To refuse to reverse?

[ManyShapesOfPasta]

Out earlier, on a street with parked cars, I was waiting for traffic in the opposite direction when the driver flashed his lights, at which point I proceeded, and then, so did he.
Of course there's then nowhere for either of us to go so he motioned at me to reverse.
Was I wrong to refuse?

People keep talking about “right of way”. Nobody had right of way, that’s a land use concept for pedestrians (and sometimes horse riders).

Oh come on, we all know what it means.
Priority, yield, give way

We watched my NDN shouting and arguing with a Mercedes driver about something similar this morning. He’d kept coming, she had nowhere to go except the hedge. People drive like twats and make it other people problem.

If you are driving with no obstructions on your side and you see cars approaching parked cars on the opposite side of the road, unless you are fully intending to let them through, you do NOT stop OP.

You dithered for no reason, he flashed you, then you both set off at the same time, it was your cock up and you should have reversed.

My DH drives like this and it confuses the hell out of people, you either continue on, or you flash people approaching you to come through.. you don't just sit there and expect people to be mind readers.

never done it myself and never interpreted flashed headlights in any other way that as is laid down in the Highway code.

This. I was aged 17 and towing a trailer for the first time on my own when I met a reversing-refuser on a single track lane. Rather than reverse 20m to the nearest passing place she made me reverse a bloody horse trailer what felt like half a mile. I was in floods of tears with anger. And of course as a result I screwed up the reversing multiple times and she just kept edging forward giving me no room to correct. 35 years later I still hate that woman with every fibre of my body.

and if you have or cause an accident because you interpret flashed lights in any other way than what is laid down in the highway code then you will be in deep shit.

Agree with this - being a good driver isn't always about being right. Sometimes it's about who can solve the issue most easily and safely so everyone can get on with their lives.

Never driven down a single track road or past a row of parked cars or struggled to get out of junction in heavy traffic, or found your lift cos they’ve flashed their lights? How long have you been driving?
I bet cars behind you have been frustrated.

Yes, that’s why you proceed with caution.
Most times it’s obvious.
I don’t like when people flash me to turn right out of a lane onto the main road (often so they can cut the corner). I stop and wait and really make sure.
Single track road with small passing places - sure, I’ll proceed if they flash.

single track roads abound around here. Drivers will wave on not flash, same for side turnings and parked cars. Been driving for around 30 years.

So any driver that’s ever flashed you, you’ve taken that to mean that they’re just warning you of their presence?

How long have you been driving?
I imagine there’s been some pretty angry drivers - flashing you to go and you’re just sitting there looking at them.

Shortest distance, no bends, no one behind you.

actually I have taken it to mean that they don't know the highway code. As I said upthread been driving for 30 years

If you're stopped and they flash it means thank you I'm coming through. If they are stopped and you are driving towards them it means I'm letting you go, don't stop. Usually best not to flash it should be obvious who is stopping/stopped and who is coming through, usually first there gets to go.

Christ - if it was a campervan you should definately reverse. If its an awkward vehicle then cut them some slack no matter who is in the "right"

It's wrong to assume a specific thing, where I am the road to the main road is one vehicle wide with passing places, the accepted way is to stop and flash an on-coming driver to proceed.

Had one like that I was driving a very long work van in the lake district a woman drove a car in just as I was coming out of the long narrow bit, she stopped and immediately pulled out a newspaper and started to apparently read it! I had to reverse a really long way (after a few minutes stand off until other cars came up behind her) it would have taken her literally seconds to reverse out of the bottleneck, it still annoys me 30 years later.

Where I live there are lots of single track lanes, I always watch for passing places, wide verges and field gates, a tractor towing a trailer isn't going to reverse for you, neither will the 40 tonne truck from the feed mill, but there's no reason a Chelsea Tractor can't go backwards, other than the driver is incompetent and shouldn't even hold a licence. I recall somebody in a Discovery who expected to me to reverse then pull on to a verge, sorry darling you've got the 4x4 offroad vehicle justify why you bought it.

I always think this too - pleased to see I’m not alone!

Me to. Can't be arsed with the indesision. The only time I'm not giving in is when someone pulls out in front of me from a side road when I have right of way. If your that confident, you can get up to 30 when I'm five / ten metres away. Im not doing an emergency stop to be rear ended. You commit or stop.

i don't have bandwidth for being in the right or road rage. But if someone wants to pull out in front of me at a give way, then I get pissed.

Round here, flashing headlights means thanks about nine times out of ten.

Even at night?

In France flashing your lights means 'I'm coming through'
He could have been French??

This.

Hes a moron OP

Flash stationary when waiting means go.
Flash when moving past someone who has waited is Thankyou.