The dogs and I do our walking at the river field if we are out in the car anyway, shopping etc…
Today, after checking my rear view mirror and seeing no vehicle behind me, I began to slow to turn into the single track road that leads to it when I spotted a car coming down that track to the main road.
I indicated right and slowed even more to give him a chance to emerge. But, following the advice given to me by my dear old Dad many years ago. I did not flash the driver or otherwise encourage him in what to do.
He saw my signal and paused briefly at the junction, there is no stop sign there, and proceeded to turn across and towards me.
Best viewed full screen, this is what happened next:
I made a gesture of clamping my hand over my eyes and the other driver flicked the sweat from his.
I was pretty sure that I swore at that point, but playing it back the only thing I can hear is Jules moaning in the back. I wonder if he saw what happened, he can see forward from where he is.
And that’s why you should never overtake when there’s a crossing up ahead. I’m pretty sure the code de la route states this. I also feel like the standard of driving has gone to pot (not that it’s ever been great) since about 2020. Stop’s are mere suggestions, roundabouts are a free for all, inside and outside lanes are all free game no matter which exit you’re taking, priority to the right is a game of Russian roulette and supermarket parking is better done when you straddle diagonally across two spaces.
This morning in our BM, while returning from town on a 90kph stretch of the D840 (with headlights on) I actually had to do a full emergency stop as a taxi suddenly overtook an oncoming car. Our converging speeds would have been approaching 200kph and it seemed an inexplicably insane manouvre.
I think it’s worth pointing out that @David_Spardo did a great job here.
Because he was fully alert and aware of what was going on around him, he was able to create a safety space so that the overtaking idiot was able to get back to the correct side of the road without causing a catastrophic crash.
In that accident the innocent, smaller more cautious car would have come off worst.
And it would have been small consolation to the guy’s widow, or carer, thanks to the professional - level testimony that David would have been able to provide as witness, that he was in the right.
I have seen these types overtaking tractors over the years and then suddenly the tractor turns left with no indicators. The skid marks are still there on that bit of road
My Dad always told me to stop at zebra crossings if there was someone waiting to cross, but never wave them across.
Fran and I in our lorry once heading to St. Omer from Calais (long before the autoroute) stopped at a zebra where 2 kids were waiting, Following Dad’s advice I did not wave them across but, as they did so I saw a car approaching at speed to pass me. I yanked on the airhorn lanyard and kept it there, the poor kids nearly shat themselves, it was very, very loud, but it saved their lives because they froze to the spot. and the car missed them by only a few inches.
So I applied the same principle yesterday and the emerging driver was very lucky not to be
T-boned. Thinking about it afterwards the overtaking lunatic was possibly within the speed limit of 80, but the emerging car, coming from both our rights, had the right of way.
Don’t disagree, but what pisses me off is when they don’t look up apologetically…
A related moan is groups of people people deciding to hold a discussion on the access ramp to the narrow footbridge that leads from the car park to our Friday market/
Not to mention congregating in chatting groups across the entrance to shops, or across the middle of aisles in supermarkets. Why do you always have to ask them politely if you can get through ?
Yes, but he was probably almost past me before he saw the other car and if he had paniced and swerved towards me I think I was doing less than 20 at that point.
Absolutely, but one small point in mitigation for the overtaker, that little road is barely visible and probably not signposted. But there is a bend in the main road just past it from which vehicles of all sizes often appear without warning, I look that way, right, again at the last moment when I am emerging from it. But that is local knowledge.
Just had a look and there is an info sign for the camping car place and a warning of the bend beyond but no specific warning of the right turn. However he had only just passed the village de-limit sign so must have either come through the village at speed or accelerated really fiercely on leaving it. Bare in mind also that I had just looked in my mirror before signalling and there was no sign of him then.
There is no doubt in my mind that he would have been held responsible if there had been a collision.
