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AIBU?

2 'road rage' incidents in 1 day! Am I a crap driver or were they?

77 replies

BubbleGirl01 · 06/02/2015 00:32

This morning, driving along a straight road, road is blocked on my side with parked cars so I am driving on the right at that moment, nothing coming towards me. A car approaches from the side road on the right indicating to turn right into the road where I am currently driving on the side that they would be turning into. I see the woman looking to her right to see that the road is clear, which it is as that is why I am on the side of the road so she turns straight into me. I emergency brake just she turns into me and she clocks me then hooting her horn frantically. We avoid a collision by literally millimetres. In fact I expected for an impact. She then winds her window down and say's it was my fault as I was on 'her' side of the road swearing away.

Later on, I am driving up another straight road approaching a mini roundabout which I want to turn left at. There is a bus in the opposite lane just before the mini roundabout stuck in stationery traffic. Seeing that the bus is waiting to go straight on and will not be turning right in the direction that I am going to go, I turn to my left at the mini roundabout. Suddenly a car jumps out from behind the bus, zooms into their right hand lane and turns right into the direction I am going so I almost collide with it on the mini roundabout. I beep at the woman in the car as I emergency brake. She had DC in the car and so do I and I am bloody furious as she was going very fast. We are actually going to the same place so we park up while she is giving me evils and I tell her she was in the wrong as we pass each other into the building. She insists that she had the right of way as she was turning right at the roundabout and it didn't matter that the bus was in the way. After 5 minutes of her telling me that I need to read the highway code again we agree to disagree!

I am starting to lose my confidence in my driving anyway due to anxiety so was I in the wrong on either of these incidents?

OP posts:

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CitySnicker · 06/02/2015 00:45

First one you were not to blame. Second one sounds like she was going v fast tho you may have been moving off very slowly too, so hard to tell. Don't take it personally, they both just got frights and were running on adrenalin when having a go at you.

caroldecker · 06/02/2015 00:49

First one, you were driving on the wrong side of the road to overtake parked cars - your fault

Second one, if the bus was in a single lane and they overtook, you are right. if they were a dual carriageway, they are right

McKayz · 06/02/2015 00:56

How is the first incident the OPs fault? If there is no where for her to pull in due to parked cars where is she meant to go?

CitySnicker · 06/02/2015 00:59

Maybe she's just meant to wait behind the parked cars forever? Got impression nothing coming at first...other driver didn't look.

GingerLDN · 06/02/2015 01:30

First one not your fault. Second time impossible to tell sounds like just unfortunate timing on both sides.

Topseyt · 06/02/2015 02:07

First incident I would say wasn't your fault if the oncoming car was not in sight and the lane was clear when you first pulled out. Might be hard to prove though I guess, as strictly speaking you had been forced into a lane where you didn't legally have automatic right of way.

Second incident - impossible to say as I find it much harder to picture accurately.

vinegarandbrownpaper · 06/02/2015 02:43

Nope!
First one, you were fine, woman looked one way only and not enough. You were a surprise for her and her adrenaline burst made her react. Perhaps you could have anticipated her likely fuck up more but doesnt sound wrong as such.
second one, I get this shit a lot and had it yesterday. You are on the roundabout, they are approaching the roundabout.. allbeit from a place that would be 'the right if they were on the roundabout so you have right of way. With mini roundabouts some prick will often treat 'driving up to the roundabout fast' as a reason to ignore the fact they are not on the roundabout. I was actually stationary on a roundabout the other day and someone drove up to the roundabout from about four car lengths back and pointed the front of their car at my drivers door and beeped hard pretending they were on the roundabout first. In yours she lost her rag at the bus and sped forward without seeing you properly..again her anger/adreneline at bus translated to shouting at you...people are rubbish!

vinegarandbrownpaper · 06/02/2015 02:46

Also some days do seem more roadragey..weather, full moon, extra traffic, some similar tv prog keeping everyone up late, whatever definitely mean some days everyone seems hassled..

NowABitShapeless · 06/02/2015 03:32

First one not your fault. She turned out of a side road without looking.

NerrSnerr · 06/02/2015 03:39

I think both times you were fine, just an unlucky day.

Carol- what should the OP have done? Never gone past the parked cars¿

laughingmyarseoff · 06/02/2015 07:06

Unlucky day. First one you had right of way, you were already on the road- she wasn't. Second one she shouldn't have gone so fast, in future don't go if something is obstructing your view even if it looks clear because theremay be someone up its arse and hidden.

gamerwidow · 06/02/2015 07:26

Bad luck on your part. I think you weren't at fault in either of these scenarios. First one other driver was coming onto the road from a side road so you had right of way (shocked anyone thinks different). Second one driver was approaching at speed to a round about without looking at who was already on a roundabout so driving without due care and attention (this one a bit subjective based on if you were already on the roundabout when she joined the roundabout)

ChameleonCircuit · 06/02/2015 07:30

I don't think either was your fault. First one should've looked both ways, seen the main road wasn't clear to turn into, and waited. If I've read the second incident correctly, she went on the wrong side of the road to go around a bus who was waiting at the MR unable to cross due to stationary traffic? She should've waited until she could get through safely. What if you hadn't been going left but straight on? She'd have hit you head on.

OverAndAbove · 06/02/2015 07:34

If you are already "in the manoeuvre" ie in the first one, you have right of way. Second one, not so sure. But it probably is best not to follow these things up afterwards, because that's the road rage bit, not the actual incident!

KissingPotion · 06/02/2015 07:56

The first incident wasn't your fault, the other driver should have looked in your direction to see you coming but you should also have been indicating whilst overtaking.

Dunkling · 06/02/2015 07:57

1st, not to blame. Cars approaching are supposed to give way to those already in an overtaking manoeuvre.

2nd, bit of both. Sounds like she was going to fast as a roundabout approach for her to suddenly appear from knowhere, and if you were already on the roundabout again, you give way to vehicles already on the roundabout regardless of your approach. BUT, for you to almost to collide on a mini roundabout, she must have already been on it, no?

Minus2seventy3 · 06/02/2015 08:00

First example, you had committed to a manoeuvre when the road was clear, and established priority (semantics, perhaps, but there is no such thing as "right of way") - you were right, car pulling out of the side road was wrong.

Second example, not as clear. If it's a single lane entry to the mini roundabout, then for the other car to scoot past a bus and "squash" the roundabout (can't see how they'd get past a bus at the give way lines and manage to stay in lane in a mini roundabout?), well that's a dodgy move. I feel most drivers need telling, a mini roundabout is just like a "normal" roundabout - you're supposed to go around them, not over them (it's a "must not" in law, and you'd fail your driving test on it).
Saying that, a bus is 12m long - were you particularly hesitant or slow to be unable to complete your turn before she drove past a 12m obstacle and then across the r/a? Or was she driving an Evo?

caroldecker · 06/02/2015 12:20

Sorry, must disagree on the first one. if you are on the wrong side of the raod, it is your responsibility to make sure it is clear and remains clear. You should have seen the women pulling out and either stopped or used your horn to alert her you are on the wrong side of the road. It is not her reposnsibility to check (although a sensible driver would)

specialsubject · 06/02/2015 12:25

first one; you were on the wrong side of the road, with no alternative, but in that case you give way to EVERYONE. So you need to be going dead slow in this situation and be prepared to stop. As it was an 'emergency brake' sounds like you were going too fast.

second one; her fault for driving into a space that she could not see was clear. Impatience. She should have got out of bed earlier.

road rage inexcusable.

BTW presence of children in cars irrelevant. Those of us not driving with kids in cars are equally entitled not to be hit.

happily no harm done.

TheFecklessFairy · 06/02/2015 12:28

caroldecker you are wrong. Wrong, wrong. It wasn't the OP fault - she was quite legally driving past parked cars. The other woman was wrong for not being observant.

McKayz · 06/02/2015 12:34

Carol I hope you don't drive if you don't think its your responsibilty to check it's clear before you pull out.

weeblueberry · 06/02/2015 12:39

Carol but the road WAS clear when she started overtaking (if I'm reading the OP right) but the woman came out of the side road looking only only to her right. Obviously you look both ways when exiting a side street and if there's anything coming you might, you know, smash into you generally would give way to them.

AstroNaught · 06/02/2015 12:43

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Minus2seventy3 · 06/02/2015 12:46

it is not her responsibility to check...?!? Honestly, it is. OP was established in the road and had priority - it most certainly is incumbent upon the person joining the road to make sure it is safe to do so in both directions.

poorbuthappy · 06/02/2015 12:50

The OP had right of way in the first instance because she was already on the road which the other driver turned into.
And of course its her responsibility to check that the road she is about to turn into is clear!!

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