Almost wiped out by lorry driver - would you report?

[hannah7411]

Was on a motorway today 3 lanes I was in the left lane, massive lorry in middle lane, lorry driving at the side of me starts indicating and moving over to my way, I used my horn to let him know I was there, still starts moving into my lane and then when I tooted again he blares his horn for a silly amount of time back at me, his own stupid fault completely by not checking mirrors. He was an inch away from totally wiping me out and causing a fatal accident, my heart was beating really fast I was really shaken up by it. I noted the name of his van and time when I pulled over shortly after, after I'd taken the slip road. It's happened before a few months ago similar incident I had came off slip road and a woman starting coming over to my lane to the point I had to swerve back to the slip road. I drive this road everyday to work and feel it's only a matter of time before one of these idiotic drivers seriously cause an accident with me or someone else involved and it really worries me. Im a sensible driver never caused an accident or been close I drive at the speed limit not slow and not not over. I drive a little car and I feel like that angers people! Should I report this idiot from today or leave it?

It's it really so hard to understand that a vehicle, any vehicle, shouldn't be changing lanes unless they know that their path is clear?
Given that between checking their mirrors one side, the other side and back again, someone could have driven into the blindspot, what do you propose drivers of large vehicles do? Never change lanes or turn?

I don't disagree that HGVs should be cautious and take care, but in the absence of psychic powers and the ability to see into a blind spot, I don't believe people should drive into lorry blind spots and then be surprised if the lorry driver doesn't see them, after all that's the definition of a blind spot.
Why else do many long vehicles have signs on then saying things like 'if you can't see my mirrors then I can't see you', or stickers advising cyclists not to pass on the left?

This situation strikes me as one of those situations where most reasonable people would think it's better to be alive than be technically right and dead.

The lorry driver wanted to change lanes, you only do that when it is safe. The OP was not to blame.

If you were in the left lane doing the speed limit (70) then how did you end up alongside a lorry going slower than 70mph in the middle lane if you weren't undertaking it?

If two motorways are merging and a speed limited vehicle is in the RH lane and a slip road off is coming up, it makes sense (unless you have a death wish) to hang back behind that vehicle in case they also want to get off.

You can't 'check your blind spot' if you're driving a lorry.

@Elsiebear90
Undertaking is when you “overtake a car on its left side OR move to a lane on its left in order to pass them”. You don’t have to move lanes to undertake; if you’re already in the lane, it is still undertaking. That is the definition. Just because you don’t it, doesnt change the definition.

The OP was going faster than the lorry. She came up from behind him on his left and then undertook. In that time, he would be checking mirrors and then signalled, but the OP undertook at speed so had driven into his blind spot. This is why you don’t undertake when traffic is freely moving.
The combination of undertaking plus blind spots plus most drivers not expecting someone to pass on their left causes accidents. The lorry would have been blamed, but undertaking can result in a careless driving prosecution so the OP could also have been blamed.

It's idiots like OP that cause accidents. There are rules Follow them.

And I hate the busy motorways because of people like OP.

And that's why I drive a really powerful car.

Because you can accelerate your way out of most incidents.

I've been in two nearly serious accidents.

I'm aware you can't undertake. You can though travel in the same lane if traffic to you right is slower without pulling all the way to the outside lane to pass someone in the middle lane then all the way back.

OP you should have just slowed down to let the lorry in. Police and driving instructors always say do the safest thing and in this case it would have been to allow the lorry to pull infringement if you. He indicated to show you his intention so you could react.

I've been in two nearly serious accidents.

Me too, usually because of egos in fast cars acting like the rules of the road don’t apply to their fast car.

@Bloomburger
That's undertaking. It's only OK during congestion, or in sections of temporary speed restrictions (like when they put the motorway down to 40mph).

During normal traffic, you pass cars on their right. You do not just keep driving past them if you're in the lane to their left. If you want to pass them, then you move to the outside lane. This information is available on many many driving info websites.

I cant believe the number of people who dont understand this.

@littlejalapeno
The rules of the road are dont pass on the left, unless there speed restrictions or congestion. The OP tried to pass on the left.

@Weregoingonanadventure the lorry driver was at fault to begin with for middle lane hogging, if the traffic in the left lane was moving faster than him in the middle he shouldn’t be in the middle lane, and clearly it was if OP was driving faster than him and caught up with him, the middle lane is for over taking only unless there’s congestion. If OP wanted to move past him with how you’re describing she would have had to move across four lanes quickly to make her junction, which is dangerous and why middle lane hogging is an offence.

Also, you should not overtake cars or move into lanes without checking it’s safe to do, you can’t blame other road users for being in your blind spot, it’s your responsibility to check your own blind spots, as per the Highway Code, so if the lorry driver crashed into her he would be at fault for not checking properly. It seems he was sitting in the middle lane and either wanted to take the same junction or wanted to get back into the left lane and tried to pull in without checking his blind spot, not OP’s fault, and she shouldn’t have to make dangerous manoeuvres because he’s in the wrong lane to begin with and can’t check properly before changing lanes.

Saying that, if a lorry in the middle lane put his indicator on, I personally, would have slowed down to allow him to move into the lane, if OP was travelling considerably faster than him in the left lane, saw him trying to pull into it and carried on or increased her speed the fault lies with her as well imo.

He wasn’t middle lane hogging though was he? He was in what was lane one until the OPs slip road led onto the motorway and then became lane one. Instead of holding back to let the lorry move into lane one the op decided to put her foot down to get to 70 and then undertake the lorry.

OP said she was on the motorway with three lanes, she was in the left, he was in the middle and he tried to come into her lane, which she needed to stay in to make the slip road.

From the way the Op has described it I am seeing it like this junction where the slip road becomes lane 1. So the lorry on this picture you would expect to want to move over when the new lane starts so you wouldn’t undertake it

I was looking at as you come off the left lane onto a slip road to leave the motorway. So she’s in the left lane where you can drive off onto a slip road and he’s in the middle and wants to move to the left lane to either stay there or move onto the slip road. Without a diagram from OP though it’s hard to tell.

Even so speeding past a lorry on the inside is asking for trouble all for the sake of waiting a few seconds more

Weregoingonanadventure the lorry driver was at fault to begin with for middle lane hogging

He wasn't middle lane hogging, he was in the left hand lane which then became the middle lane when OP's road and his merged, so he then needed to get back into the left lane but couldn't because op was speeding up on the inside of him

I'm staggered at how many people don't understand the rule about when it is OK to pass on the left. If you have the option to move across 2 lanes to overtake on the right side, then you are not in congested traffic and that is exactly what you should do (even if the car you are overtaking is a middle lane hogging twat).

Even so speeding past a lorry on the inside is asking for trouble all for the sake of waiting a few seconds more

Exactly, who messes about with a lorry

I’m reading it as the picture below:

@Weregoingonanadventure

No. OP was driving in the left following correct procedure for conditions and traffic when a lorry driver decided he wanted to be in her lane, so pulled in without giving her any warning or reaction time. The person behind her was doing a similar speed and following the same conditions, so she couldn’t break or emergency stop to get out of the large lorry’s way in the time it took between his signal and his manoeuvre. Which scared her.

You might have been in the right but I would have let the lorry in, especially in a small car. By all means report the driver if you are sure they were driving dangerously but do make sure you are compromising your own safety out of stubbornness. The cemeteries are full of people who had the right of way.

Also it’s would HAVE, not OF. Sorry.