4x4 drivers

[GeoffC320]

Just got back from a trip to the shops. Took a slight detour round some of the back roads and on one part I was coming down a hill on a road with no pavements, hedges on both sides and wide enough for exactly one car either side of the white line (my area is semi-rural).

There were 3 or 4 cars parked on my side so I had to go fully on the other side of the road to pass them. As I went past the first parked car a Jeep Cherokee came into view further down the road, coming up the hill at a normal speed. By the time I was passing the 2nd-to-last car, it looked like this guy wasn't really slowing down, still I could see there was enough space so carried on and pulled back into my side of the road through what was now a fairly small gap.

The guy never came to a full stop but had the cheek to lay on his horn at ME!

I don't know what goes through these people's minds. Did he expect me to stop when I was nearly past all the parked cars and reverse all the way back up the hill, just to save him putting his brakes on?

Sadly this seems typical of the 4x4 drivers round my way, in marked contrast to most others, who are generally quite courteous.

[Peter Gidden]

So you were on his side of the road passing an obstruction on your side of the road, and you only just made it back on to your side as he approached.

And he had the cheek to hoot his horn?

[Mullen]

He said the road ahead was clear when he started the manouver.

[GeoffC320]

He said the road ahead was clear when he started the manouver.

Exactly.

I guess there's an element of judgement involved as to whether you start passing the vehicles or not when someone is coming the other way. In this instance I was already passing the first car (as I said) when I saw the car coming towards me.

And regardless of the exactitudes of the highway code, surely it's just common sense not to try to drive into someone when they are clearly almost past the obstacle on their side of the road?

I suppose you think I shouldn't push my way out of my drive either when no f*cker in a long stream of cars lets me out in the morning? I guess they have the right of way after all. How dare I actually try to get out of my house and drive to the station.

Bit of give & take.

[MR2 Rich]

This will be another of Pete's posts where he points out someone's mistake, then realises it's his own mistake and then doesn't post again....

[2mad]

If your already well committed to the overtake (no cars coming towards you at the time) the approaching car should patiently wait for you to finish your maneuver ... not beep and bully you because there cars bigger lol .. that how it works in my opinion (20 years of driving).

If you both get to a parked car/s at the same time the driver with the parked car in front of them should stop and give way .. commonsense I think

[GeoffC320]

If your already well committed to the overtake (no cars coming towards you at the time) the approaching car should patiently wait for you to finish your maneuver ... not beep and bully you because there cars bigger lol .. that how it works in my opinion (20 years of driving).

If you both get to a parked car/s at the same time the driver with the parked car in front of them should stop and give way .. commonsense I think

This would be my opinion too...in this instance I couldn't see the guy very early anyway due to the road curving away to the left where he was approaching from.

But, let's say that the road ahead is clear and straight for 1/2 mile or so. You can easily see the other person approaching but it's also very clear that if you are both travelling at normal, legal, speed you will reach the obstruction well before them. Now technically they have right of way because the obstruction's on your side...but should you wait for them? I certainly wouldn't but technically that could be wrong.

[Mullen]

Also on a hill the person travelling up has right of way.

[gnzyza]

He just sounds like a door knob, generally you'll find them in any car during ones journey.

I agree abit of common courtesy goes a far way. You were clearly in the middle of making the maneuver he should of slowed to let you complete it safely. It should of been no surprise to him either as the road you describe you would think this happens alot.

[Draven]

Some people are just stupid. Just carry on about your day ignore them

[Ekona]

Poor planning by the OP. If you cannot get the overtake safely completed in the distance you can see, then you should not perform the overtake. Same applies to parked cars as to moving ones.

Yes, the other guy was clearly a bit of a knobber for not giving the space and tooting, but at the same time either you should've carried out the overtake quicker or given yourself space to pull in/stop somewhere in the middle. Did you consider stopping at all? Maybe that would've caused a jam in the road if the other bloke had kept coming, but at least it wouldn't be you moving on the wrong side of the road when the collision occurred...


No biggie, we've all done it, it's just important to learn that even when you're not in the wrong, you're not always in the right.

[Ekona]

Also on a hill the person travelling up has right of way.

Link to the section in the HC? Genuine question, I honestly couldn't see it when I looked.

[Mullen]

www.highwaycode.info/general-rules-all- ... 103-to-158

Rule - 155.

Admittedly they mention it in relation to single track roads & it's a recommendation rather than a right.
Common sense really should prevail... if only more people had some.

[GeoffC320]

Poor planning by the OP. If you cannot get the overtake safely completed in the distance you can see, then you should not perform the overtake. Same applies to parked cars as to moving ones.

Yes, the other guy was clearly a bit of a knobber for not giving the space and tooting, but at the same time either you should've carried out the overtake quicker or given yourself space to pull in/stop somewhere in the middle. Did you consider stopping at all? Maybe that would've caused a jam in the road if the other bloke had kept coming, but at least it wouldn't be you moving on the wrong side of the road when the collision occurred...


No biggie, we've all done it, it's just important to learn that even when you're not in the wrong, you're not always in the right.

Not sure I can agree that the same principle applies to passing moving or parked vehicles. The road ahead was clear but curving. I would never have contemplated even the overtake of one moving vehicle at that point.

However what exactly would you suggest in the case of parked cars (there was no possible way to pull in, just 4 cars parked nose to tail)? Should I wait indefinitely? Send my passenger out to scout the road ahead (not that I had one)? Or simply turn around and drive back the way I came? After all, the way was clear as far as I could reasonably ascertain.

I had a somewhat similar situation a while back in which I drove down a road that narrows into a single track section for about 100 metres, then turns onto a (slightly) more main road. I'd got most of the way down when a dustcart turned off the main road and blocked the single track section (no parked cars involved). As they clearly were not about to move, I was forced to reverse all the way back up the hill to the wider section so they could come up and pass.

At the time I was cursing them, but in hindsight it would have been quite dangerous for them to reverse back out onto the main road, so fair enough.

This was not a comparable situation, it would have been zero effort/inconvenience/danger to the other guy just to stop and wait.

[Ryan S]

Typical imoc responses, the context of what happened is pretty clear yet the OP is in the wrong? Amazing

[SrSilkie]

Not all 4x4 drivers are the same but I do think some feel superior in their larger vehicle and will try to intimidate and bully other drivers.

If I was in that 4x4, even if you were in the wrong and had pulled out having seen me coming I would certainly not continue until the last minute then brake in an attempt to rush you...its simply moronic.

What if for example you had felt pressured and accelerated to make the gap and a kid runs out between the cars...

Some drivers are dicks whatever they drive and some aren't.

[aussieGT]

Also on a hill the person travelling up has right of way.

I don't know if 'steam vs sail' rules apply here.

[Ekona]

Not sure I can agree that the same principle applies to passing moving or parked vehicles. The road ahead was clear but curving. I would never have contemplated even the overtake of one moving vehicle at that point.

However what exactly would you suggest in the case of parked cars (there was no possible way to pull in, just 4 cars parked nose to tail)? Should I wait indefinitely? Send my passenger out to scout the road ahead (not that I had one)? Or simply turn around and drive back the way I came? After all, the way was clear as far as I could reasonably ascertain.

My original post came over as overly critical, so my apologies for that.

Could you have made the manoeuvre a bit quicker? Could you have pulled to a position in the road that gave you a better view? I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud here. Pop up a streetview link, it'd be interesting to see the exact road.

Ultimately I think it was probably just a very unlucky set of circumstances, and really the only thing you could've done differently to minimise any risk to yourself is to just have stopped where you were. Make him make the dodgy moves, and remove any possible blame from yourself if there is car to car contact.

[Ekona]

Typical imoc responses, the context of what happened is pretty clear yet the OP is in the wrong? Amazing

It's only clear if you were there, otherwise it's only one viewpoint

[Ryan S]

Typical imoc responses, the context of what happened is pretty clear yet the OP is in the wrong? Amazing

It's only clear if you were there, otherwise it's only one viewpoint

exactly, you don't have another viewpoint to judge it by, yet somehow it's still the OPs fault