How Rude

[Phillips333]

Hi all
I am so annoyed about this, just had to post it.

While driving on M4 over BH Weekend, towing our caravan with our Kia Sorento, really happy that we had 3 days off work and away for the first time this year. We overtook a car on the inside lane pulling a van. I went to give a little wave and smile to be greeted by the V sign and finger sign, by both driver and passenger. We were doing just under 60mph.

Really is this what happens when we overtake our caravan colleagues, we are now subjected to these signs.

By the way I was not driving I was the passenger. Just wondered if anyone else have experienced this, or if anyone actually gives these signs when being safely overtaken and if so why do you feel the need to do this.

Tracy

 

[Grahamh]

sorry to hear you were unlucky enough to meet such a shower. Don't let it get you down tho, the vast majority are not like this. One of the reasons we love caravanning is the people we meet.

 

[Raywood]

Have to say I very rarely look at the drivers when I overtake so no idea if it has happened to us. Cannot understand the two idiots though.,

 

[Mel]

Sorry you had this experience; some people just don't know how to behave.
I recently gave hand signals to a vanner that I passed on the motorway. I was using the universal hand sign for "Your rooflight is open and flapping up and down". ( i.e one finger pointing upwards followed by clamshell movements of both hands together). I think he got the message.
mel

 

[bertieboy1]

Maybe the people in the car you were passing thought you were being cheeky "look at us we're faster than you"
For myself I don't know what prompted you to wave in the first place - I've never had this done to me in all my years of caravanning and would not expect it.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all,
I'm with bertieboy, bikers give a customary nod, and you might get a wave while driving a classic car, but caravanners no!!!!.
like Mel I have on occasion blown the horn and pointed if I saw something wrong with someone's van but that usually gets ignored, like the old bloke driving down the M5 with his rear steadies down, I caught him up flashed lights, nothing!!, pulled along side blew horn pointed to the back of his van nothing!! wife wrote on back of map book, your rear steadies are down nothing, so we left him to it!! with sparks flying from the rear end as they ground down on the road.
10 miles further down we stopped at Taunton Deane, who pulled in behind us yep sparky boy. so I went over to tell him he had a problem, and it was us who tried to inform him, to which HE replied. " oh I thought you were being a bit aggressive because I wasn't going fast enough :evil: I thought there was a little bumping from the van" :woohoo: how far have you come I said, "from Bolton" the back legs were in a right state, guess that spoilt his holiday.

 

[xtrailman]

We once saw a caravan on tow with both plugs uncoupled dragging on the road.

we did try to get his attention but to no avail, driver just ignored us, so we left him to it, obviously they don't do a lighting check before setting off, or go through a coupling check list. I couple up the wife ticks of the list.

 

[Parksy]

The two finger salute for no apparent reason tells you all that you need to know about some of those who believe the perpetual anti-caravan propaganda perpetuated by the media, particularly the BBC who should know better.
I saw something on Practical Caravan's Facebook page about caravanners waving to each other, but under most circumstances I'm not in favour.
I concentrate on towing safely and look at road conditions, other vehicles and potential hazards and try not to become distracted by people who are also driving and trying to wave at me.
Fellow caravanners will usually do their best to make it plain if there's a problem that I should be aware of and on a previous caravan we were informed via sign language that a rooflight had come open.

 

[LizziePope]

Hi Tracy! We're so sorry you experienced this, but we hope you had a lovely break nonetheless.

 

[Dustydog]

Tracy.
Maybe the other car was doing 60 mph on his speedo.
your sat nav being far more accurate said you were doing 60 mph whilst your speedo said 65 mph?.?
Hence the hand signal.
Why wave??

 

[MagsAlan]

On our last trip out ( the first this year and just after the service by the mobile servicer ) We'd gone from wakefield up the M1 towards Leeds and just beyond Wetherby a van driver overtook us hooting constantly at us, as he passed he pointed upwards, i, as the passenger gave him two thumbs up to acknowledge id got the message there was something wrong then used my mirror to see what was up. Yes the rooflight was open. Took us a while to find somewhere we could pull over. Because of the speed of him passing us, he could have read my thumbs up as a not so friendly gesture and by the time id relayed to my husband what the situation was and he needed to find a layby it was too late to flash a thank you. And before anyone says it, yes, i know, I should have checked the catches were all in place before we set off.

 

[JonnyG]

"caravan colleagues".. are they not merely people who happen to be car drivers first ? surely one has noticed that there is a group of car drivers that maybe aren't that nice? and some tow caravans and ride motor bikes and indeed might even be bus drivers of HGV drivers..OK so its not the nicest of gestures but surely one should not be surprised after all car driver colleagues seem to have plenty who use gestures as do hgv drivers..