Really bad towing. GRRR.

SophieLouBee

SophieLouBee

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Not impressed by a 4x4 towing a horse trailer tonight.

I was travelling down a 50mph dual track, and I could see what I thought was a tractor (pitch black), pulling up at the GIVE WAY slip, onto the dual track.

Now I was fairly close to the car in front of me that had passed the slip exit, probably far enough away for a car to get in front of me though, nothing larger.

So I carry on, obviously expecting the large vehicle to wait. Not to be! Bloody thing came careering out in front of me, I had to slam on my brakes to avoid going into the back of it. Got my bearings, and it was a frigging 4x4 towing a trailer with a horse in it!

I could have killed myself and the horse if I hadn't have been quick enough to react. I would have honked and flashed and been rather cross, but I didn't as I felt for the poor horse lurching about in the back already!

Not happy at all, all trailer/box drivers moan about car drivers, but that was down right stupid and blinkin' dangerous! I hope for the horses sake they hadn't come far with driving like that.

Rant over, all I have is orange juice and a jaffa cake on offer for reading...
 
On the dual carriageways I go on daily, the slip you enter on you do so at speed and merge with the traffic rather than stop like at a T junction, and then go.
When approaching I can see a vehicle is appoaching the left lane at speed and hence pull out into the right lane, even if there is traffic to the right I find I have time to adjust.

To me this is totally normal, its how I am treated on entering the dual carriageway and how I behave towards other drivers on entering it.

I'm sorry if I have misunderstood, but I don't understand why you didn't pull into the right lane and why you chose to break hard instead?

The other thing I'd like to point out is you say they were entering on a slip road, there reaches a point where you are committed to go according to speed, this is even more so towing as a quick and harsh use of the breaks is obviously very risky.
 
A slip road does not mean that the person using it has right of way! This annoys me time and again. I a lorry for a living and the amount of times I have had to slam on is unreal.
If the 4x4 had looked at the traffic on the carriageway they would of been able to adjust there speed and pull out accordingly. The person on the main carriageway has right of way and not the person on the slip road, if there isn't enough room to pull out they have to stop, or as I have seen successfully in many cases continue at a reduced speed on the hard shoulder until safe to pull out.
Why should the driver on the carriageway of swerved into the other lane when there could of easily of been a motorcyclist sat in her blind spot that may of been missed if they (as they like to) were wearing dark clothing when it would of been much easier for the 4x4 to of reduced speed like he should have.
And people wonder why some horses won't load, you don't always know who there previous drivers were :)
 
I don't think anyone has said the driver on the slip road has right of way, of course the driver on the dual carriageway has right of way.

But the OP has stated it was pitch black, thought it was a tractor, therefore could not have been able to make any judgement of speed, and therefore at that point it would have been wise to safely pull into the right lane and not presume they were going to come to a stop and then have to react once up the "tractors" arse!

This doesn't mean the driver of the 4x4 was in the right, I just believe that's its common courtesy when you see traffic merging via a slip road onto a dual carriageway or motorway to pull into the right lane and give them room to get out safely.
God it would be horrendous if all drivers had to stop and no one pulled over, I dread to think of the accidents it would cause :(

I do appreciate that these things are often a split second judgement, and its easy to say in hindsight.

Also we can only go by the information given, and I have already said to the OP I may have it wrong :(
 
I go with the general view of others on here....although traffic on the motorway does have right of way, it is general courtesy (sic) to move over IF safe and clear to do so.

It's a shame this is not more practised in driving lessons, imo.

BOTH drivers should have anticipated the need to slow down if required.

As for the comment about swerving:

"Why should the driver on the carriageway of swerved into the other lane when there could of easily of been a motorcyclist sat in her blind spot that may of been missed if they (as they like to) were wearing dark clothing when it would of been much easier for the 4x4 to of reduced speed like he should have."​

Apart from the fact there is more likely to be a blind spot for the driver joining the carriageway, why would there be any need to swerve? By correct anticipation, a simple manouvre such as moving over (following check of mirrors and turn of head) or by taking foot off the accelerator, this could have been executed without any drastic consequences (including hitting motorbikes in blind spots!).

Generally a slip road leaving the carriage way is usually followed by one joining it - if drivers are all being observant then there shouldn't be an issue.

Anticipate approaching traffic, and where required: check mirror, look over the shoulder, if all clear (maybe another double check) then signal if needed and move to the right.
That's what I was taught when taking my AIM test by a Met traffic inspector anyway.

Easy and stress free for all concerned. Everyone's happy!

Not a pop at OP at all, but both drivers should have anticipated the likely hood of any issues and acted accordingly.
Just because its your "right of way" doesnt mean you can't take steps to avoid stressful situations in the first place.

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)


(having said that I saw a silly t&rt towing a trailor pull out on a roundabout her trailer last week! Now that was really bad towing...)
 
Why didn't you move over to let them on? The car in front should of moved too

And by the way you sound like you were tailgating too, there should more then one length ahead of you on any road let alone a dual carriageway

The driver of the 4x4 was properly thinking what to do, does he slam the brakes on shunting the horse forwards or risk it and hope you move over.

Tbh it sounds like you were both in the wrong
 
Those joining from the slip road must 'fit in' with those on the main carriageway and if all on the dual are in lane 1 then those joining must not assume that they will change lanes to accomodate them

The only driver legally 'at fault' was the one joining from the slip

Could other driver(s) have made the situation safer? - possibly, and perhaps in the future. they might recognise a similar situation and anticipate/react differently ............


Senior observer IAM
 
You get dual carriageways with slip roads joining them where you come to a give way, and those where you merge in (supposed to be at the speed the traffic is going). There are hardly any of the former type around where I live, hence I would simply have anticipated what the vehicle at the slip road was doing and moved over or slowed down. I also wouldn't have probably been driving that close to the vehicle in front, but then I'm a bit paranoid about stopping distances as it is drummed into you when you drive much on the autobahns! Its always a good rule to expect the unexpected and try to anticipate hazards, rather than trying to deal with them other drivers should not behave as you expect them to.
 
City Mare said:
I go with the general view of others on here....although traffic on the motorway does have right of way, it is general courtesy (sic) to move over IF safe and clear to do so.

It's a shame this is not more practised in driving lessons, imo.

BOTH drivers should have anticipated the need to slow down if required.

As for the comment about swerving:

"Why should the driver on the carriageway of swerved into the other lane when there could of easily of been a motorcyclist sat in her blind spot that may of been missed if they (as they like to) were wearing dark clothing when it would of been much easier for the 4x4 to of reduced speed like he should have."​

Apart from the fact there is more likely to be a blind spot for the driver joining the carriageway, why would there be any need to swerve? By correct anticipation, a simple manouvre such as moving over (following check of mirrors and turn of head) or by taking foot off the accelerator, this could have been executed without any drastic consequences (including hitting motorbikes in blind spots!).

Generally a slip road leaving the carriage way is usually followed by one joining it - if drivers are all being observant then there shouldn't be an issue.

Anticipate approaching traffic, and where required: check mirror, look over the shoulder, if all clear (maybe another double check) then signal if needed and move to the right.
That's what I was taught when taking my AIM test by a Met traffic inspector anyway.

Easy and stress free for all concerned. Everyone's happy!

Not a pop at OP at all, but both drivers should have anticipated the likely hood of any issues and acted accordingly.
Just because its your "right of way" doesnt mean you can't take steps to avoid stressful situations in the first place.

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)


(having said that I saw a silly t&rt towing a trailor pull out on a roundabout her trailer last week! Now that was really bad towing...)
Click to expand...
IF there is nothing to your right then you can move over so a moron can trundle up a slip road and join the motorway half asleep and unaware of other trafic then they match your speed so you are stuck in the middle lane for a mile or so then they speed up and undertake , no sorry if its busy then you should be prepared to stop those lines mean GIVE WAY If there is going to be an acident its going to be the fault of the moron not the moron forceing me out and into the faster trafic in the right hand lane... sorry but too many people give way to joining trafic and it causes accidents and congestion , match your speed or give way if you are on the slip road....its the law...
 
I think people towing trailers should always drive more defensively anyway - always assume that traffic lights are going to change to red, always assume that another car will come from the left on a roundabout and always slow down when joining a dual carriageway - slow down way in advance and without braking hard. The aim is to chauffeur the horse so that the journey is smooth. The number of horses I meet where poor driving has contributed to them never wanting to load again....or collapsing into the partition in their fear of travelling.....
 
Mucky Shavings said:
And by the way you sound like you were tailgating too, there should more then one length ahead of you on any road let alone a dual carriageway
Click to expand...

Just to point out that I don't think the OP was necessarily tailgating and I think what they said about room for one car may have been misinterpreted - they said room for a car to get out / between her and car in front, i.e. a car that would have taken a risk and pulled out quickly would have been all right in the space between OP and original car in front and OP would not have had to brake. I don't think OP meant that there was physical room for one car between her and the car in front, i.e. if you could have 'slotted' it between the two (is this making any sense?!). Of course as OP said she was still a bit close then that's not a plus but not as bad!

That said, I move over to the right on a dual or motorway if I can as it makes it easier for those joining - do unto others and all that jazz.

Finally before I go and actually do some work :o belated thanks to ROG for towing info instructor help ages ago! And I did the IAM course and test a few years ago and would HIGHLY recommend it - it really does help with the way you think on the roads.
 
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Sorry guys, leaving you all hanging.

The dual track is a funny one, worcester to kiddi a449 if anyone knows it.

It is double, but merges to single lane for the crossings in the middle and the slips/exits off to the side. It was a single lane bit that I was on.

Also it is NOT a slip road, because it is on a single lane, it is GIVE WAY exit (has the sign and everything!!), it is my right of way, it also has really crap visability (whoever designed it is a moron, it used to be a slip road, but it got changed to a give way when the lane was made from double to single).

The trailer had (from what I could see) come to a halt anyway, or a crawl if it was moving, then, pulled out infront of me (hence the poor horse lurching about!).

I wasn't tailgaiting either, misschaos has got my drift about the distance thing.

Also I did slow down, if I hadn't I'd definately have been in the trailer with the horse.

Hope this has cleared up any misconceptions about the situation, ofc if it was a double lane I'd have moved over, common courtesy!
 
While on the subject of moving over a slightly off post rant........

Please DON'T assume the vehicle can move over. The amount of times a car has pulled out in front of me when I am towing and I cannot get into the other lane so have to hit the brakes - grrrrrr.

I will where possible try and flash to let people in to stop this happening but some drivers are just not considerate.

OK - rant over :-)
 
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