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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to be intimidated by an HGV driver on a busy motorway.

237 replies

EdwiniasRevenge · 30/09/2013 23:49

I was on the motorway today. Fairly busy but fluid and freely flowing traffic.

I was travelling at about 55-65mph in the slow lane. I wasn't in a hurry and found myself approaching a car +caravan in lane 2.

As I was doing an acceptable and safe motorway speed and I was in no hurry I decided that I wwasn't going to weavve out to lane 3 to overtake and I wasn't going to break the law by 'undertaking'. I was also approaching my junction. I sat behind the caravan in my lane (ie ensuring I wasn't in the caravan blind spot).

An HGV approached from behind, and continued to drive in my estimation, less than 2 car lengths behind me. It was so close that all I could see in my mirror was the radiator grill. I literally could not see his winscreen. I could not see the number plate.

I touched my brakes gently couple of times to indicate that he was uncomfortably close.

A couple of minutes late rhe was using his horn to tell me to move.

As it was a 4 lane motorway it would have been legal for the lorry to move out to lane 3 if he was tgat desperate. Meanwhile I felt intimidated and unsafe.

OP posts:
northernlurker · 01/10/2013 23:52

The difference is that everybody driving on a motorway should know that lorries and caravans are speed limited. There's no way to know a car won't go over 60 unless it's actually pedal powered.

GiveItYourBestShot · 02/10/2013 00:07

It's a very old car with a very small engine. We don't go on motorways often but sometimes they are unavoidable.

GiveItYourBestShot · 02/10/2013 00:08

Most people looking at it would realise it was "special". I occasionally contemplate getting a bumper sticker which says "please do not attempt to ram me, we are doing our best." Downhill we occasionally breach 65...

GiveItYourBestShot · 02/10/2013 00:12

I will stop talking to myself in a moment. On reflection "unusual" would have been a better choice of adjective. Apologies for any offence caused.

musicismylife · 02/10/2013 00:51

Don't caravans have to drive 10mph below speed limit?

musicismylife · 02/10/2013 00:53

This is like a whodunit Hmm

SelectAUserName · 02/10/2013 01:52

It was the butler.

Sinful1 · 02/10/2013 08:50

You can overtake in the inside if the other lane is slow moving etc, I've done it regularly to police cars when I used to commute in the m56, and they've never batted an eye

Sinful1 · 02/10/2013 08:57

You've for to remember though hgvs arnt deliberately trying to get up your arse they're just say at there speed limiter the entire time, they hate having to change speeds because the amount of bloody gears they have to go through makes it a night mare. Just keep your speed to a 60minimum and you never have to worry about them.getting close, it's much better to be away from them than thinking "oh they can just over take me if they want to so bad" because having one of those big things along side you does our you at greater risk.

Not sure if you've ever seen a truck tyre blowout up close but it's an epic boom.

Since we're talking about motorways though can we all agree that if you want to use the outside lane your speed should be at least 3 digits? The amount of people who pull out in traffic doing 95+ in the outside lane while they're only doing 70 is just scary

TheFuzz · 02/10/2013 09:09

There is alot of 'got to get in front' mentality going on. This is the major cause of poor driving and accidents.

The OP "ideally" should have overtaken, or indeed undertaken if it was safe. The truck driver WAS driving dangerously.

As the OP was coming off at the next junction, then I don't see it as a problem.

Just because someone has a bigger veihcle (and I'm talking school run 4x4's too) doesn't mean you can bully people. Same goes for anyone in a vehicle bullying more vulnerable road users. DON'T.

As a cyclist I see far too much inconsiderate driving (and stupid cycling also - no-one is exempt) but those in bigger vehicles have a much reduced chance of injury.

Back to topic, the driver was an idiot. Shame you couldn't have got the reg and name of company, then reported him to his Transport Manager.

flipchart · 02/10/2013 09:18

So you have posted on MN and you have spoken to a police officer neighbour about it as well.
You seem het up about it

Does it really matter? You aren't going to see the lorry driver or the caravan owner again.
Let it go.

Davsmum · 02/10/2013 09:34

The Caravan should not have been in Lane 2 when he could have been travelling in Lane 1. He was hogging the middle lane.
If you are in Lane 1 then you need to overtake the Caravan and then move back into Lane 2 & then Lane 1.
The rule is to keep left and overtake if necessary and return to the left, not keep travelling ion lane 2 when Lane 1 is clear.

There are no fast or slow lanes.

Heavy lorries are not permitted to use lane 3 and as Sinful 1 says - Lorries have to use lots of gears to get back up to speed so its not helpful if you are driving slowly in Lane 1 and they are behind you and there is someone even slower hogging the middle lane.

DuckToWater · 02/10/2013 09:57

Yes, doing anything which causes others to break sharply is dangerous, but people shouldn't be doing anywhere near 95 mph on a motorway, you are looking at points on licence and a fine if there are police cars or cameras. Over 100, you are looking at a ban from driving.

A lot of contributors on this thread need to do a defensive driving course, and stop treating the motorway like a race.

gobbynorthernbird · 02/10/2013 10:00

As the OP was coming off at the next junction, then I don't see it as a problem.

But if OP had had to brake, had a blowout, whatever there would have been a massive problem. So the OP should have driven defensively, not brake checked a HGV (seriously, who does that with 40 tons and not enough stopping distance behind them?) and got out of the situation.
Nobody should tailgate, but if someone does, the only thing to do is take evasive action, not try to police their behaviour.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 02/10/2013 10:39

Davsmum - it is my understanding that either a) the caravan had been in the inside lane, until the lane that the OP was on ran in alongside the caravan's lane, making it lane 2, and the OP's lane, lane 1, or b) the caravan had moved over to lane 2 to allow traffic from the slip road onto the motorway (which is the right and proper thing to do) - and then either way, the caravan couldn't move back into lane 1, because the OP was there.

Davsmum · 02/10/2013 14:14

So the OP had time to overtake the caravan before she reached the next junction - Surely the next junction was not within yards of the slip road for traffic joining the MWay?

So the OP and caravan were driving alongside each other?!

gobbynorthernbird · 02/10/2013 14:37

Davs, exactly.

NeverGetTheBestOfMe · 02/10/2013 15:05

"it is my understanding that either a) the caravan had been in the inside lane, until the lane that the OP was on ran in alongside the caravan's lane, making it lane 2, and the OP's lane, lane 1, or b) the caravan had moved over to lane 2 to allow traffic from the slip road onto the motorway (which is the right and proper thing to do) - and then either way, the caravan couldn't move back into lane 1, because the OP was there."

That is how I read the situation too. Plus it seems more like the OP didn't overtake the caravan because they couldn't be bothered to "weave" in and out the lanes because they weren't in a hurry so instead chose to sit and do 55mph in lane 1. The lorry driver and the caravan were wrong but the who thing just sounds like lazy driving to me and the whole situation could have been avoided had the OP not been lazy and just overtaken the caravan in the first place which is a what a good, confident driver would do on a motorway.

In my driving test I got a minor point for doing 30mph in a 40mph zone because it showed lack of awareness of the speed limit for the road and I wasn't going in flow with the traffic. Going too slow can be just as dangerous as going too fast.

Original poster
EdwiniasRevenge · 02/10/2013 15:08

Please read what I have said.

Yes I had time to overtake.
There was no opportunity. Traffic was constantly approaching the caravan from behind in lane 2 (as it does if there is a vehicle moving comparatively slowly on a multi lane toad).
The only opportunity that I had to move safely into lane 2 would have put me at risk of missing my exit.
No I was not driving alongside the caravan. I was following the caravan at a safe distance, but in my own lane.
The caravan could have pulled in if he wanted to.

I did not cause a change in my speed by breaking.
The HGV was not following me for the entire 4 miles.
In theory the HGV could overtake as it was a 4 lane stretch of motorway but would have had the same problems pulling out I did etc.
I know there are no slow and fast lanes - I merely used those terms as it is clear which lanes I mean (I have seen confusion on previous threads when some people use nearside/offside or just numbers.

I spoke to my neighbour when I got home to ask if I should have been bullied into making an illegal maneuver.
I posted on MN to have a bit of a rant late at night because I was still feeling intimidated. Different purposes.).

OP posts:
Bumpotato · 03/10/2013 18:03

Why post an AIBU if you clearly think you WBR?

Tavv · 03/10/2013 18:14

YANBU to expect courtesy and patience from other drivers.

Sparklingbrook · 03/10/2013 18:17

Well said Tavv.

Bumpotato · 03/10/2013 19:17

That expectation must be lowered, however, when you drive like a dick.

Sparklingbrook · 03/10/2013 19:18

Everyone is just trying to get from A to B. Why does it have to be so stressful?

Tavv · 03/10/2013 20:19

That expectation must be lowered, however, when you drive like a dick.

So do you think road rage is acceptable and some kind of justified monitoring of other people's driving skills?