Driving standards

[Guest]

Today's drive home was distressing.

Wide fast A road going into the setting sun. There was a cyclist brightly coloured and lit but still a silhouette against the sun.

The road  is wide so I can pass with a whole lane of clearance.

The car behind me doesn't see her.

I'm looking in my mirror and see the car with a wheel in the gutter behind her at 60mph and I think I'm going to watch her die.

Finally the guy sees her and swerves just missing her. Afterwards she tells me she felt the car brush past her.

 

There's a layby down the road so I stop and wait for her to catch up. The car that nearly hit her doesn't.

Everybody's really happy to be alive and a couple of minutes later the other car returns and the driver apologies saying he didn't see here because of the sun and the dust I kicked up driving down the centre of the road.

 

Still happy to be alive everybody goes their separate ways.

 

A couple of minutes later and less shocked it starts to occur to me that maybe he only came back because he thought I'd got his number, and he since he did nearly just kill her I ought to speak to the cyclist some more.

So now she has his number and my contact details if she wants to pursue things further.

Maybe I should run it by the police anyway.

 

 

Anyway, when something like that happens I found it really hard to keep a clear head so if it happens to you do your best to be methodical.

[NGT6 1315]

At the driver training day yesterday, a colleague related a situation where she aboard her tram was overtaken by two cars simultaneously, one on either side – meaning the one who overtook her inside acted illegally – and with both cars almost colliding when they merged in ahead of her.

 

Even with such stories, we were, indeed, told that the incident statistics for 2015 look excellent for us on the tram. There had been three with lethal outcome, but in neither case, the tram drivers involved were at any kind of fault.

[cheesysmith]

This piece about merging can also be about priority at junctions, or commonly misconstrued as who's got the right of way.

 

In Sheffield we have in the city centre fitzalan square. You have 2 lanes up and down the hill, for all traffic, and a separate 2 supertram line along side it. You then have comming from the tram track side 2 lanes, one for straight across and one for turning uphill ( a down hill turn/left turn is a no no due to a pedestrian crossing). From the other side you can only turn left to go uphill. I was with a little lamb the other day (what we call them when fresh from driving school, fresh meat behind the wheel) when he was comming from the square side and turning left. A taxi came to him from the other side and ended up nose to nose with him. The taxi driver was al about to try and bully his way in with this new driver about to avoid him. I them pointed out to him don't you dare move from you intended course. He didn't and the taxi driver stopped at the last min and decided to use some colourful Anglo Saxon phrases. I then pointed out to the new driver that if he had moved to allow the taxi past first, there was a nice setof railings he could have clipped and also the pedestrians at the side of the road. And, this is the important bit, IT WAS HIS RIGHT OF WAY. I pointed out that from his side you are just merging with a lane of traffic, but from the other side you are crossing 2 tram tracks, a lane of traffic, and merging. When I pointed out the highway code can be considered a form of risk assessment, with the least risk manoeuvre having priority and the more higher risk manoeuvre should always be ready to stop and give way.

 

From this he got some valuable lessons.

1. Always take the least risk manoeuvre.

2. Dodging around in busses is bad, stick to your intended line so as to avoid unwanted accidents.

3. Alway be prepared to stop. If you are stationary you are at the least risk of a accident possible.

4. The highway code is a risk assesement document. The least risk manoeuvre has the right of way and you should be prepared to stop and give way.

5. Taxis in Sheffield are driven by psychopaths with a driving licence from a corn flakes packet.

6. Assume everyone else on the road is a idiot.

7. Stay calm behind the wheel. Do not allow other road uses to wind you up.

8. A 12 ton Volvo is the perfect tool to refuse to be intimidated by idiots.

9. When someone has a go at you, don't respond. Just smile and agree with them, it winds them up more (you are right sir, my father and mother didn't know each other. Now can you move your 1 ton car so my 12 ton bus can get past or none of us will be going anywhere).

10. The words bus stop in the taxi highway code mean "nice parking bay".

[MJI]

Today's drive home was distressing.

Wide fast A road going into the setting sun. There was a cyclist brightly coloured and lit but still a silhouette against the sun.

The road  is wide so I can pass with a whole lane of clearance.

The car behind me doesn't see her.

I'm looking in my mirror and see the car with a wheel in the gutter behind her at 60mph and I think I'm going to watch her die.

Finally the guy sees her and swerves just missing her. Afterwards she tells me she felt the car brush past her.

 

There's a layby down the road so I stop and wait for her to catch up. The car that nearly hit her doesn't.

Everybody's really happy to be alive and a couple of minutes later the other car returns and the driver apologies saying he didn't see here because of the sun and the dust I kicked up driving down the centre of the road.

 

Still happy to be alive everybody goes their separate ways.

 

A couple of minutes later and less shocked it starts to occur to me that maybe he only came back because he thought I'd got his number, and he since he did nearly just kill her I ought to speak to the cyclist some more.

So now she has his number and my contact details if she wants to pursue things further.

Maybe I should run it by the police anyway.

 

 

Anyway, when something like that happens I found it really hard to keep a clear head so if it happens to you do your best to be methodical.

 

That sounds scarey.

 

I hope everyone is now OK.

 

Quite possible the car behind you the driver was in shock.

 

You did signal?, If you did that should be a good warning something is ahead.

[Guest]

You did signal?, If you did that should be a good warning something is ahead.

Yep. And moved wide and early so following traffic would have a clear view.

 

This morning I ordered a front & rear HD dash cam which I'd been thinking about for a while. Wish I'd done it sooner now.

[HeeleyBridge]

My youngest lad has the pleasure of driving a bus around the quiet, well laid out and maintained streets of Sheffield. The usual excuses for c**kwombles running into said 30 odd foot long 15 foot high vehicle are "sorry mate I didn't see you" or "you came out of nowhere". The last one to hit him was another bus ...

[PhilJ W]

Another one to add to Cheeseysmiths list, assume that most other drivers are registered blind as they must be the number of times I've heard of people not seeing a large or brightly coloured vehicle. Many years ago Essex police pulled a car that was creeping through roadworks at 10 mph causing a tailback, when they asked the driver why he was going so slow he produced the documents showing he was registered blind.  

[Reorte]

My youngest lad has the pleasure of driving a bus around the quiet, well laid out and maintained streets of Sheffield. The usual excuses for c**kwombles running into said 30 odd foot long 15 foot high vehicle are "sorry mate I didn't see you" or "you came out of nowhere". The last one to hit him was another bus ...

I used to think that people grumbled far too much about badly maintained streets. Sure, there are potholes around and a lot more just plain worn and slightly bumpy road, but it's not really that much of an issue, I don't expect billiard-table smooth roads. Then I went to Sheffield.

[4630]

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Edited November 14, 2016 by 4630

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

You can persuade the local authority to pay for the vehicle damage relatively easily in my experience, using photographs and any 'history' from sites like Streetview. Show the evidence of persistent failure to maintain the road surface in an adequate condition. Had refunds from Devon and West Yorkshire on this basis, both paid in full without putting up any fight to speak of. I got the impression that both authorities were very happy not to be dealing with an insurance company...

[newbryford]

You can persuade the local authority to pay for the vehicle damage relatively easily in my experience, using photographs and any 'history' from sites like Streetview. Show the evidence of persistent failure to maintain the road surface in an adequate condition. Had refunds from Devon and West Yorkshire on this basis, both paid in full without putting up any fight to speak of. I got the impression that both authorities were very happy not to be dealing with an insurance company...

 

Blackburn with Darwen pass everything onto their insurers.

 

Hit one pothole a few years ago and reported it as I had visible damage to my wheel. I went back to photograph said hole about two hours later after getting my car checked out and the b*ggers had repaired it.

They then tried to deny all knowledge of it! It soon ended up in the council's insurers hands. Then the next delaying tactic was to claim that it wasn't their hole, but from water utility works. The utility company used the same insurers...........

It took about 6 months to sort out.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Horsetan]

Some authorities such as Camden and Brent are "anti-car", and tend not to bother maintaining the roads under their control.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Some authorities such as Camden and Brent are "anti-car", and tend not to bother maintaining the roads under their control.

Tameside do that as a method of traffic calming without having to do any paperwork or roadworks. Unfortunately they came unstuck a few years ago when a motor cyclist died after hitting a pothole.

[peanuts]

Tameside do that as a method of traffic calming without having to do any paperwork or roadworks. Unfortunately they came unstuck a few years ago when a motor cyclist died after hitting a pothole.

ah you too have tried the shortcut from Huddersfield road to mossley road along Grove road appalling condition .think they need to just have done with it and remove all the Tarmac and just leave the cobbles

[TheSignalEngineer]

ah you too have tried the shortcut from Huddersfield road to mossley road along Grove road appalling condition .think they need to just have done with it and remove all the Tarmac and just leave the cobbles

Last time I did that one was on a full suspension mountain bike, similarly Woolley Mill Lane between Hollingworth and Tintwistle. The accident IIRC was in Mottram a few years ago

[JDW]

On the subject of potholes, I was talking to my mum the other day, she mentioned her car tax was due for renewal - all £20 of it - and then commented that a nearby street had been resurfaced but not ours.  I am working on a theory that its people like her who drive tiny cars with tiny amounts of road tax that are responsible for lack of maintenance of roads, and that if everyone paid £205 like me, the councils could spend more on fixing potholes... 

 

Going back to the comments at the start of this page, it is very distressing to witness an accident or close call like that, and that's very sound advice from 30801 about trying to be calm and methodical, its not easy to think straight sometimes, when the adrenalin is flowing.  I'd add to that "Don't put yourself in danger" - ensure your own safety before you help or intervene, for example by parking in a position to block other traffic, or to illuminate the scene with your lights at night.  (It makes you very popular with other road users when you park a bus across two lanes in rush hour... It makes you even more popular with the motorcyclist also laying across those two lanes in front of you though!)

[johnd]

Tameside do that as a method of traffic calming without having to do any paperwork or roadworks. Unfortunately they came unstuck a few years ago when a motor cyclist died after hitting a pothole.

Shameside  you mean.

[CUTLER2579]

You can persuade the local authority to pay for the vehicle damage relatively easily in my experience, using photographs and any 'history' from sites like Streetview. Show the evidence of persistent failure to maintain the road surface in an adequate condition. Had refunds from Devon and West Yorkshire on this basis, both paid in full without putting up any fight to speak of. I got the impression that both authorities were very happy not to be dealing with an insurance company...

 

Just tried claiming from Lincolnshire C.C. for a new Alloy & Tyre apparently the pothole was not deep enough to be the cause of a 50 mm dent on the inside rim of the wheel and a blown out tyre. I therefore wonder what must have caused it as my car has tyre pressure monitoring and went from full pressure of 33PSI to flat instantly.

More chance of getting blood out of a stone. One very unhappy law abiding Council Tax payer more commonly known these days as a MUG.

[PhilJ W]

Since 2010 the government funding for road repairs has been cut by over 50%.

[MikeHemmings]

That have found 7m to install traffic light on a rounderbout on the A43.

 

Mike

[62613]

ah you too have tried the shortcut from Huddersfield road to mossley road along Grove road appalling condition .think they need to just have done with it and remove all the Tarmac and just leave the cobbles

You realise that up until the 2015 budget, that Tameside MBC had lost 40% of their central government grant, and are concentrating the remaining pot on statutory services, e.g social services (much needed in the borough) and education. Of course, their budget for this year has been cut yet again, so don't expect things to improve.

[trisonic]

Just tried claiming from Lincolnshire C.C. for a new Alloy & Tyre apparently the pothole was not deep enough to be the cause of a 50 mm dent on the inside rim of the wheel and a blown out tyre. I therefore wonder what must have caused it as my car has tyre pressure monitoring and went from full pressure of 33PSI to flat instantly.

More chance of getting blood out of a stone. One very unhappy law abiding Council Tax payer more commonly known these days as a MUG.

 

My Wife had a similar problem over here with her Audi. It turned out that a whole slew of problems the same day were caused by a short length of angle iron dropped onto the road. Very convenient. A colleague of hers blew two tires and wrecked the rims on one side of a Beemer on the same stretch of road

 

Best, Pete..

[CUTLER2579]

You realise that up until the 2015 budget, that Tameside MBC had lost 40% of their central government grant, and are concentrating the remaining pot on statutory services, e.g social services (much needed in the borough) and education. Of course, their budget for this year has been cut yet again, so don't expect things to improve.

  

Now come on   " 62613"  How can that be classed as unreasonable of Dave (were all in this together) Cameron  and his sidekick George (haircut) Osborne.

Its not easy finding  0.7% of the money for Foreign Aid when he has to try and please the likes of you,whilst supporting the likes of Senile Old Gits like me, Great Northern, That Bloody Duck 60022) , Tony Wright and many others with their benefits each week in the way of Old Age Pension.

 

Funny I thought that was why I paid National Insurance & graduated Pension contributions from 1965 until I retired.

 

Benefits indeed.

 

Perhaps that's like paying tax in Panama.  

 

Regards,  MUG.

[Baby Deltic]

Just tried claiming from Lincolnshire C.C. for a new Alloy & Tyre apparently the pothole was not deep enough to be the cause of a 50 mm dent on the inside rim of the wheel and a blown out tyre. I therefore wonder what must have caused it as my car has tyre pressure monitoring and went from full pressure of 33PSI to flat instantly.

More chance of getting blood out of a stone. One very unhappy law abiding Council Tax payer more commonly known these days as a MUG.

Maybe old W*nksey needs to pay Lincolnshire a visit and highlight some of the potholes for the Council's benefit. Funnily enough he seems to have a high success rate when it comes to the potholes being hastily repaired after he's marked them.

[Baby Deltic]

Now come on   " 62613"  How can that be classed as unreasonable of Dave (were all in this together) Cameron  and his sidekick George (haircut) Osborne.

Its not easy finding  0.7% of the money for Foreign Aid when he has to try and please the likes of you,whilst supporting the likes of Senile Old Gits like me, Great Northern, That Bloody Duck 60022) , Tony Wright and many others with their benefits each week in the way of Old Age Pension.

 

Funny I thought that was why I paid National Insurance & graduated Pension contributions from 1965 until I retired.

 

Benefits indeed.

 

Perhaps that's like paying tax in Panama.  

 

Regards,  MUG.

Not to mention the millions pumped into the EU on a daily basis.