Page 14 | 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??)

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:06

Doloresparton · 27/01/2025 16:03

I think all the Townies are on MN today.
I used to have to visit people in the Yorkshire dales, there's many a time I've had to pull over to study a map in those days.

Don’t tar us all with the same brush 😆 I want nothing to do with the Pearl clutchers on here who are making up their own narrative to beat OP down. Rather than townies I’m pretty sure most of them don’t drive.

denhaag · 27/01/2025 16:06

Silvers11 · 27/01/2025 16:01

I suspect @Azzywhatty that you maybe didn't signal earlier enough and/or that you were stopping/ slowed down too quickly? Lorries take a LOT longer to come to a stop than cars do so maybe he had to break sharply before going around you.

Or he may have just been saying thank you? If it was a short toot I would think this more likely?

Lorry driver too close then.
In the past few days I've had to slow down on A roads for pheasants, deer and a fallen tree. A lorry up my arse could easily go into the back of me, or not allow me to slow meaning I ran over an animal.

BrainWontWorkAnymore · 27/01/2025 16:07

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 16:05

I didn’t say country lanes have hard shoulders, I meant on motorways. Does everything need to be spelled out here to stop people deliberately misconstruing things?

You keep going until it’s safe to stop. The sat nav isn’t going anywhere.

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There’s only the A1M in Northumberland which isn’t even dual carriage way at times so no hard shoulder to worry about 😄

GlasgowGal82 · 27/01/2025 16:08

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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I wouldn't have stopped there unless it was an emergency. You are interrupting the flow of traffic and causing a hazard. My husband grew up in a rural area where most of the roads are like this one and he's pretty strong on not stopping, and we've had quite a few arguments over the years about what constitutes an emergency and makes it legitimate to stop (dropping the sat nav wouldn't meet his criteria, nor does a child vomiting all over their car seat unless they're chocking!)

Lookingforwardto2025 · 27/01/2025 16:08

Weirdly it just happened to me on my way to getting DS. Rural B road and the car in front indicated and then stopped on a straight bit of road. Nothing was coming so I overtook and in my rear mirror I saw the car turn around in the road so had clearly gone the wrong way. Thinking about it it happens pretty frequently on the rural roads where we live.

Original poster

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 16:09

BrainWontWorkAnymore · 27/01/2025 16:04

@Azzywhatty where in the proper north are we talking about here? I am a Blyth / Cambo / Thropton / Morpeth and Hepple lass

Edited

I’m from Newcastle but was visiting near Kirkwelpington.

OP posts:

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:09

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 16:05

I didn’t say country lanes have hard shoulders, I meant on motorways. Does everything need to be spelled out here to stop people deliberately misconstruing things?

You keep going until it’s safe to stop. The sat nav isn’t going anywhere.

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It WAS safe to stop. OP pulled over as far as she could and the lorry had plenty of room to see ahead and pass safely.

ThatEllie · 27/01/2025 16:09

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:06

Don’t tar us all with the same brush 😆 I want nothing to do with the Pearl clutchers on here who are making up their own narrative to beat OP down. Rather than townies I’m pretty sure most of them don’t drive.

Edited

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Yes, I suspect that much of the vitriol on driving and parking threads comes from posters that don’t drive. Some of them admit as much on other threads and yet it never seems to stop them from shrieking at an OP that they are terrible, dangerous drivers. 😂

CustardySergeant · 27/01/2025 16:10

edwardcullensotherwoman · 27/01/2025 15:37

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

Exactly! So many posters seem to be unable to imagine a very quiet country road with a clear view showing that there was no oncoming traffic.

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:11

GlasgowGal82 · 27/01/2025 16:08

I wouldn't have stopped there unless it was an emergency. You are interrupting the flow of traffic and causing a hazard. My husband grew up in a rural area where most of the roads are like this one and he's pretty strong on not stopping, and we've had quite a few arguments over the years about what constitutes an emergency and makes it legitimate to stop (dropping the sat nav wouldn't meet his criteria, nor does a child vomiting all over their car seat unless they're chocking!)

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So you don’t drive then?

OP said there was no other traffic to interrupt the flow of.

denhaag · 27/01/2025 16:11

GlasgowGal82 · 27/01/2025 16:08

I wouldn't have stopped there unless it was an emergency. You are interrupting the flow of traffic and causing a hazard. My husband grew up in a rural area where most of the roads are like this one and he's pretty strong on not stopping, and we've had quite a few arguments over the years about what constitutes an emergency and makes it legitimate to stop (dropping the sat nav wouldn't meet his criteria, nor does a child vomiting all over their car seat unless they're chocking!)

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It looks like a long Roman road to me ie a perfect place to finally pull over when you're driving rurally.
OP could pull over safely and be quite visible from both lanes for a long way.

Thisandthatandthensome · 27/01/2025 16:11

Flittingaboutagain · 27/01/2025 13:58

You can't just block a lane to stop OP. You should have waited for a layby.

Op didn't block a lane since lorry drove past

Choccyscofffy · 27/01/2025 16:12

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:09

It WAS safe to stop. OP pulled over as far as she could and the lorry had plenty of room to see ahead and pass safely.

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I don’t think I would have deemed it safe to stop, especially as the OP said ‘he was going far too fast far too close to my car.’

PrincessofWells · 27/01/2025 16:14

If it was a quick beep I expect he thought you were pulling over to let him pass, and the beep was to say thanks.

Proudtobeanortherner · 27/01/2025 16:14

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 13:54

No, I put my indicator on and then stopped. To indicate I was stopping.

I can’t see why it wasn’t safe for him to pass. It was two lanes, a straight road, and I was pulled over to one side of the left lane.

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You didn’t do anything wrong; lorry drivers are a law unto themselves. On rural roads you are lucky to have two lanes; in my opinion you did absolutely the right thing.

FindusMakesPancakes · 27/01/2025 16:15

TheBucketFamily · 27/01/2025 15:56

No! She indicated her intention to stop, then slowed down and stopped.
The driver of the vehicle behind her then judged that it was safe to pass, so he did.

For some reason that none of us knows (could be a way of saying "thanks for pulling over to let me pass" or "don't open your door, I'm passing you" or "I'm annoyed because I didn't see your indicator, so I'm venting by blasting the horn") the driver gave a blast on the horn as he passed.

The end!

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Typing The End doesn't make it the end. Nor does it make you right.

I fundamentally disagree with you. If I see someone indicate, I am expecting them to manoeuvre off the road, whether it is into a side road, a gateway, a layby etc. I am not expecting them to just come to a dead stop on the road.

Dandylione · 27/01/2025 16:17

GlasgowGal82 · 27/01/2025 16:08

I wouldn't have stopped there unless it was an emergency. You are interrupting the flow of traffic and causing a hazard. My husband grew up in a rural area where most of the roads are like this one and he's pretty strong on not stopping, and we've had quite a few arguments over the years about what constitutes an emergency and makes it legitimate to stop (dropping the sat nav wouldn't meet his criteria, nor does a child vomiting all over their car seat unless they're chocking!)

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Thread over ladies! Someone has found a Man to tell us answer, phew.

AnotherWeekAnotherUsername · 27/01/2025 16:17

FindusMakesPancakes · 27/01/2025 16:15

Typing The End doesn't make it the end. Nor does it make you right.

I fundamentally disagree with you. If I see someone indicate, I am expecting them to manoeuvre off the road, whether it is into a side road, a gateway, a layby etc. I am not expecting them to just come to a dead stop on the road.

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How about <gavel> then? 😆🤣😆🤣

jannier · 27/01/2025 16:18

Two lanes would be a dual carriageway what you mean is it was wide enough for oncoming traffic to pass rather than pull over....rarely wide enough for a lorry to pull into the oncoming lane....you should have continued to a pulling in space not indicated like you were turning Left then stop.

jannier · 27/01/2025 16:19

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 14:04

It was a country lane that had been a one lane track. It is the side road.

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No it's not why ask if you won't listen?

Original poster

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 16:19

FindusMakesPancakes · 27/01/2025 16:15

Typing The End doesn't make it the end. Nor does it make you right.

I fundamentally disagree with you. If I see someone indicate, I am expecting them to manoeuvre off the road, whether it is into a side road, a gateway, a layby etc. I am not expecting them to just come to a dead stop on the road.

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It was a Roman road with no left turn where I indicated. I wasn’t going to go crashing through the hedges into the fields.

OP posts:

Original poster

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 16:19

jannier · 27/01/2025 16:18

Two lanes would be a dual carriageway what you mean is it was wide enough for oncoming traffic to pass rather than pull over....rarely wide enough for a lorry to pull into the oncoming lane....you should have continued to a pulling in space not indicated like you were turning Left then stop.

Two lanes. One for eastbound traffic, one for westbound.

OP posts:

Suzuki76 · 27/01/2025 16:22

FindusMakesPancakes · 27/01/2025 16:15

Typing The End doesn't make it the end. Nor does it make you right.

I fundamentally disagree with you. If I see someone indicate, I am expecting them to manoeuvre off the road, whether it is into a side road, a gateway, a layby etc. I am not expecting them to just come to a dead stop on the road.

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Right... And what about if they're pulling in by the kerb between driveways? How else do you indicate that you're pulling in to park on the left?

FindusMakesPancakes · 27/01/2025 16:22

Azzywhatty · 27/01/2025 16:19

It was a Roman road with no left turn where I indicated. I wasn’t going to go crashing through the hedges into the fields.

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So if there were no junctions etc, being able to hear/see your satnav would have made no difference to where you were going. You didn't need it. So you keep going until there is a properly safe place to pull over and then pick it up.

LongTimeLurkerFirstTimeCaller · 27/01/2025 16:23

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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All driving decisions should be made on 3 points, Safe, Legal & Convenient

Looking at the rest of the B6318 on Google Streetview, there are plenty of places where you could stop if it was urgent, but not an emergency. Pubs, laybys, field entrances, drive ways. By waiting of one of these you would have have inconvenienced others (the lorry) less and been safer. If you stopped on some otherwise unremarkable bit of road, it was perhaps legal, but perhaps not the safest or most convenient decision you could have made