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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it wouldn't kill them to pull over once in a while?

310 replies

Featherbag · 03/05/2014 15:08

We're driving through County Durham, it's a beautiful day and were heading to a lovely village for afternoon tea and ice cream for the toddler. We're on a National Speed Limit road, single lane, stuck behind a horse box doing 23mph. There are 8 cars in front of us also stuck behind it, and I can't see the back of the queue. It's been like this for almost half an hour - AIBU to think it would be polite of the horse box driver to pull the fuck over every now and then to let the queue pass?!

OP posts:

Peekingduck · 04/05/2014 23:25

It's easier to pull a tractor over than it is to pull over a horsebox with horse on board. Tractors tend to be shorter. It doesn't matter if they have to pull up a bank a bit, or if a couple of wheels fall down into a dip. When the tractor pulls away after pulling over to let traffic by it doesn't matter if the driver floors it (as much as you can in a tractor) and takes off with a fair old jolt. The two situations aren't comparable. I know, I've driven tractors and horse boxes up to 5.5 tons.

Peekingduck · 04/05/2014 23:30

There is a reason why drivers of horseboxes and trailers don't actively slow down to let cars overtake unless they can see there is plenty of space as well. Imagine having someone hurtle past you when they don't really have enough visibility, then shooting back in again because something is coming the other way, simultaneously hitting the brakes because they were going rather fast to get by. The sudden braking doesn't cause any problems for the car driver, but in the lorry behind that's had to emergency brake there may be a horse thrown forward hard into the breast bar, or worse tipped over it, or having lost it's footing and fallen...
All I can say is that I do pull over when I can reasonably do so and I do help people to overtake if I can really, really safely. I can't do the whole journey seeking out lay by's every 5 minutes though. Some car drivers get very impatient and angry unfortunately and obviously don't think that drivers of slower vehicles with livestock are entitled to any consideration at all.

ivykaty44 · 04/05/2014 23:43

Op how many motorist overtook the horsebox?

ComposHat · 05/05/2014 03:55

I'm not sure but I get the impression that the op's husband may have been labouring under the delusion that ' National speed limit on country road equals safe to do sixty', when that often isn't the case at all.

I fear that with a 'dad racer' (my guess is a Focus ST in a lairy colour) and a burning desire to floor it, that he has a higher than average chance of pranging his new toy or suffering unnecessary angst until he realises that the public roads aren't a racetrack or a proving ground for his tin box on wheels.

Original poster

Featherbag · 05/05/2014 07:40

Compos you seem to have had fun constructing your own version of my DH in your head - it bears to resemblance whatsoever to the real thing but you seem to be enjoying yourself, so do carry on.

It's not a Focus ST, they're far too common .

I'm sure there are many situations in which it would not be reasonable to expect the driver of the horse box to pull over but I assure you it would have been incredibly easy for them to pull over once in a while on this particular road. It was impossible to overtake, whenever there was a straight and long enough stretch there was always something coming the other way. I accept I know nothing about transporting horses, but surely the deceleration from 23mph in a nice long tarmaced lay-by wouldn't have been too distressing?

Of course 'dad racer' is a tongue-in-cheek term, thank you to the poster who pointed that out to those of you with no sense of humour

OP posts:

TobyLerone · 05/05/2014 07:50

YANBU, OP, and I've driven horseboxes and tractors on the road.

Some people are just dicks. Some of those people appear to be on this thread.

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 05/05/2014 08:29

Do not, under any circumstances, trying driving west through County Durham between now and the start of June. I thought it was ok ATM, but I have seen my first lot of horses and carts heading towards Appleby. They do look lovely, but when you are stuck in the queue behind them....

Booboostoo · 05/05/2014 08:44

I drive horseboxes and while I will pull over to let other vehicles pass safely, lay-bys suitable for HGVs are few and far between. They have to be hardcored/tarmac with enough visibility to allow you to pull out again and accellerate without killing someone else down the road. Single lane, windy country roads don't tend to have these kinds of lay-bys and the clue is in your own description OP: if you could not overtake because it was too windy how do you think a truck could see far enough to pull out again and accellerate to a reasonable, even if slow, speed?

In my 17 years of driving trucks I have also found that while some people go out of their way to accellerate and race off at every opportunity at the end they only arrive at their destination 5 minutes sooner than slower vehicles, so that's something I would want to keep in mind before sticking my kids in a 'dad racer' car.

SirChenjin · 05/05/2014 09:40

I don't have a 'dad racer' (or even a 'mum racer') but it is beyond infuriating when there is a vehicle (of whatever version) in front, doing well below the speed limit, that just refuses to move in despite there being ample opportunity to do so. Perhaps it's some sort of control thing - we'll never know.

We've all been behind them at some point and all know how bloody annoying it is - it's poor driving on their part, just as tailgating etc is.

blackcats73 · 05/05/2014 09:45

I agree OP and Sirchenjin. Drive slowly for the horse. As long as the vehicle is taxed etc, drive on any highway. However, if there are suitable places to pull in then they should.

Entitled horsey types. I live in the country, there are loads of them.

Aeroflotgirl · 05/05/2014 10:06

Yanbu, if it was safe to pull over, they should have! It is not acceptable having traffic back up because you can't be arsed to pull over, as op said there were opportunities for them to do so.

ivykaty44 · 05/05/2014 10:06

I have certainly learnt something about horse vans and trailers on this thread, I hadn't even considered that the acceleration and brake would of course effect the horse being transported.

I sometimes use the fosse which is notorious for tractors and sometimes horseboxes which slow the traffic down. It was of course built by the Romans and they only thought to put about half a dozen laybys in a fifty mile stretch.

What I find frustrating is when the car behind the slow moving vehicle sits on their tail but refuses to over take - if they hang back leaving a cars length it means those that want to over take can safely, trying to over take to many vehicles becomes more dangerous.

Booboostoo · 05/05/2014 10:32

Which road was it OP? It should be easy to see the passing places on Google Earth.

ComposHat · 05/05/2014 10:42

I am feather I sort of picture Clarkson but without the casual racism. I certainly hear Clarkson' s voice in my head as my fictionalised version of your husband pulls on the driving gloves dons the aviators, pops the collar on his leather blouson and leaps aboard the dad racer saying 'still got it tiger' and wheel spins away in dad racer( BMW M3?) suede slip on loafer to the metal.

I know this bears no resemblance to any person living or dead so I have had fun letting my imagination run wild.

Sparklingbrook · 05/05/2014 11:09

OMG Feather your DH is now Jeremy Clarkson. Who knew?

Sparklingbrook · 05/05/2014 11:10

YY lets all get Google Earth up and look for passing places.

Booboostoo · 05/05/2014 12:34

Feel free to do something else with your time Sparkling.

Sparklingbrook · 05/05/2014 13:16

I have thanks.

seadragonusgiganticusmaximus · 05/05/2014 13:28

I do think we should be told what the 'dad racer' is. Focus ST is definitely only a boy racer, (M3 a DINKY racer?). I'm thinking more performance estate versions of BMW 5 series or Audi A6, ideally M5 or RS6....

Sparklingbrook · 05/05/2014 13:33

I thought it was a reasonably normal family car with a decent sized engine as opposed to a MPV people carrier that many people buy when they have a child. That's all.

seadragonusgiganticusmaximus · 05/05/2014 13:44

I'll be very disappointed if that's all it is after all this build up. Come on OP, put the petrolheads out of their misery!

Nancy66 · 05/05/2014 13:47

I agree. Some people like causing chaos and pissing people off though.

ConfusedDotty · 05/05/2014 13:48

I want to know the make, model, and bhp please OP. Although we do know the vehicle in front was only one hp

Sparklingbrook · 05/05/2014 13:48

I wouldn't blame Feather for not saying. If she does the 'petrolheads' will just pick it to pieces regardless.

ScarlettlovesRhett · 05/05/2014 13:51

I get what you meant featherbag, along with all the other reasonable, normal people on this thread.

The leap to Jeremy Clarkson is a bit twatty, along with all the other 'dad racer' jibes. It's nice to have in jokes about stupid stuff, I would hate to live the po-faced life that some people on this thread seem to live.

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