Boring question about driving and etiquette

[OneFrenchEgg]

If you are on a main road (two lanes) and it's fairly busy so you can see someone has already pulled out of a side road to turn right (so effectively blocking some of your path) do you pause to let them turn if it's clear for them (no oncoming traffic) or do you swerve round them?
Just interested as I was the pullee and was quite surprised the oncoming driver didn't slow and instead went round me - if I hadn't double checked I'd have gone into the side of him.
Generally I slow to let people out because it feels safer and also if I didn't where we live they'd be trapped forever on the estate. Life would grind to a halt and no one would get to school/work/the gym etc.
no big deal just wondering what people tend to do. Bit like zig zag filtering etc.

If I was the other driver in your situation, I would have gone around you too I think. It seems like the safer option than doing an emergency stop in the road without know how close the car behind me was.

No car behind them, and a lot of time approaching to see me. So no emergency stop scenario, which would make me an idiot to just pull out without thinking.

You don't know at what point they noticed you though. Plus, if the other lane was clear long enough for them to cross into to go around you, why hadn't you gone?

Absolutely. We would never get out if we had to wait for both sides and you do have to make progress. It's perfectly acceptable to pull out halfway. If another driver from 600 metres away in a 20/30 mph zone can't ease off to let you out they're rude. The same way drivers blowing their horn at pedestrians crossing is rude.

You don't know at what point they noticed you though. Plus, if the other lane was clear long enough for them to cross into to go around you, why hadn't you gone?

The lane to my left was clear enough with a car very far away for me to pull out. The oncoming (me turning right into it) was busy so I was waiting for a gap which I could see coming up. The car to my left then didn't slow to let me complete when the gap appeared and instead used it to drive round me, I checked before making my turn and was a bit shocked to see them swerving round me.

I think maybe I'm explaining it weirdly for some posters. Or maybe some of us have this where we are so it's familiar.

Argh I mean the lane to my right ! The one nearest me.

. If another driver from 600 metres away in a 20/30 mph zone can't ease off to let you out they're rude.

That's always been my 'I know it's technically wrong but it makes life easier for everyone' view. But its interesting that some posters don't agree. Just one of those unexciting thoughts I had.

You were in the wrong and I find people like you very annoying. You pulled out into oncoming traffic and then stayed in the way 😮

If that junction is as bad as you claim then involve the local councillors and/or Town planners. That is what they are for.

I'd stop and wait for you because I drive defensively, but I'd think you were an idiot and a bad driver.

I wouldn't care if it's "done locally" it's not correct and the driver wasn't necessarily in the know of your rules.

Follow the Highway Code if you're going to drive. But don't get high and mighty over a driver, saying you would have let someone go, when you were in the wrong. They did not need to give way to you.

You clearly had time to go across if they were able to overtake you. And I don't see why you wanting to break the flow of traffic is ok.

It's like local drivers who purposely take the wrong roundabout lane to get ahead of a queue and squeeze in. Just because they (try to) do it, in no way makes them right.

But you shouldn't be pulling out, should you. If I'm merrily going along the road at 30mph, I shouldn't have to slow down for you. You should wait till I pass, till it's free to manoeuvre, and then pull out.

In fact it can piss me off when puller out'ers impeed my right of way.

I’d go round you as I don’t want to waste my petrol by braking. Plus, you shouldn’t be pushy and make me let you out.

I would slow and let the car pull out.
It's better to drive safely than be "right" at all times.
Sometimes it's better to relinquish the right of way to improve the flow of traffic (e.g. if it's better to release oncoming traffic if I'm going to be held up 5 seconds further along the road anyway at places like chicanes)

Some junctions are bloody difficult to wait and pull out of without some assertive driving. That's the reality of a busy world. I was taught that at a blind junction to "peep and creep" to gradually increase my view and minimise the risk of harm/ evasive action to other drivers. Not all driving can be done within the strictest letter of the Highway Code.

All drivers should be prepared to modify their driving at any moment. When the tree fell in front of my car, continuing at 40mph ranting "It's my right of way!" wouldn't have done me or the car much good!

The driver may have felt that it was appropriate to swing around OP but that doesn't guarentee that there was sufficient gap for OP to safely pull off from stationery, or that the manouver was safe without alarming oncoming drivers.
While OP wasn't within standard practice, the other driver was being an impatient tit and did their own risky manouver.

A couple of years ago a colleague of mine was killed at a road junction in the exact circumstances you describe op.

He was cycling up the inside of the car that had stopped to let you out, they didn't see him (too bust not following the highway code, flashing hazards/waving) and wham. Dead.

You KNOW you are in the wrong for pulling out across a live lane into flowing traffic, knowing that you will have to wait for someone to likewise break the highway code to let you pull into their lane.

Dick move.

If you can't turn right in a gap in traffic in both directions, you wait or you turn left and find somewhere to turn round.

Same applies to folk who stop to flash you out - I've seen so many times folk doing this who haven't seen the cars coming from either direction and cause very near misses.

I'd go round as well. It annoys the crap out of me when someone pulls into the middle of the road expecting everyone to stop and let them go. No, wait for a break in the traffic and do it properly.

If you can’t turn onto the main road without disturbing the flow of traffic already on the road then you shouldn’t be turning onto the road. It’s really simple and it’s worrying that you’re out there driving and don’t know this.

^ This

By the Highway Code you were wrong to pull out without a full clear route.

www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/road-junctions.html

But by actual practice and etiquette you were right to edge out if there is space to do so.

The other driver has ‘right of way’ priority on the main road, but if they were not there when you edged out then there was no one with priority over you.

They were wrong to swerve around onto the other side, in doing so they used the gap in the oncoming traffic that you would have used.
Both of you would have contributed to a collision, but they would have actively caused the collision by driving into a maneuvering vehicle.

Etiquette of the road would have been for them to look at the road ahead, see you are there and slow their approach and/or stop to allow you to complete.

The alternative to edging out for a busy right turn is to

1. join the main road by turning left and to then turn back at the next roundabout or
2. join the main road turning left, turn right into a garage etc and left out of the garage This means that you are stopping flow and relying on a gap in the other sides flow, but someone is more likely to pause allowing you to cross — but it’s more maneuvers which can be a bad thing, when I had motorcycle lessons our instructors highlighted that we should decide on the balance of minimising the ‘risky’ maneuvers against the number of maneuvers.

(PS if the swerving vehicle hit an oncoming vehicle then it would have been their fault for crossing lanes)