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?

Heh. I've been having to go to my mums recently a lot and there are roadworks so I took the back lanes. The amount of big shiny 4x4s that wouldn't even attempt to use the passing places because their tank would get muddy was astounding. There they would sit right in the middle of the fuckiung road in their shiny Chelsea tractor while I was having to go up a rain soaked grass verge in my MPV (only six months old and newer than their piece of shit car) risking getting sunk up to my bloody axle 🤬🤬🤬🤬

moonlight, what should those sort of drivers do, before they appear on the roads? Since there's no public transport, if they've had children, how should they get their children to school? You were inconvenienced, but were you in any danger, at all?

Yes we used to have a road close to us that had passing places. The amount of people that used to purposefully overshoot a passing place and when you were approaching one, and expect you to reverse up 100's of yards was unreal.

They were always the ones that would get irate,refuse to reverse, even though just a smidgeon beyond a passing place then do the zigzaggy thing when they had to concede

moonlight, you've pretty much described me. I'm not a confident driver yet. Should I walk my child to school down that road you drive or try to move to an area where they can get a bus? Could you put up with me practicing slow but safe driving till I can get out of your way fast enough?

Durgha I'd suggest you practise as much as possible. The roads nowadays are hideous (old gimmer who passed in the 90s and yes things were very different then). You need to have confidence as too many take the piss nowadays.

I had a Mexican stand off with an older lady when I lived in the middle of bloody nowhere rurally. Eventually I got out of the car as I just couldn’t reverse from where I was without doing a blind reverse, round blind bend onto a junction....she had to go back 5 feet, I kid you not.

When I approached her the attitude that I had observed from my car (angry waving etc) disappeared and she admitted that she just couldn’t reverse....couldn’t even get into reverse, never mind manoeuvre. I ended up reversing for her and we ended up on good terms. I did think she was a twit though.

bishop, how do you practice if you don't have a private estate?

I learned to drive in Central London and then moved to the country where I pretty soon learned to reverse along a single track lane. I love driving but was driving to an event (so more traffic than normal) up a tiny lane when I saw a brand new shiny Volvo coming towards me. I pulled over but not far enough for his liking. He stopped next to me with a view to me moving forward but I was up a steep hill and and he was about two inches from me. Every time I tried to move I kept slipping closer and then I managed to only just get my foot on the brake and then just froze. Even my normally vocal back seat driver DH knew to STFU. The Volvo driver was getting really nasty and there was a lot of traffic being held up by now. The driver of the car behind got out and was gently tryi g to coax me forward but by then I was literally whimpering. He went round to the passenger side of the Volvo and let rip at the driver as it turned out he had a good foot of space on that side. He told him what a piece of shit he was for upsetting me and if he couldn't get his car through that gap he shouldn't be driving. My hero!

Recently I got stuck in traffic on a hideous lane. I was practically in the hedge and a transit van and a small flat bed got through. The actual hold up was behind them and one of them told me things had got heated back there. Next car was a woman in a big 4x4, in tears, and she panicked trying to pass me. I was very gentle with her, assured her bigger vehicles had got past and I promised her she had room. Eventually she went for it and was fine but sometimes those lanes are hideous.

And now I must feed the cat

Had this today in the middle of a city. Driving down a road, cars parked randomly either side. Van in front pulled into parking space had a impatient arse behind me 2 inches from my back bumper. Van revealed - ta-da, chelsea tractor had 5 foot to reverse round a corner to let us both through, no decided to drive forward straight at me. Arse behind honking his horn at me as I was in his way. Got out of car asked chelsea tractor to reverse up. " sorry, car to large for me, I can't reverse" impatient arse behind reversed it 5 feet up the road. We both would have to have reversed 50 foot up the road to let the bloody thing through. Why do people drive cars they can't manoeuvre???

I am terrified of reversing on narrow country lanes. Simply because I have NEVER had to do it!

I drive for hours on motorways, no problem at all. But I have never had to reverse into a passing place. I need practice, and I may take some lessons actually.

You have to remember that when you meet people this may be the very first time they have attempted this type of manoeuvre. It is very different reversing in a country lane with another car in front of you, ie under extreme pressure, than reversing round a corner in a town.

This is why I could never have a massive 4x4. I am a perfectly competent driver (and I can reverse happily down country lanes!) but the pressure of the extra width would tip me over the edge in pressured situations (and many car parks ). My car is wide for a medium car but it's not Chelsea tractors sized and it's lovely and manoueverable.

Oh god this is a daily complaint for me. Same here op, couple of miles of windy, mostly single track lane with passing places. Dear god the state some people get into reversing - but to be honest, I don’t mind so much if it’s just a case of them mucking it up or taking their time. It’s the wankers who outrightly refuse to reverse even though it makes more sense for them than the car coming in the opposite direction.

Had some bint in a Range Rover (always a bloody Range Rover!) in a face off with a guy in a small fiat the other day. I pulled up behind the fiat, waiting patiently for the RR woman to reverse literally about 4m so we could pass (the guy before I arrived whined him would have had to reverse about 100m and round a corner). Would she budge? Would she fuck! I got out of my car in the end and went to ask wtf was going on (because I wasn’t sure at that point). The bloke said the woman was refusing to reverse. I turned to her and mouthed ‘move’ and I think she must have taken one look at my face and crazy woman unbrushed morning hair and my biker boots and decided it was a fight she didn’t want to pick, and so reversed but my god the song and dance she made of the manoeuvre! If you can’t reverse - why the hell chance a single track lane, with a vehicle you can’t bloody drive properly. Gives me the rage!

It's also the people in precious cars who drive down lanes and don't want their snowflake cars scratched reversing alongside hedges. They'd prefer other people to run the risk instead. love we're not on at you though don't visit Cornwall! just people who live in the country and drive cars they can't manoeuvre and, worse, don't need.

All the mentions of people in their 4x4s and the situations encountered supports my notion that to drive one, you should have to take your test in one. And re-test every few years.

It's not just country lanes. Our school is on a dead end street that the school have repeatedly asked parents not to park on you inevitably get the "country scenario" at least 3 or 4 times an afternoon.

The worst I witnessed was a mature man (in appearance at least...maybe 50 or so) having to reverse one car length to the nearest gap rather than the opposing car's 6 car lengths. He dragged his car all along the side of the car on the right then scrapped his car against the car on the left that he was pulling in behind, then collided with the car behind.

He didn't even stop to leave his details so I took a photo of his car. Made a note of the time and left the details with the school.

Reversing round the corner was a crappy bit of the test but at least it taught you how to keep your car parallel with a line and maintain control.

how do you practice if you don't have a private estate?

My dad taught me to drive in our local industrial estate at nights and weekends. Perfect places to practice, no traffic and ours had lots of hills for hill starts and corners for reversing around. Saved me a fortune in lessons.

We only had to reverse round corner or park beind another car, not inbetween two. I asked my instructer to take me to tesco to practice parking and reversing into spaces. I agree more emphasis should be on this in tests considering the amount of cars on the road now and the need to reverse park or manouver

Just because you don't have to do a manoeuvre to pass your test is no reason not to actually learn how to do it.
If you can't reverse, you shouldn't be driving!

you ought to either practice until you are, or avoid putting yourself in those situations.

Surely it's one or the other? For example, my dad is terrible when near me driving - he's ridiculously over anxious, and back seat drives. It stresses me out and distracts me (especially as he gives instruction as if we're in his massive estate not my tiddly Citroen). But it's not something I can eliminate entirely, so I have steadily become more practiced at handling it - by experience!

Practice by yourself is definitely valuable, but being able to handle it in a 'live' situation is something that needs practice too.

The best way to practice reversing is with s toy car with working steering. It’s actually a lot easier to reverse into a parking space than drive in and a hell of a lot easier to drive out. I’m always a bit gobsmaked though people can’t reverse, what would happen if they met an ambulance on a country road? I grew up in the country and my dad and mum often had to actually reverse cars for people on such lanes we met. One woman actually just sat there and burst into tears. I would suggest at that stage you should probably catch the bus!

I agree OP. I have the same issue where I live and it drives me bonkers, especially when these people will sit in the road expecting you to reverse to make their lives easier.

I'm not the best at reversing, and our lanes are quite windy with uneven verges, but I can still get back several feet into a passing place. Probably because a lot of lorries use our lane so it's a case of having to get the hell out of the way.

One of my gripes though is those who aren't local who will not move over toward the verge in case their car get muddy or touch the hedge.

I actually had someone stop dead in the middle of the lane, then zig-zag reverse into a gateway because they didn't want to have to drive forwards into a muddy puddle. the rage!

I was awful at reversing the first time I attempted it. I CAN do it, but when I'm under pressure (i.e reversing out of the way or when someone is waiting for my parking spot) I can still get a bit flustered and forget what I'm doing. I avoid it unless it's absolutely necessary but I can do it and had to do a reverse bay park for my test (though I've never had to do one since - much prefer to drive in and reverse out if I have to!)

Practice by yourself is definitely valuable, but being able to handle it in a 'live' situation is something that needs practice too

Yes, exactly. The driver may not have been in that situation before. Being watched can make you go to pieces.

I hear you OP, I encounter this regularly on the single track lanes near me. There is a short stretch that you can only for one car down, there is a passing space but it’s very tight so usually people just check to see if it’s clear before driving down that bit (as you can see to the end).

Occasionally you get an idiot who decides to just drive headlong towearda you without thought for where to pass. The worst was when I’d travelled all but about 10m of the road towing a horse trailer, someone came round the corner and carried on towards me. Then point blank refused to reverse back . I had to wait for ages with them angrily gesticulating at me to reverse back (I’d have had to go back to the start, probably 400m, as the passing place wouldn’t be big enough for the car+trailer) before they decided to reverse back themselves. They shouldn’t be on the road!

nomore, can I have your dad's number?