Page 11 | Did I do anything wrong here? Driving

Azzywhatty · 2025-01-27T13:48:22+00:00

I drove home from rural Northumberland today. On a single track road my sat nav fell out of its holder onto the passenger side floor. There was a lorry behind me. I continued along the single track road until it widened into two lanes, then indicated left, slowed down and stopped so I could pick it back up. The lorry behind me beeped as I stopped. Did I do anything wrong here? I indicated and slowed and waited until the road went back to two lanes and it was safe to stop. I can’t work out why he was beeping. There was no other traffic in either direction. YANBU - you did nothing wrong YABU - you did something wrong (what and why??)

vivainsomnia · 27/01/2025 15:29

Pulling over on a road like this is within the bounds of the highway code
Many things are not as a rule against the bound of the highway code. However, if they are causing a hazard when not necessary, they are still in the wrong!

Original poster

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 15:29

blobby10 · 27/01/2025 15:24

Maybe he was saying thank you or acknowledging you for pulling over? What sort of beep was it? A quick toot toot? Or a long blast?

A quick toot.

OP posts:

ThejoyofNC · 27/01/2025 15:30

SeaUrchinHat · 27/01/2025 15:27

What you did was both dangerous and illegal. Despite people explaining it to you every which way, you're refusing to acknowledge that. You shouldn't be driving because you're clearly not safe to be on the roads.

You are wrong I’m afraid. As long as vehicles behind can overtake safely it’s perfectly legal (if ill-advised due to the amount of clueless drivers now on the road).

In the UK it's illegal to stop in the road. Lorries can't just overtake on back lanes.

ProfessionalPirate · 27/01/2025 15:31

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 15:28

Yep, OP should have said ‘I pulled up on a grass verge on a country road’, not ‘along the single track road until it widened into two lanes and then stopped’. It makes it sound like she stopped ON the road, not a verge.

Edited

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It’s not the OP’s fault people have misunderstood, she used the correct terminology.

friendlycat · 27/01/2025 15:31

I would not have stopped there with a lorry behind me. I would have driven on until I could have pulled into a layby or similar so that I was completely off the road and then retrieved my satnav.

ProfessionalPirate · 27/01/2025 15:32

ThejoyofNC · 27/01/2025 15:30

In the UK it's illegal to stop in the road. Lorries can't just overtake on back lanes.

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It’s not. I think we’ve established this now if nothing else.

VimesandhisCardboardBoots · 27/01/2025 15:32

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:57

Right okay, great idea 😂.

So the first photo is the single lane (shared by both directions of traffic.)

I did not stop here.

The single lane then widened into the second photo.

At this point I indicated left, pulled to the side as far as safety allowed, and stopped.

Here’s what I didn’t do - I did not just turn the engine off in the middle of the lane. I did not stop suddenly on an A road or dual carriageway. I did not force the lorry into mountains of oncoming traffic. They are very straight roads with very good visibility.

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Based on that picture, you did nothing illegal@Azzywhatty No yellow line at the side of the road (looks like there's the remnants of a white one there, but that doesn't mean no stopping).

The central line is dashed so overtaking is allowed, so you weren't blocking him from getting past either.

While you didn't do anything illegal, you probably did do something unexpected, which isn't the best idea when driving, for your own safety. Even if you indicated, the driver behind you probably wasn't expecting you to just stop on the road, and if he hadn't been paying attention you could have been hurt. In this situation, you'd probably have been best to keep driving until you found somewhere safer or at least put your hazards on and slowing down gradually to make it clear you were going to be stopping in an unexpected place.

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 15:32

ProfessionalPirate · 27/01/2025 15:31

It’s not the OP’s fault people have misunderstood, she used the correct terminology.

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She didn’t say she stopped on a verge. But I would have clarified that with OP before accusing her of stopping on a motorway 🤣

Mapandthermos · 27/01/2025 15:32

SharpOpalNewt · 27/01/2025 15:25

Sometimes things happen which are unexpected and unusual on roads, it doesn't mean you have to beep your horn when it does, but you should have good hazard perception and not be driving too close to the vehicle in front so you can always stop in time.

Particularly when they, quite reasonably, start indicating to pull over.

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I don’t think it was a reasonable thing to do on a fairly narrow road with a lorry behind. It’s not breaking any laws, but I don’t think it shows great judgement tbh.

I’m very well used to these types of roads too. Not sure how close the lorry was and it does depend on that to an extent. I just wouldn’t go looking for trouble where lorries are involved.

Cosyblankets · 27/01/2025 15:33

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:57

Right okay, great idea 😂.

So the first photo is the single lane (shared by both directions of traffic.)

I did not stop here.

The single lane then widened into the second photo.

At this point I indicated left, pulled to the side as far as safety allowed, and stopped.

Here’s what I didn’t do - I did not just turn the engine off in the middle of the lane. I did not stop suddenly on an A road or dual carriageway. I did not force the lorry into mountains of oncoming traffic. They are very straight roads with very good visibility.

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No way would i have stopped there it looks dangerous

vivainsomnia · 27/01/2025 15:33

It's like parking near a Cross road in a residential area. The highway say you should leave 10 metres.

However, in some places where the cross road almost round around, making it impossible to see cars coming, its common sense not to park within 20 metres as otherwise, you are causing a hazard needing ro pull forward at least 1/3rd of the way to see any coming traffic at all.

Good driving demands common sense and most Importantly, remembering you are not alone on the roads.

IkeaMeatballGravy · 27/01/2025 15:35

You put your own convenience over safety OP. That is not a good place to stop with a lorry behind you! Couldn't you have waited until you got to a safer spot?

TheignT · 27/01/2025 15:35

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:57

Right okay, great idea 😂.

So the first photo is the single lane (shared by both directions of traffic.)

I did not stop here.

The single lane then widened into the second photo.

At this point I indicated left, pulled to the side as far as safety allowed, and stopped.

Here’s what I didn’t do - I did not just turn the engine off in the middle of the lane. I did not stop suddenly on an A road or dual carriageway. I did not force the lorry into mountains of oncoming traffic. They are very straight roads with very good visibility.

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See where I live the first one would be called a single track and the 2nd would just be a road. Two lanes would be two in each direction. I think some people just didn't understand your post due to regional differences.

ProfessionalPirate · 27/01/2025 15:36

vivainsomnia · 27/01/2025 15:29

Pulling over on a road like this is within the bounds of the highway code
Many things are not as a rule against the bound of the highway code. However, if they are causing a hazard when not necessary, they are still in the wrong!

I don’t agree that a car stopped legally on a straight, clear road with good visibility is a hazard. A car in the road is arguably no different to coming across, say, a couple of horses in the road - something very commonly encountered on country lanes.

NorfolkandBad · 27/01/2025 15:36

I really hope that some, indeed most, of the replies are from people who haven't passed their test, if they have then perhaps they should retake the highway code section, or are simply being argumentative. From what the OP described she did nothing wrong, perhaps the lorry was beeping to let her know he was there so the drivers door didn't open as he was passing, perhaps he was half asleep and missed her indicating to stop, or maybe assumed a left hand road which wasn't there so was caught out a bit when she stopped or maybe he just beeped by accident - we don't know, but what we do know from OPs post is she did nothing wrong, all this crazy talk about it not being legal to stop in her circumstances is utter tosh.

Its scary that one day one of you may be the driver behind or front of me and I rely on you for my safety. Google "free online highway code assessments" and take a few so you know the rules of the road.

RedRiverShore5 · 27/01/2025 15:36

Why is there a picture of a motorway SOS sign upthread, how is that relevant

Manxexile · 27/01/2025 15:36

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:17

Yes, I’m starting to think that this is it. Many people can’t imagine roads where both directions share a single lane.

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I'm with you on this.

It's quite obvious that the majority of posters on here have no idea what a single-track road is, don't know the difference between single-track, single carriageway and dual carriageway, and have no experience of driving in rural areas.

Of course it's all right to indicate and to pull over to let traffic behind you go through where a single-track road widens into two marked lanes. It's no different from a passing place on a single-track road.

I suspect most of the people responding to you are the sort of drivers who are completely oblivious to the problems they cause on single-track roads they aren't used to driving on by not allowing following traffic to pass at passing places.

I suspect the lorry driver was beeping to thank you.

BloominNora · 27/01/2025 15:36

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:57

Right okay, great idea 😂.

So the first photo is the single lane (shared by both directions of traffic.)

I did not stop here.

The single lane then widened into the second photo.

At this point I indicated left, pulled to the side as far as safety allowed, and stopped.

Here’s what I didn’t do - I did not just turn the engine off in the middle of the lane. I did not stop suddenly on an A road or dual carriageway. I did not force the lorry into mountains of oncoming traffic. They are very straight roads with very good visibility.

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YABU - I live somewhere with lanes like this - you don't stop in the lane - you wait until you see a driveway / layby / passing place (in the wider road) / farmers gate and pull in there. You absolutely do not stop in the road no matter how to the side you are or whether there is anything coming the other way or not!

It is possible he was driving too close, which while his fault, would mean he would have to take evasive maneuvers as he would not have been expecting you to just stop....because you shouldn't have!

myopinionis · 27/01/2025 15:37

Bizarre responses, including people literally making up quotes from the highway code which aren't in there. You were both fine and legal.

blobby10 · 27/01/2025 15:37

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 15:29

A quick toot.

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In that case, I really don't think you need to worry that you did anything wrong.

edwardcullensotherwoman · 27/01/2025 15:37

A quick toot was likely a “thanks for pulling over and letting me pass” OP 🙂

Manxexile · 27/01/2025 15:37

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 15:29

A quick toot.

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Then he was thanking you!

ThreeCheersFor5Years · 27/01/2025 15:38

edwardcullensotherwoman · 27/01/2025 15:37

A quick toot was likely a “thanks for pulling over and letting me pass” OP 🙂

Don’t feed her delirium.

TheCrenchinglyMcQuaffenBrothers · 27/01/2025 15:38

C8H10N4O2 · 27/01/2025 15:16

Just remember OP that next time you should ignore the fact that a large vehicle can pass safely and that its a long straight road with good visibility.

Instead you must just keep on driving until you turn into a smaller road (where you still can't stop because its a road) and just keep driving on until you come to a town with a car park (because village roads are also often unpaved roads).

Once in the town with a car park you can use your sat nav to find your way back to the other road which is now thirty miles away.

This thread is nuts.

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😂
It's marvellous isn't it?
But tbh the whole of MN is like this atm. I'm picturing people dribbling on to their keyboard and bashing the keys with their knuckles.

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 15:38

blobby10 · 27/01/2025 15:24

Maybe he was saying thank you or acknowledging you for pulling over? What sort of beep was it? A quick toot toot? Or a long blast?

Thank you for asking this. If only you’d asked 270 posts ago 🤣