Did I do anything wrong here? Driving

[Azzywhatty]

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??)

I’ve not RTFT, so apologies, but do drive on many single track roads. I would assume one of 2 things - either the lorry driver thought the OP was going too slowly so tooted as he went past or he was saying thank you for her pulling over to allow him to pass, assuming OP didn’t just slam on causing issues for the lorry.

I often pull over for faster drivers etc, and in the countryside a toot is often a form of thanks.

Maybe it was a 'thank you!' beep as you let him pass you.

Jesus Christ what am I reading here, this is the 'cars on a motorway must give way to traffic joining' thread all over again.

I swear half of you never drive on country lanes. I drive on roads like you are describing several times a day OP and if traffic stuck to this ridiculous rule that you must never ever go on the other side of the road we would all spend our lives stuck behind tractors/vans parked so that the drivers can piss in hedgerows/tractors cutting hedges/people on horses/people walking dogs. None of those people are breaking the law on my road and it is perfectly lawful to overtake them. It is fine provided all parties can see a long way ahead and no traffic is coming in the opposite direction.

No idea why the lorry beeped at you. Judging by some of the arseholes round here they probably thought you weren't driving fast enough. If he had to stop suddenly he was driving too close to you.

If you're a driver of large agricultural vehicles, then it is of even greater concern to me that you don't seem to understand the meaning of the left indicator as being a signal to following vehicles that the indicating vehicle is intending to pull over and potentially stop.

If the vehicle in front of you indicates left and there is no upcoming junction and no driveways or lay-by, then you must assume that they will slow down and possibly stop (in fact, even if there is a junction or a driveway, they might still be stopping and not turning). You therefore should slow down your own vehicle and be prepared to stop. If the front vehicle does stop, you either stop a safe distance behind them, then check behind you and ahead, then if safe to move off, you indicate right and pull round the parked vehicle, or you do those checks while still moving and then safely pass the stopped vehicle, as the driver of the lorry did in the OP.

This is pretty basic stuff that every driver should know before they take their test!

They said it is up to the drivers joining the motorway to stop until they have passed

Come on, that is not what people were saying on that thread at all.

How did you think you would get lost on a long straight road with no turnings? Sooner or later you would come to an entrance to a field etc where you could have pulled in...you could also hear your phone telling you the direction. But no you decide to stop in a road blocking it and forcing vehicles into the oncoming lane....causing traffic to stop or change direction is creating a hazard....in the highway code....you didn't need to.

You can't pull over in a lane if that means you're blocking it....that's stopping in a lane. Pulling over is leaving the lane clear.

But no you decide to stop in a road blocking it and forcing vehicles into the oncoming lane....causing traffic to stop or change direction is creating a hazard....in the highway code....you didn't need to.

Have you ever heard of the word 'overtaking'?

I couldn’t hear it.

Roads have other roads which connect to them.

Overtaking is a basic part of driving on country roads.

What all of them have big ditches?? Do you live in a wet, lowland area and not travel very far?
Op, you're fine, I don't know what people are getting wound up about. You stopped where there was a clear view for overtaking and space for two-way traffic. You indicated, then pulled over. The lorry driver was probably on his phone... or just an arsehole.

You most certainly can pull over to the side of the road !

I have double checked the Highway Code and it's legal to stop

Coming to a complete halt on the public highway, however, is not what is meant by "overtaking".

This - the Highway Code says you should never directly stop in front of a lorry due to the stopping distances.

what that means is not stopping unexpectedly - if you are coming up to a junction etc or somewhere where it is expecting to slow down or to stop it is fine

I can't find that in the Highway Code ?

Threads like this make me worry about going out in the car. 😂

Overtaking someone who’s pulled over on a public highway is… overtaking.

If you feel you can’t stop on a public highway, how do so many people get away with parking on public highways? Outside of their houses, shops etc?

I am sure that the highway code says that if you are driving a lorry you need know your stopping distance is larger than a cars

I think people are not used to rural Northumberland

I still
Suspect he was saying thank you for letting him past

Don’t be silly, single track lanes do not become duel carriageways, as would be the scenario in the OP as the road ‘widened out into two lanes’.

The lanes you refer to will be connecting to the duel carriageway via slip lanes and junctions only.

You should never stop unless an emergency really, especially on faster roads. Wait til a safe place or turn into a side street. Xx

Coming to a complete halt on the public highway, however, is not what is meant by "overtaking".

Well no, it's the lorry that would be doing the overtaking.

They don’t ‘become’ dual carriageway - but they lead into them... as many such roads near me do.

Yes of course he should but given the OP stopped unexpectedly she was lucky he could go around her.

not used to it no - but am aware that sometimes we are not aware of how long it can take for them to move or how difficult it is to manoeuvre it.

The OP was lucky the lorry could go around her and was paying attention

Indicating left on that type of road indicates you are turning left at the next junction, not deciding to park on a straight road in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. He would have had no idea wtf you were doing.

You should have found some where safer to pull over, or used your hazards. As that is what you were a hazard!

But I did think it was a safe place. Side streets and this street… what’s the difference?