Vent/rant

dai_t75

Went out for a lovely ride last night with the other half - sun was out and the roads were quiet.

Only thing that spoiled it was one incident we had.

Coming up to a blind corner/brow of a hill combined and we were in secondary (thinking about it now we should have been in primary, but I hadn't ridden this stretch before so I wasn't familiar with the road). I could hear a car coming towards us, but didn't hear anything coming from behind. Right as we crested the hill/corner a chavved up Clio came past us with inches to spare as there was a car coming in the opposite direction. I shouted and gave the international hand sign for 'what the hell was that?'. She then stops in the middle of the road to have a chat with me.

As I pull up to the passenger window the first thing that came out of her mouth was "it was on a blind corner, what do you expect me to do?". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Generally I assume any close/silly overtakes are based on the driver just not thinking/living in their own little world. But this woman fully understood that it was a blind corner, but couldn't see the problem with her manoeuvre.

So I replied along the lines of "you've just said it's a blind corner, so it's obviously not a place to overtake is it?". This was met with "do you want me to drive into the back of you?", to which I replied "of course not, how about braking for 10 seconds until we are clear of the blind corner?". This didn't seem to register with her so she then shouted at us to wear Hi-Vis and drove off.

I am genuinely amazed at the thought process - either drive into us, or go for the overtake. Letting off the accelerator for a few seconds just wasn't an option.

To be honest I don't think anything I said would have made her think it was not an appropriate overtake. In the end we carried on and I was half annoyed half laughing at the logic. I only wished I had a helmet cam to record the convo!

Thanks for listening! Stay safe out there folks.

sherer

you've just learnt that anything that holds up a car driver is clearly in the wrong.

One of the roads I take at the end of my ride is covered in pot holes so the only safe place to ride is in the middle of the road otherwise I am likely to fall off and end up under a car.

I always look behind me, signal I am pulling over into the middle of the road then continue riding, it's a downhill stretch and I usually do about 25 mph here for 100 yards then I can take the left hand side of the road again. I get shouted out and people blow the horn too when all i'm doing is the safest option.

lakesluddite

'Letting off the accelerator for a few seconds just wasn't an option.'

And there's the rub - people with this mentality cannot be reasoned with. In the cold light of day, perhaps these people would admit the mistake, but in the moment, with their dander up, people are automatically defensive and confrontational. It seems to criticise someones driving is on a par with accusing someone of not having a sense of humour.

This morning I was on my usual commute, there is a 20mph section that I can rattle through fairly sharpish as it's on the flat, but the road is quite twisty - I had a bin lorry overtake with no problems, but the 4x4 following decided to do the same, the only problem was there was a traffic island in the middle of the road (the ones with the waist-high white/yellow plastic bollards for pedestrians to wait at), so he had no choice but to pass it and me on the wrong side of the road. Better still, he was towing a trailer! Anything coming round the bend in the opposite direction would have been screwed! Still, at least he gave me plenty of room!

scottishdoug

LakesLuddite wrote:

so he had no choice but to pass it and me on the wrong side of the road!

Had that happen to me twice on Saturday. Out for a nice 60 mile ride in deepest Ayshire, coming uphill out of a medium sized village on busy-ish road. Fair amount of traffic passing me nice and safely, plenty of room etc. Then I become aware of a massive low-loader type lorry behind me with an excavator on the back. Rather than wait all of ten seconds, the driver decided to pull out onto the wrong side of the road and pass me on the other side of the traffic island. Anything coming round the bend ahead wouldn't have even seen it coming. Fortunately there was nothing but I bet if there was he'd have made a dive for the right side of the road taking out the traffic island and me in the process. Similar thing happened a little further on with a mum and a car full of kids, she did exactly the same maneuver.

It's alarming the number of drivers who simply refuse to be slowed down in any way and are prepared to risk other people's lives to save a few seconds.

Rod11

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sloppyschleckonds

As rants go this is pretty poor.

Wouldn't bother reading thread again. 1/10

desweller

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

As rants go this is pretty poor.

Wouldn't bother reading thread again. 1/10

Is it the use of grammar, punctuation or paragraphs that you take particular issue with?

Some say it's a puritanical approach, but for me a real rant should have no full stops and be contained within one paragraph. Preferably all in caps.

DrLex

DesWeller wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

As rants go this is pretty poor.

Wouldn't bother reading thread again. 1/10

Is it the use of grammar, punctuation or paragraphs that you take particular issue with?

Some say it's a puritanical approach, but for me a real rant should have no full stops and be contained within one paragraph. Preferably all in caps.

Plus choice invective that makes it past the swear filter and conjures up appropriate imagery of the spittle-flecked author.

dai_t75

Apologies gents - I will make sure I get modded next time I have a 'rant'

I suppose it was more a feeling of disbelief than anger, so rant probably wasn't the right word.

DrLex

Don't worry, chap; it can be cathartic to let it out.
These days I try to be Zen about cr@p driving (& if I can't, a bidon full of brake fluid).

chris_bass

I read a lot of customer satisfaction surveys as part of my job and the best ones arent those all in capitals but the ones that start lower case and then switch to capitals when they get really mad.

team47b

Youhavenoideawhatarealrantisuntilyouseeitingreencrayon

Stanley the 2nd

Get it off your chest. There you go. Feel better?

Seriously, know what you mean. Amazes me how many cars can't wait 5 seconds to pass safely but have to push past with traffic coming in the other direction. Had a chav do this to me the other day. He pulled over miles down the road only to say it was my fault as I was pushing him into the oncoming traffic! Wait 5 seconds then you absolute berk! You can't reason with these people. They won't admit they are in the wrong and always have to blame someone else.

Amazes me even more how many cars overtake on blind corners. I'm counting the days until I witness a head on smash.