Inconsiderate and plain suicidal road users..

[Richie117]

Hi fellow caravanners just submitting this post a day after a complete nightmare of a return trip from a long weekend break on a lovely cl in chapel st leonards.. Here comes the rant!!!!!!!!

I cant believe the lengths some drivers will go to to get past me and my outfit and i'm sure other caravanners will have found the same problem.

Some drivers are just plain crazy in my book this one occasion of at least three occurances just on this one trip is just a example of inconsiderate and suicidal actions by complete idiots.

I was driving with my partner and two young children along a straight busy single carriage way doing 50mph leaving a sensible stopping distance between me and a lorry in front there was plentifull traffic from the other direction. I noticed in my drivers side mirror a car "having a look" now and again about 5 foot from my van so I was naturally aware and very wary of this driver.

Low and behold at the most inconvienient time he decides to "go for it" so i move a bit closer to the kerb and ease off the gas to aid this outrageous and suicidal manouvere off he goes at a million mph with on coming traffic hurtling towards him and he decides he cant get around the two of us as a car is fastly approaching from the opposite side of the road and he swerves straight in front of me and my family forcing me to stamp on the brake pedal. A few choice swear words were uttered as a result of this i can tell you ( I'm glad we dont have a swear box in the car i'd have owed it a tenners worth!!)

As I said just one occurance out of three this time. One too many in my book. We tour 5 or 6 times a year from coast to coast and every time coming or going there is at least one or more incidents involving male or female drivers i've had them both doing insane and downright dangerous manouvers just to get round our van. I'm no slow driver and my car pulls my van effortlessly i am always considerate to other road users and stick to the set limits weather and traffic permitting.

There is no excuse for this behaviour..

In my opinion Jeremy Clarkson and his crew dont do anything to help this "hate caravan" attitude either.

An old man ranting about this?? No i'm 32... Your Views??

Richard

 

[Diane1]

Bloody caravaners! LOL

 

[Diane1]

Richard you sound just like my husband! Yes you get the idiots on the road, but thye all seem to make a bee line for you.

We were just leaving our site on Bank holiday week end weeking to join the m5 When a car came the round about took a wrong turning and instead of stopping and doing a 3 point turn, pulled up his handbrake just missing the back of our 42ft outfit. Must admit if my husband could have got hold of the driver i think swear would have been an underestimate.

Well at least your all homw safe and sound.

 

[Val & Frank]

Would allowing caravanners to be able to travel at 60MPH get rid of this problem ???? I know very often 60 mph would be a decent speed on many roads across the UK.

Frank

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Sunday afternoon - caravan outfit on roundabout travelling from A48 to M4 motorway at Pont Abraham. Red Ford Focus comes rather fast around roundabout from M4 wanting to go to Ammanford. Caravan in way so jams on brakes and misses van sliding towards roundabout and eventually going around roundabout second time blowing his horn and flashing headlights at car/caravan driver. I think he was annoyed that he could not complete his silly manouver on two wheels to impress young lady in passenger seat.

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi Richard

As i am in my first year of caravanning, i have noticed the same thing, what idiots we have on the road.

I have been out about six times this year up to now, and came up against a few idiots who see you coming towing a caravan and decide to pull out in front of you.

You have heard the saying where are the Police when you need them,well don't worry it was a policeman in a police car that had done it to me last week when i was away for the weekend at Glasgow, i came up to the Dumblane roundabout heading for Glasgow, as i was travelling around roundabout at one the junction there were cars waiting for me to pass with the police car at the front, i was about ten yards away from them, and then they decided just to drive out in front of me and kept on going, near causing an accident, other road user at the same junction as the police, where sitting there horrified and could not believe what had just happened, now there where no sirens or flashing lights going so they had no excuse for doing what they had done, you would think they would have travel around the roundabout to come and get us to find out if everything was all right, cause i had to slam on the brakes quite quick, the wife and i were quite shaken up at what had just happened.

So if the police are doing this to careeners what do you expect from other idiots on the road.

What i do now if i am on a single track road and see a build up of traffic at the back of me, i pull in at the first lay-by to let them pass, so as to leasing the danger of any lunatic taking the risk of overtaking at stupid times, nearly causing a major accident.

Robert.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Hi Richard

As i am in my first year of caravanning, i have noticed the same thing, what idiots we have on the road.

I have been out about six times this year up to now, and came up against a few idiots who see you coming towing a caravan and decide to pull out in front of you.

You have heard the saying where are the Police when you need them,well don't worry it was a policeman in a police car that had done it to me last week when i was away for the weekend at Glasgow, i came up to the Dumblane roundabout heading for Glasgow, as i was travelling around roundabout at one the junction there were cars waiting for me to pass with the police car at the front, i was about ten yards away from them, and then they decided just to drive out in front of me and kept on going, near causing an accident, other road user at the same junction as the police, where sitting there horrified and could not believe what had just happened, now there where no sirens or flashing lights going so they had no excuse for doing what they had done, you would think they would have travel around the roundabout to come and get us to find out if everything was all right, cause i had to slam on the brakes quite quick, the wife and i were quite shaken up at what had just happened.

So if the police are doing this to careeners what do you expect from other idiots on the road.

What i do now if i am on a single track road and see a build up of traffic at the back of me, i pull in at the first lay-by to let them pass, so as to leasing the danger of any lunatic taking the risk of overtaking at stupid times, nearly causing a major accident.

Robert.

"who see you coming towing a caravan and decide to pull out in front of you".

It happens all the time and then they dawdle along at 40 in front of you. I wish I had missiles fitted to my car :O)

 

[ed1]

hello, well ive got a different twist on this, while travelling on the a64, around 55/60mph.,,and no more, i was checking in my mirrors, and could see 2 caravans behind me, and a car in the outside lane doing what was obviously not the speed limit, making sure he was going to get passed the caravans before it went back to a single carriageway, when i couldnt beleive my eyes when the caravan behind me decided he was going for it aswell,he was in a 4x4 and a big caravan, and eventually overtook at the very last minute, needless to say i had to slow down just in case he didnt make it, we commented that he probably wouldnt get that far in front of us now, and as he dissapeared in the distance, we wondered if we would come across him again. guess what we passed him about half an hour later while we were queing at lights in scarborough, oops, so really there was no need to be an idiot, and by the way i tow with a 4x4 (disco 3) and dont find it neccesary to put other road users at risk,..ed

 

[Alex_374312290]

Another good thread. Let's everyone let off a bit of steam and highlight the problem to Forum Friends. We'll never change this kind of behaviour, so at least if we're aware that these things can happen WE can allow for it and ensure WE are safe.

 

[RayS]

My particular bugbear is drivers coming down motorway slip roads when I am approaching fast - 60 mph in nearside lane and nowhere else to go and pulling in front of me at about 59.5 mph.

They all seem to think a caravan cannot be doing more than about 30 mph and/or can suddeenly magically hop into the centre lane or upwards or somewhere.

This happens so often I have taken to putting my lights on when approaching such junctions, but this just encourages them.

I notice they don't try the same trick in front of a large HGV !

 

[nick_374224697]

My particular bugbear is drivers coming down motorway slip roads when I am approaching fast - 60 mph in nearside lane and nowhere else to go and pulling in front of me at about 59.5 mph.

They all seem to think a caravan cannot be doing more than about 30 mph and/or can suddeenly magically hop into the centre lane or upwards or somewhere.

This happens so often I have taken to putting my lights on when approaching such junctions, but this just encourages them.

I notice they don't try the same trick in front of a large HGV !

Ray, I have to agree with you.People seem to think it is their god given right to emerge from slip roads and that's what they're going to do even if there is nowhere for them to go or for us to go.

These slip roads are give way, so people should be prepared to stop,I always make an effort to pull out but if I think the car can emerge just by laying off the gas a bit I stick to my lane and allow them to make the effort to change their plans.

 

[RogerP]

I had an 'encounter' this weekend on the M5 coming back from Cornwall.

I'm in the middle lane , doing just under 60mph on an up hill section. I'm overtaking a slower moving HGV (guess doing no more than 55) in lane 1. The HGV is following a car doing similar speed. I'm roughly in the space between the HGV and car.

We're passing a junction when I hear the HGV's horn boom out. Thinking its me , what have I done ? I start checking the mirrors all round and the wife starts to look around also.

A muppet has come on to the m-way and cut up the HGV (hence the horn.)

The muppet then realising he cant go anywhere , as I'm blocking him coming into the centre lane , starts to stand on his horn.

Muppet eventually pulls into centre lane behind me then into the outer lane still on his horn and cutting no end of other cars up in the process.

He passes me giving me verbals and the old Winston salute yet it was him in the wrong.

We then watch him dissapear up the road swearving from one lane to another causing breaklights to go on and no doubt more verbals and horn hanging.

Get this bit though , its was a Focus C-Max being driven by a bearded git in his fifties with to young kids in the back. (no offence to bearded people in their fifties).

 

[MonkeyHanger]

Yeah I have also come across many idiots I drive a mobile crane for a living weighing 76ton and people see my orange flashing lights on the top and think i must be travelling about 20mph when in fact it can travel the same speed as a truck they just pull out on me all the time.Now im on a motor way doing 55mph and a car comes down the slip road and see's me and decides to go for it.I had to slam on the brakes but when a 76t crane travelling at 55mph it doesnt brake as efficiant as a car to say you could get a *** paper between the car and crane is an under statement but he took the risk.

But this also happens around towns on A roads and B roads it also happens when im pulling my caravan and it also happens when i ride my motorbike its just one of them things that happens to the annoyance of everyone else.

But i think it has helped me become a better driver so there is one thing that comes out of it

 

[Richie117]

"who see you coming towing a caravan and decide to pull out in front of you".

It happens all the time and then they dawdle along at 40 in front of you. I wish I had missiles fitted to my car :O)

Nice idea your lordship all be it a smidgin too drastic..

I'd be happy to paticipate in a on board camera scheme supplied by and remotely linked to the police so justice can be served. With visible evidence the idiots cant deny anything.

 

[Lutz]

If you think your experiences indicated suicidal tendancies you should see what goes on in China. I'm currently spending a couple of months here and I'm already at my wit's end:

1. Drivers that can't be bothered to join a dual carriageway at a 'proper' junction drive the wrong way regardless of whether there is oncoming traffic or not

2. Trucks on the outside lane doing 25mph, forcing everyone to overtake on the inside

3. Overtaking on the hard shoulder if the nearside lane isn't clear, either

4. Busses stopping anywhere on the motorway to pick up or drop off passengers.

5. Cars never stopping before pulling out of side streets

6. etc., etc. The list is endless

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

You have my sympathy Lutz, but I hope you enjoy your stay, and by the sounds of things it looks like you will have to engage you 360deg vision Just goes to show perhaps things are not as bad in blighty as we imagine. But still very annoying when you couple up to your van & it acts like a red flag to a bull to the vast majority of drivers.

Allan & Gill.

 

[WilliamTups]

But what about irresponsible caravaner's that break the speed limits whilst towing, last week I was following an outfit down the slip road, when we joined the motorway the outfit continued to speed up and at approx 70 mph the caravan started to snake into the hard shoulder and outside lane, luckily they slowed down and pulled over to the hard shoulder, but if I was overtaking them at that moment in time there was a high probability that the caravan would of side swiped my car!!! The worst thing about it that this was that the car had young kids in it...

 

[Ogre]

The standard of driving by most drivers is quite good, but there are always those who couldn't care less how they drive, or how they treat other road users.

Take today. Whilst driving here in South Devon in my own car. In a particularly narrow road, a car came from the opposite direction. As there was a road junction about 20 yards behind me, I reversed to let her use the extra width to pass me.

Not a bit of it. She waved at me that she wanted to go straight on. I gestured (politely), that if she pulled into the space, then we could both pass. She then got very annoyed, gesturing that she wanted to go straight on.

I got out of my car, and explained the proposed manouevre to her. "But I want to go straight on" she fumed. Yes, I said, and you will be able to, if you pull in, and let me past. Why don't you, she said. Because my car is longer than yours, and I have a trailer on the back I said.

I gave up, and sat there waiting for her to do something........and she did!

Screaming B**TARD at me, she shot down the side road waving two fingers at me.

Have a nice day...............

Now 'drivers' like that, I simply despair of!!