To think it’s unkind to hoot at someone stuck on a box junction?

[AsIfByMagic123]

I am an utter cretin, I know, and never should have entered the box junction without being certain I could clear it, as per the Highway Code. I’ve done the theory test and know this full well. Quite how I ended up in that situation I’m not exactly sure. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately (waiting for biopsy results in particular, plus my father had surgery yesterday) but that’s no excuse. I genuinely thought I could clear it but was mistaken and ended up stuck in front of a red light.

People, understandably, were absolutely furious. But by the time it had happened, there wasn’t realistically anything I could do. Driving through the red light would not only have been illegal but could have caused an accident.

I really wish people would have some compassion and realise it was a genuine mistake made by someone under stress. We all slip up from time to time. None of us are perfect.

Yet maybe some of those I inconvenienced were on their way to hospital appointments or to be at the bedside of dying loved ones. Go on, flame me even more and make feel bad! I feel like I deserve it today. I’m a total arse, aren’t I?

Yes!!

I think you are being unreasonable to give a shit about the opinions or behaviour of someone honking you after you've made an honest mistake.

You'll get hooted plenty of times as a driver, some of it earned, some of it not. Just do your best.

I honestly wouldn't give it much, if any, more thought. You made a mistake while driving. Who can honestly say they haven't? How many times have you seen other drivers make silly mistakes? Any one who comes on here to try and flame you for it can do one. Just take some deep breaths and move on.

Honestly, I'd have beeped you too. You're making excuses with your biospy and father's surgery and they're not acceptable. If you're so distracted you're not aware of your surroundings then you shouldn't be driving

And if you do get stuck in a box junction you need to do your best to try and get out of it, either by getting through during the light change (there will be a pause between your light going red and the next green light), changing your direction to take a safe route or reversing back to where you should have been in the first place. It's not ok to just block a junction for everyone else and in some places can cause huge issues.

I'd seriously think about whether you should be driving at the moment if your life is so full of distractions that you're not safe on the roads

God it's awful being stuck in a box junction. I'm scared to admit it has happened to me since people do react so furiously. It's one of those universal truths of driving but you need to do something to take your mind off it. Some people genuinely get pleasure from being mean and jeery at other people's mistakes - I've learned this taking my DS out as a learner. At least you're not in the box junction now! Enjoy it!

I Think pretty much everyone has done this in a box junction at least once. I wouldn't worry about it

The thing is the hooters dont know if you are distracted by personal issues or just one of the "me first" knobheads

I wish people who are under stress would stop using it as a reason to badly pilot a 2 tonne vehicle at speed.

i am sorry about your father , biopsy etc, but what has this got to do with poor driving? Would you have driven differently if this wasn’t the case in your life, in which case is there techniques or other things you can use to prime your mind to drive correctly in future?

We all make mistakes on the road, and respect for owning yours, but this “I am under stress” stuff…

I get it, but then what happens when someone hits another human being when driving - do we get their lawyer saying “ah, yeah but there was a test pending, they couldn’t think, so it’s all mitigating?”

I get irrationally annoyed at people who don't respect box junctions! I wouldn't have beeped at you though.

Well I regularly see people pull into and stop in box junctions blocking me in and preventing me from pulling out. I don’t blast my horn at them, what is the point? I just think ‘idiot’ as it can’t always be a mistake it’s quite often selfishness.
Op just don’t do it again.

The trouble is that by posting on Mumsnet about it you might as well go and park yourself right back in that box junction tbh.

It was a mistake. Be kind to yourself and pay attention so you don't do it again.

Before anyone castigates me for being cruel, I have posted openly in other threads about the cancer challenge going on in my life.

So I’m not callous about the stress this entails.

I just get this feeling that in British society , we all have a hundred different ways of how we can excuse poor driving to “my mind was elsewhere”.

It doesnt necessarily mean you have made a mistake. You can enter a yellow box junction to turn right, even if oncoming traffic is blocking you, as long as the road you are turning right into is clear. But this does mean on a crossroads you can become trapped in the box.

Those using their horn unnecessarily are breaking the highway code themselves of course. But that doesn't cause the same immediate issue that blocking a box junction will cause. So it's a scenario where you and the horn honkers are both in the wrong. Best to try to shrug it off and only drive if you are able to fully concentrate.

You’re right, these are poor excuses. I won’t be driving until further notice.

The Highway Code says only use your horn to alert others to your presence and never aggressively so they were in the wrong too.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Oh OP. Why did you even post this 🤣🤣

You know you did a dumb dumb. Do better next time. But please don't add to the shit in your life by posting stuff like this when you know what's gonna happen 🤣

I did this once about 15 years ago in central Liverpool near the tunnels. It was dark, pouring with rain and backed up for some reason. The beeping and signalling from other drivers was terrible. In fairness I should have been more cautious because it's a huge junction but I got cut up. As I was crossing someone in the other lane zoomed in front. It was 😱😱😱

I'm assuming you are joking. I also wouldn't be too sure that all those replying know how to use a yellow box junction correctly. Mistakes happen, chill and those bleeping their horns are rude and breaking the highway code themselves.

Could it not be argued it is a correct use of the horn? Its to alert other road users to your presence, as the op was blocking the road illegally, then you could reasonably assume she didnt know that there would be cars needing past, so needed to be alerted to the fact that she was causing an obstruction.

Op, i would think you were an absolute twat if i was trying to get past and couldnt because you were so 'stressed' that you didnt notice there wasnt space. I assume the road was busy and you were in slow moving traffic?

Of course you shouldn't have been there. You already know that. But what do people honking their horns think they'll achieve? Using the horn as a reproof is the mark of a wanker.

I really wish people would have some compassion and realise it was a genuine mistake made by someone under stress.

How on earth are they supposed to know that? They're not mind readers.

You fucked up, they beeped their horn. They probably forgot about it 2 minutes later, you should too.

It happens a million times a day, yabu to make such heavy weather of it.

I regularly drivers blocking my path on the roundabout to turn right because they can't bear even one car to go ahead of them, so a lot of people aren't making genuine mistakes, they are doing it deliberately to be arses and get there 1 minute faster.

Don't beat yourself up. You'll be more aware next time.

I have a notorious roundabout near me which is covered with box junctions and traffic lights. It's confusing enough without those! Whenever I negotiate it, you can guarantee someone always is stuck on the hatches. I've seen it all, even a stuck police car! No one even bothers to hoot anymore, we just roll our eyes quietly knowing it could be us tomorrow!