Who was BU here - traffic incident

[JuanPotatoTwo]

www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/News/Areas/Maidenhead/Video-captures-railway-bridge-stand-off-between-two-drivers-which-held-up-traffic-for-more-than-30-minutes-23092015.htm

I'm sorry, I haven't worked out how to embed videos yet but, in a nutshell, two drivers come face to face under a railway bridge. The woman has right of way but the man refuses to reverse - claiming he doesn’t know how! It's one of those bridges where you can't always see the traffic you're supposed to give way to until you're already part way through so he should have been prepared to reverse.

Of course, if he really can't reverse, then he shouldn't be driving so it seems like the man is totally in the wrong - but I can't help feeling sorry for him. The video is fascinating if only to see how determined they both are.

I read it that he'd got so worked up that he'd frozen', and that's why he couldn't reverse.

Awful woman. Awful.

I think the woman had some guts to stand her ground with the intimidation and bystanders. The guy clearly can't drive properly and should have his licence removed.

I don't think anyone can say who should have backed up because we don't know how they came to be blocking each other's path. We don't know who arrived first, what speed they were both doing, and when they would have seen each other. One PP (local to the incident) says he would have seen her approaching so perhaps he should have waited?

I live in Devon and drive regularly on single pass lanes with high Devon banks, with little visibility of oncoming traffic. The amount of drivers who can't reverse their cars is staggeringly high, especially between June and September . If they all had their licences taken away the petroleum industry would collapse.

Watching that made me really angry! I wanted to reach through the screen, grab the woman by the face and yank her out of that car.

I do feel sorry for the man to an extent, but he really, really should not have been driving. When they were trying to get him to reverse, first of all he went forwards and nearly hit the other car and then pretty much reversed into a wall. He had no control over the car in the slightest and looked bloody dangerous.

Do incidents like this get followed up on any official level? He needs to have his licence revoked and she needs to be charged with something - blocking a public highway, public nuisance - there must be something surely.

'really angry---reach thru the screen ,grab the woman by the face and yank her out of that car.'
you sound like the really angry men in the video who were reaching into her car and yelling and swearing and name calling and threatening.
must be something you angry guys who think it's ok to behave like that could be charged with--surely?

If my 5 and 7 year olds were stuck at school waiting to be picked up whilst I was stuck behind the stupid, arrogant bitch I would have been shouting, swearing and namecalling.

What would you have done? Sat back and enjoyed the waiting?

I think the woman was being a stubborn cow. He was halfway through. Bloody smug smile all the way through as if why should she move.

your children and what ifs are irrelevant. The only child waiting was a teenager. Hard to imagine you choosing to retreat if you had the right of way.
She was not smiling .

Wotno- you have to click where it says see the video.

Those people swearing and reaching into the woman's car are pretty hostile (mostly men) why on earth do they think being angry and aggressive is going to resolve a situation where the adrenalin was clearly already going?

Can you be sure you would have been calm and rational if you had been kept waiting for half an hour by a couple of numbskulls.

Indeed, what do you think you would have done in this position to resolve matters more quickly?

The fact that most of them were male is neither here nor there.

The video did have the number plates in view so I'm not surprised if they took it down.

Kali110 - thanks, will look later.

Plenty of eyewitnesses there. Majority of whom say the other driver was more than half way through...she should have given way.

The other driver was clearly traumatised by what was happening. I hope she is proud of herself for being a selfish cow.

He was half way through. It doesn't matter whose right of way it was. It is something you learn when driving, right of way means nothing if the other person is half way through.

So yes, she should have reversed in the first place. That said, if it were me I would just reverse and be the bigger person because who gives a crap whose right of way it is? Someone needs to move and I have better things to do than have a stubborn stand off.

If he can't reverse then he shouldn't drive. I hate reversing, I'm not great at it myself, but he was dreadful.

And I think if I was petrified as the other driver clearly was I might also struggle with driving and manoeuvring. Doesn't mean he isn't usually a safe driver.
I am actually wondering how he is this morning. Perhaps he will be too anxious to get in a car again. Still never mind eh? As long as the cow bag proved her "point" whatever that was. Smug bitch.

You don't get your licence on the basis that you're a safe driver except when flustered or stressed. If he can't drive safely, he should hand in his licence.

They were both total idiots, but I really, really hate the infantilising of elderly people.

the video hasn't been taken down but to view you have to scroll down the story to the click here link in italics. This link is to you tube

Both at fault. Both should have to retake test. Be in the situation as im sure ever driver has and you deal within secs. In this case the woman should have reversed as she was closer to the entrance (whilst muttering under her breath at the mans rudeness as i suspect he speed up). Why it went on for so long. Both were rude stubborn people. Hope the police visit both. Personally i think any car apart from a skoda is a cr*p car. do feel sorry for anyone who hasnt driven a skoda.

Stupid cow, I hope karma gets her. The old guy was absolutely petrified, he was much further down that tunnel if you watch the video. Why couldn't she reverse when she had a chance. Once the traffic has packed up, it became a mess.

I wonder if she would have had the same attitude if the other driver was a woman with babies crying in the car? Shame on you, whoever you are. Most people would be unable to drive after being victim of road rage.

I thought the old guy looked completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Not scared in the slightest.

It wasn't road rage. There was no rage whatsoever from either of them, just pigheadedness and an inability to drive.

"Watching that made me really angry! I wanted to reach through the screen, grab the woman by the face and yank her out of that car."

"stupid, arrogant bitch"

We don't actually know who was in the wrong here. The video doesn't go back to the origins of the encounter and eyewitness accounts are notoriously dubious. Witnesses are also prone to bias so if they have similar attitudes to some of the people on this thread, they're going to blame her anyway.

I suggest, Minecraft that you have a long think about why you're aiming your violent reaction at her but not at him. It seems to me that the elderly man is not transgressing any social expectations. Indeed, he is as Jassy has said, being infantilised. He's doing the "helpless poor old man" thing that on the whole society finds acceptable. By apparently being petrified and helpless he's eliciting sympathy despite the fact that he can't actually drive. He's being asked to reverse on a normal road. He's not expected to reverse uphill on ice with vertiginous cliffs either side. The woman on the other hand is doing several things women are not expected to do - standing up for herself, driving a flash car, refusing to give way to men shouting at her.

I find it depressing that so much violence and misogynist language is being directed at her. As a society we really do seem to think that violence against women is OK and is indeed their fault, particularly if they stop acting in a way that people think is "feminine". If you disagree with her and think she was in the wrong, fine, but by threatening violence you are being at least as bad, if not worse.

As for what I would have done, well I cycle. So long as there's a gap big enough to lift my bike through, I'm out the other side and gone, leaving drivers to sort out whatever mess it is they've got themselves into.

Both in the wrong. Can't believe the saga went on for nearly 40 minutes!

We have similar on the road where DD primary school is...a row of cars parked on road and a very slight hill so it's hard to see if there is any on coming traffic. I go by the rule that if it's less for you to reverse then you should be the one to do it regardless of priority.

What does annoy me is when a car can blatantly see two cars meeting in the middle and then thinks fuck it I will go too which just causes more chaos. One stubborn man made a van and a trailer reverse because he wouldn't budge. It was downright stupid. If the school extended the car park there wouldn't be any need to park in the road anyway.

There is a road that runs parallel to the road I'm talking about, if people don't want to be caught up in school run traffic they should use it. I think it needs to be signed that there is an alternative route, would save so much hassle.

LimitedPeriod thanks, and yes, one of the things I love about horses is the way they even up physical disparities. Physical strength alone isn't going to convince them and they go best for you if they actually like you.

Both drivers are stubborn arseholes, however the aggressive unhelpful behaviour of the mob trying to get them to move is the real shame and more likely the cause of the old chaps alleged anxiety than the 'stand-off'. Well done to the people who actually did something useful and assisted the old fella in reversing his car. If he was so shook-up as to be unable to reverse though, I do hope he parked up and got alternative transport home.

Very few winners here!

We had a traffic stand off yesterday on the way to work. We're used to waiting for cows going in for milking and waiting for the herd to cross the road, in the evening. This was morning and it's usually clear (except for Not Twatty Drivers, giving way, use of passing places seems to happen very smoothly round here for the most part) but yesterday morning we were halted in our progress by a herd of .......

......... PHEASANTS!!!!!!!!

About a dozen of them, males and females, strutting about at the junction where we turn up into really rural roads. They heard the car, some headed away into the field, but most milled about looking worried. DH revved the engine gently. More ran into the field. We were left with 3 who didn't know what to do. I could almost see them wringing their wings in worry. Should I go this way? Oh, she's going that way? Oh no, he's going over there! Where shall I go? What shall I do? Shall I stay here? Shall I move? Existential crisis for the little things. (i believe they are renowned for stupidity though.)

Poor things. It was funny, and enjoyable. Eventually they did all find their way into the field and we could continue to my office. Only 15 minutes late.