To hope they shit themselves?

[MaxPepsi]

I have just very nearly had a car crash this afternoon which would probably have resulted in serious damage to the other driver not just their car.

Thankfully, my reactions are bloody good and my car is practically brand new so the brakes are all in fine working order.

There I am, happily driving along the road, one car several lengths in front and one a bit further behind me. The part of the road I am on is NSL and I'm doing about 45mph.

To my left is a private driveway, with plenty of room to position your car so that you can both see and turn either way. (I know what it's like, I've come out of it myself). I can see the car waiting to come out, they watch the first car go past, then for some completely inexplicable dangerous fucking reason they pull out on me really fucking slowly.

I've had no choice but to do an emergency stop, only narrowly missing their tiny little car with my much larger and more robust estate car, whilst I sit in horror watching the car behind me getting closer and closer. Thankfully, they were far enough back to be able to stop also.

However, whilst I am sat there thinking fuck fuck fuck, the bastard who's caused all this just merrily carries on like nothing has happened.

This is the bit that has really annoyed me, I totally accept that people have lapses in judgement every now and then. Apparently it is surprisingly common from what my DH tells me (he's a fireman) and from accidents friends have had But surely when you have one of these lapses you fucking acknowledge it, a hand gesture to say sorry, a mouthing of the word sorry you don't just drive away.

I very rarely wish ill feeling upon other people, but AIBU to really hope they shit themselves literally when they saw my huge, not easy to miss car baring down on them at speed?

[Sparklingbrook]

Even going out with the instructor while they drive and being a passenger would be better than nothing. Discussing the dos and don't and observing.

[MaxPepsi]

I have no idea if the driver was old or not tbh.

I never looked at them whilst it was all going on, then I kept my distance afterwards. I would hazzard a guess at elderly or a woman however as when I got to the junction and came back up behind them I couldn't see them over the seat if you know what I mean?

I do and will drive on motorways but prefer not to if I can help it. Not because I can't do it, but because so many others can't. I no longer have to travel for work so I have massively cut down on motorway traffic and I forget how bad it can be.

[limitedperiodonly]

I doubt they even noticed. That's not a judgement on them btw. It's just what happens.

I've been driving for 30 years. In that time I've had five near-death misses. Four their fault, one mine. You're going to have to take my word for that .

Apart from the person who took exception to my existence and raced up the hard shoulder of a motorway on my left and cut in front of me with inches to spare, I think they were all a lapse in concentration or judgement.

One person was riding a moped at about 30mph in the outside lane of the M11.

I didn't really appreciate the twat who was transporting his bikes on the roof of his car in high winds on the M5. But they skidded out of my way in time. Not too sure about what happened to the people following.

But maybe the weather was fine when he set off

A foreign lorry driver on the Blackwall Tunnel approach almost squashed me and my Mini by drifting right without indicating.

And then there was the woman who pulled very slowly out of an uphill side road on a NSL road in Somerset. DH was driving fast. Time stood still.

The one that I own as my fault shames me to this day. I turned right in front of a cyclist and could have killed him if he hadn't swerved and crashed before hitting me. I hadn't been driving long and I hadn't realised that cyclists can go quite fast and I should have waited. He was very angry. Justifiably so.

We all do these things. I understand your upset though maxPepsi. After the encounter with the moped rider on the M11 my heart was beating like a rabbit's. It didn't help that a few minutes after it happened, my judgmental sister happened to call.

Hands free and I was pulled over hyper-ventilating, in case anyone is wondering.

I told her what had happened and she smugly said: 'That's why my husband advises me never to go in the fast lane.'

If I could have reached down that phone line and ripped out her throat...


Enjoy your drink OP. It sounds like you deserve it.

[paddypants13]

I work in the motor industry and honestly, you wouldnot believe how some people drive.

We have two cars, one is a massive, very powerful 4 x 4 (we do live in the middle of nowhere but if we didn't I would be unrepentant, I love my big beast) and a normal family hatch back. The difference in attitude we see from other drivers when we're in the big car is incredible. Trying to cut us up on roundabouts, pulling out in front of us, tailgating and dangerous overtaking to name but a few.

Having said that, I've made mistakes and had to apologise and I've had the same with others.

Hope you're feeling less shaken now op.

[DisappointedOne]

A motorway isn't really any different to a dual carriage way in the way it operates. All learners should be taught how to drive on dual carriage ways so there's not really any need for motorway lessons IMO.

[Rattitude]

For those of you who have had people pulling out in front of you, do you drive silver cars?

I have found that this is a car colour I notice much less on the road. For this reason, I would never buy a silver car.

[WanderWomble]

I had a near miss the morning too. Driving in rush hour traffic when someone in a C1 wanted to merge from the slip road. I couldn't move over at all because the outside lane was packed with traffic, so eased off and flashed my lights. It's a long slip road and they could have easily got up to speed, but no, the idiot decided to cut me up at about 20 mph (I was doing about 55). Braked really hard and managed not to crash into the back of him. I drive a Skoda Superb estate, which is about three times as big as the C1.

Driver was an older man. I've nothing against older drivers, but some of them are fucking terrible.

[IrianofWay]

Good thing you were alert.

It happens to us all at some time or other but it helps if the other driver was driving as sensibly as you. It is probably he/she didn't even realise what they had done.

[TheCowThatLaughs]

Glad you're ok op! And it wasn't your fault. Just wondering if your car is grey though? I sometimes miss seeing a grey car against the grey road. I don't think cars should be grey!

[MythicalKings]

DH thinks that some people waiting to pull out calculate if you can slow down enough to not hit them rather than if it's safe to pull out and get up to your speed.

Similarly with pedestrians crossing the road sometimes.

[WanderWomble]

Rattitude, weirdly enough my car is silver!

[limitedperiodonly]

People who drive badly on motorways are just bad drivers.

I avoided them for about a year until I realised that it would cut down my driving time to work.

I was nervous but it was fine and a lot safer because everyone is going the same way and there are no junctions, just slip roads.

You just speed up to join the flow.

One lesson might be helpful but I don't think it's necessary.

[RackofPeas]

Limited, I had a similar experience with a cyclist to you. A near miss that left me quite shaken.
I spent ages afterwards wondering why I simply hadn't seen him. I concluded that 1 - he was in street clothes and rather blended into the background and 2 - he was on the road and not on the cycle path. I wondered later, and indeed still do, why he'd decided to ignore the cycle path.

I was nearly sqashed by a vehicle pulling slowly onto the motorway from the hard shoulder. It was a large motorway maintenance lorry and the fact it was so big is probably what saved me, I saw it pull out slowly in plenty of time! Managed to slam the brakes on and stop just in time.

Lady in a car scared the crap out of me this week. I was starting to turn right into s side road with cars parked on the opposite side. Road was clear. In the split second it took me to glance up the road I was on to make sure it was still safe to turn and then back to where I was going, a car had appeared.
She must have been going at a heck of a lick to have been obscured behind the parked cars and then be right in front of me in such a short space of time. Having talked to a few other people it would seem to be quite a common problem on this road. The row of parked cars obscures a turning and the cars that come out of there often speed like crazy.

[Rattitude]

Womble, I KNEW it!

[limitedperiodonly]

Limited, I had a similar experience with a cyclist to you. A near miss that left me quite shaken.

RackofPeas your experience sounds a bit different to mine. Mine was definitely my fault. Yours doesn't seem so much. Sometimes cyclists don't stick to the cycle path because they are a bit shit and it's not convenient and can be dangerous.

However I've experienced reckless and arrogant cyclists. Mostly as a pedestrian, which I am mostly these days.

These days I peer carefully before crossing roads because I don't want to be mown down by people on wheels.

[Frostycake]

Has anyone noticed that people seem to pull out on roundabouts whether there's something coming or not? I've also noticed an increasing tendancy for people to sit at roundabouts while they're empty then as soon as a car approaches, they pull out. Same thing with people indicating right when they're exiting a roundabout left. Drives me mad.

[RackofPeas]

He was legally allowed to use the road and I turned into his path. Alas there is no requirement that they use them. Had I hit him it would have been all my fault.
I asked dh - who cycles a lot - why so many cyclists don't use the path there. He said it was inconvenient as there were too many pedestrians and driveways. Personally I think it's a crap excuse. In my mind it translated as 'sometimes I can't be bothered to look where I'm going'

[Sparklingbrook]

Re motorway lessons. I don't think they are the same as dual carriageways. There is proper use of the hard shoulder (as indicated in the OP) and proper use of the three lanes, middle lane hogging now being an offence.

If motorways were the same as dual carriageways they would allow learners to drive on them. And cyclists etc....

[DisappointedOne]

The principles are exactly the same. Stay in the leftmost lane unless overtaking. Same speed limit. Most 70mph dual carriage ways also have proper hard shoulders. No difference.

[Sparklingbrook]

So why are learners not allowed on motorways?

[GladysTheGolem]

You'd be surprised how many people don't notice a car with big bright blue lights and loud sirens.

Shouldn't be on the bloody road

[RackofPeas]

Gladys, dhs uncle used to drive a fire engine. The tales he told me about car drivers failing to notice them... Well, even if he embellished a bit they're still pretty shocking. I have seen people not get out of the way for police, ambulance and fire engines. It beggars belief.

[Reignbeau]

Ooh can I vent too. I almost got run into today, I was approaching a mini roundabout indicating left, a car directly opposite not indicating at all. I assumed that meant they were going straight ahead, therefore not crossing my path so pulled out. They were in fact turning right from their POV, so heading for the same exit as me and we narrowly missed a collision. She had the cheek to yell something at me, couldn't hear what but it didn't look like "sorry". Use your indicator you fucking dozy bitch, it's not just there to make the car look pretty.

[DisappointedOne]

Weight of traffic and number of heavy goods vehicles. Risk of horrific problems if they freeze or freak out or mistake the brake for the accelerator........ Because they can practice driving at speed more safely on dual carriageways than on busy motorways.

[Sparklingbrook]

So motorways are different to dual carriageways.