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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

ivykaty44 · 04/10/2018 19:37

If each car had been driven legally none of the above in OPs post would have happened

It takes one wanker driving illegally to cause mayhem and sometimes kill

ivykaty44 · 04/10/2018 19:38

Rarely is a road dangerous - it’s the people that cause the danger whilst driving, not the tarmac

adaline · 04/10/2018 19:39

If each car had been driven legally none of the above in OPs post would have happened

Only one driver was acting illegally, but OP still shouldn't have pulled out in front of him!

ivykaty44 · 04/10/2018 19:47

if someone drives illegally they can’t expect others to drive to compensate their behaviour, thankfully no one was killed today or hurt

NerrSnerr · 04/10/2018 20:02

if someone drives illegally they can’t expect others to drive to compensate their behaviour, thankfully no one was killed today or hurt

If someone is driving at 90mph (even though I'm not convinced they were) you'd be an absolute idiot if your didn't compensate your behaviour. You cannot rely on other road users to keep you safe- you have to do that yourself!

Original poster

PookieDo · 04/10/2018 20:09

I can see why everyone is stuck on the 90mph being untrue but they were going significantly way too fast over the speed limit which I judged to be approx 90mph and continued to do so after my x 2 abuse shower. They then weaved in and out of everyone at the roundabout at the bottom

OP posts:

PurpleFlower1983 · 04/10/2018 20:14

You didn’t have enough time even if they had been going 70. You were in the wrong for not waiting, they were in the wrong for being aggressive afterwards.

PurpleFlower1983 · 04/10/2018 20:15

The other driver does sound like a twat but you were wrong to overtake at that point.

adaline · 04/10/2018 20:22

if someone drives illegally they can’t expect others to drive to compensate their behaviour, thankfully no one was killed today or hurt

If someone's driving at 90mph you'd be an absolute bloody idiot to drive into their path. Safest thing to do in that situation would have been to slow down and stay well out of there way.

I recently got cut up by someone who insisted on driving up everyone's arse honking their horns - I pulled over and let him past. Yes, he was acting illegally and driving like an idiot - but my actions won't stop him, so I'd rather he did it well away from me!

OP is lucky he slowed down and he didn't slam into the back of her.

bimbobaggins · 04/10/2018 20:50

Exactly adaline, I’ve seen many threads on here about people complaining about other drivers going to fast on the motorway and say they deliberately slow down etc to piss them off. I’d much rather get out of the way and let them past.

Thatstheendofmytether · 04/10/2018 21:11

I know a lot of people are just arses on the road but there are occasions when people may be driving fast for a reason. Best just to let them pass.

GabsAlot · 04/10/2018 22:48

dont worry about what speed other poeple are doing you dont make any manouevre at the detriment to another driver

i saw someone coming up behind me at around 100 at a guess i moved out the way not my business what theyre doing

GabsAlot · 04/10/2018 22:56

and what if that was emergency services would you still feel the same

buckeejit · 04/10/2018 23:10

Oh dear, nobody was driving well there, but if in any doubt, never ever overtake. Think there's enough room is not enough room. If there's loads of room & a little extra emergency room, then double check before manoeuvring.

Who to apportion blame to wouldn't matter when the collision happens & everyone including the family in car D get hurt.

You're assessing the near miss which is good. We all need to be prepared for agro boy racer behaviour. Even though it's infuriating, the safest thing is to let them tear on on the road. Don't let it take up too much headspace

ivykaty44 · 05/10/2018 05:21

Nerr You cannot rely on other road users to keep you safe
Do you stop on green lights and check the junction of a cross roads each time? Or do you drive straight though? I’d put money on the fact you don’t check and accommodate motorists jumping red lights, after speeding driving through red lights is the biggest cause of accidents

ivykaty44 · 05/10/2018 05:37

So you think the driver should expect you to take evasive action in this incident and slow down, because my quote that you highlighted said I don’t think drivers breaking the law should expect drivers to to compensate for their driving

In the ops case the driver breaking the law shouted at her, had he not been driving illegally there wouldn’t have been a problem therefore his expectation was she should have altered her driving so he can drive illegally- that’s his entitled attitude. Not sorry I was driving dangerously

I find it astounding that people think this attitude is fine and others should just get out the way

Gersemi · 05/10/2018 07:21

OP, your problem with stoutly claiming that you judged Car B's speed to be 90 mph is that you admit that you didn't judge their speed before pulling out into their path. You can't really have it both ways.

Gersemi · 05/10/2018 07:23

ivykaty, I don't think anyone is saying that that attitude is fine. What they are saying, entirely correctly, is that if you encounter someone driving dangerously you need to be pragmatic and get out of the way. If you're on the wrong side of a collision with them, it's not much consolation that you can say you were in the right

ivykaty44 · 05/10/2018 07:47

Germ, read the thread there is plenty of victim type blame attitudes written here, people need to change there attitude to speeding, it causes crashes. Op wasn’t driving illegally yet the attitude towards her is awful

Cronesquerness · 05/10/2018 08:07

A needs to brake to allow speeding B to continue then A overtakes C and puts foot back down.

Bluelady · 05/10/2018 08:10

You can't change other people's attitude to speeding or stop them doing it, that the police's job.

derxa · 05/10/2018 08:22

This has made me wonder who would be at fault legally if an accident had happened. Car A surely. No one could provide proof of how fast B was travelling

brokenharbour · 05/10/2018 08:24

FWIW I think car b should have anticipated a pulling out after judging the road in front and seeing her stuck behind c. But if you're hogging the outer lane and speeding you're not the sort of person that gives a shit about other road users. I've certainly been in the position of indicating to overtake and then having to stop the manoeuvre after realising that although there should be plenty of time the car in the outside lane is steaming up too quickly. You naturally assume they're doing a reasonable speed when you first see them in the mirror and it takes a couple of glances to assess how quickly they're coming up.

pacer142 · 05/10/2018 08:27

I find it astounding that people think this attitude is fine and others should just get out the way

Of course it's not fine, but you have to be pragmatic. You can't stop someone being an arsehole. But you CAN protect yourself from them, the easiest way being to get out of their way and let them kill themselves if they want to, not you!

ivykaty44 · 05/10/2018 08:33

The answers on this thread declaring op was in the wrong just show the attitude to illegal drivers

If the car wasn’t speeding illegally op still wouldn’t have been in the wrong

If as a society we keep blaming people driving legally and therefore make allowances for those driving illegally we will end up with more deaths on the road

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