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Motorway driving

B

butler1

I am now absolutely convinced that caravans bring out the worst in other drivers. When drivers are waiting to pull out from side roads they always pull out in front of me when I am towing, even if there's nothing behind me! It's as if they think 'Aw my God, I'll be stuck behind him unless I floor it and go now'. However, I have to say my biggest gripe is saved for the motorway. Cruising the inside lane at 60, I often get cars overtaking me and then slowing down. Why do they do it? Is it me???? Best wishes, Butler
 
Hi Butler,

The very unfortunate thing is we have to put up with these very stupid people,and let them get on with there ignorant behaviour ,however we caravanners know how to be curteous so I suppose we have to be patient and show the good manners we have and let these crazy people get on with it. Sounds to me that you are a good steady driver,enjoy your caravaning.Jimbob.
 
Your right, i find that some drivers just dont like being overtaken by a caravan, it must be a pride thing, its so frustrating when you move out to overtake a car in lane 1, get past move back into lane 1 only to be overtaken by the car you have just passed, who then pulls in and returns to the speed he/she was driving at when you first went to overtake them.
 
as a hgv driver for over 23yrs.............i have this happen to me all the time,most days..........welcome to the club 🙂
 
Another thing that gets me is coming to the end of a dual carriageway where it merges into one lane ... the amount of cars that come flying past you on the chevrons is unreal.

It's almost as if 'Phew, I can breath again, I'm past that caravan!'
 
hgv dave, i must say that a lot of truck drivers are very inconsiderate too!!! they pull out infront of faster moving cars doing 60 or 70 mph, depending on what type of road they are on making the vehicles slow down, just to pass another truck which takes them a couple of miles when they could have waited a few seconds till the cars were past and the road clear, this is a pain and it happens to me every day!! Also why do trucks try and pass you going up a hill when you are towing the van? I too like you have hgv licence and vehicles are supposed to be restricted and in theory physically cant drive at the legal towing limit for the motorway, this is also a pain as it usues a lane of the carriage way for no reason than impatience!!! sorry for being a bit contravertial but if everyone was a bit more patient and considerate to fellow motorists we would all get on better with less fuss....
 
Hi,

You are traveling at about 67mph in the middle lane, having just overtaken a car doing 60mph in the inner lane. There is a gap which will allow you to pull into the inner lane, but soon after you will need to pull back into the middle lane, to overtake the next car. What should you do?

You look in your mirror and see a long line of traffic, behind you, also in the middle lane, but travelling at 70mph, and gaining on you. You estimate that if you pull into the inner lane, this traffic will be alongside you when it is time for you to return to the middle lane, so you will be kept in the inner lane, and will have to slow down to stay behiond the car in front. You check your mirror again, and Yep, it is a VERY long line of traffic catching up with you. Now what will you do?

Pull in? That will mean that you will have to slow down until the middle lane is empty again.

Stay in the middle lane? Then you will have all the people behind you writing to forums like this.

Speed up? Why should you?

Of course, the traffic behind you could move into the outer lane to pass you. But what if they look in their mirrors and see a long line of traffic..........

Me? I'm keeping out of this discussion.

602
 
Hi 602, Yep, the dreaded middle lane owners club do it for me too. You are in the inside lane doing 60, it is often the emptiest lane and you are slowly catching the vehicle several hundred yards in front of you. You watch your mirror and there are no gaps to pull in to. Eventually you have to brake and then it becomes an indicate, mirror, manoeuvre when a courteous driver lets you out. I have to say that I have found the vast majority of HGV drivers extremely courteous and on the whole, damned good drivers. Now, white vans with a coffee mug and a copy of the Sun on the dash..... Best wishes, Butler
 
hello stuart

just one question for you

if you saw a hgv indicating to pull out in front of you,would you let it out?

from experiance i would answer that not a lot do,so some not all mind,get fed up of waiting for a considerate driver to let them out so they pull out as safely as possible

to answer the question about overtaking going up hill,when your average caravaner starts to climb a hill it takes a few moments to realise that the hill has started to slow him down so he then compensates by accelarating by which time the hgv has caught up,also hill climbing with a hgv,you need to keep your speed up as long as possible to climb the hill in the shortest time possible because when a hgv driver has to back off the speed,the hgv looses momentum and will need more time to get up the hill therefore having an even bigger queue behind it

hope this helps

hgv dave
 
hello stuart

just one question for you

if you saw a hgv indicating to pull out in front of you,would you let it out?

from experiance i would answer that not a lot do,so some not all mind,get fed up of waiting for a considerate driver to let them out so they pull out as safely as possible

to answer the question about overtaking going up hill,when your average caravaner starts to climb a hill it takes a few moments to realise that the hill has started to slow him down so he then compensates by accelarating by which time the hgv has caught up,also hill climbing with a hgv,you need to keep your speed up as long as possible to climb the hill in the shortest time possible because when a hgv driver has to back off the speed,the hgv looses momentum and will need more time to get up the hill therefore having an even bigger queue behind it

hope this helps

hgv dave
Click to expand...
Hi Dave,

Can't disagree with what you say, apart from ..... "also hill climbing with a hgv,you NEED to keep your speed up as long as possible".

What you mean is ..... "you WANT to keep your speed up".

But yeah, I understand the sentiment. ;-)

Yes, if a truck is signalling, I will let him out. What I dislike is the trucker that waits till I am almost alongside him before he signals, boots it, and yanks the steering, all at the same time. IS there a reason for this? Please tell. It happens too often for it to be accidental?

Slip-streaming prior to passing?

602
 
hi dave, the answer to your question is YES.. if any vehicle not only an hgv is indicating infront of me and it is safe for him to pull out i will let him do so, because when someones indicator is on it means he is intending to pull out anyway. I fully appreciate all about driving hgv's and for that matter any vehicle as i have every licence from motor bike to hgv and have driven them all over the years!! As for going up hills people should read the road ahead and be prepared for things like hills and change their speed or gear accordingly. I have a land rover discovery and a twin axle elddis, so by no means a small outfit and i always read the road, i also have enough power not to have to slow down or loose speed no matter what the incline is. As i said originally it's all about being sensible.
 
Hi Jo,

Would you like to rethink what you just said?

Are you telling us that if you are about to pass a lorry in the inner lane, you will move over to the outer lane? This will create dangerous precedents, similar to those that move into middle lane to allow traffic on slip road to join in. All very nice and courteous....but now the traffic on slip road demands it as a right.

And what will you do if you are about to pass that lorry, and find that somebody is about to pass you? Slow down? But perhaps Yorkie is waiting for you to pass before he pulls out (some of them do). All you will do is confuse him. And what if you are pulling a trailer?

602
 
I'm sure that Jo or anyone else who drives would react to a given situation as they saw fit to do so at the time.

We don't need to closely question anybody's driving habits on the forum because the only thing that it does is to antagonise fellow caravanners and forum members.

No one has to justify themselves on here.
 
I'm not going to get too involved in the HGV versus car/caravan drivers argument as it is a bit pointless. Except to say if someone (car, lorry, white van man) is indicating to change lane I automatically give way - it's foolish not to (usually with a quick flash of the main beam though that can be misconstrued sometimes). Most times I receive a pleasant thank you from the driver when I finally overtake.

However those of you who drive regularly in France will have noted the increasing habit of leaving indicators flashing as long as they are overtaking, even in the middle of 3 lanes. I can understand why you might do it on a dual carriageway - it emphasises to anyone approaching your rear end at 130 KPH that you are in their way (for a short time hopefully) but on 3 lanes you have to be able to read their minds. Not sure where this habit has sprung from but it seems barmy to me.
 
However those of you who drive regularly in France will have noted the increasing habit of leaving indicators flashing as long as they are overtaking,

Hi Peter,

Yeah, my wife noticed that. We then wondered if it was mandatory.

If you are in the middle lane with trafficator flashing, how does the fast approaching driver in the outer lane know if you are going to stay in that lane, or move into the outer lane?

My memory says that the French roads alongside slip roads have a solid white line between inner and second lane. This seems to suggest that you shouldn't change lanes close to slip roads...ie, it up to traffic on slip road to blend in, not for somebody to let them blend in. Is my memory faulty? My interpretation?

602
 
However those of you who drive regularly in France will have noted the increasing habit of leaving indicators flashing as long as they are overtaking,

Hi Peter,

Yeah, my wife noticed that. We then wondered if it was mandatory.

If you are in the middle lane with trafficator flashing, how does the fast approaching driver in the outer lane know if you are going to stay in that lane, or move into the outer lane?

My memory says that the French roads alongside slip roads have a solid white line between inner and second lane. This seems to suggest that you shouldn't change lanes close to slip roads...ie, it up to traffic on slip road to blend in, not for somebody to let them blend in. Is my memory faulty? My interpretation?

602
Click to expand...
602

Yes the flashing indicator thing is only really a problem on 3 land roads such as autoroutes, and since caravans shouldn't use the outer lane it's only when I'm solo it is worrying.

Re the solid line - normally it is a white line which can be crossed but has equal length short lines and gaps which I think is an indication of a possible hazard.I think it is meant to stop lane changing at exits and when you appraoch a slip road where vehicles may be slowing down to leave or speeding up to join the road. I only cross them if i know the road is clear.

Peter
 
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