Who was wrong

[paul_midway]

Overtaking on a hill that flatten’s out and come’s to single carriageway …
On a dual carriageway that does the above i was overtaking a laden truck and i was part loaded in a 460 globetrotter he was in a 410 laden MAN …
I got way past him but not enough and the lane sign’s for get back in were looming …
I had at least a third of the trailer left to clear him , but on the flat he got a kick up the arse and proceeded to HOLD me out
The lane was running out and i was abit in no man’s land …
I kind of moved over to get rid of him ( either that or go head on collision )
and he flashed his light’s and gave the air horn’s a blast at me …
As far as i can see it i did nothing wrong i was overtaking a slower truck but he gained speed as we levelled out and matched me and went buck wild for me as he gained speed on the flat and matched me …
It was either force the lane or go for a head on collision …
Yes speed’s were on the limiter on a dual that came a singular …

I was too far gone to back off , myself backing off would have been nasty …

I think he was wrong for holding me out even though i was wapping past him on the hill , maybe he didnt like being overtook …
Either way i do think the highway code does say don’t impede an overtaking vehicle or obstruct it …

I do expect the usual angel stuff that come’s from here …
But all the same i think he was in the wrong …I,d nearly cleared him but he accelerated and held me out , to what point does that prove ?
Does my truck have a bigger tadger than your’s ■■?

[flying_fenman]

I’d have eased off and let you in, Paul.

You were obviously a bit quicker to have caught him.

BUT…!

If I’d have been you, I doubt that I’d have bothered trying to overtake in the first place IF I knew the road was going down to single carriageway.

If I didn’t know the road, I’d have eased off as soon as I saw my lane was about to end - I’d look a bigger prat if I’d had a head on collision!

Still, wouldn’t affect me anyway - my FM12 420 g/t will only do 53mph

[jacqueline]

Road rage on his part innit. Would have eased off. Giving me not a problem.

[rick_b]

6 of one and half a dozen of the other

[rikki-uk]

As far as i can see it i did nothing wrong i was overtaking

This has happened to me no end of times… and I agree it is annoying…
BUT (there is always a but isnt there )

Legally the vehicle being overtaken has no responsibilty towards making sure you can complete the manouvere. You should only overtake when you can safely do so and are sure that you can complete the manouvere.

Professional Courtesy says he should have backed of and let you pass, but nothing says he HAS to

[tankie]

From what I can remember from the Highway Code, I’m sure it says you are not allowed to speed up whilst being overtaken.

If that’s the case, then he was in the wrong. He should have maintained his speed at let you pull in.

He was just being a prat in my opinion.

I generally ease of slightly when being overtaken. It just allows for speedier overtaking and less hassle for other road users, and doesn’t delay the inevitable.

[tankie]

Just found it in the Highway Code:

144: Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

[coffeeholic]

From the horses mouth.

Highway Code

144: Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

It seems this driver was the horses ■■■.

[coffeeholic]

Snap Tankie.

[rikki-uk]

Tankie:
Just found it in the Highway Code:

144: Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

from the same section140: Large vehicles. Overtaking these is more difficult. You should

drop back to increase your ability to see ahead. Getting too close to large vehicles will obscure your view of the road ahead and there may be another slow moving vehicle in front

make sure that you have enough room to complete your overtaking manoeuvre before committing yourself. It takes longer to pass a large vehicle. If in doubt do not overtake

not assume you can follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking a long vehicle. If a problem develops, they may abort overtaking and pull back in.

Notice that there on both of these quotes is NO refernce to Road Traffic Acts… that is to say that the ADVICE being given is not specifically laid down in law

[rikki-uk]

03 March 2005 | Camera Brought Dangerous Driver to Justice
A VAN driver who was filmed by a mobile safety camera illegally overtaking a line of vehicles on the brow of a hill has been banned from the roads for 12 months.

Harry Rutter almost caused a head-on collision after crossing a single solid white line and overtaking two cars and a lorry on the A57 in Ladybower, on March 9, 2004.

The 50-year-old was found guilty of dangerous driving last October, but his driving ban was suspended after he announced that he would appeal against the conviction.

But Rutter’s appeal was overturned on Friday (February 26, 2005) at Derby Crown Court when Recorder Anthony Hughes said his driving had “fallen far below the standard expected from a careful and competent driver.”

The court heard the entire manoeuvre was captured on film by PC Nigel Brockett, from Derbyshire Safety Partnership, who was monitoring vehicle speed in a mobile safety camera vehicle.

The film, which was played in court, showed Rutter pulling in front of the line of vehicles and returning to the correct side of the road just seconds before an oncoming BMW emerged over the hill.

Rutter, an appliance repairer, who was driving a company van, told the court he had not intended to overtake so many vehicles.

He said: “The vehicles I was overtaking suddenly moved closer together and filled up a gap giving me no choice but to keep going. I got to the point of no return - I got it wrong, I misjudged it.”

David Fish, defending Rutter, said he had been driving for more than 30 years and had almost clocked up 1,000,000 miles while working for his company.

He urged the court to convict Rutter of careless driving rather than dangerous driving, claiming that he had only crossed the white line for a few seconds and that he had attempted to pull in sooner.

Passing sentence, Recorder Hughes told Rutter: “Your driving fell far below that that would be expected of a careful and competent driver and you know that what you did was dangerous.”
Rutter, a father-of-one, of The Hays, Reddish Vale, Stockport, was disqualified from driving for 12 months, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £317 in costs.

After the case, PC Brockett from Derbyshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: “We are pleased with the outcome of the court proceedings.

“People think that we are only on the lookout for speeding motorists but this proves that this is not the case.

“We call our cameras ‘safety cameras’ and that’s exactly what they are — tools that help to make our roads a safer place.”

http://www.slowitdown.co.uk/news.asp?p=2&id=69

The driver overtaking was done

the vehicles he was overtaking adjusted their position keeping him out … (like the HGV in the original post) instead of backing off he kept going and got nicked

The fact that the vehicles he was overtaking had put him in an awkward situation was no defence… he shouldnt Legally have overtaken unless he was SURE it was safe to do so…

Not saying I agree with the law as it stands… just relaying the facts

If you make an overtaking manouvere and it goes wrong, it is you that gets done

[wheel_nut]

I get real zb off at trucks overtaking just before a hazard, a blind summit, a roundabout. etc they get 3 parts past and then try to force their way back in, slowing me down.

Its a case of reading the road ahead

[gazzareth]

To my mind the other driver was acting like a moron, unfortunately it is something you see every day. Bugs the hell out of me when you get those idiots that don’t think about their load before overtaking OR let their load push them down a hill when they are being overtaken.

G

[kitkat]

Before overtaking you should make sure

the road is sufficiently clear ahead
the vehicle behind is not beginning to overtake you
there is a suitable gap in front of the vehicle you plan to overtake.

143: DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example

approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road
where the road narrows
when approaching a school crossing patrol
between the kerb and a bus or tram when it is at a stop
where traffic is queuing at junctions or road works
when you would force another vehicle to swerve or slow down
at a level crossing
when a vehicle is indicating right, even if you believe the signal should have been cancelled. Do not take a risk; wait for the signal to be cancelled.

Still think the guy you where overtaking was a prat,a good driver would have slowed down a bit to let you in.

[paul_b]

no mention of speeds in the original post, dual cariage way 50 max, single 40 max so if the bloke being overtaken was upto or near the speed limit then you shouldn’t have been trying to over take in the first place, on the otherhand if he was only doing thirty he could’ve just maintained that speed for a little longer so you could get past. or you could look at it, that if you were coming into a 40 limit, why did you want to overtake in the first place?

[muckles]

If you could have made it past him without him increasing speed then you were in the right, but if you expected him to back off then you were in the wrong.

The problem is there are to many hot headed muppets out there who have more Testosterone than Brain Cells.
They really annoy me, what’s the big deal I’ve caught you up and past you or you’ve caught me and I ought to give you the room to get out of the way. Why try and cause an accident, it going to ruin all our days plus anybody who happens to get in the way. We are all trying to do a job out there as long as you get to your destination safely what does it matter who comes past you.

[robinhood_1984]

Along simlar lines, my dad has just told me…A few years ago he was driving along a motorway, can’t remember which one but he was stuck behind a car doing 50mph, he indicated to overtake and a police car in lane two flashed him out, he moved out and got neck and neck with the car, when the car speeded up. The police car witnessed the whole thing, my dad moved back over into lane one, the police car overtook, went after the car, put his lights on and pulled him onto the hard shoulder. One example of the police actually doing something good.

[flatbedman]

all ill say on this is, if i was struggling up a hill fully laden i wouldnt want to start backing off at the top to let someone else in, personally i think you left it a bit late to overtake & it would of shown your proffesionalism if you had backed down & pulled in behind him.

paul

[coffeeholic]

robinhood_1984:
Along simlar lines, my dad has just told me…A few years ago he was driving along a motorway, can’t remember which one but he was stuck behind a car doing 50mph, he indicated to overtake and a police car in lane two flashed him out, he moved out and got neck and neck with the car, when the car speeded up. The police car witnessed the whole thing, my dad moved back over into lane one, the police car overtook, went after the car, put his lights on and pulled him onto the hard shoulder. One example of the police actually doing something good.

I posted a similar experience on the old forums when the same thing happened to me on the M25 one Sunday afternoon while I was heading for Dover. A car performed in the same way as your dad described, but did it twice after I pulled back in to the left after the first time he did it. Police car came past me with the copper in the passenger seat making gestures to indicate the car driver was an idiot, they then pulled him.

[steve_24v]

flatbedman:
all ill say on this is, if i was struggling up a hill fully laden i wouldnt want to start backing off at the top to let someone else in, personally i think you left it a bit late to overtake & it would of shown your proffesionalism if you had backed down & pulled in behind him.

paul

And that’s the way I see it…

We often have this debate and all have their angle on it. Most of us run flat out and overtake when circumstances are right, but I wouldn’t expect anyone to ease off when going up hill. So sods law you’re going to get caught out once in a while, though I’d be reluctant to overtake when I know they have the edge on the straight, when it does happen I apologise, ease off and wave them through…

Seems sensible to me but best not get caught out there in the first place