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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Driver caused me to emergency stop and just drove off!

319 replies

MamaMoose1 · 28/02/2017 13:31

Hi,
I've just returned from going out with my 20 month old daughter in the car. Whilst driving along a road, a learner driver pulled out in front of me, causing me to emergency stop, the driver just carried on and swiftly drove away. Am I being unreasonable to be shocked that the driving instructor in charge didn't get out to see if we were ok, or even awknowledge what had happened. We are ok and I have his reg no.
Thanks!

OP posts:
Astoria7974 · 28/02/2017 14:22

You should have slowed down the second you saw the learner driver. They aren't predictable. They'll slow down/speed up at the weirdest moments even with an instructor - that's why they have so many big red signs all over them.

bigearsthethird · 28/02/2017 14:22

You were able to break hard and not hit him. Therefore avoided an accident. I'd be happy with that if I were you. He/She was a learner and was in the wrong but no one was hurt. I expect he/she has learnt from that.

Can we assume though that you didn't remain stopped in the road just past this bend whilst writing down the number plate? If someone else had come along and hit you up the backside that could potentially have been a nasty accident.

gillybeanz · 28/02/2017 14:23

YABU, you should have seen the car, known there was a possibility a learner could pull out and backed off a bit.

It's not illegal to drive off if you have either done an emergency stop or caused one.

DisgruntledGoat · 28/02/2017 14:27

Where does it say in Highway Code that it's illegal to drive off after an emergency stop? You have to perform one as part of your actual driving test because it's what you're supposed to do if needed to prevent an accident. I've been driving for over 30 years and done my fair share off ES's but never felt the need to be "checked up on" afterwards Confused I think you're being a bit precious

Catsick36 · 28/02/2017 14:27

Time to get over that now.

FairNotFair · 28/02/2017 14:28

Please come back, OP. I know we're all saying YABU, but that doesn't mean we can't all be friends... Grin

RayofFuckingSunshine · 28/02/2017 14:29

Your last post was quite dramatic and woe is me. Nobody has said you were in the wrong for a car pulling out in front of you. We all said you were being a bit ridiculous for expecting them to stop and check on you. You are an adult, yes? Capable of looking after yourself I would imagine.

GrumpyOldBag · 28/02/2017 14:30

Everyone - the OP is widely considered to be in the wrong but there's no need for the bullying tone of some of these posts.

I get a sense of everyone piling in to give her a good kicking.

It's not nice.

Kiroro · 28/02/2017 14:31

LOL this has cheered me up

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 28/02/2017 14:31

I think the OP may have flounced. What a fuss about nothing! A learner made a mistake. Get over it.

Imavinoops · 28/02/2017 14:32

What a weird thread! It would never occur to me to get out and check someone was okay after an emergency stop!

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when driving and especially as a learner! People pull out on me all the time and I know I have ballsed it up various times too. You sound very high strung about this OP.

Julju · 28/02/2017 14:32

YABU. If you couldn't see the L driver round the bend then you shouldn't have been doing 28 in a 30, you should have slowed down in anticipation of something round the bend. If you could see the L driver you, as a more experienced driver, should be anticipating them doing something more slowly (i.e. Deciding to pull away and taking a little longer to do it than other drivers) because they are a learner.

OnionKnight · 28/02/2017 14:33

Amazing thread backfire.

AmethystRaven · 28/02/2017 14:35

People are always having to stop abruptly round DD's school (parked cars, coaches, busy junctions, the new drivers from the 6th form up the road etc) - imagine if we all had to stop and get out, no one would ever get anywhere due to gridlock!

lampfromikea · 28/02/2017 14:37

OP. If you haven't flounced...

If I am reading correctly:

  • you were driving at just under the speed limit.
  • you were approaching a bend
  • there was a L car parked at the side of the road
  • the L car was signalling to pull out.

Why did you not slow? For all you know, they could have done their checks and were just starting to pull away as you approached. I do think YABU as you should have noticed that they were indicating with enough time to slow down.
Because if you had done that, you wouldn't necessarily have needed to slam your brakes on to the point you needed to do an emergency stop.

It does sound to me like you either were driving a little too fast to notice them or are very inexperienced.

trulybadlydeeply · 28/02/2017 14:37

The same happened to me last week. It was dark, the road was wet, and a learner pulled right out in front of me from a junction on the left. It was very lucky that I was able to stop in time, and also that the person behind me was able to. The person with the learner (not a driving instructor) did raise his hand to acknowledge what the learner had done. I did feel a little shaky, those "what ifs" go through your mind briefly, however I would have found it extremely odd if they had stopped and got out of the car to "see if I was ok". Like a PP said, it might have felt a bit threatening, and it would have caused havoc in the rush hour traffic!

OP, this is what driving is all about - you keep alert at all times so you can respond to others' mistakes, and we allow learners on the road precisely so they can learn from situations like this.

lampfromikea · 28/02/2017 14:38

Meant to add to that post:

Even if you don't slow to allow them to pull out, you should always be aware that they could pull out (either without seeing or because they are a dickhead) and slow down anyway.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 28/02/2017 14:40

No it didn't result in a collision, but it's still illegal to carry on, if the person carries out an emergency stop.

No it isn't

YABU

HTH

WhispersOnTheWind · 28/02/2017 14:41

Damn, those who cause others to emergency stop are supposed to stop and check the other driver is ok now? Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs.

So, when that elk DH braked for one time just continued to stand in the road glaring at us for ten minutes, despite flashing lights and beeping, it wasn't just being a threatening, roadblocking twatwaffle? It was waiting to see if we were ok? I take it all back about hoping it would end up in bits in someone's freezer.

ExplodedCloud · 28/02/2017 14:43

Thank ewe Buzzard that's a good point.

IamFriedSpam · 28/02/2017 14:44

I'm actually with GrumpyOldBag. There's a consensus that there was no need for the learner to stop but there's no need to take such glee in piling in on OP imo.

SandyDenny · 28/02/2017 14:46

Where did you see that's it's illegal to stop after someone's done an "emergency stop"?

How would that be policed? How would anyone know if someone had done one and where's the line between braking and emergency stopping drawn? What a lot of nonsense.

Maybe the learner could benefit from some perfect driving lessons from you once you've tracked them down

FannyWisdom · 28/02/2017 14:55

Stop being so mean.

YABU but understandable.
PFB? I remember driving with my own DC.

Babies are the worst. Makes me nervous to even think about it.
it's exactly what it feels like to drive stoned is driving with kids

HateSummer · 28/02/2017 14:55

Omg the exact same thing just happened to me about 3 mins ago! I've come to pick kids up from school and a learner driver pulls out without indicating! I made a hand gesture but don't know if they saw. Arseholes.

DisgruntledGoat · 28/02/2017 14:56

How is it bullying?! OP could have come back and just admitted she got it wrong and had a laugh at the whole thing herself. Maybe she will or maybe she's flounced off but do you really think she cares what anonymous people on a silly thread think and that she's sobbing into her coffee?! I doubt it. There may have been a bit of fun poking on here but not bullying!