To feel shaken about this driving incident?

[Art3misZeee]

So, I’m a relatively new driver (R). Passed my test and had a gap of five months before getting my car (production error).

I’m still learning, I make stupid mistakes sometimes but I learn from them. Though this one really got me.

Was on the way back from dropping the kids off at specialist unit daycare on the left on a two lane one way road, not busy but there’s a huge truck in front of me that stopped suddenly and switched the hazard lights on.

Ok, I break but I’m a little close to the truck, reverse a little because the road is so narrow and hard to get around even more so with the size of the truck. Indicate right to go around truck, inches out a little and do all checks, fine and as I’m half way round truck the only other car who is a white Audi and a good bit away speeded up as soon as he saw me in order to not let me pass first.

This didn’t exactly work because if I accelerated to get around quicker I would have hit the truck but this guy came right up the back of me and started beeping. I literally had no where else to go. I pointed to the truck and motioned about reversing. He was having none of it so I was stuck between the truck and his car, which he kept moving forward.

I don’t know where he thought he could go to get around me because there was literally no room. So I had to go forward, when we got moving he moved into the left lane beside me and rollered down the window to start screaming at me. Saying I almost crashed into him 3 times. I drove on to the traffic lights ahead and he sat beside me in order to continue calling me a stupid bitch and how I needed to “Wise the fuck up and get off the fucking road”.

He sped off before I could compose myself enough to say anything. Honestly, who was wrong here? I understand he had priority but I had dictated and inches out early on, he was far enough away that I would have gotten around the truck in time so he wouldn’t have needed to slow down. It was only when he saw me he speeded and went right up the back of me this all happened.

I do have bad anxiety so this is going to be stuck in my head all day and i’ll more than likely agree with him that I shouldn’t be on the road because I feel shit.

He's a complete wanker suffering from road rage. I can't really make out from you description what really happened, but, we all make mistakes, it does not give someone the right to abuse you. It's a shame you didn't give him a mouthful back.
Forget it. Just learn from your mistakes and move on. There are always going to be dicks on the road. Incidentally, what really winds angry drivers up is smiling and waving at them while they mouth obscenities at you!

He sounds absolutely mental, if he could have maintained his speed and not been affected by you then of course you weren't in the wrong. Even if he did have to slow down a little his reaction would have been way of proportion.

I remember having a weird incident recently too where I literally had idea what I'd done wrong. I was parking on the road (OK I'm not the best at parking so I may have been fairly slow) and a woman pulled up beside me waving her arms and screaming. (It was a wide road so she had space to go round me). I still have no idea what her problem was!

What’s the difference between a hedgehog and an Audi driver?
A hedgehog has the pricks on the outside.

Sorry, Lucisky, still jumbled at the moment. Will try to cut it down.

So I was in the left hand lane with a huge truck in front of me. There’s only the left and right lane on this road and they’re both one way. The truck stopped suddenly and switched on its hazard lights, so I need to move into the right hand lane in order to pass it. I turned on my indicator and inched out to the right, saw the white Audi in the distance who also saw me and what I was intending.

He sped up in order to pass by the truck before me but he couldn’t because I was already turning and the two lanes are narrow with part of their space being taken up by this truck. He wouldn’t let me reverse back in order to let him pass so I had to slowly slip by the truck and him.

I can't quite tell what happened, the truck stopped and turned on its hazards so you had to pull into the right hand lane to go around it? Can't quite tell why you needed to do any reversing?

Anyway he sounds mental, unfortunately you will come across a lot of these people while driving.

A few months ago I was turning left at a mini roundabout, car coming the opposite way (so to my right therefore had right of way) except he was not anywhere near the roundabout yet so I had loads of time. As I pulled out to turn left he sped up, cut across the MIDDLE of the roundabout, then braked and started beeping

Highway Code states that if the oncoming car had already committed to the manovre around the obstacle than you let it continue. The Audi driver was in the wrong.

There are loads of arses on the road. Try not to let them upset you. I like to do a patronising eye roll at some of them.

Ah, I see. Well the only lesson here is not to follow large vehicles too closely, but it doesn't stop him from being an impatient idiot. Please forget it. It happens to all drivers at some point. Get out again as soon as possible and don't give this audi driving nut job another thought.

Deshasafraisy 😂

me and DH have a bit of a thing about Audis. You watch OP , every time a driver speeds past you or overtakes when it isnt really safe to or flashes their lights at someone on the outside lane to intimidate them or generally drives like an arse. it will 9 times out of 10 be an Audi (o.k. maybe 8 out of 10) He was a prick, there seem to be more of them on the road than in real life. You just need to get hardened to it. You couldn't really have done anything else under the circumstances so try not to give it anymore headspace.

You were in the wrong. The fact that you say you stopped and reversed a bit suggests that when you pulled out into the right hand lane you were going far slower than travelling traffic, thus making the other car slow down for you which is incorrect as per the highway code. You could have caused an accident

I have a dash cam in my car. When odd things happen (even minor things) I find it really reassuring to know I can watch it back and see what happened. When someone's screaming at you it's hard to keep in your mind what you actually remember and what they're trying to convince you about.

I've only actually watched it back once in a year or two of having it (a near miss with a cyclist) but it's been really reassuring to know that I can - and I'm sure it's improving my driving because I know everything's being recorded mind you I have the microphone turned off so it's only silent video and forces.

People can be utter wankers when driving. It's likely you did nothing wrong (though I can't work it out from your description ... a diagram might help) and it was all just temper and frustration. Try to breathe and forget about it.

What Deshasafraisy said!

There are some idiots on the road. I always wonder whether these people are equally shouty and aggressive when they're not in a car. Their blood pressure must be sky high. Hope you manage to relax and feel less shaken soon.

Audi = Arseholes Usually Drive It

From what I'm picturing it does sound like you were far too close to the truck, you should've been able to nip out quickly if the Audi was as far away as you describe.

What a mental case! I had a similar thing recently with a guy with road rage. He got out of his car and started banging on my window shouting at me! People become crazy behind the wheel. You wouldn’t shout at someone for walking round something on the street and coming towards you! As much as it may have shook you up, you’ll most likely never see him again. You’re probably not the first person he’s shouted at whilst driving for no reason!

I hope our Audi doesn't count. Ancient, two kids' booster seats, various toys on the floor at the back, and a roof box that refuses to budge.

And I don't think we're arseholes ...

Don't worry you will see quite a few entitled mostly male drivers in your career as a driver. The best solution is not to react to them.

I've had to give a couple long hard stares when they have started to shout at other women drivers when the incidents where completely their own faults. If they had progressed to full blown accidents I know who I would have been giving my details to.

Oh and if you find you are too close to a large vehicle that has stopped suddenly, if there is a pick up behind you let them go through as their drivers don't care about damaging other vehicles.

Also im pretty sure the OP was going so slowly because the truck stopped infront of her - obviously causing her to stop before she went round him!

Reversing sounds dangerous. Think you should have put your hazards on too, then waited until there was nothing coming in the other lane before indicating out. Maybe I'm wrong though. There's always someone on here who knows better.

He was a dick, though, without a doubt. Some people are horrible on the road

Your description of the scene isn't very clear but I'm getting that the Audi zoomed up behind you and instead of anticipating you were about to change lane he tried to overtake you?

As your manoeuvre was slow and cautious this held him up ? So you were both squeezing past the lorry at the same time, facing the same direction?

If this is the case and he wasn't visible in your mirrors when you pulled out while indicating your intentions, he's wrong for failing to read the changing conditions on the road ahead (or reading them perfectly well and being a bully)

Don't worry, your confidence will grow with experience. The trick is to drive defensively so that you won't be stuck behind a lorry like that.

Drive with a bigger gap so you can always see the road ahead if you need to pass. Oh and if you see an Audi driving behind you, just let them pass. Much better than having them stuck behind you gesticulating into your back view mirror.

You had an unfortunate attack of Audidriver.

Sometimes unavoidable, sadly.

Was it like this? So the audi driver was behind you?