HE should have reversed?

[BoredAdminGirl]

Hi all, go easy on me as I am a new driver!

This morning as I was driving to work I was driving through narrow country lanes. Over the hedge I could see a car would be approaching shortly so I slowed down, hey presto the guy in oncoming car zooms round corner and stops. The road is only wide enough for one vehicle at a time and I was coming down a winding hill. There was a passing place about 10 feet behind him where he could have reversed to. He made several hand gestures at me to hurry up. Nervous and flustered I put my car into reverse and ended up in a hedge just to the left rear end of my car. Unfortunately there was a wall in the hedge and my bumper came off :(

Guy in car then angrily reversed to the passing place and let me drive through.

Was he being unreasonable? I thought the rule of thumb was to give way to drivers coming down a hill as opposed to coming up one?

I think you had right of way , so yes he should have reversed.

I'm not sure about the uphill/downhill rule, but assuming he could see you approaching, he should have pulled into the layby so you could get past. I always pull in if there's a layby on my side, even if the approaching car isn't yet close.

The general rule is cars coming up a hill have right of way as historically cars had less power and therefore on hills may possibly struggle to get started again, with modern cars this is not generally an issue but I think the rule still stands.

Going uphill has priority to going downhill from memory.

Right of way on a hill is to give to the person going up - as in the olden days it was easier to keep momentum going down than have to crank up your car to go up.

But, as there was a passing place by him he he should have reversed.

He should of receded it's bloody 10ft away, I'm all for right of way but sometimes some common sense needs to be applied. Sorry you encountered someone like him OP I hate intimidating drivers.

On country lanes I'd always go with whoever is closer to the passing place. I think the hill thing is a courtesy rather than a rule but I'm happy to be corrected.

I think it is uphill, something to do with power and cars rolling backwards

As long as it is safe (e.g. reversing round a blind corner would be awkward/risky) and possible (e.g. nothing obstructing behind like a queue of traffic, herd of sheep) then the person who is closest to a passing place should reverse back to it.

Here's the answer...
www.highwaycode.info/general-rules-all-drivers-riders-103-to-158
Rule 155 says give way to cars coming uphill whenever you can. So you don't have right of way-it is courteous for the other driver to stop though.

The rule always used to be that the person coming down the hill should reverse back up. In the days of unreliable motors it would be easier to start again if you stalled, if you were the car facing down the hill.

It is still the case that it is slightly safer to reverse up the hill as you can do so in a controlled manner, rather than risking gravity taking over and causing you to go too fast and losing control if you are trying to reverse down.

In your scenario, I think it depends how far each of you had to reverse and whoever had to reverse the shorter difference should have done so. In your situation, OP, I would have continued on until I was level with the passing place and waited for him there, rather than waiting at a point where one of you would have to reverse.

I should have pointed out that the driver was on a flat road approaching the incline. I had to reverse up whereas he coudl have reversed straight iyswim

I think who should have backed up is a defunct argument on country lanes most of the time. The better way of going about it is for each driver to assess who will have the easier/safer time of getting out of the way. In this instance, that seems to have been the other driver. As a new driver, my best advice to you is to be fully prepared to turn your engine off and wait if someone is gesticulating at you but you're not confident you can do what they want without damaging your car/yourself/someone else. People with this type of aggressive driving style continue because it works...people repeatedly move for them, even when it's not a clever move.

When I learned to drive (8 years ago) I was taught that if you're coming down the hill, you have right of way. But people don't act like it!

Cars going up hill have right of passage over cars going downhill as it takes more for the car going uphill to get going again (historically)

This should have been covered in your theory test and some practical lessons...

Posted too fast, however despite it being his right of way he should have reversed up as expecting someone to reverse uphill is ridiculous.
Do you have pass plates on by any chance?

The highway code says that you should allow a car coming uphill to pass "wherever you can". Not always. Even if the other car was already on the hill, which it wasn't, OP couldn't allow it to pass: as proven by the damaged bumper.

Devastated that my little cars bumper has come away :( my BIL is a mechanic so hopefully he can patch it up for me.

Common sense surely mans it's easier for him to reverse than for you? What a naughty swine, hope the car isn't too costly to fix.

If there is a next time just sit there and cross your arms and wait. I upset a couple of drivers in Pembrokeshire this year who wanted me to reverse for miles so they didn't have to get the wheels of their shiney 4x4 muddy.

This is definitely one of those cases where common sense should have prevailed over what is technically 'correct'.

Yes, as he was going up hill (or about to), he may have had right of way if anybody did. However, common sense dictates that whoever has the closest passing place should use it.

In the situation you describe, I would have pulled into the passing place (if I were him) and allowed you to pass.

I also hate reversing in situations like that. I once had to reverse for a tractor on Dartmoor - for what seemed like miles (probably about 250ft in reality) on a really narrow lane with stone walls either side. I cried! I'm fine with reversing in normal situations - parking etc. BTW.

I'm sorry you met a twat this morning. Have some . Not whilst driving obviously .

It isn't on the theory test and isn't necessarily taught either.

I had a prat in a Saab try and intimidate me into reversing once. I was on a driving lesson at the time. My instructor told me to switch off the engine, at which point he waved cheerily at the other driver, pulled out a newspaper and told me to let me know when the man had given in. He taught me a valuable lesson that day. It was absolutely my right of way, the Saab driver had already performed a ridiculous and dangerous manoeuvre which got him stuck in the first place. Had I been alone, I'd have been intimidated by the guy swearing and gesticulating at me and I would have tried to reverse but probably cocked it up.

I do still give in sometimes. I've had people refuse to reverse or move over when next to a passing place and I've had to plant my tiny car in a field so their big 4 wheel drive can stay on the road at all times.

Thanks for the comments. If I see him tomorrow morning I shall be giving him the finger!

Don't do that. Take the moral high ground and just ignore him.

You never know who's driving and there's no point picking a fight if you don't have to.

Happens round here too