Flashing a passing caravan

[cooky1]

Travelling home yesterday from a very pleasant weekend away I was supprised at how many caravans do not flash an overtaking van to show them it is safe to pull into the inside lane. I admit I got up to 65mph sometimes to overtake a van, only to slow down again when passed but very few outfits flashed me in. Is it because they did not like being overtaken, or do people just not do this anymore?

Many wagon drivers do not flash caravans becaues they do not like them being on the road - but that is another story!

 

[CliveV]

Generally I find lorry driver to be pretty good on this. But I do flash them when it is safe to pull in.

What appalled me was the guy (see adjacent post) in the Red Alfa 147 who had no extended mirrors and a non "see through" caravan on the A303 last Friday.

It was obvious that as regards anything in a 45 degree arc behind him - he didn't have clue what was there!

Am I right in thinking that it is against the law to tow without extension mirrors?

 

[cooky1]

I think the law says something like you should have a 'reasonable' view down the side of any trailer ( a bit ambiguous me thinks).

Yesterday I saw a Merc taxi towing a Hobby (too wide for the car) with no extension mirrors. He had a queue of trafic behind him but he probably didn't realise it!

 

[Lutz]

You need to be able to see both rear corners of the caravan in the outside mirrors when the outfit is standing in a straight line. If you can do that without mirror extensions, you don't need them.

The only country which has stricter rules on rearward visibility when towing is Switzerland and in Norway, the mirror extensions must have a forward-facing reflectors if the caravan is more than 50cm wider than the car.

 

[patey]

You need to be able to see both rear corners of the caravan in the outside mirrors when the outfit is standing in a straight line. If you can do that without mirror extensions, you don't need them.

The only country which has stricter rules on rearward visibility when towing is Switzerland and in Norway, the mirror extensions must have a forward-facing reflectors if the caravan is more than 50cm wider than the car.

i drive a lorry and it amazes me how many lorry drivers dont flash there lights when you pass them in a lorry,never mind caravanners flashing at other passing caravans but ive found that most lorry drivers will flash at caravans, i do.

 

[chelsea1]

Graeme,

I tend to agree with you, we are pretty new to caravanning (but are having frequent use of our van !).. we thought we'd have trouble with lorry drivers, but have found the opposite....every lorry driver has flashed us in and fellow vanners do not - which is a bit strange.

Also had once occurance couple weeks ago where a chap pulling a trailer tent actually accelerated whilst we were overtaking him ON PURPOSE to make it difficult for us to pass!

 

[chelsea1]

i drive a lorry and it amazes me how many lorry drivers dont flash there lights when you pass them in a lorry,never mind caravanners flashing at other passing caravans but ive found that most lorry drivers will flash at caravans, i do.

Yes you do martin, EVERY lorry we have passed have flashed us in, its the vanner's who dont!

Well done and thankyou to all the curteous lorry drivers from us new vanners.

 

[Surfer]

Have to agree, no problem with lorry drivers, its other caravanners that don't flash you. I gues sometimes I am guilty of that but then it is very seldom I get overtaken by another unit. They should not be doing in excess of 60 mph after all.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Agree Ian, I stick to 60 on motorways unless its inclement weather so any outfits that pass me are also breaking the law.

I do flash for them to pull in though.

 

[chelsea1]

We stick to the speed limit (as we are new vanners and new to towing) but the majority of the time we are overtaking slow cars not towing anything not fellow caravanner's!!

But the Caravanner's we do pass do not flash us in.

 

[Colinn]

I always flash in passing caravans/large vehicles and most people, particularly lorry drivers, seem to do the same for me, but I do sometimes have a problem with speed on motorways.

I set off with the best of intentions, set the Cruise to 60 and enjoy the ride - until I creep up on a vehicle doing just about my speed, or slightly less.

Therein lies the dilemma - I can either exceed the speed limit or go even slower to avoid driving for miles up his backside! If its a juggernaut, it struggles on a gradient so the frustration gets worse.

At this point, I usually overtake carefully but inevitably end up pushing past the speed limit to complete the overtaking quickly. Then, of course, you go over the rise and if you've reverted to the limit you have a huge juggernaut bearing down on your own backside!

Sometimes, it pays to keep going that bit faster until you're well clear! Do others have the same problem, and how do you handle it??

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I can identify with exactly what you mean but unfortunately like you I have no answer. Once back in my own lane I drop back to 60 and it's a pain to see the same lorry you overtook 5 minutes ago overtaking you because you are on a downhill stretch. Theres nothing so boring or tiring than to be stuck up a lorries a**** for miles on end.

 

[JoannaLesley]

Saves on fuel tho' Lord B!

 

[sue_5094052]

We set the cruise to around 56mph. We're overtaken by lots of lorries, which we flash, and a few caravans, which we don't.

Most of the lorries overtake us fairly gently and move on ahead, leaving plenty of room for the next one to slot into the resulting gap.

We find this a very relaxing way to travel, and we're almost never up other vehicles backsides.

Coming down the A1 from Northallerton to Newark yesterday, we only overtook one lorry, which was struggling up a drag near Ferrybridge at about 40mph.

Sue and Keith

 

[cooky1]

Sue and Keith, any reason why you don't flash a caravan when it has overtaken you? The combined length of a car and caravan is often as long as a wagon, and a bit of help by flashing your lights when the outfit has passed is most welcome.

 

[sue_5094052]

No real reason.

Very few caravans pass in the same manner as lorries. Most tend to go haring off up the centre lane in overtaking mode.

The flashing gesture is meant, as you say, as help to the overtaking vehicle to return to the inside lane. If I thought that the caravanner was struggling to see if it was safe to return, then I probably would.

Keith

 

[Allyson]

I am finding more and more people don't flash me in when I overtake them, I was begining to wonder was it a male ego think i.e. they don't like women overtaking them especially pulling a caravan.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I wouldn't think so Allyson. When being overtaken I don't look to the right to see who is towing unless they are driving at excessive speeds, then I do because I like to know what a moron looks like. :O)

 

[Jim_5040709]

Hi Graeme,

There was a time when we first started to use a caravan(1974)when people would wave to you from the opposite side of the road as they passed but you don,t see that anymore ,as far as flashing an overtaking vehicle well yes I do that as a matter of being curteous,but alot of people seem to looking after JACK and to hell with anyone else all very sad really.Jim

 

[smiley]

Not only do I flash vans but also lorries and yes even cars who you can tell have no idea why your flashing and just hog the middle lane.

 

[Lutz]

Are so many really unable to judge whether they have passed clear of an overtaken vehicle without being flashed at?

 

[cooky1]

Lutz, no there is not really a problem but it makes it much easier to know when you can pull back into the inside lane so as not to hold up the traffic behind. That is why wagons do it - even in europe where flashing lights actually means the opposite of what it does in the UK - but I guess you know that with living over there.

Don't you find that the traffic moves so much easier in France because they have to pull back into the inside lane once they have overtaken something. Wish motorists would do that in the UK.

 

[Lutz]

Perhaps I'm conditioned to flashing lights from behind meaning one thing "get out of my way, you b******!". Fortunately, that's not often the case nowadays , ever since courts have been treated this behaviour as intimidation and slamming heavy fines even if there is no accident as a result. This was following a case a couple of years ago where a Mercedes came up behind a Fiesta on the autobahn with a speed differential of over 100mph, gave the driver of the Fiesta such a fright that she pulled over so abruptly that she left the road, hit a tree and killed herself and her 2-year old daughter. It took months before the driver of the Mercedes was found and the the whole thing made the headlines here. Since then, sanity has started to prevail.

 

[Tapestry]

We always flash an overtaking caravan and HGV if its safe to do so. We don't always get a response. Thanks to those that do.

Annette

 

[sparkes]

Sorry, even in a discovery, there is not enough room to stand and turn around, let alone flash the people driving the other way!