Who was in the wrong - Me or Him?

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 November 2005
Messages
11,196
Location
Devon
Visit site
Yesterday evening I was bringing the pony home. I am driving a huge LWB pick up truck towing an enormous Ifor Williams trailer. This combination is like trying to maneouvre an articulated lorry through bending poles.

Driving down our very narrow lane and just as I pass a passing place a car comes towards me. I back up my intercity train to the passing place and whilst doing this another car comes, so they both try to squeeze into the passing place. I now have to inch forward with just a fag papers width between us to let the cars pass.

During this time of me creeping forward and the other two cars pushing themselves further and further into the hedge another car comes towards me.

In order to let the two cars pass I have now pulled forward right past the passing place and am back on the narrow lane, this final car then just sits there gesticulating at me to go back again when he has just watched how difficult it was for us all to pass.

I get out of the truck and politely ask the man to reverse less than a hundred yards where there is a larger passing place, I even offered to reverse his car for him as I know a lot of people find this difficult. He was shocked and surprised that I should ask him to reverse when I had just let two cars pass and expected me to reverse back. I told him that a wider space was less that 100 yards back, eventually he shouted "Oh I will reverse but your attitude is Murderous" and blew me a kiss! I was shocked and shouted "why?" but he was moving by that time.

So we passed, what should have taken about 10 secs took about 5 minutes. For some reason this upset me terribly all evening.

Should I have reversed for him?
 
No I don't think you should have done, really need the Watchers answer don't we.

But I can totally understand why you were upset and it would have exactly the same effect over me.

Ah well hopefully you'll never see this nasty man ever again so try not to worry about it.
 
No way!! Glad you stuck to your guns!

The man needs to learn some manners. And by the way he's probably never tried to reverse a trailer.

If in doubt just sit there and wait for them to move- they'll soon get bored!
 
If it had been me driving towards you I would have definitely reversed seeing as there were now 3 vehicles waiting and your vehicle was huge and obviously difficult to manoevre. There are plenty of arrogant pigs on the road, try to forget about it and it may make you feel better next time to give a hand gesture as the next pig passes you.
 
I wouldn't have reversed back. Had I been the car driver I would have reversed for a car and trailer, and have done so in the past.

Don't let it upset you Ravenwood. I think the fact he got so arsey about it says a lot more about him than it does about you.
 
No you were DEFINITELY in the right; he was just being a lazy idiot. I totally sympathise I get this all the time in our narrow lane. Now I just sit there, point at the trailer and wait for the other car to reverse...!!!
 
Oh, the beauty of country lanes.lol..
Everyone has always told me that if you are towing something then the other person should reverse..I don't know if this is official or just an unwritten law but tbh its common sense isn't it. Just like the person nearest the passing place should reverse (not in this case though). I once met a woman up a VERY steep hill on a single track lane which I go up and down everyday. We were both in cars. I was going up, she was coming down. We met a few metres from the top of the lane. She should have reversed but she just sat there. So I just sat there. In the end she reversed...she hung her head out of the car so I wound my window down to say thanks and she just glared at me and said ' I'll remember your face'!! and drove off.. I was really shocked. Some people are just really awkward and nasty and it sounds like you came across one of them too...
 
he was in the wrong, he should have reversed. There's always some idiots like this, I tend to just sit there until they get bored and give up!
 
No, you were definately right, the guy is obviously just a bit of a pr@t!
What gets me is that people seem to have NO spatial awareness! We live at the top of a narow steep lane, and I have to go up and down in my horsebox. there are high hedges either side and occasional passing places. The other day I ended up havinng to reverse nearly 500m to a passing place because the stupid idiot in the car would only go back to the passing place 10m behind him, despite me sticking my head out the window, shouting, shaking my head and trying to tell him in sign language that he needed to go back to the next on, about another 50m away, because they aren't all wide enough for my lorry! Lost one wing mirror in the hedge trying to get out of someone's way - not doing that again, the repairs cost nearly £100!!
 
No you should not have reversed, number one I was always told the larger vehicle has the right of way and number two he watched how difficult it was for you so why of why didn't he use his brains.............what a T****r.... Don't let it upset you....
 
I think the word I would like to describe this person would get me banned, so I won't use it!!!!!!!!!

If it had been me there would have been no chance, I don't do backwards with the trailer attached very well - would have handed him my keys and asked him to do it!
 
No, you were absolutely in the right! Some people make me so mad! I was bringing the lorry down a steep winding lane with three horses in the back (so heavy on the brakes!) when a guy coming up the hill in a car told me I had to reverse my lorry back up the hill so that he could pass - there was a gateway literally 50 yards behind him!! Needless to say I didn't move, so he gunned the engine and rather than politely going backways, zoomed straight past my lorry and on up the hill!
 
I always give way to trailers and lorries - not just because I am horsey but because
A) They are bigger
B) I can manouver easier than they can
C) Its just kind..

I dnt see why people make such a fuss..you could have offered to flatten his car..
 
My yard is at the end of a single track lane and I often meet van's and lorries going to the yard half way up. We all have an unwritten rule of the smaller vehicle makes way for the biggest. Its common sense!
 
He's just ignorant.

When this happens to me in my car what I do is start reversing but purposly mess it up and take at least 5 mins to do what in reality would be 5 secs, forward and back, oops hit the hedge, forwards and back..... It is very funny. But then they should have reversed back to the closer space.
 
I'm pertty sure there is somewhere in the motor traffic laws hiden away that vehicles carrying livestock are not required to reverse, and there is something similar about vehicles carrying members of the public (i.e buses).

I can and do reverse my lorry sometimes even on lanes if it is far easier for me as I can reverse it and its far less hassel. Had a few ignorant t**sers though in the past one which was a bus and involved a 20min stand off because my mum who was driving was not going to reverse as the bus driver was an idiot had pulled out into single track road when he could see my mum who had 4x4 with trailer and who had a car then a small horsebox then a lorry behind!!! (he had nothing behind!)
 
He must be related to the b***h who I meet regularly on the single track lane to my yard. My first encounter was when I met her head on, equidistant from passing places. She requested that I should move for her...at least I assumed that's what her imperious hand gestures and shouts of 'Get back! Get back!' meant.
I put the handbrake on, switched off my engine and started to read a book. She got out, banged on my window shouting 'Open your door' (not likely) and I continued to ignore her til she reversed.
I told my OH and friend who laughed until she met them and started screaming abuse at them too!
Some people are just born charming (and some stubborn, like me).
I have to say, that normally I reverse happily.
S
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top