a plea to all horsebox drivers

[Santa_Claus]

After a very very near miss tonight with a horsebox driver can I please make a simple plea!?

- At roundabouts it may be easier to take a straight line route to the exit of your choice so cutting into an inside lane but please don't as you may well hit me (or other unfortunate driver) minding my own business driving in the correct lane! Instead drive a bit slower and actually go round in your correct lane.
- Remember to use your mirrors especially in the above situation to ensure if you do cut across another lane there isn't someone in your way who has to take drastic action not to be hit by you
- If you are silly enough to cut across a lane and very nearly cause an accident don't drive off as if nothing happened, although of course that is in the presumption that you saw the car that has just swerved out the way in your mirrors in the first place!!

Roundabouts can be a pain in the behind when driving a horsebox, I know this, but if you drive steadily enough you can go round correctly without unbalancing your horses and without putting other road users at risk!!

rant over!

 

[Louby]

It does amaze me how some people drive.
Horsey lady I know said she used to always go in the right hand lane to turn left!!! because it gave her more room to make the turn, then she ranted on how car drivers used to be so inconsiderate by cutting her up by driving in the left hand lane whilst she wanted to turn.

 

[Booboos]

Eeek! Some people just don't get roundabouts do they! OH (unfortunately) is ALWAYS in the wrong lane and weaving all over the place - it's a source of never ending arguments between us, although he doesn't get to drive my precious horses around!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Well said hun x

 

[Dolcé]

eek, poor you! I am wary at all roundabouts because of drivers in general not knowing how to stay in lane as they go around it. I have been cut up or forced over so many times that I tend to drive like everyone else out there is a moron!

 

[Javabb94]

Anybody should be careful !

We were in our wagon with 2 ponies in one a JC Mare and the other my first pony who my brother was riding and to get to the lesson there are narrow roads

We met a woman in her small car and we both had to stop, my dad gestured that he couldn't move forward cos of a tree that sticks out, woman refuses to move

This goes on for a while and in the end my dad
attempted to pass her as we were running late and you may have guessed we hit the tree.... Managed to get to lesson and noticed whole chassis had
twisted and a tear in the side of the wagon, I was left with no transport for a year while it got sorted and because my mare needed to be out competing I had to sell Her and endedup giving up riding for 5 years
My dad and mum hate driving wagons now so we have an ifor instead

 

[perfect11s]

yes aggree very good points... I think most horsebox drivers will take this as good advise..
now all we need to do is educate the other drivers to use indicators esp when turning right!! as I assume no indicators you must be going straight on... mind Its not going to easy as most BMW and Audi drivers drive as they are the only vehicles on the road!!!, and using indicators are only to be used as im changing lane , get out of my way you prole im late for my meeting.....

 

[Caz89]

This does really annoy me because youngsters are the ones who arn't aloud to drive over 3.5t yet the older people can who actually can generally be worse drivers as they had to go through well not even a test compaired to people these days. TBH I think EVERYONE should have to take a test for anything over 3.5T

 

[Caz89]

yes aggree very good points... I think most horsebox drivers will take this as good advise..
now all we need to do is educate the other drivers to use indicators esp when turning right!! as I assume no indicators you must be going straight on... mind Its not going to easy as most BMW and Audi drivers drive as they are the only vehicles on the road!!!, and using indicators are only to be used as im changing lane , get out of my way you prole im late for my meeting.....

HEY! My old car was an Audi and I now have a BMW although that is my pet hate these big flashy cars yet the indicators don't work !! I find myself flicking my OH indicator on for him as he seems to think he owns the road (Audi driver)

 

[lagartijamick]

Whether its a horsebox, Audi or BMW, the roads are full of lousy drivers.
My personal pet hate is the old shape Nissan Micra in red.
One drove into the side of me a few years back when i was in my 4 x 4 and ever since then its like those cars have been out to get me.

A special shout out to all the inpatient ones who feel they just have to pull out on my horsebox because they just can't bear to be stuck behind me.

 

[soulfull]

This does really annoy me because youngsters are the ones who arn't aloud to drive over 3.5t yet the older people can who actually can generally be worse drivers as they had to go through well not even a test compaired to people these days. TBH I think EVERYONE should have to take a test for anything over 3.5T

What annoys me is youngsters who think because they have passed their test they are fab drivers. Any examiner will tell you passing your test is the START!! then you learn to 'drive'

A bit like being able to ride in a riding school then being given your own Sports horse on a competition yard

Just so you dont think I am in a mardy cos I haven't passed the same test as you.
I am an advance and blue light response driver

 

[Vetwrap]

Oh, I love the old people. Years ago, when I had my old Bedford, I had collected the usual trail of traffic trundling thought a little village and then had to commit and overtake a line of parked cars. From the long row of parked cars, much further up the road, pulled a bright green Nissan Micra, with a very elderly couple in it.

I couldn't quite belive that he had failed to see my rather large 10T truck, but as he drove steadily towards me, he seemed to be getting quite irate. Yes, I was on his side of the road, but I was overtaking parked cars and had commenced my manoeuver before he decided to join the party.

So we sat there. Me, in the lorry, with five or six cars behind - and him in his Nissan Micra.

It was a full five minutes before he pulled into someones gateway and let us all pass - but I made sure that I gave him a big smile and a cheery wave.

(and I did let the rest of the traffic pass me as soon as I could!)

 

[lagartijamick]

So we sat there. Me, in the lorry, with five or six cars behind - and him in his Nissan Micra.

Your very lucky it wasn't a red Nissan Micra, could have been much worse.

 

[Aoibhin]

sorry but my pet hate is the other side of this argument, if you have a very large lorry HGV (7.5t+) then often the easiest/safest/only way to get around roundabouts is to be in the opposite lane (eg left lane to turn right) & indicate the way you are going so why do people ignore the indicators & sidle up on the open side & wonder why the driver then comes across them as they were not seen, there are huge blind spots on big lorrys & car drivers seem to like getting into them (close up behind & then speed out & pass close to skirts!)
been around lorry drivers my whole life & seen it too many times, its worse with living cargo as if they collide the cargo panic at the sound/jolting.
basic curtesy to all drivers seems to have been lost on the roads now.

 

[hackedoff]

Can I add a plea to horsebox drivers not to cut me up when I am out riding on my horse or too try and take my ehad off with my wing mirrors! Since moving to this area the only dirvers I have had any trouble with were ones on the way to Motrram show ground one of whom nearly took my horses back end off!

 

[Santa_Claus]

oh totally agree roundabouts are not easy to negoiate in lorries and I am well aware of the blind spots (although haven't got a lorry at the moment passed my 7.5t test few years back as didn't get it automatically and took several lessons towards my HGV but stopped due to cost/time).

In yesterday's situation it was a roundabout above a motorway (i.e. a motorway junction!) and they had no need to cut me up and when they did so they didn't even indicate they were literally cutting off the corner. They were in the left lane and cut into me on the right lane resulting in me going with both right wheels up the kerb and on to the strip of concrete and then grass between my lane and the barrier that goes down on to the motorway! Thankfully no damage was done (well going to get my tracking checked just to ensure that not been affected) other than to my nerves which is just as well as they just kept on driving!

and yes hate those that can't indicate or wait to pass a lorry etc. but also get very frustrated on my daily drive to work along the North devon link road that a lorry observing the speed limit at 40 with a queue literally 2-3 miles long behind them of cars (who are legally allowed to travel at 60) does not use one of the very numerous laybys (one approx every mile on the road) to let traffic past as there are very few overtaking spots. On Tuesday it added 25 mins on to my journey!

 

[Perissa]

and yes hate those that can't indicate or wait to pass a lorry etc. but also get very frustrated on my daily drive to work along the North devon link road that a lorry observing the speed limit at 40 with a queue literally 2-3 miles long behind them of cars (who are legally allowed to travel at 60) does not use one of the very numerous laybys (one approx every mile on the road) to let traffic past as there are very few overtaking spots. On Tuesday it added 25 mins on to my journey!

Why on earth should they pull over - they are just as entitled to drive on that road as you are! And I bet if they did pull over the car drivers them would not allow them to pull back out again.

 

[DragonSlayer]

Why on earth should they pull over - they are just as entitled to drive on that road as you are! And I bet if they did pull over the car drivers them would not allow them to pull back out again.

Agree with this, they are meant to do 40 MPH, people are just going to have to learn to be patient....yeah, right!!

Road tax on a lorry is also a tad more than a car, so they do indeed have the right to be there, not their fault the law is as such.

 

[SmartieBean09]

Whether its a horsebox, Audi or BMW, the roads are full of lousy drivers.
My personal pet hate is the old shape Nissan Micra in red.
One drove into the side of me a few years back when i was in my 4 x 4 and ever since then its like those cars have been out to get me.

A special shout out to all the inpatient ones who feel they just have to pull out on my horsebox because they just can't bear to be stuck behind me.

*like* (we so need a like button on here!)

 

[ScattyBella]

^^^ agree with nearly all the comments, apart from the one about young drivers being better because they recently passed... not true! when I first passed I drove like an idiot for a while thinking i was cool, totalled my first car taking a bend too fast and got brought back down to earth with a thud.

recently passing your test means you may be up to date with your theory, but your technique and understanding of the road and other road users will not be upto scratch just yet.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Why on earth should they pull over - they are just as entitled to drive on that road as you are! And I bet if they did pull over the car drivers them would not allow them to pull back out again.

Yes they have as much right as anyone else to be on the road but when you are creating very large tailbacks (including other lorries who don't stick to their 40mph limit!) and there are numerous safe laybys (the proper variety not just an extended hard shoulder type!) it would seem common sense to let those behind you pass or is that just me? I always let traffic past if I'm driving a horsebox and have a queue behind if there is somewhere safe to do so, and my YO does the same when driving her trailer.

For info the link road between Barnstaple and Tiverton (the main stretch and literally the one and only 'main' road across North Devon!) is 30 miles long there are 5 short stretches in each direction uphill (going west there is a very long one of a few miles but not east) that you can over take on, which only normally allows max 10 ish cars to over take a lorry otherwise there are a few (read 3ish) sections of straight road that if clear of oncoming traffic are also safe to overtake on. Which means that an unlucky car can be stuck for 35 miles travelling at best at 40mph instead of 60mph which is easily an extra 20 minutes once you factor in the lorries going slower up the numerous hills on the road! The time is an inconveiance for me but I factor it in to my commute (roads clear it takes 1hour, normal day 1hr15 bad day (aka bank holiday) the sky is the limit!) so I just sit pootling along behind, but there are too many idiots that cause too many accidents as they are in a rush and try and get past the lorry (and line of traffic behind!) causing the delay! I won't tell you how many close calls I have seen....

 

[Ginge Crosby]

Horsey lady I know said she used to always go in the right hand lane to turn left!!! because it gave her more room to make the turn, then she ranted on how car drivers used to be so inconsiderate by cutting her up by driving in the left hand lane whilst she wanted to turn.

My dad drives articulated lorried for a living; they move over to the right before turning left on sharp turns/some roundabout exits to avoid mounting the pavement with the trailer/rear-end and potentially killing a pedestrian. better to slightly dent a car than do the unthinkable.

Cars following traffic like horseboxes, lorries, cyclists, horse riders and wide loads should be aware that they may make unpredictable movements (as stated in the highway code) and should pay attention to their signals. If a lorry is signalling left but moving to the right, I assume it is turning left and hang back. Similarly, when going around a roundabout I never go alongside a lorry because sometimes the back end moves over unexpectedly and risks hitting you. It may p**s off the traffic behind me, but what can i say besides i've learnt from my near misses.

If any piece of traffic (small or large) is making no signals at all - I am even more cautious, because I do not want to get squished! Surely common sense should prevail - If the horsebox wasnt signalling at all, you shouldn't have assumed which lane/exit it was taking.

 

[perfect11s]

Agree with this, they are meant to do 40 MPH, people are just going to have to learn to be patient....yeah, right!!

Road tax on a lorry is also a tad more than a car, so they do indeed have the right to be there, not their fault the law is as such.

Um... speed limits 7.5 and under is 50 on a A road and 60 dualcarrageway bigger lorrys 40 on A road and 50 dual carrageway..tax is £165! for private HGV so cheaper than some cars...

 

[Holly Hocks]

Why on earth should they pull over - they are just as entitled to drive on that road as you are! And I bet if they did pull over the car drivers them would not allow them to pull back out again.

I totally agree with this. The lorries have as much right to be there as cars/cyclists/horseboxes. If people learned to overtake safely - i.e don't drive up the lorries backside so you can't see the road ahead, back off - check its safe and ACCELERATE, then overtaking should not be a problem on a stretch of road which allows it. Nobody seems to know that you actually need to drop a gear and accelerate BEFORE the overtake in order to do it safely as possible!

 

[Holly Hocks]

My dad drives articulated lorried for a living; they move over to the right before turning left on sharp turns/some roundabout exits to avoid mounting the pavement with the trailer/rear-end and potentially killing a pedestrian. better to slightly dent a car than do the unthinkable.

Cars following traffic like horseboxes, lorries, cyclists, horse riders and wide loads should be aware that they may make unpredictable movements (as stated in the highway code) and should pay attention to their signals. If a lorry is signalling left but moving to the right, I assume it is turning left and hang back. Similarly, when going around a roundabout I never go alongside a lorry because sometimes the back end moves over unexpectedly and risks hitting you. It may p**s off the traffic behind me, but what can i say besides i've learnt from my near misses.

If any piece of traffic (small or large) is making no signals at all - I am even more cautious, because I do not want to get squished! Surely common sense should prevail - If the horsebox wasnt signalling at all, you shouldn't have assumed which lane/exit it was taking.

Yet another good statement - who in their right mind drives up the side of a lorry on a roundabout. They have to make much wider turns. It must be so frustrating for them to realise some idiot car driver has blocked their turn because they're in the "right" lane. It's called considerate driving...

 

[Nic]

Originally Posted by alj7 View Post
My dad drives articulated lorried for a living; they move over to the right before turning left on sharp turns/some roundabout exits to avoid mounting the pavement with the trailer/rear-end and potentially killing a pedestrian. better to slightly dent a car than do the unthinkable.

Cars following traffic like horseboxes, lorries, cyclists, horse riders and wide loads should be aware that they may make unpredictable movements (as stated in the highway code) and should pay attention to their signals. If a lorry is signalling left but moving to the right, I assume it is turning left and hang back. Similarly, when going around a roundabout I never go alongside a lorry because sometimes the back end moves over unexpectedly and risks hitting you. It may p**s off the traffic behind me, but what can i say besides i've learnt from my near misses.

If any piece of traffic (small or large) is making no signals at all - I am even more cautious, because I do not want to get squished! Surely common sense should prevail - If the horsebox wasnt signalling at all, you shouldn't have assumed which lane/exit it was taking.

Yet another good statement - who in their right mind drives up the side of a lorry on a roundabout. They have to make much wider turns. It must be so frustrating for them to realise some idiot car driver has blocked their turn because they're in the "right" lane. It's called considerate driving...

Well said.

Santa Claus, when being taught to drive an HGV we are actively told to "borrow" from other lanes where required. I can't understand any eejit who would try to go round a roundabout on the inside of a lorry!

Also if the choice is pulling into a layby & stop/starting, giving my horse a less straightforward & smooth ride, or holding other traffic up for 20 mins, then I'll hold the traffic up. Otherwise, how much time is repeatedly pulling over going to add to my horses journey?

 

[Nic]

recently passing your test means you may be up to date with your theory, but your technique and understanding of the road and other road users will not be upto scratch just yet.

However if you are a horsebox driver chances are you are not a new driver, just new to driving a lorry.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Well said.

Santa Claus, when being taught to drive an HGV we are actively told to "borrow" from other lanes where required. I can't understand any eejit who would try to go round a roundabout on the inside of a lorry!

Yes agree you should borrow room but you are taught to do so only where safe as no matter the standard of training your average car driver gets most (unless have experience with lorries) are not aware of a lorry's required movement on a standard roundabout so you must take them into consideration as you as the lorry driver will be considered wrong if there is an accident and you are in their lane!

The roundabout in question is not your bog standard roundabout as it is for starters over a motorway junction so far larger and where I was cut up there was absolutely no reason for any vehicle even an artic to 'borrow' room from my lane if driving correctly unless it was an over sized vehicle which literally is wider than the lane this at a 7.5t lorry was most certainly not in that category!

I'm sorry but I am not an eejit as I was not directly beside the lorry if I had been I would have been squashed and I also made sure I wasn't in their blind spot! and be thankfully i'm not a fluffy bunny button pusher because other users take far more offence at far worse names!!!

As for the letting people past, well normally when travelling along the road we at most stop once on rare occasion twice, and its normally at most for 30secs to a min to let the queue past. The huge queues only tend to build up at rush hour granted but there is a total lack of safe places to pass hence the idiots come out to play playing cat and mouse with oncoming traffic.

Its obvious there are some strongly opinionated people in this thread but trust me I was not driving like an eejit and it was only because I was being aware of the lorry doing 'random' things that I didn't end up in the side of it.

 

[cruzing]

years ago i had an old Bedford TK, was driving home from Yorkshire to Lancs over BlubberHouses so you can imagine the amount of cars behind me, just about got to the top and the man behind could not wait any longer and overtook on the double white lines not seeing the police car in the layby, next thing the police car is overtaking me and pulling this guy up. Was quite good waving at him as we drove past.
If he had only waited a few more seconds he would of been fine!!

 

[Nic]

Yes agree you should borrow room but you are taught to do so only where safe

We are taught to do so where required, as not to do so would be unsafe.

as no matter the standard of training your average car driver gets most (unless have experience with lorries) are not aware of a lorry's required movement on a standard roundabout so you must take them into consideration as you as the lorry driver will be considered wrong if there is an accident and you are in their lane!

Which is why I often have to wait until the inside lane is clear before negotiating roundabouts

The roundabout in question is not your bog standard roundabout as it is for starters over a motorway junction so far larger and where I was cut up there was absolutely no reason for any vehicle even an artic to 'borrow' room from my lane if driving correctly unless it was an over sized vehicle which literally is wider than the lane this at a 7.5t lorry was most certainly not in that category!

Well then the lorry driver is probably an eejit.

I'm sorry but I am not an eejit as I was not directly beside the lorry if I had been I would have been squashed and I also made sure I wasn't in their blind spot! and be thankfully i'm not a fluffy bunny button pusher because other users take far more offence at far worse names!!!

Do they, how funny. Lucky me. Probably why I stay in comp riders. Most fluffy bunnies are shot & stewed on the way in.

As for the letting people past, well normally when travelling along the road we at most stop once on rare occasion twice, and its normally at most for 30secs to a min to let the queue past.

You don't event in Scotland then!

The huge queues only tend to build up at rush hour granted but there is a total lack of safe places to pass hence the idiots come out to play playing cat and mouse with oncoming traffic.

Its obvious there are some strongly opinionated people in this thread

I'm also stubborn & sarcastic.

but trust me I was not driving like an eejit and it was only because I was being aware of the lorry doing 'random' things that I didn't end up in the side of it.