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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To report this driver

26 replies

Menora · 19/07/2021 20:06

Earlier today I was driving in a steady flow of traffic, within speed limit, towards a slip road/bypass. It’s a roundabout configuration that has 1 lane. The roundabout has 3 exits - 1 a country road, the 2nd a bypass and the 3rd is to double back the way you came. At the roundabout I noticed an ambulance transport van - not a blue light ambulance, the type that is like a mini bus - driving really close to the back of my car and almost trying to get around me by driving on the roundabout chevrons. I had nowhere to move to and it had no sirens so I continued in the steady flow of traffic onto the bypass.

This then split into 2 lanes when we got onto the bypass off the slip road, I took the inside lane behind other cars and after a few mins I saw they were directly beside me whilst I was at about 55-60mph, as I have a small old car that is only a 1l engine and hadn’t got my speed up yet. I started to notice that they were aggressively swerving into my lane over the white line, but the vehicle being so much larger than me and right next to me I could not see they were indicating into my lane. My DD saw this too and looked back on her side (she was in the back of my car) and said she could see an indicator on. I ended up braking quite hard to let them into my lane because they just kept swerving over and there was and I couldn’t get any faster to make space for them behind me

Am I correct that It’s not my error that they decided to take the outside lane when they couldn’t exceed 60mph and try overtake me, this was 5.30pm so rush hour traffic and not a blue light vehicle. Is swerving into another car just bloody dangerous? I’m not one of those ‘can I speak to the manager’ types of people but surely ambulance transport drivers should be trained to drive sensibly?

OP posts:
KarmaStar · 19/07/2021 21:29

What evidence do you have apart from you and dc seeing it?
If none there is very little that can be done.
If cctv in the area,dashcam,you might get a driving without due care and attention home but these days I doubt anyone will bother tbh.

redcarbluecar · 19/07/2021 21:39

Sounds like pretty ropey driving but I wouldn’t bother reporting it to anyone.

Original poster
Menora · 19/07/2021 21:52

Not even the ambulance service? I imagine it may have had elderly or vulnerable passengers on it

OP posts:
WaterOffADucksCrack · 19/07/2021 22:02

Not even the ambulance service? I imagine it may have had elderly or vulnerable passengers on it they're monitored and reviewed anyway. At least they are in this area.

a8mint · 19/07/2021 22:28

Am i understanding this right. You were on the bypass in the slow lane and he was in the right hand lane trying to get into the slow lane
Why didnt you gradually decelerate to create a gap for them to move into. Braking hard was not needed and it was dangerous.
Poor driving? Kettle, pot, black

Miseryl · 19/07/2021 22:35

You should have created a space for them to move into.

KrisAkabusi · 20/07/2021 00:24

I ended up braking quite hard to let them into my lane because they just kept swerving over and there was and I couldn’t get any faster to make space for them behind me

You should have just let them in front if you by slowing down. No need to brake hard. I don't really see that they've done anything to deserve reporting here ,- they needed to go to the inside lane, and indicated to show their intentions.

Original poster
Menora · 20/07/2021 07:05

I couldn’t see they were indicating as parallel to me and they were swerving into my lane by driving over the white line towards my car. I made a space by having to brake and avoid them hitting me in the drivers side. It was 3 times the size of what I was driving and driving aggressively? I don’t understand, at any time if I wanted to move over I would wait for a gap, not force other road users to move by swerving at them

There was enough space behind me - they were originally behind me, and they attempted and failed to overtake me

OP posts:
dryasaboner · 20/07/2021 07:31

You sound like a blissfully unaware danger to other drivers

PeonyTime · 20/07/2021 07:37

Are you saying you were trying to speed up to undertake the vehicle?

warmfluffytowels · 20/07/2021 07:40

It sounds to me like they were indicating to pull in in front of you, and as you were speeding up (as you said in your OP), you were stopping them from doing so.

I don't think they're the problem here.

Shade17 · 20/07/2021 07:43

You were on the bypass in the slow lane and he was in the right hand lane trying to get into the slow lane

No such thing as a “slow lane”

SmallPrawnEnergy · 20/07/2021 07:51

I feel like I’m reading a different post to PPs.

It sounds like this “ambulance” was driving like a twat behind OP on a single carriageway in the first instance. Then when the road split, tried to overtake but didn’t have the speed so instead of indicating and allowing OP time to create a gap by slowly breaking, decided to hoy its indicators on as a way of saying “I’m coming in now” forcing OP to break or to be hit.

It sounds to me like they were indicating to pull in in front of you, and as you were speeding up (as you said in your OP)
Where does it say that?

sst1234 · 20/07/2021 07:58

@dryasaboner

You sound like a blissfully unaware danger to other drivers
It sounds like this might be the case. There are lots of drivers on the road who drive like it’s Sunday every day, and when people get frustrated with it, they are surprised, confused and upset by it.
user1491404899 · 20/07/2021 08:01

Sounds like you were undertaking.....

warmfluffytowels · 20/07/2021 08:02

It sounds to me like they were indicating to pull in in front of you, and as you were speeding up (as you said in your OP)

Where does it say that?

@SmallPrawnEnergy it's in her opening post.

She says: I saw they were directly beside me whilst I was at about 55-60mph, as I have a small old car that is only a 1l engine and hadn’t got my speed up yet.

Which implies she was accelerating to get to the maximum speed, but because she has a small car, it was taking her longer than it was taking other vehicles. I could be wrong, but that's how I interpreted it Smile

anon12345678901 · 20/07/2021 08:18

@warmfluffytowels

It sounds to me like they were indicating to pull in in front of you, and as you were speeding up (as you said in your OP), you were stopping them from doing so.

I don't think they're the problem here.

That's what it sounds like to me too.
Original poster
Menora · 20/07/2021 09:20

After you come off slip road at 40mph, you accelerate somewhat. I thought that you accelerate to match traffic already on the road.

We had come off the slip road and a few mins later it then tried to overtake me, I just could not see any indicators on it back or front being so close and parallel to me so I don’t believe they indicated before approaching me from behind either. They waited until parallel to me then tried to get in my lane?

I knew I didn’t have speed to pull into the right hand lane so I didn’t, I stayed left. I was not rapidly accelerating - my exit was about 1.5 miles away and my car is old and not very fast, 60 is pretty comfortable for it. So in a few mins I had gone from 40-55/60 and wasn’t intending to go any faster

I’ve just never swerved at someone to make them move and felt like they were already annoyed with me before even getting on the bypass for being slower than they would like

OP posts:
Original poster
Menora · 20/07/2021 09:26

This is what I thought you did

All you professional drivers I am happy to be corrected 😂

So I got on and stayed at the speed I knew I could achieve and was safely in the left lane

They were not fast enough and tried to make me move to fit them in which is not in the Highway Code? They should have waited

To report this driver
To report this driver
OP posts:
MrsFlinch · 20/07/2021 09:50

I don’t think you did anything wrong. Of course you accelerate to match the speed of the existing traffic when coming from a slip road. If the driver didn’t have the speed to overtake comfortably then they should have stayed behind you!

a8mint · 20/07/2021 09:54

You has a slower vehicle in the right hand lane and tried to undertake it.

a8mint · 20/07/2021 09:57

@MrsFlinch

I don’t think you did anything wrong. Of course you accelerate to match the speed of the existing traffic when coming from a slip road. If the driver didn’t have the speed to overtake comfortably then they should have stayed behind you!
He shouldn't, bit that happens a lot and other drivers have to have an awareness of what is going on round them.
Original poster
Menora · 20/07/2021 10:01

Now I’ve looked it up properly I don’t think my awareness was an issue but thanks for the driving ‘advice’

OP posts:
Chemenger · 20/07/2021 10:02

How could she undertake a vehicle that was behind her to start with? The other vehicle chose to pull in to the right hand lane to attempt to overtake. The OP doesn’t need to change her driving to accommodate that. If she was accelerating to match the speed of the traffic in her lane she can carry on doing so, the overtaking vehicle does not have the right to make her change what she is doing.

MrsFlinch · 21/07/2021 12:52

@a8mint

You has a slower vehicle in the right hand lane and tried to undertake it.
The op did not try to undertake she was in the left hand lane and the van tried to overtake her she was moving at a speed relevant to the current traffic. The van couldn’t get up to the correct speed to overtake, but tried to intimidate op. If he couldn’t make the manoeuvre safely should have stayed where he was behind op or pulled back his speed when he realised he couldn’t get in front of op, to get back in behind op. Op did nothing wrong.