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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Driving round a corner on the wrong side of the road

50 replies

airforsharon · 05/07/2014 14:35

I've just had a good shout at DH for doing this. He thinks it is 'perfectly acceptable' and avoids 'unnecessary slowing down'. Is it an ok thing to do?

He was turning into the bottom of a steep hill - we were approaching from the left so literally just had to turn left, not come across the traffic from the right. The hill is pretty busy, 30mph speed zone, and a few yards up narrows and bends quite sharply to the left. So visibility ahead is not brilliant although i appreciate better from the drivers seat than the passengers.

As he turned he barely slowed, stayed in 3rd gear and took the corner in the right hand lane (of the hill). He stayed there for a while, moving back to the left as we approached the bend. I have seen far too many cars come down the hill at a bit of a lick and not far enough over to the right to be happy, so i said 'any chance you could corner on the correct side of the road?!' and he said it was perfectly acceptable and he could see far enough ahead etc. I drive up there regularly and don't think anyone could.

So is what he did completely acceptable? Or if he did have an accident doing this, would he be charged with driving negligently?

OP posts:
CorusKate · 05/07/2014 14:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 05/07/2014 14:50

If he can't go round the corner safely at the speed he is in, he should slow down, not use the other side of the road. If he had met a vehicle coming the other way, he could have caused a serious accident. Risking that on purpose makes him a dangerous driver.

PourquoiTuGachesTaVie · 05/07/2014 14:51

What if there was a car coming the other way?

You'd have to be stupid to do this surely?

CorusKate · 05/07/2014 14:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thumbwitch · 05/07/2014 14:54

He's a twat. That's how accidents happen. It is utterly unacceptable and any accident he were to have he would be fully to blame for, for being on the wrong side of the road! I can't believe he's even trying to justify it, what a knob. Angry

rallytog1 · 05/07/2014 14:56

There is a time and a place for crossing the line onto the other side of the road. What you describe sounds like it was probably not it. There are companies that teach you how to drive safely and briskly on country roads (ie not ones with a 30 or 40 limit), and their tuition includes learning about when to use the whole road. Some of their instructors are ex-police drivers, so they do know their stuff.

Maybe you should tell your dh to get some proper tuition if he wants to adopt this style of driving. I don't know if they're still in business, but there was an excellent company called Drive & Survive who did good courses. IAM tuition would probably include this too.

TheBuggerlugs · 05/07/2014 14:57

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn due to privacy concerns.

rallytog1 · 05/07/2014 14:57

Oh, and he was completely negligent doing it in a 30mph zone. Using the whole road is not for areas with speed restrictions.

JohnFarleysRuskin · 05/07/2014 14:58

People seem to do that a lot round here - and then they give you a look for being on the right side of the road.
Its dangerous.

AnnaLegovah · 05/07/2014 15:00

Far too many drivers do that - drives me mad when you're coming in the opposite direction and have to stop because they havnt looked properly and take a corner almost in the middle of the bloody road.

Poor and lazy driving in my book.

specialsubject · 05/07/2014 15:02

what is so special about him that he doesn't have to drive on the correct side of the road?

there's going to be a spectacular head on if his luck runs out. Better hope you aren't in the car too, especially if you have kids.

DealForTheKids · 05/07/2014 15:12

Ordinarily I would never do that. However, there is one corner on a country lane near my house which has a blind left turning corner... I do sit in the middle of the road when I take that corner, as by doing so you can see all the way down the road after the corner, allowing you to be safer. Staying on the inside of the bend - even at a slow pace - means you're completely surprised by oncoming vehicles. I may be going at 5mph, but if they're doing 40 (as they often are), that's not going to help me much!!

With many driving things, I genuinely think that it's got to depend on the context.

Original poster
airforsharon · 05/07/2014 15:26

Thanks for your replies.

CorusKate yes that's what I mean, we were turning left into a side road and he swung into the side road 'wide'.

I often see drivers turning right into a side road and 'cutting' the corner - I've never known him do that.

I was aghast - and quite vocal - about him seeming to consider slowing down for a corner 'unnecessary'. Seems fairly crucial to me.....

We were hit almost head on a few years ago by a young driver, who took a bend on a country lane too fast and wide (the prang was not our fault). It made me very conscious of the need to assume there could be something around the next bend.

OP posts:
taxi4ballet · 05/07/2014 15:27

Unnecessary slowing-down?

Being at the right speed to take a corner and stay on the correct side of the road is fairly necessary as far as I know!!!

Original poster
airforsharon · 05/07/2014 15:28

Deal yes I can visualize the sort of thing you describe, and agree with you on that. But the corner dh took is plenty wide enough to turn into in the correct lane, and important to because as the hill then bends round and narrows you can't see what is coming down.

OP posts:
naturalbaby · 05/07/2014 15:30

He's not a racing driver.

If he hasn't got good visibility then how does he know there isn't a 17yr old driving too fast coming the other way who had also swerved over the line?

3littlefrogs · 05/07/2014 15:30

We have a blind bend at the end of our road.
People are too lazy to slow down and stay on the correct side of the road.
Loads of accidents.
I never cross there, I walk quite away out of my way to cross at a safer spot. Plus I always slow down and stay on my own side when driving.

I assume that if you have a head on collision or run over a person and you are on the wrong side of the road you would be held responsible and prosecuted for dangerous driving. Quite right too.

Original poster
airforsharon · 05/07/2014 15:31

special we have three young dcs and they were with us at the time.

OP posts:
BookFairy · 05/07/2014 15:32

It is never acceptable to drive on the wrong side of the road because you can't be bothered to slow down. Imagine if he hit another vehicle head on :(

Original poster
airforsharon · 05/07/2014 15:33

natural that was the point (or part of it) I tried to make to him - ok, he might see something coming down slowly and have time to move back across, but someone going a bit quick or a bit too far over themselves I can't see how he would avoid them.

OP posts:
MrsCakesPremonition · 05/07/2014 15:36

I wouldn't trust other road users enough to take the risk.
Your DH might feel in control, but I doubt he left himself the time and space to avoid a collision in the unfortunate situation of meeting a crap driver coming the other way.

drudgetrudy · 05/07/2014 16:03

No wonder on another thread that so many people are reluctant to drive with people like him on the road.

DealForTheKids · 05/07/2014 16:41

I'm with you OP, can visualise it now. From what I have in my head your DH is definitely in the wrong... I can't think of any justification baring laziness!

settingsitting · 05/07/2014 16:49

Is he a generally arrogant person?

Original poster
airforsharon · 05/07/2014 17:00

setting I wouldn't say he was arrogant no, but he isn't very good at accepting another pov. Not in a bolshy way, he will just quietly ignore anything I've said and carry on as he wants.

I do think as he's getting older he's developing a bit of an invincible middle-aged bloke thing behind the wheel - 'I've been driving for years and know it all' mentality. Maybe I've got uber cautious since the dcs have come along but I do find he drives impatiently sometimes, and don't always find being in the car with him a comfortable experience. Having said that, I've never known he do anything I would consider dangerous but today i got really angry with him, the way he took the corner seemed bloody stupid.

OP posts: