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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think if you don't know how wide you're vehicle is then you're not safe to be on the road??!!

84 replies

MadreInglese · 22/01/2009 13:48

Had a ridiculous near miss this morning with a muppet who seemed to think that her car was two feet wider on the passenger side than it actually was.

She's not the only one, I see loads of people (esp town centre) driving way out in the middle of the road. Yes, be cautious, but to the point of being dangerous? It always seems to be larger cars too IME, why drive a car about that you don't know the size of?

I don't get it

OP posts:
Original poster
MadreInglese · 22/01/2009 13:50

OH MY GOD

your vehicle

I'm so irked my spelling has gone to pot!

OP posts:
TamartorousBeastie · 22/01/2009 13:54

Were there parked cars on their passenger side?

If not YANBU

SoMuchToBits · 22/01/2009 13:55

YANBU and this is the reason why I don't drive. I find it very hard to judge distances at all. When I learned to drive my driving instructor tried to explain stopping distances to me by getting me to estimate in car-lengths. I had to tell him there was no way I could guess how big a distance was, in car-lengths, feet, metres or anything!

lizziemun · 22/01/2009 14:35

YANBU.

Me and my mum were in asda one saturday morning trying desparetly not to laugh at a dozy mare lady reverse her BMW out of a parking space.

She was one of theese ladies who move forward 2inchs and turn the wheel and inch and expect it to turn the car completely. 'We just thinking for god sake move the car more and turn the bloody wheel' all the time she looking around the car making she didn't hit anything parked 6ft away from her.

The worst part was she was parked in bay where she could have reversed down the road and just driven off.

AMumInScotland · 22/01/2009 14:43

At the risk of being horribly sexist, I'm sorry but it is 9 times out of 10 a female driver who does this. Apparently there genuinely are differences between most men and most women in terms of spatial awareness, leading some women to be completely unable to work out that their tiny car will fit easily through a gap the size of a double-decker bus. I used to be utterly astounded, as I don't see the problem myself, but it's true...

On the other side, the drivers who tailgate and cut you up at junctions are 9 times out of 10 men, as they may have the spatial awareness but have too much aggression and an inflated snese of their own abilities...

Hawkmoth · 22/01/2009 14:52

YABU (unless the other driver suddenly swung out onto your side of the road)

You have to slow down if there are lots of parked cars. Serious hazards. People opening doors, dashing out between cars... makes sense to leave reasonable room and be prepared to slow down and/or stop if people are being more cautious than you.

Sadly there are a lot of bad drivers. And yes, they do have big expensive cars that obviously matter more than manners, politeness, road etiquette etc. Just give them space.

If you are evil like me you can stop and wave, or stop somewhere that's REALLY awkward for them to get round... spoils their day if they have to slow down too much.

mysterymoniker · 22/01/2009 14:54

YANBU, I veer towards such people and they rapidly correct their lane position

violethill · 22/01/2009 15:01

Oooh is this a response to the other thread on small cars!

I entirely agree with the OP. IME less confident (or shall we say, crap) drivers tend to go for bigger cars, presumably on the grounds that they'll feel safer.

How about the safety of the rest of us?

flowerybeanbag · 22/01/2009 15:07

I had a friend at university who used to do that steering thing. She refused to swan neck into parking spaces and instead attempted to bend the car into the space.

When trying to steer, she kept the car still and then bemoaned the lack of power steering as she heaved at the steering wheel. Er, if you move the car while turning the wheel, you might actually get somewhere...

tumtumtetum · 22/01/2009 15:09

violethill that is exactly what my DH says!

the irony being that bad drivers are even worse when driving tanks as it's even harder to judge distances!

Divineintervention · 22/01/2009 15:09

Spacial awareness, it's a man thing!

[stepping away emoticon]

Ivykaty44 · 22/01/2009 15:15

There are good drivers and there are nervous drivers and there are arogant drivers and bad drivers, they drive an array of different types and styles of cars. Therefore be wary of any other car on the road and do not ever persume or steriotype that a car driver will not do something completly stupid and life threatening.

Stay safe.

OrmIrian · 22/01/2009 15:20

YANBU. In the slightest. I think that overcautious drivers are as bad as overconfident ones. For a start they make the rest of us irritable

ChristmasPenguin · 22/01/2009 15:47

My Dad gave me a great bit of advice when I started driving.

"Assume everybody on the road is completely incompetant, and you'll be much safer"

heh

branflake81 · 22/01/2009 16:30

YANBU. I am a crap driver and have no idea how wide my car is (and I drive a polo so not big at all). Sometimes I think I shouldn't be on the road

mm22bys · 22/01/2009 16:31

YABU.

It is better to overestimate the size of your car, than underestimate.

I admit I am a cautious driver, and probably do think my car is wider than it is, but I have only had one minor scrape in 19 years of driving....

So there!

Twink · 22/01/2009 16:35

YANBU, in fact, I've just come home about to start an identical thread after nearly being taken off the road by one of those family minbus things (not an MPV, more a large van with seats).

Yesterday I almost had my head taken off by a van's wing mirror as I was cycling along a wide straight road, no I wasn't wobbling and was in day-glo yellow jacket!!

MorrisZapp · 22/01/2009 17:12

You can't win this one. My driving instructor used to yell at me (nicely) to 'get away from the parked cars' as I was so terrified of the oncoming traffic that I would instinctively try to hog the roadside.

I don't drive much but the last time I did, I smacked the wing mirror off on a stretch of road that buses and large lorries regularly whizz through.

My own feeling (after much deep thought) is that some people can understand driving and others just can't. I'm one of the 'can'ts', sadly. I passed my test on first attempt but there is so much involved in driving that just terrifies me and makes me want to stop the car and walk home.

I can't judge distances at all, and have never built enough confidence in the car to feel relaxed or safe.

Luckily I live on a main bus route and have a very competent chauffeur (DP) so the public is safe!

Ivykaty44 · 22/01/2009 17:14

But if you overestimate your car size and cause an accident it is not really very clever and could be very dangerous

oldraver · 22/01/2009 17:31

Maybe this was the problem the recycle truck driver had when he reversed at speed and gashed my bro's g/f car this morning

At least..now we have find him after he did a runner.. is admitting he did it

Ivykaty44 · 22/01/2009 17:32

Men often over estimate the size

tinseltot · 22/01/2009 17:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

oldraver · 22/01/2009 17:58

Most of the woman driving these 'mother vehicals' seem to have a great deal of problems handling them anyway. They always seem to pull straight into a parking space then spend an eternity inching back out..well the ones round here anyhow

Reallytired · 22/01/2009 18:10

Women generally have fewer accidents and less driving convictions than men. There are companies that provide cheaper car insurance for women.

I hate reservse parallel parking and I drive a large car. However I do have a clean driving licence and five years no claims. Do you really think I should be banned? I suspect the fact that I have a reasonable driving record means that my parking skills can't be that dire. I do drive almost everyday to work.

My husband is better at reversing than me, but he has got nine points on his driving licence and recently wrote off his BMW.

There is more to being a competant driving than reversing or parking skills. Some men are completely and utterly devoid of common sense. They have so much confidence they speed and that causes far more deaths than anything else

Tortington · 22/01/2009 18:12

women are shit drivers - they dont get bumped but they vloody well cause em i bet.