Who is being unreasonable - it's a driving one (with diagram!)

[chickenfeathers]

Who is being unreasonable in this situation?

Car A (large, transit sized) indicated and turned left into a very narrow side road. There was a parked car half on the footpath on their side of the road, and a car waiting to pull out onto the busier main road. Car A is partially obscuring this drivers view trying to pull out due to where the parked car is (on a blind corner 🙄).

Car B (very small car) is almost level with the parked car. Nothing behind them. Car A waits for car B to reverse back but the driver doesn't. Car B then moves forward to behind the car waiting to pull out, despite car A gesturing for them to reverse back to allow them through easier.

Car A may have fitted through the gap, but it would have been very, very tight. Car B driver then shouts at car A driver they "would have got through" and "they need to learn to drive". A short heated exchange then occurs until car B is able to finally move forward.

So who was in the wrong here?

Car A - they should have tried to drive through the gap

Car B - they should have reversed to allow car A though with more room.

Car B should have reversed to allow Car A to complete their manoeuvre.

In that situation as car B I would have reversed to allow car A through. And I have done in the past. Did they have to? I don't think so as its car A who has to pull into the opposite side of the road so car B technically has the right of way. But reversing would be the nice thing to do if it was clear behind. In my opinion anyway.

Also to add, if I was car A I wouldn't have squeezed through if I wasn't sure I'd fit no matter how much car B gestured I should. But unless i was in a life and death hurry I'd have just sat there and waited and not shouted at car B. (May have internally sighed at the wait though but that's all)

A shouldn’t reverse through the junction. B should reverse to let A drive though.

If Car A wasn’t confident that they had sufficient space to proceed, couldn’t they just wait patiently? Unless the Car Turning Right was turning onto a very busy road and the fact that Car A was obscuring their view made it a dangerous manoeuvre, I don’t think Car A should expect Car B to reverse up the street for the sake of, what, 30 seconds?

Ive sat and refused to edge through gaps like that before. No way will i 'risk' my car because some prick thinks they can judge something better than me. For the sake of a couple of foot they can make things very simple for everyone. Screw them.

@Flocke has nailed it, perfect explanation.

Would just add that the real twat in your scenario is the one who has parked on a blind corner making it difficult for cars both entering and exiting the side road.

Car A just wait until there is no obstruction; I wouldn't have tried to get through a tiny gap. Car B really should have left a gap so cars could get past the parked car as they wouldn't have been able to get much further until the car in front has turned the corner. They were thoughtless but don't think I'd have reversed either.

I don’t know, but that is a truly excellent diagram.

That's what I thought. Car C (parked car) is the real asshole.

While car B had right of way because the obstruction was on the other side of the road, I think they should have reversed to let car A through, particularly bearing in mind that the other car was turning right onto a busy road and it may have taken a while for them to get out.

Lovely diagram ⭐
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.
Car A could have waited until the junction was clear before turning in, seeing that they would not have been able to complete the turn.

Car B could have reversed back if there was nothing behind them, to be nice. They didn't have to, but they could have done.

Unnamed car waiting to turn right could have edged out until the front of their car was level with the back of car A.

Lots of things people could have done, but no real rule as to what should have been done.

A mustn’t reverse back onto the main road, though A should probably have recognised what was going on when starting to turn into the side road (narrow side roads are often blocked) and should have paused and not completed the turn into the side road until there was space.

A and B should have waited to see if the car at the front could turn out.

And if A was ultimately unwilling to drive through the gap, B should have reversed. But neither should have shouted at the other (especially B who started the heated exchange).

If I were car A I'd have not expected car B to reverse back, really nice if they did but as the obstruction is on my side of the road I'd wait until it was clear. I wouldn't tell them to reverse so I could carry on.

If I were car B I'd have probably stopped earlier and left a gap but unless car A was stuck in the actual junction, so it's just a case of waiting until the road clears, I probably wouldn't reverse either. I wouldn't tell them to try and squeeze through or learn how to drive etc.

Car A could have just waited until car B moved, as the obstruction is on their side.

10/10 for the diagram OP! A cannot move back so B should have reversed to give A room to get through.

Everyone is right, especially about the shouting. Only thing I would add - if I was A I would stop and let cars out of the side turning before proceeding, if I could see my way was blocked.

Just to clarify a couple of things.

It was impossible to see the parked car in this side road until you have actually turned into it. There are terraced houses making it impossible to see around the corner.

The driver of car B wound their window down and started shouting at the driver of Car A first. Car A was just waiting as they could not move forward or backwards.

This happens at the junction to our street all the time. In our scenario car A sits and waits patiently to allow the other cars to move.

it’s their side of the road that’s obstructed so they need to be patient.

Well, B was wrong to shout. If I was A I would just stare blankly and wait patiently.

Car A should have waited where they are on the diagram for Bs side to clear. Nothing to do with Car B

Car A just needs to be patient and wait. Car B should probably have sat further back anticipating that traffic would need to squeeze past the parked carb

Car C is completely unreasonable to park there, but if I was car B I would have waited further back anyway and only moved forward after the car in front had turned right - no sense in blocking the whole road

As car B I would have anticipated people turning in from the main road and left a gap for cars to pass the parked car. As car A I would have been frustrated that car B hasn't left enough space but I wouldn't be squeezing through if I thought it was too tight. The obstruction is on car A's side of the road so technically they should wait for their way to be clear.

Don't think anyone should be shouting though.

So you're Car A. You started it by 'gesturing' for Car B to reverse. Learn some patience.

I agree