Had to have a little chat with a motorist today....
Anyone else find that the inability of motorists to deal with roundabouts is compounded and made significantly worse by their using a mobile phone while driving?
Had a guy today decide that my being on the inner lane of a large roundabout (the 'gyratory', as its know locally, its a lozenge shape FWIW) meant that I wasn't going to go anywhere else, so having glanced at me, just decided to drive out, which was rather contrary to my changing lanes to exit through through where he was in his car, which is also how maybe 95% of people go through this junction (quite correct I might add) which for me meant i was involuntarily back in the inside lane again.
But this guy was taking the mick, a glance at me and i don't exist so he just pull out? If I was a 'typical' motorist he would have been hit by me side on, as roundabouts work (as I understand) on a rule of right in for right out, and that is what i was doing. At this particular place he was being rather foolish to take anything for granted....Mr Mobile continued into the local Tesco, so I followed and when he stopped tapped on his windscreen and asked him what his problem was? He didn't get it that he totally misred what I was doing with road positioning etc what with him paying no attention to the traffic; and I wasn't going to stand there in the carpark arguing traffic law, roundabout design, road positioning etc, so I had to leave it at 'don't use your mobile while driving', which as a consolation for me at least he seemed to accept, probably because I had him bang to rights.
So hopefully I've just helped avert an accident in future....this guy had his young child in a car seat in the rear. It would only take a driver going too fast and he would have been cleaned up. With a mobile on and totally distracted as a result he wouldn't have seen it coming.
If anyone asks: I didn't get angry with him and I don't make a habit of chasing people. I just hope that in future he thinks twice about taking that call, or better still switches off while driving. Its just too dangerous.
[For comparison on this junction, one of our younger club members (aged 17) coming to our Sunday club run did the same thing as this driver from the same position. Car didn't indicate, so he thought it wasn't turning left and moved into the road, however it did and he got sideswiped as a result, not hurt but seriously shaken up, took him a couple of months to properly get his confidence back.]
[Apologies for not posting in Rants, I feel its a Soapbox thing]
Had a guy today decide that my being on the inner lane of a large roundabout (the 'gyratory', as its know locally, its a lozenge shape FWIW) meant that I wasn't going to go anywhere else, so having glanced at me, just decided to drive out, which was rather contrary to my changing lanes to exit through through where he was in his car, which is also how maybe 95% of people go through this junction (quite correct I might add) which for me meant i was involuntarily back in the inside lane again.
But this guy was taking the mick, a glance at me and i don't exist so he just pull out? If I was a 'typical' motorist he would have been hit by me side on, as roundabouts work (as I understand) on a rule of right in for right out, and that is what i was doing. At this particular place he was being rather foolish to take anything for granted....Mr Mobile continued into the local Tesco, so I followed and when he stopped tapped on his windscreen and asked him what his problem was? He didn't get it that he totally misred what I was doing with road positioning etc what with him paying no attention to the traffic; and I wasn't going to stand there in the carpark arguing traffic law, roundabout design, road positioning etc, so I had to leave it at 'don't use your mobile while driving', which as a consolation for me at least he seemed to accept, probably because I had him bang to rights.
So hopefully I've just helped avert an accident in future....this guy had his young child in a car seat in the rear. It would only take a driver going too fast and he would have been cleaned up. With a mobile on and totally distracted as a result he wouldn't have seen it coming.
If anyone asks: I didn't get angry with him and I don't make a habit of chasing people. I just hope that in future he thinks twice about taking that call, or better still switches off while driving. Its just too dangerous.
[For comparison on this junction, one of our younger club members (aged 17) coming to our Sunday club run did the same thing as this driver from the same position. Car didn't indicate, so he thought it wasn't turning left and moved into the road, however it did and he got sideswiped as a result, not hurt but seriously shaken up, took him a couple of months to properly get his confidence back.]
[Apologies for not posting in Rants, I feel its a Soapbox thing]
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze....
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Report the dozy tw*t if you got his number. At least it will be recorded if he is properly caught doing this.17 Stone down to 12.5 now raring to get back on the bike!0
