Woman flying along with newborn in the front

[Ithastobeacbeebiesday]

Can’t get this out of my head.
Yesterday, Dh, Dd and I were on the motorway and a woman joining onto our lane on the left, nearly crashed into us. She didn’t slow down or stop, so Dh had to slow right down, she came flying past and we saw she was talking/arguing? On her phone, gesticulating madly and that there was a buggy in the back and baby in a baby seat in the passenger seat.
We were in such shock at first at the way she was driving and thought she’d crash into us, then saw, she was on the phone, then the baby. It was one of those tiny smart cars, so no seats in the back, is this legal?
Dh was beeping loudly at her and said after that he wanted to follow her (we had to turn off)
Not sure regarding laws (we’re in another country) but surely this isn’t legal, cannot get over how she could drive like that with a baby in the car, such a strange sight to see.

Those people are the absolute worst. So desperate to get straight to the middle/right lane 😡 like the skip lorries that think they're an aerodynamic f1 car switching lanes like a magician shuffling cards!

And of course, 60 mph is hardly driving erratically, dangerously or “out of control”, as the OP says. What speed was the OP’s DH driving for 60mph to be “flying “ past her…

Now I'm totally confused. You said she joined you from the left, why would yor husband move to the left and why would she check to her left?

You're totally and utterly wrong, petrol Smart for two have the limiter.

At 80 I mean. I drive a petrol Smart for two and have for years so I actually KNOW rather than your totally wrong recollections.

But... You did just drive off? You decided that making your appointment was more important than a baby you said you thought was in danger?

I’ve owned both petrol and diesel smarts. Just looked it up, the diesel was 84mph, the petrol 90mph and the Brabus 95mph.

I used to put my baby in the front so they could see me. Better than them screaming in the back and distracting me when driving

The issue is with her unsafe driving, especially having a child in the car, she should be even more vigilant than normal. And also for others in the comments, a horn is used to make another driver aware that you're there and of a dangerous situation.

I’m amazed that nearly everyone is not concerned that she was driving in such a distracted manner that she nearly crashed into you
!!!!
the point is not that she had a baby in the back
or if the country allows mobile phone
use
but that she was not driving with due care and attention
and could have caused an accident !!!
it says a lot about your lots driving and lack of concern for others if you think this is fine !!!!!!

This. She has right of way here, she can’t stop while trying to join a motorway, because then she’s trying to join 70mph traffic from a standstill. In that scenario it’s your husbands responsibility to move over the another lane and let her in or adjust his speed so she doesn’t have to slow down but can speed up in fact to join the motorway at 70mph. That’s basic driving knowledge I thought!! So I’m really shocked that she ended up in a position where she didn’t have safe access to merge tbh.
yes it’s illegal to use a phone while driving and yes it’s illegal it’s speed.
its perfectly fine and safe (in fact sometimes the safest place in the car) to have a child in the front rear facing with the air bag off. I’m really surprised again that people don’t know that.
your husband didn’t behave appropriately afterwards either. He was in the wrong within all aspects of your interaction with her. She should not have been on the phone and should have been within the speed limit, but did nothing wrong at all during your interaction with her.
im questioning whether your husband should be driving to be honest, he could have caused a severe accident here by his lack of basic driving knowledge.

I’ve just seen the update with the speed 🤦🏽‍♀️ so not ‘flying’ or speeding out of control as op has described at all then 😂 just slightly over the generally accepted speed limit.

She wasnt driving erratically though... OPs husband doesnt know the rules (and common sense) of the road and was in the wrong lane.

HE flew through the merge point instead of moving over when she had right of way. His belief that she should have stopped is completely wrong and dangeous, you merge at the speed of the road and cars on the road move over to allow it.

Driving dangerously isn’t good. Having a rear facing car seat in the front is perfectly safe. I always had mine in the front so I could see them - reflux meant I often needed to stop!! In the uk using a phone is illegal and can lose you your lisence and is dangerous.

As the OP has pointed out the rules in Portugal are different re merging
and it is only a Two lane motorway ….

Hi, first pregnancy and dealing with bad anxiety over trying to conceive for so long but I was wondering if some of you supermoms could answer a few questions for me? Is it normal for the sensitivity in your boobs to go away and how long does cramping last? Thank you so much ☺️

2 lanes one too move over into, you cant merge from a stop onto a fast moving road in any country... physics doesn't change and the result crash would be equally as fatal in portugal as the UK.

OP has been wrong about litrally every single thing from carseats to road/car speed to other countries laws on phones... she is wrong about this too.

Maybe her husband or mother is dying and she is racing to the hospital? Or maybe she’s a shit driver. Either way, the baby in the front seat is neither here nor there.

Oh dear you are one of those 🙄

This. She has right of way here, she can’t stop while trying to join a motorway, because then she’s trying to join 70mph traffic from a standstill. In that scenario it’s your husbands responsibility to move over the another lane and let her in or adjust his speed so she doesn’t have to slow down but can speed up in fact to join the motorway at 70mph. That’s basic driving knowledge I thought!!

Are you suggesting that’s the case in Portugal or you think that’s how it works in the UK?

I've seen that in the UK too. How do they not get caught?

The fact that it’s legal doesn’t make it sensible or an excuse for bad driving.

Yes Yes Yes - you do treat a slip road as a give way!

The vehicles on the carriageway have priority and you must give way to them. If you can't merge you have to stop.

Have you passed your test?

This!