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AIBU?

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Original poster

Who was in the wrong? (Driving related)

264 replies

PookieDo · 04/10/2018 09:28

Car A and B are driving down a dual carriageway that has a section of 50mph speed limit and the rest is 70

Car A comes out of the 50 section in the left lane and picks up speed, coming up behind car C still going 50. The road is pretty empty bar car B which is in the right hand lane some distance behind - at least 20 + car lengths who has also just come out of the 50 zone and picking up speed

Car A sees car B in mirror but due to speed of car C either has to brake or overtake Car A pulls out and overtakes car C quickly going back into left lane but does not realise car B is going 90mph.

Car B is very angry and had to slam on brakes although car A does not stay in right hand lane for any longer than needed to overtake 1 car

Car B driver flashes lights beeps horn multiple times even once has passed car A, then makes offensive gestures pulling level with car A then at the next roundabout opens window and shouts at car A driver for being a stupid ***

Clearly car B did not react very well but was this proportionate to what car A did, a normal driving manoeuvre making the assumption that car B was going around 70mph and therefore had plenty of time?

OP posts:
YeTalkShiteHen · 05/10/2018 08:38

ivykaty44 the car going too fast was of course driving illegally and irresponsibly. No question.

HOWEVER OP had the responsibility not to pull out in front of a car driving far too fucking fast, because they could well have caused an accident.

We are all responsible for our own actions when driving, and it would appear you don’t agree.

Bluelady · 05/10/2018 08:38

It's black and white, if you pulll out in front of another car causing it to brake sharply you're legally at fault. It's nothing to do with blaming and the speed of the other car is irrelevant. That's the legal position.

MinecraftHolmes · 05/10/2018 08:54

Has anyone said that it was fine for car B to be speeding though? The point of the matter is is that pulling out on another car, regardless of what they were doing, places you (also) in the wrong.

AnotherPidgey · 05/10/2018 10:08

OP has accepted critical comments with grace (apart from some of the more ludicrous ones which is fair enough).

When you have car Bs charging around in significant excess of the speed limit AND the usual speeds used on a stretch of road, it's not surprising when car As make an error of judgement. I'm not surprised at OPs estimate of 90mph. If OP has been around 70mph then that is a significant gap of speed, and the car B will move off ahead significantly faster. That can be difficult to assess through mirrors while also assessing the slow car C ahead.

Everyone has a responsibility to be aware of other road users including car Bs. Their agressive response is wrong in itself and a symptom of a poor attitude to other road users. While you shouldn't have to brake to avoid others on the road, you should always be observant for the chance that other road users might put you in that position and be capable of reacting safely.

Those raising points about emergency vehicles, they have flashing blue lights to assist other road users and it is reasonably anticipated that they could be going at speeds that are excessive in other circumstances.

Car A has made an error of judgement, but if car B has had to break that sharply and react so aggressively in response to a car moving around the legal speed limit then car B has significantly aggravated the situation.

Original poster
PookieDo · 05/10/2018 14:05

@Gersemi I’ve said this was based on my loose grasp of physics of travelling distances ie if 2 cars are travelling at similar speeds a certain distance apart, theoretically they will not collide. They could collide if the speeds are not similar or the gap is too small. When I pulled out I honestly hand on heart believe made an error of judgement on the speed of the other car NOT THE GAP. The gap in my experience of driving did not seem dangerous or too short to make it, I wasn’t in an inpatient rush. My mistake was I did not look at the car for long enough in my mirror to recognise the speed. They closed the gap so fast there is no doubt they were going too fast

Am I mad, does this description not make any sense? If I had just pulled out on someone stupidly like a pillock I wouldn’t have bothered writing a thread about it

OP posts:
YeTalkShiteHen · 05/10/2018 14:07

My mistake was I did not look at the car for long enough in my mirror to recognise the speed.

That’s the point of mirrors though. I still say that you didn’t deserve to be sworn at and intimidated mind you, but by pulling out without having looked in the mirrors properly you’re equally at fault.

AtomicSquirrel · 05/10/2018 17:40

I was bored after the second paragraph.

ChooChooBeanz · 05/10/2018 17:50

Car B was a twat for reacting the way they did & breaking the speed limit

However Car A was at fault, your actions on the road should never cause some else to have to break - even if Car B was speeding.

Car A should not assume someone was travelling at a certain speed - this is a dangerous assumption that could have had very serious consequences.

Gersemi · 05/10/2018 17:52

ivykaty, how on earth do you make out that OP was driving legally, and wouldn't have been in the wrong even if the other driver wasn't speeding? On any interpretation she pulled over into the next lane without checking properly that it was safe to do and caused the other driver to slam on their brakes. Had she caused an accident, she stands an excellent chance of being convicted for careless driving and her insurers would certainly be the ones paying out for the damage.

basquiat · 05/10/2018 18:01

If I had just pulled out on someone stupidly like a pillock I wouldn’t have bothered writing a thread about it

But that is what you did. Car B had to "slam on its brakes", so you must have made a serious error of judgment.

Cantona10 · 05/10/2018 18:03

If the speeds are to be believed then B was gaining at 40 mph....which is about 60 feet per second. 20 car lengths is about 300 feet and so there was only 5 (FIVE!) seconds to "play with". Big problem then if you pull out. A is the main culprit, C is at fault for not making proper progress, and B is clearly out of order for speeding, driving aggressively, incorrect use of horn, road rage etc. Accidents happen when crap drivers interact with one another. I can speak with a little authority having been a driving instructor for 25 years. Hope this helps.

basquiat · 05/10/2018 18:03

Obviously car B was wrong to be driving so fast and for being so aggressive, but that doesn't change the fact that car A made a serious mistake by pulling out.

Tistheseason17 · 05/10/2018 18:10

OP should not have pulled out causing another car to reduce their speed - pretty sure this is in the highway code.
Yep - Car B was speeding but pulling out on a speeding car is poor judgement and perhaps an eyesight test is required if you could not tell they were doing 90mph - these twats can usually be easily spotted.

Just because OP was driving in the speed limit does not mean the manoeuvre made by OP was safe.
OP should have reduced speed behind C and then when B had passed and the road was clear overtaken C. Then there would not have been any drama.

Car B still an ass for excessive speeding, but come on OP, wasn't part of your action policing the road by pulling out to slow B down?

brizzledrizzle · 05/10/2018 18:18

Both drivers sound like they are daft enough that they'd be jealous of a jellyfish....

Italiangreyhound · 05/10/2018 18:19

Car B is a speeding wanker. It's quite hard to follow so I'll just say anyone swearing or shouting etc should control their road rage. It's actually very stupid.

You never know what another driver may be capable of.

Italiangreyhound · 05/10/2018 18:20

And you should know how fast a car is approaching before you pull into its path.

DastardlyDoris · 05/10/2018 18:21

OP it doesn't make sense to say you made an error of judgement on the speed of vehicle B but NOT THE GAP because the suitability of the gap can only be judged by taking into account the speed of vehicle B. So you did misjudge whether the gap was sufficient, because B's speed made the gap too small. It's nonsensical to say your judgement on the gap was correct when you misjudged (or did not take properly into account) the speed of B.

DastardlyDoris · 05/10/2018 18:24

If I had just pulled out on someone stupidly like a pillock I wouldn’t have bothered writing a thread about it

This is quite literally exactly what you did. How after 10 pages is this still an enigma to you?

MadMadaMim · 05/10/2018 18:43

You were (presumption that you were driving car A. If you weren't, you're still in the wrong if you need to ask this basic question)

Neither car B or C did anything wrong.

Car C is not required to do 70m/p/h

if Car A would have had to break hard so as not to hit car C, then Car A was going too fast in that lane without a clear safe plan of overtaking Car C

Unless Car A driver has a speed camera - they can only hazard a guess at car B's speed

As Car B was already in outside lane (with what sounds like plenty of safe distance and awareness to overtake Cars A and C), then car B had right of way in that lane. NOBODY should pull out in front of any car if it means that car has to slow down REGARDLESS of indicators and /or what speed they THINK that car may be doing.

I would have reacted exactly as Car B did - the 2 most dangerous things on these types of roads and motorways are:

1 idiots who think indicating means 'I can pull out now and f@ck what everyone else is doing - I've indicated'
2 idiots who believe number 1 above and then do pull out - and then have to ask who was in the wrong

Read your Highway code. Familiarise yourself with safe, considerate driving and be aware of what's going on around you. Stop pulling stupid dangerous life threatening manoeuvres and then wondering why the driver of a car that you put in danger gets very angry.

derxa · 05/10/2018 18:54

Your rule of thumb OP is that every other driver is an idiot. Let idiots pass you.

happypoobum · 05/10/2018 18:57

Car A was going too fast and had got too close to Car C, necessitating the rash overtaking move which angered Car B and caused them to brake hard.

So Cars A and B are both poor drivers.

Verbena37 · 05/10/2018 19:09

I don’t quite understand how Car A says Car B was 20+ car lengths away, yet could not judge their speed with as much certainty.

I think Car A should have just waited until Car B had gone past but more than that, Car B shouldn’t have been driving so fast without being able to brake more easily.

You (sorry Car A) obviously annoyed Car B but Car thought they had plenty of time to pull out and do the overtake manoeuvre safely.

Overall I think Car B was most in the wrong.
Car C wasn’t in the wrong at all. Yes, they were driving at 50mph in a 70mph but it was hardly causing a dangerous situation.

ForalltheSaints · 05/10/2018 19:48

Your rule of thumb OP is that every other driver is an idiot.

I think that's an exaggeration- I'd say about 1 in 6, and a further 1 in 10 have medical reasons not to drive in my opinion.

onegiftedgal · 05/10/2018 21:02

Car B is in the wrong, going too fast and had there been an accident, would have been the one at fault.
The middle and outside lanes are for overtaking only officially and car B should be giving way to you as you needed to pull out.
I appreciate why this has annoyed you because car B genuinely thinks that they are in the right.

DastardlyDoris · 05/10/2018 21:15

@onegiftedgal It was a dual carriageway not a motorway. Car B was overtaking. There was no third lane for Car B to move into when the OP pulled into its path.