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??)

Oh, so you were expecting a lorry to pass you with possible ongoing traffic. It gets better and better!

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

I live in a rural area and can envisage the type of roads you mean, and if I've understood correctly you did nothing wrong. I think some posters are misunderstanding the situation, a diagram might help.

Why do you think you were beeped then?

Unless you post a Google street view of the spot, it's hard for others to visualise. Your descriptions were not clear.

I agree, this is what I'd have done.

No, I said single lane track. A single lane track is one not very well maintained road which is for both direction of traffic to share. One lane between them. This then widened into two lanes, so one going east and one going west. Not two each.

🤦‍♀️

Driving threads and parking threads always go the same way.

agree with majority of replies - very much in the wrong. Your description is a bit vague but of the possible 2 scenarios:

either the country lane became 2 lanes meaning one lane for each direction of travel (meaning you stopped and forced lorry driver to overtake on opposite side of the road)

or the country lane became a dual carriageway with 2 lanes for each direction of travel (so lorry driver had to overtake on ‘fast’ lane)

both mean that you stopped illegally ON the road and could have caused an accident (despite saying the roads were straight and empty- you never know who is coming at what speed from which direction) and the lorry driver was correct to beep to let you know your mistake.

(however it seems from your replies that you are someone that will not accept this even if a hundred people were to explain it to you.

You don’t stop in the middle of a road unless it’s an emergency!

I think perhaps that the lorry driver was beeping to let you know that he was passing just in case you hadn’t clocked him and suddenly pulled out right in front of him. I really wouldn’t overthink it.

So then the lorry had to move into the other lane, the one for oncoming traffic, to pass you, yes?

I'm picturing this kind of thing, am I close OP?

Two lanes. One lane for eastbound traffic. One lane for westbound. After ceasing to be a one lane to share.

Yes, that’s right.

Street view would be helpful so we can all have a Mumsnet trip out and debate on site

In my driving lessons and test one of the tasks was to pull up on the side of a single carriage road, wait a minute and then drive on. Cars had to overtake me by going into the opposite side of the road while I did that.

Why do you think you were beeped then?

Maybe the lorry was one of the vanishingly rare breeds of people that actually use the horn for the correct purpose, and he was simply alerting OP to his presence, or other road users to the fact there was an obstruction ahead of him?
Because if he used it for reasons of annoyance, or reprimand, he's also in the wrong.

So you slowed down and so would had the lorry. Then as he realised you meant to stop completely, he would have needed to accelerate quite a bit to pass you in a short time to allow to do so safely. It still would have meant a few seconds to do so, seconds where a cat could have suddenly turned into the road, or worse, a youngster on a bike.

Ultimately, you action was totally selfish considering you were in a dangerous position yet created a hazardous one.

Sorry OP, again, poor self awareness and a danger.

Say, it's always the more aggressive drivers who get the blame for accident, yet the numerous drivers who do like understanding of dangers as such create them are seen as victims.

I'm confused as to all the responses saying the OP has done something wrong.

They basically parked up on a 'normal' road.

The only thing I could think thr OP could have done wrong is that they didn't give the lorry enough warning that they were slowing down and pulling over.

Passing places have a smaller amount of room than waiting for the road to widen into two lanes (which went in different directions). You wouldn’t take a car onto a verge in rural Northumberland if you valued your suspension.

Chat gpt says: Yes, you can generally stop your car on a two-lane road by indicating and pulling to the side, but there are a few important things to consider:
Safety: Ensure it's safe to pull over and that you're not causing a hazard to other vehicles. Check for traffic behind you and in front of you before signaling.
Location: Avoid stopping in areas where it could obstruct traffic, such as curves, intersections, pedestrian crossings, or places with poor visibility.
Local laws: Some places may have specific rules about where you can stop on a two-lane road. Always make sure you're following traffic laws in your area.
If you're unsure, it's a good idea to pull over in a more designated or safe spot like a parking area or a wide shoulder.

We have 😂.

There are many many rural roads in Northumberland were waiting for a layby would be a very long wait.

As long as he was safely able to pass you were fine.

Yes, but there was no oncoming traffic. The roads are long and straight and frequently used for overtaking.

She didn't 'park up'. She didn't 'pull over'. She just stopped, blocking the lane. There really isn't any debate about whether this is acceptable or not - it absolutely isn't.

A dual carriage has minimum of 4 lanes. The OP was on a single track country road that opened up to 2 lanes (so presumably one for each direction?)