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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

who was being unreasonable - driving related

69 replies

whoneedssleepanyway · 12/02/2015 13:18

Last night I was driving down a fairly busy road and turned left down a side road. This road has lots of cars parked on the left hand side (my side) which means there is only room for one car to pass along the road at the place I turn in. I can see a car coming towards me from other end of road where there are no cars parked so room for 2 cars to pass. I keep driving forwards assuming this driver will stop and wait for me to pass but he doesn't so we end up face to face.

Given there is nowhere for me to go I wait there for him to back up, which he doesn't. Eventually he mounts the pavement to drive round me pulling up alongside shouting that it was his right of way, i was fucking rude and gesticulating at me.

Granted I was half on his side of the road necessitated by the parked cars on my side but seriously could he not have waited where it was easy for two cars to pass. It would probably have added 10 seconds to his journey.

Should I have not turned into the road and waited for him to come out my end and then turned in although this would have meant a load of traffic building up behind me?

OP posts:

ineedabodytransplant · 12/02/2015 17:10

OK Soupdragon, just to clarify. I meant that you don't advance unless you can see. If you can't see then move slowly until you can. You don't just drive on hoping anyone else will give way.

Not rocket science

ItsCarnage · 12/02/2015 17:19

Im only a learner but do know what you mean, drivers can make mistakes on the road so other may have to accommodate those mistakes , like he should have reversed or stayed put to allow you to pass, if you were already on his side when the space was available. Ywnbu and his attitude and actions were unreasonable regardless of who was at fault.

Jjjjj1 · 12/02/2015 17:31

The people that are saying they couldn't stop in time because they couldn't see around the corner until they were half way through it really are a danger on the roads. You should only drive as fast as you can see. What if it wasn't a car coming the other way, but a member of the public stepping in to the road just after the corner as you come steaming around? "I couldn't see round the corner" isn't a very good defence to that. Drive to the conditions.

Gileswithachainsaw · 12/02/2015 17:39

You can not see round a corner, have no where to pull in and be driving slowly

tiggytape · 12/02/2015 17:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

laughingmyarseoff · 12/02/2015 19:09

YWNBU, you started your manoeuvre before he was there, there was nothing you could do. While it may have been his right of way, your doing a manoeuvre takes over that. He was being an arse and aggressive driver.

You can't not turn into a road just in case or you'll never go down it.

laughingmyarseoff · 12/02/2015 19:12

Oh I see that you could see him, in that case you should have waited only if you couldn't see him or he wasn't there does the above apply. He was an arse and aggressive still.

Lazaretto · 12/02/2015 19:18

You should have waited. The cars were on your side of the road.

Original poster

whoneedssleepanyway · 13/02/2015 11:03

OP here. Will try and give better description.

The road I was turning into is narrow and cars park almost to end as I swung round I did to side I would pass on (ie didn't pull into half car length before cars were parked) but you can't really see into road as you approach due to houses, trees, parked cars.

I then saw him approaching from other end. Cars park roughly half way down length on my side. I made bad judgement call that I would get past parked cars before I met him but also at the point I had turned in it would already be tricky for him to pass.

We met almost at end of parked cars so I was still wrongly assuming he would wait. This I guess was my mistake I should have just waited at point I had turned in for him to signal I could proceed or something maybe he felt I was being pushy and entitled.

This is in London by the way early evening.

Anyway it is a stupid road I could have taken previous turning which is easier and will do in future but hadnt on this occasion as was planning to go straight on but changed my mind.

OP posts:

Original poster

whoneedssleepanyway · 13/02/2015 11:03

Thanks also for all comments.

OP posts:

zfactor · 13/02/2015 11:13

The cars parked right up to the junction were in the wrong!

There should always be sufficient space at a junction for a vehicle to pull in, having turned into the road from a main road, and then to allow the vehicle(s) already on that road, to proceed past the parked cars and out of the junction you've just entered; you would then be able to pass the parked cars.

In this case, as you had nowhere to go, and reversing out of side road onto a main road is unlawful (and bloody dangerous), the other driver should really have waited for you to come past the parked cars.

So no, you weren't really being unreasonable, but he was a twat.

BeauticianNotMagician81 · 13/02/2015 12:28

Sorry you were in the wrong but no need for him to swear.

Where I live just before my turning I have to turn into a side road where there are cars always parked on the right. I have a Ford Galaxy so not a small car and so many times drivers coming the other way have tried to squeeze through rather than wait. It's so frustrating

Collaborate · 13/02/2015 13:30

The Highway Code says that you must not park within 10 metres of a road junction.

Davsmum · 13/02/2015 13:39

From the way you describe it I don't think you were wrong. He could see you had nowhere to stop to let him pass. He should have waited, unless I have misunderstood your description of the situation.

samsam123 · 13/02/2015 13:42

I was in same situation but waited - only to get abusive gestures and beeping from the car behind me who ob thought I should have gone bloody idiot

TarkaTheOtter · 13/02/2015 13:47

I think this really depends on whether you pulled in after you saw him (as suggested by your OP), or before you saw him (from your subsequent post).
YWNBU to not reverse back into the main road.
YWBU to turn into the road rather than wait for it to be clear regardless of causing traffic to build up behind you.

sanfairyanne · 13/02/2015 13:57

the cars parked too close to a junction were the most unreasonable

maybe the other driver is always bad tempered/a dick, or maybe he thought you were being a bit pushy and wanted a token gesture of slowing down or something?

either way, no real harm done. sadly all part n parcel of driving on busy roads

BerylStreep · 13/02/2015 14:13

You were in the process of completing a manoeuvre and he decided to 'enforce' his 'right of way'. Even if he thinks it was his right of way under the highway code, he was driving inconsiderately.

Legislation takes precedence over the highway code.

ACSlater · 20/02/2015 20:07

I had a similar issue today but the other way round. I was waiting to turn right out of a side road and a woman turned right in but didn't let me out, then started gesticulating at me to reverse because there was parked cars on her side of the road... er, no. She ended up having to reverse but would have saved the hassle if she'd checked the road first.

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