To think that if you can't reverse, you shouldn't be driving?

[MoonlightKissed]

I live in a semi-rural area. To take my DD to school (not walkable, no school buses pass us) I drive through a single track country lane. It's not the kind of lane you go down if you don't know the area/road. It's quite long, about a mile, and bendy. There are passing places, but some of them are currently unusable as so wet - you'd end up stuck in deep mud.

This morning, I was driving through, and met a car coming the other way (regular thing). This car had a passing place about 5 yards behind them, whereas the nearest passing place behind me was about 50 yards, and would have involved reversing round several bends - I can do it, but it's not very safe if there's a better alternative. Other car spent ages refusing to reverse. I tend to just sit quietly, I don't get irate. Eventually they did reverse back to it - or at least, they attempted. And quite honestly, I was embarrassed for them! It was only a few yards, and all they needed to do was go back a bit, then in to the pull in by a couple of foot. It took ages, and involved being in the middle of the road, then hitting the bank. It was very clear they couldn't reverse at all. Eventually they got to a point where I could squeeze past, even though they were in the weirdest position.

There's another road I go on with passing places on a single track road, also on a hill just to make it even more exciting. This one is a very common cut through for cars - and the amount of reversing I've seen on this road that is creative is shocking. I've seen people zigzag from side to side of the road, hit the banks, mount the kerbs. There's been times I've been torn between crying with laughter, and other times I've been tempted to get out & offer to go & reverse their vehicle for them.

Surely if you drive on the roads, you ought to be able to reverse? Definitely if you're going on country lanes? It's not safe if you can't? I'm not expecting everyone to be able to reverse really complicated turns, but surely they ought to be able to go backwards in a straight line, perhaps pull in a bit to one side?

That might explain why our grass verges get so cut up - people in dickish cars with bad sightlines that they can't drive. Not good.

YANBU.

I can reverse. I tend to make myself reverse more (into spaces etc). I do avoid county lanes if possible though for this reason as reversing down a street where you can see and reversing down a lane where any mupppet could be speedIng up behind you is another.

Couldn't agree more! Did they have a big 4*4?

I grew up with country lanes that very much needed skilled reversing, but I learned to drive in the city. I actually excelled at reversing, learned all my moves first time, and never had to attempt them twice (my driving instructor was surprised - 'Why can't you drive that well forwards?')

But I'm a bit nervy and unpracticed in country lanes still. So sue me. I am careful with it and slow, and any one of my old neighbours who recognise it's me nips back rather than wait for me! I'm in control of the car though, and some bends are easier than others, but I'm only there once every few months, so don't get the practice.

Plus you get the idiots who don't realise when you reverse straight back to drive forwards into the passing place on your side of the road, and sit square in the middle blocking both of you...

YANBU but I will admit to being one of these people you talk about. Just not my thing and I am so bad at it, i zig zag all over the place in my way backwards. However, currently my reversing is quite passable. I have reversing camera with grid lines that match me up with parking spaces, kerbs etc, I have never been so happy. Get me in a car without it and I look like I’m driving stinking drunk when going backwards even with 35yrs of driving under my belt.

Yes people should be able to reverse accurately, but I don't blame people for being slow and cautious. I am a slow reverser because a friend of a friend killed his own two year old who had darted right behind his car while he was reversing out of his garage. I always think of that, and hope people will be patient with me.

I can reverse normally but I was never taught to reverse into a bay because it wasn't a possible manoeuvre on the local test route, so my instructor just didn't teach me. As a result I'll park a million miles from any shop door to ensure I can drive straight through two back-to-back spaces and drive forward out of the space when I leave

If they knew they weren't confident at reversing why didn't they just reverse straight back then move forwards into the passing place?

Although I do agree with you, reversing is a necessary skill which every driver should have.

The problem is the driving test is useless for teaching what is actually needed and it’s like city driving is that unless you actually live somewhere where you need to use roads like that regularly then it can fluster people. It shouldn’t but it does.

I was never taught to reverse park, I didn’t need to parrell Park for years after passing my test so both are skills I have had to “teach” myself and the main issue is the confidence. I can now do both easily generally but sometimes one wrong turn and you do find yourself flustered and forgetting where your up to

To point out - I have no issue with people reversing slowly, none at all. Definitely always best to be safe. The kind of reversing I'm talking about here is the type where they cannot even go backwards a few foot in a straight line. That ends up with them hitting the bank, the kerb, zigzagging down the road, that kind of thing.

I get that everyone has to learn - in fact, years ago, I used to be a driving instructor. But passing your test is only the start. And if you're not good at something, you ought to either practice until you are, or avoid putting yourself in those situations. When I passed my test, reversing wasn't in it. I learnt fast to reverse park, and to reverse vehicles, including towing vehicles - long before I taught driving. I have to think when I reverse a big trailer on the back of my vehicle, but I can do it - it's just not as automatically easy as just in a car.

On the hill road with passing places, many of the cars are big 4x4s, but that's because there's a school at one end of that lane, so there's lots of parents doing the school run. On the road I do while on the school run, it sometimes is, sometimes isn't. I actually drive a big 4x4 myself, but I can most definitely reverse it wherever I go.

To be fair, unless you got reverse around the corner (in the old test) you don’t have to reverse on your driving test except for slight manoevers like turning in the road, you don’t have to be able to reverse much at all to pass and you don’t have to reverse along lanes or roads or a anything. I can reverse but was only taught it for the specific manoevers in lessons, the rest came with practice and time I suppose

I can reverse normally but I was never taught to reverse into a bay because it wasn't a possible manoeuvre on the local test route, so my instructor just didn't teach me

Same with me. I also wasn't taught to parallel park as there were no place to do it in my town.

I can reverse fairly well until I have someone watching me then I seem to spend all my time correcting myself. Although in your situation I would just go straight back then forward into the space.

Yanbu but it's a bit unfair to judge someone on one single manoeuvre. They might have been having a really bad day. I'm a competent driver but years ago when dd was a new born and I had pnd I really screwed up reversing into a space and a great big merc had driven right up so it was hard for me to straighten up. The driver had a go at me and was shouting about bloody women drivers. It was horrible. 7 years later I can still remember that awful day.

Also frustrating in countryside when people think two car can not fit in the road and you have to wait behind them because they stop when car come towards them.

Totally agree OP. I drop my DC off at a club once a week and it is accessed through a small residential street. Cars can park on one side and it leaves room for only one line of cars. Except parked cars don’t all stick to the same side which means weaving in and out between them and reversing back to let oncoming cars pass. The amount of drivers who almost hit every car on the way back is ridiculous. They get themselves all flustered and go back and forwards endless times trying to fix their fuck up. The most frustrating part is that there is another entrance that involves no reversing. Why wouldn’t you take it if you can’t reverse?

I am not great at reversing.

I am slow and cautious but can go backwards in a straight line

Mind you, the first and only time I had to reverse on a country road I did nearly end up in a ditch. I had only just passed my test though and the man who made me reverse was an arsehole which put me under pressure. He could have reversed as he had literally just passed a pull in spot, but he just sat there signalling for me to reverse even though I had quite a way to reverse. He knew it would be easier for him to reverse and the combination of being a new driver and under pressure meant it didn't go too well.

Totally agree, slow reversing is fine but if you can't reverse at all stay off country lanes. I live down a 2.5 mile country lane and absolutely refuse to reverse around a dangerous corner because an incompetent driver can't reverse in a straight line and then pull forward. They are selfish and dangerous.

I hear you OP. And don't even get me started on the people driving 4x4s who refuse to move over...seriously the most off roading those ever get is their driveways.

glares at neighbour who parks in an obstructive place because he can't cope with reversing round his own driveway!

I live rurally too and this drives me crazy! I'm usually very happy to reverse but I once met a woman towing a small trailer on a single-track, she was right next to a passing place but actually got out of her car to tell me she couldn't reverse
My friend reversed her car into the passing place for her, and she (quite rightly) was mortified!

I am very confident at reversing into passing spots. I do it even if the other cars spot is nearer. I'm quick & efficient and everyone always waves and smiles that I've made their day just a bit easier.

I agree with the OP.

It's tricky. Reversing properly (unless you're really good with mirrors and they're not steamed up/flecked with mud) means best practice is turning round in your seat, looking out the back and doing what's necessary. I can do this easily and reverse speedily up a muddy track. However my ex-DP was hopeless at reversing and had a cricked neck so couldn't do what I do.

I'd always reverse for someone with a trailer if the passing place was between me and them. I do steam when I see an incompetent person in a huge 4x4 they don't actually need but round here they're mostly well used. And most super cars have bossy sounds telling you how to reverse which bleep when you're going to knock into a wall. I wonder if it recognises sheep?