard shoulder and beyond before swinging out in front of you with inches to spare.
I prefer to adopt the latter approach and will take my chances in court should they choose to try to force me out of their way by driving into me.
Rob Your reply shows that you are observing and antiscipating the actions of those joining the main carriageway.
I never said you had to slow down to a crawl to allow them to join. Just be aware that they are joining and be prepared to take avoiding action to avoid an accident, however on a crowded motorway way there may only be a limited ammount of action you can take. I feel the best way is to maintain a constant speed to allow vehicle to merge, but be aware that some drivers are incompetant
A few weeks ago just passing Jct.1 M6 at Rugby car in the middle lane overtaking me just out the corner of my eye I saw this De Ridske or something like that wagon coming down the slip road, I was stuck I had this car at the side of me so couldn’t pull out Checked mirrors & he was flashing his dam lights at me & coming down the hard shoulder . He joined at the back of me then as he was overtaking me he gave the 1 fingered salute at me. Once in front of me he was away until the A14 turn off then he cut up another truck to get in & once on the A14 he was gone what speed he was doing I couldn’t guess only that I never saw him again.
Arfa Job:
A few weeks ago just passing Jct.1 M6 at Rugby car in the middle lane overtaking me just out the corner of my eye I saw this De Ridske or something like that wagon coming down the slip road, I was stuck I had this car at the side of me so couldn’t pull out Checked mirrors & he was flashing his dam lights at me & coming down the hard shoulder . He joined at the back of me then as he was overtaking me he gave the 1 fingered salute at me. Once in front of me he was away until the A14 turn off then he cut up another truck to get in & once on the A14 he was gone what speed he was doing I couldn’t guess only that I never saw him again.
De Rijke. Mostly owner-drivers on traction work. Quite likely arse-chasing and running bent to make a few bob hence the ‘pp’ driving.
muckles:
Unless they have changed the Roadcraft manual, the only thing I think they would say is that you should be aware of vehicles joining the main carriageway and be prepared to make way for them. This is because the roadcraft manual and advanced driving is about usin
g high levels of observation and aticipation to avoid situations, even if they are caused by the action of other drivers. As professional driver we should also be trying to drive towards those standards.
Well the scenario given was this
2 cars are about to enter a 2 lane motorway
On the motorway is an articulated lorry in lane 1 &
a porshe doing 90 mph in lane 2
As th first car is about to merge with the motorway it stops as it hasn’t timed the run properly to merge in front/behind the artic.
the second car now hits the first shunting it into the artic which then hits the porshe.
Now acording to the advance driver/ex police people teaching the course the accident was caused by the truck driver not pulling over in front of the porshe doing 90mph
If I had been on the same course I would have pointed out that if the porsh was level with the truck at the end of the slip road then the truck doing 56mph would not have had time to pull in front of it without causing a seperate accident.Also I would have argued that it was the second car on the slip road who caused the accident as he was going too fast too close to the first car on the slip road and therfore couldn’t stop in time.
They also reckon that every time sombody cuts in front of you then you should brake to give yourself a 4 second gap.
When asked how many times on a journey from Felixstowe to Brum they thought this happend (the cutting in front) the instructors said once maybe twice .When they were told that it would happen about 20 times they didn’t believe it but said “Dropping back by 4 seconds 20 times will mean your journey would only take an extra couple of minutes”
My friend gave up trying to explain I dont think they would have grasped the concept that if you are loaded to 44t and you brake to allow a 4 second gap that it might take a few minutes to build your speed back up again (especially on hilly roads)
Also when braking for any junction you should hold the vehicle in top gear until it is at almost stalling point then change to a gear that will pull you through the junction at the “last minute”
So what if you are coming down a steep hill with a full load how much engine braking would you get at 20mph in top?
The trouble is these people think there is only one opinio and that is theirs anything else is wrong and you have to remember these people have the future of your licence in their hands
Now acording to the advance driver/ex police people teaching the course the accident was caused by the truck driver not pulling over in front of the porshe doing 90mph
Talking out of their bums, fools. Where does it say that in the Highway Code ■■
Should the police have given the scenario with the porsche “speeding”?
In this instance the truck driver was complying with the road traffic act, it was the others not complying that caused the accident.
Arfa Job:
A few weeks ago just passing Jct.1 M6 at Rugby car in the middle lane overtaking me just out the corner of my eye I saw this De Ridske or something like that wagon coming down the slip road, I was stuck I had this car at the side of me so couldn’t pull out Checked mirrors & he was flashing his dam lights at me & coming down the hard shoulder . He joined at the back of me then as he was overtaking me he gave the 1 fingered salute at me. Once in front of me he was away until the A14 turn off then he cut up another truck to get in & once on the A14 he was gone what speed he was doing I couldn’t guess only that I never saw him again.
Sounds like he was an American visiting from Boston. People in Montreal do the same. This sort of cr@p happens here in the states a lot, too, but we don’t have the under-ride bars on the sides of the trailer.
FWIW, the only place on the planet where I can think of where merging traffic has the right-of-way is France. Is this still true??
north surrey haulage:
hold the vehicle in top gear until it is at almost stalling point then change to a gear that will pull you through the junction at the “last minute”
I was also told this… ■■?
I was told by my BSM car instructor many years ago to always come down the box in a car when slowing to reduce brake fade/wear and incase of a brake failure…!!
I ALWAYS come down the box (cuz my car pops and bangs if you do… , and had days of greif from my HGV instructor for doing so… He said it was to make my life easier as I would make fewer changes in a journey his way… !!!
AND… that stupid police senario makes me laugh… (until it happens to me… )
The Porsche was speeding… He should have seen the impending truck manouver and slowed… (when I speed in the car I am ten times more vigulant than when i’m ‘pootling about’ at 70… )
The first car (that gets shunted under you) should be done for ‘undue care and attention’ for not using their mirrors, for slamming the brakes on, for being inept, not giving way, etc, etc… Throw the book at them…
The second car ‘could’ also be done for UC&A as he was obviously too close to car 1… ALTHO… in his defense, he was probably looking in his mirrors spotting the truck, and not expecting car 1 to stop dead at the bottom of a slip road… do you think that everytime… ■■?
You may, or maybe not, be pleased to know that I have had two of the idiots hit me, fortunately in slow moving traffic. They do not do much damage to something weighing around 43 tonnes, or move it across the road.
Both times I got letters from their solicitors telling me that I was at fault. I merely instructed mine to tell them that I would see them in Court, and that my solicitor should inform their solicitor that I was contemplating reporting him/her to the bar council for incompetance, as they obviously did not know the law.
This seemed to work well, as I got paid out in both cases, it just takes so long. I blame this ‘sue for free’ mentality that has arisen because there are too many solicitors sloshing around with nothing to do.
course after an accident (and is probably reading this) in his truck was told this in a “scenario” they give you in a class room & apparently you can see for yourself if you get a copy of “the police drivers manual” from HMSO 
, and had days of greif from my HGV instructor for doing so… He said it was to make my life easier as I would make fewer changes in a journey his way… !!!