Driving standards

[ejstubbs]

Oh, and they might not have tax or insurance either

 

DVLA says the vehicle is taxed and has MoT: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

 

The site that Jonboy linked in post #5542 can tell you whether or not the vehicle is insured.

 

One thing that won't help is the fact that this happened within the Metropolitan Police's purview. Things like this are very low priority for them.

 

Report it anyway.  Even if they end up doing nothing about it, it adds to the statistics.

 

I see the "I'd report it to the police but I can't be bothered because they never do anything" response all too often on another site I frequent.  It really depresses me.  The one thing that is 100% guaranteed to ensure that the police will do nothing about an incident is not reporting it.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Have you reported it to your insurers?  They should be much better placed to pursue the miscreant.  (And if they bump your premiums at next renewal, just go elsewhere.)

Edited June 27, 2018 by ejstubbs

[Nick C]

I narrowly avoided a very nasty one yesterday - a woman in a black 4x4 pulled out on me, from a stop, on a dual carriageway - given that I was doing nearly 60 at the time, with another car passing me in lane two, I had to do an emergency stop to avoid going into the back of her. 

 

Unfortunately I was in my Triumph 1500 - which is 45 years old, doesn't have ABS etc, and doesn't currently have a dashcam, so I don't have any evidence... 

[ejstubbs]

Not so much driving standards as choice of 'cherished' registration number standards: last weekend I saw a blue Volvo carrying the registration 61GOT.  Could have been a personal plate for someone whose initials are GOT and who recently reached the age of 61, or maybe some kind of celebration of acquisitiveness.   However, the font used made the 6 look very much like a lower case letter b.  I prefer to think that the possibility of mis-reading the plate was not intended by the car's owner, but I can't help wondering - in a horrified sort of way - whether some misguided soul might regarda it as some kind of badge of pride to announce to the world that they are "a person who is intolerant towards those holding different opinions".

 

Whatever next -   P43DO?  N0NCE?  (At least that latter word has another, much less objectionable, meaning.)

[Horsetan]

Not so much driving standards as choice of 'cherished' registration number standards: last weekend I saw a blue Volvo carrying the registration 61GOT.  Could have been a personal plate for someone whose initials are GOT and who recently reached the age of 61, or maybe some kind of celebration of acquisitiveness....

...or possibly a chef who likes cooking sheep.

[ejstubbs]

...or possibly a chef who likes cooking sheep.

 

 

Ah, good spot!

[Baby Deltic]

I narrowly avoided a very nasty one yesterday - a woman in a black 4x4 pulled out on me, from a stop, on a dual carriageway - given that I was doing nearly 60 at the time, with another car passing me in lane two, I had to do an emergency stop to avoid going into the back of her. 

 

Unfortunately I was in my Triumph 1500 - which is 45 years old, doesn't have ABS etc, and doesn't currently have a dashcam, so I don't have any evidence...

 

It might not have ABS, but I'll bet it has a pipe rack.

[spikey]

Having nearly been run into just now by a deadhead reversing out of a driveway onto the main road, I hereby give notice that when I come to power, it will be illegal to carry out that manoeuvre unless there are certain extenuating circumstances, which will not include simply being incapable of reversing into it.

[PhilJ W]

Having nearly been run into just now by a deadhead reversing out of a driveway onto the main road, I hereby give notice that when I come to power, it will be illegal to carry out that manoeuvre unless there are certain extenuating circumstances, which will not include simply being incapable of reversing into it.

Even worse when its a van, they can't see anything coming from the left.

[peanuts]

Having nearly been run into just now by a deadhead reversing out of a driveway onto the main road, I hereby give notice that when I come to power, it will be illegal to carry out that manoeuvre unless there are certain extenuating circumstances, which will not include simply being incapable of reversing into it.

it already is illegal to reverse out onto a main road with out the assistance of a "banksman " .witnessed it happen on broadway chadderton resulting in the death of police motorcycle rider not a nice thing to deal with during my first driving lesson 

[Happy Hippo]

Having nearly been run into just now by a deadhead reversing out of a driveway onto the main road, I hereby give notice that when I come to power, it will be illegal to carry out that manoeuvre unless there are certain extenuating circumstances, which will not include simply being incapable of reversing into it.

If you go through the small print of the various UK road and traffic regulations, reversing from a side road into a main road is not permitted.

 

In the past this also has been, and still does apply to reversing from a driveway into the street. (HC 201 to save you looking it up).

 

It is the reason that reversing around a corner on the driving test was always from a major to a minor road.  If you took your test in a van, then the reverse was a right reverse from the opposite side of the carriageway, so you could have a reasonable field of observation. 

 

 

However, like a lot of the more arcane rules and regulations, like going to sidelights when stationary, they seem to have become permissible and are not enforced by the police.

[Reorte]

The problem with reversing in is that you'll inevitably have the car behind you coming to a stop right behind you. If you're reversing out it's obvious what's going on and people will give space.

[PhilJ W]

The problem with reversing in is that you'll inevitably have the car behind you coming to a stop right behind you. If you're reversing out it's obvious what's going on and people will give space.

Don't you have reversing lights on your car?

[Enterprisingwestern]

Until people run themselves or their children over when reversing out of a drive, as has happened on more than a few occasions, nobody thinks it's a big problem.

 

Mike.

[62613]

Don't you have reversing lights on your car?

Yes, but I've lost count of the number of times when I've stopped to reverse into a parking space, only to have the car following stop immediately behind me before I've had a chance to get into reverse. The driver behind quite often seems to be driving a Chelsea Tractor-type vehicle.

[PaulCheffus]

However, like a lot of the more arcane rules and regulations, like going to sidelights when stationary, they seem to have become permissible and are not enforced by the police.

Hi

 

Like parking opposite a junction.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[MJI]

The problem with reversing in is that you'll inevitably have the car behind you coming to a stop right behind you. If you're reversing out it's obvious what's going on and people will give space.

 

 

i ALWAYS reverse into spots except when I want the engine end at the garage for a service, or if I want anything right hand side easy to get at (like when I repaired my active suspension).

 

As to parking spaces, I signal stoo and reverse. If another car gets in way tough, you can see my manouver, don't get in way.

[chris p bacon]

Yes, but I've lost count of the number of times when I've stopped to reverse into a parking space, only to have the car following stop immediately behind me before I've had a chance to get into reverse. The driver behind quite often seems to be driving a Chelsea Tractor-type vehicle.

 

Same here, It's usually when towing the digger & trailer, it's a twin wheel and while easy to reverse and manoeuvre needs a fair bit of space to initially line up. I usually pull over at the side of the road and wait for traffic to pass then put the hazards on and pull into the centre of the road and reverse back. I had once a car come up on me at a fair rate of speed (it's a 30 limit) and proceed to use his horn as I moved backwards.  As he continued with the horn I pulled forward across the road and got out and asked him what he was trying to alert me to.  He just sat looking sheepish with the windows up, so I got back in and continued to reverse and as soon as there was space in front of me he tried to go around on the wrong side of the road, trouble was he encountered another vehicle who had been patiently waiting and who would not give way so he ended up reversing backwards but got into a right state and ended up on the path on the wrong side of the road.

 

I find that 99.9999% of drivers are patient when I reverse the truck & digger, but there is an occasional one who gets very up tight about being made to wait a few seconds, and no they're not BMW/Audi/4x4 drivers but any old make of car.

Edited July 13, 2018 by chris p bacon

[stewartingram]

The problem with reversing in is that you'll inevitably have the car behind you coming to a stop right behind you. If you're reversing out it's obvious what's going on and people will give space.

 

If you signal correctly no real problem. If he gets too close then he has to reverse - you have reversing lights. I NEVER go in forwards in a drive or parking space or bay. Years of working (as a Civil Servant) close to the Police taught me the right way.

 

Stewart

Edited July 14, 2018 by stewartingram

[Enterprisingwestern]

If you signal correctly no real problem. If he gets too close then he has to reverse - you have reversing lights. I NEVER go in forwards in a drive or parking space or bay. Years of working (as a Civil Servant close to the Police taught me the right way.

 

Stewart

 

Crispy sausage and I are probably of the same mindset having spent years driving vans etc with minimal rearward vision when reversing, always go for the easy life on the way out, and generally speaking, the unloading is a lot easier if you've reversed up the drive and got the back end of the van up to the front door.

 

Mike.

[Horsetan]

….I find that 99.9999% of drivers are patient when I reverse the truck & digger, but there is an occasional one who gets very up tight about being made to wait a few seconds....

 

Ah.....you may not have frequented my Orthodox religious part of the world, where the people carrier and 4x4 are king. I've seen one mother at the wheel of a Toyota Previa who refused to reverse for a lorry coming the other way; after an initial stalemate, in the end the lorry driver gave up and reversed, even though the Previa driver had no cars behind her and could easily have given ground herself.

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Horsetan

[chris p bacon]

In this part of the world replace 'Frum' with Traveller/Gypsy/Pikey, they do what they like and park where they like with impunity.

[Guest]

Ah.....you may not have frequented my Orthodox religious part of the world, where the people carrier and 4x4 are king. I've seen one mother at the wheel of a Toyota Previa who refused to reverse for a lorry coming the other way; after an initial stalemate, in the end the lorry driver gave up and reversed, even though the Previa driver had no cars behind her and could easily have given ground herself.

 

 

 

[ejstubbs]

In the past this also has been, and still does apply to reversing from a driveway into the street. (HC 201 to save you looking it up).

 

...

 

However, like a lot of the more arcane rules and regulations, like going to sidelights when stationary, they seem to have become permissible and are not enforced by the police.

 

Rule 201 says "Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can."  Nowhere does it say "You MUST..." or "You MUST NOT...".  Absent such wording, failure to comply will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted - see "Wording of the Highway Code" in the Introduction.

[MarkC]

Rule 201 says "Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can."  Nowhere does it say "You MUST..." or "You MUST NOT...".  Absent such wording, failure to comply will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted - see "Wording of the Highway Code" in the Introduction.

Very true, but might well count against you, were you to cause a collision as you were reversing out.

[ejstubbs]

Indeed, but Happy Hippo was complaining about lack of enforcement. The police can't enforce a law which doesn't exist - as the Highway Code clearly states.