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.

Audi TT - stands for “tiny tool.”

Next time, close your window so you can't hear him. If you've taken priority on the other side of the road, that's it, the traffic on the other side of the road has to wait. Its always useful to leave a gap behind trucks (who may stop to make a delivery) buses (and taxis actually!) so you can see the road and manoeuvre round as you need to.

"There’s only the left and right lane on this road and they’re both one way."

This makes no sense whatsoever.

Do you mean this is a normal single carriageway road with one lane in each direction?

"I break (sic) but I’m a little close to the truck."

It would appear you were driving too close to the vehicle in front - you recall the 2 or 4 second rule? - and/or you were not paying sufficient attention and failed to notice the vehicle in front slowing down.

Following driver 'may' have assumed you were planning to stop behind the vehicle in front and therefore planned to overtake both of you. Then - in his eyes - you did the maneuvre, signal, mirror thing which is so common today rather than mirror signal, maneuvre and pulled out in front of him making him brake.

Or he could just be an Audi driver.

A Jaguar driver would have seen a lady in distress and slowed down to allow her to complete her maneuvre at her own pace, then given her a cheery wave as he left.

Don't stress it. You didn't kill any kittens and the Audi driver gets to rant about female drivers in little grocery-getters down at the golf club with his like minded chums.

TryingToForgeAnewLife

I think the Audi was already in the right hand lane?

I was screamed at by a driver to the left of me on a mini roundabout, I had no one to the right of me so it was my right of way. His rage still scares me to this day that there are people like that behind the wheel. Although, imo, many of them are men, they see a woman and whether they are wrong or not will blame her because they can. I bet if you were a 6ft something, heavy built man he wouldn't have said a thing.

You encountered a bellend that's all. However if you didn't have to reverse you could have completed what you were trying to do quite easily. Just keep a decent gap in future so you can click everything that's happening in time

Although, imo, many of them are men, they see a woman and whether they are wrong or not will blame her because they can. I bet if you were a 6ft something, heavy built man he wouldn't have said a thing.

Sadly I think you are right.

OP - unfortunate thing to happen but don't let it put you off driving. Always worth leaving plenty of space in between you and the vehicle in front but it sounds like you have realised that.

You should have waited behind the truck as he was already in the outer lane. He shouldn’t have sped up though and obviously it outrageous to shout at you. He would have been in his right to blast you to warn you he was there. You made a mistake; he behaved appallingly.

The OP was on dual carriageway, 2-lanes in one direction.

Lorry stopped.

OP pulled out to go round

Audi driver comes up a bit quick and makes a fuss

OP, as a new driver had a moment of panic, tried to reverse back behind the lorry, tolet Mr Audi through

Mr Audi, presumably shaken by the reverse lights going on, shouts some more!

OP was wrong as she was too close to the lorry to navigate round it in a timely fashion; she was also wrong when she tried to be polite and reverse out of the way

Audi driver was wrong as he could have avoided any hassle by dint of slowing down and letting the car in front finish its maneouver, regardless of how odd that was.

Shit happens, OP. As you drive more you will learn to read the road better. Don't let the shouty pillocks put you off, just learn from each incident. In this case you should have been ab it further behind the lorry, maybe should have seen the Audi earlier, and should have just completed your overtake once you had started.

That's all! And yes, we all did odd things when we first learned to drive! ALL of us

whether you were in the wrong or not (it's hard to tell from your description), safe to say the Audi driver acted like a complete tool. We all have lapses of concentration from time to time, even him.

If you were so close to the vehicle in front that you had to reverse to be able to get past him when he stopped, that is dangerous driving on your part. Huge trucks can't stop really suddenly, he must have been slowing for some time and you didn't notice.

That said, the Audi driver is a bullying idiot.

A Jaguar driver would have seen a lady in distress and slowed down to allow her to complete her maneuvre at her own pace, then given her a cheery wave as he left.

Female Jaguar driver here. Yup, that's exactly what I would have done

I find it amazing that you could predict what an Audi driver , (far enough away behind you that you thought you had time to reverse and still pull out from stationary without getting in his way!

How on earth can you tell that he speeded up , with a glance over your shoulder/in a mirror? And why pull out into a lane that you, at your own admission , saw as already occupied?

Thank God it wasn't an HGV or you might not be here to tell the tale.

You were far too close to the lorry, pulled out in front of the audi.

Yep, i'd have been cross too

What Turnitup said. The real worry about being so close to the lorry in front, is that if it had started to reverse, the driver wouldn't have known you were there and would have reversed right into you. (I've seen it happen. It was awful as the driver behind just couldn't reverse anywhere - there was a car behind her.)

You must keep a good distance to lorries - if you can't see their wing mirrors, then they can't see you.

The Audi driver was being a prick OP, try not to worry.

I am an experienced driver and have been driving for years and the other day someone hooted at me like a maniac and started having a right moment at a roundabout even though I was in the correct lane. I think I had wandered ever so slightly across a bit and as they were so far up my arse they panicked. They were a twat but I was still quite shook up from it to be honest.

So as a new driver I can fully understand how you must be feeling. But please let it go and put it down to the first of many knobs you will encounter in your future years of driving.

and crying laughting at this: Audi TT - stands for “tiny tool.” @MrsSchadenfreude

I bet if you were a 6ft something, heavy built man he wouldn't have said a thing.

Can attest. On one occasion we've been cut up by someone who then gave middle finger (etc) and followed us to a car park, and came up to the car. DH got out of the car without saying anything. Dickhead left very quietly.

DH is 6'8" and the proverbial shithouse.

The other driver was definitely a dick.

But there is no way you should have to brake so suddenly that you're right up close to the vehicle in front - either you were tailgating or driving too fast. Maintain a safe distance - you should have been far enough away that you saw the truck stop in plenty of time and were able to simply pull out quickly into the other lane before the Audi had a chance to reach you.

That said, that Audi driver shouldn't have shouted at you.

There seem to be arses every time I get behind the wheel these days. (It's usually BMWs ) I drove today and almost every sodding car coming towards me was running along the middle of the road, or over the white line and in my lane.

Mind you, I pulled up to a roundabout today, left hand lane. A POLICE van pulled up in the right hand lane. I know this roundabout is narrow getting across, so I didn't pull too far forward (as I'd be cutting off the lane coming from the right) but the van edged forward, and edged forward and I couldn't see. Eventually he sort-of pulled/surged forward so I thought it was clear and he was going - except he didn't. I pulled out and a car was right there - I was totally in the wrong, and am lucky he didn't hit me. But I couldn't see! I should have waited until the van had moved, but most people move when the adjacent car moves, right? But it was a Police van.....

Audi driver was an arse. However, that has absolutely nothing to do with him driving an Audi, he would still be an arse if he was driving any other make of car.

He was being a dick. Interestingly I read today that Audi drivers get the most speeding tickets of all car makes. He was clearly being an Audi wanker and you shouldn’t give it another thought. I know sometimes these things stick with us but just try not to let it affect any other journeys you do. BUT it is a good thing to keep in mind a safe breaking distance at all times. If you were to go into the back of someone it would ALWAYS be classed as your fault as keeping a safe distance is your responsibility. Ultimately no damage was done to anyone or any vehicles so nothing to stress about

@Jessbow I find it amazing that you think it's OK to rev closer to a (clearly inexperienced) driver whilst they perform a tight manouvre?!

Irrelevant as to whether OP made a mistake, the Audi driver threw accelerant onto an already tense situation, by first being menacing and then outright abusive.

He's the one who shouldn't be on the fucking road.

SMH

From a learning point of view, Leave yourself more room when you are following lorries or vans as they do sometimes stop suddenly. It sounds like it might have been a good idea for you to let the Audi driver go past before you pulled out, presumably he would say that he was already in the right lane, and that you should have waited in the left lane until he had gone past. I’d say he probably was going too fast and you are better with the idiots in front of you than behind you.

Regardless it doesn’t excuse his appalling behaviour. Shouting and beeping doesn’t help the situation. He sounds like a right cockwomble.

You just passed. You KNOW you’re supposed to wait until oncoming traffic has passed before you pull manoevres out from behind a truck. You also know you are supposed to leave at least a couple car lengths between you and trucks / hgv’s so you can see around it. Seems like you got a bit cocky and then met an actual cock.

I suggest you do some pass plus training. You clearly need more quality driving experience and that will give it to you.

Get dash cams, front and back. I can not recommend them highly enough. Like you this would have me worrying all day long. A look at dash cam footage would set your mind at ease. He was a dick. You'd have proof.

If he was threatening (which by the sounds of it he certainly was) you could and should report him to the police.

You didn't deserve all that verbal abuse, of course you feel a bit shaken up. What a nasty piece of work.

I'll echo what others have said; just remember to leave ample distance between you and the vehicle in front next time.

I don't know if you've heard off the 2 second rule? It basically means leave 2 seconds between your car and the one in front.

To judge this distance you can look at a landmark (eg signpost) and when you pass it say in your head "only a fool breaks the 2 second rule" and note how far you've driven. You'll be surprised how far it is (the faster you're driving the further the distance must be). You must keep this distance away from the vehicle in front.

Also of course, it's important to be maintaining a reasonable speed on a dual carriageway, in line with the other drivers.

Forget the Audi Tiny Tool driver though, don't let him knock your confidence. What a wanker.