On a country lane, you know the type, wide enough for one car only and with passing places, you are going to have two cars meeting each other.
When the meeting occurs on a hill, who has priority and who should reverse to the passing place?
I’d say reverse up the hill as it’s safer.

who has priority

whoever’s in the 4×4

I don’t know what is in the HC, but your suggestion is common practice in the Scottish Highlands where these roads are/were relatively common.

Highway Code experts, please.

Real or self proclaimed?

Rule 155

155
Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

why is reversing uo a hill safer?

Depends is one way of you incapable of reversing? I once met a driver who literally reveresed 5 feet and was in the hedge – it was impressively inept. they made me ina mini bus and a dunpoer truck driver reverse as they could not actually do it 😯

Generally who is nearest to a passing point.

Junkyard – Member
why is reversing uo a hill safer?

Because in that direction you have more control. You can’t actually reverse down a hill, you can only free-wheel and use the brakes to stop you.

Uphill has right of way.

Because in that direction you have more control. You can’t actually reverse down a hill, you can only free-wheel and use the brakes to stop you.

You can easily reverse downhill unless you have a slipper clutch! It’s called engine braking and with the rather highly geared reverse I’ve never met a car or a hill where it would run away with you (obviously if you keep your right foot off the throttle!).

Or you’ve never tried it on a steep enough hill.

Edit: Brakes are made for slowing cars down. Engines are made for making them go.

How do you know if either party is nearer to a passing point?

Most of the time I end up reversing, as the other driver can’t be arsed and we just sit there – ….and I have no idea how much they need to reverse.

Or you’ve never tried it on a steep enough hill.

True, though I’ve been on some of the most stupidly steep hills in the UK.

Brakes are made for slowing cars down. Engines are made for making them go

Pish

How do you know if either party is nearer to a passing point?

You don’t, you just know that one direction has right of way and that cures the question unless they’re sat right next to a passing place.

Edit: Brakes are made for slowing cars down. Engines are made for making them go.

Rubbish.

How do you know if either party is nearer to a passing point?

Because you are a local 🙄
😀

whoever’s in the 4×4

That’s what he thought.

Rule 155

That’s what I’ve always believed and adhered to.
Cheers druidh

Real or self proclaimed?

This is STW. 😀

On a country lane, you know the type, wide enough for one car only and with passing places, you are going to have two cars meeting each other.
When the meeting occurs on a hill, who has priority and who should reverse to the passing place?
I’d say reverse up the hill as it’s safer.

There’s one particular place on the Fosseway, with only a couple of passing places at top and bottom, and it’s around 1in6. I reversed once, or tried to, but there’s a bend, and you can’t see anything behind, and my clutch started to burn, so I got the other driver to roll backwards, and subsequent times as well, the last time the lady driver was uncertain, so I said just stick it in neutral and use the brake, the pull in is not far. After she rolled perfectly into the passing place she said how easy it was, she didn’t realise.
I always roll back, trying to reverse uphill is bonkers.

the road from minera near llandegla, to llangollen is all single track road with a few passing spaces, when i used to live near there the number of cars that met head on and both refused to reverse on principle was quite funny,quite often there would be a standoff, with more cars backed up behind each leading car.

It was almost a sign of weakness to engage reverse.

I thought the same as Onion about reversing down hills until it was demonstrated that it is indeed possible and the safer thing to do. Engine braking FTW.

I’ve stopped in the middle of the road before, put the handbrake on and just folded my arms. All because some knobber thought he could force his way through and make me reverse all the way back, rather than just stop 5 yards back. He clearly hadn’t bargained on meeting Mr arsy that day!

HORA TO THE FORUM, HORA TO THE FORUM

😯

(his masterclass in how to deal with this situation in Church Stretton was awe inspiring)

Me, in my LWB 17 seat Transit minibus and 1.5 tonne box trailer. Unless of course I meet Roger in his arctic.

(Actual answer ends up being they who are closest, or who can actually reverse. Today that was me faster in said transit with a boat trailer behind to do 400m, as opposed to Mr_I am a tourist who could not reverse 10m)

I’ve stopped in the middle of the road before, put the handbrake on and just folded my arms. All because some knobber thought he could force his way through and make me reverse all the way back, rather than just stop 5 yards back. He clearly hadn’t bargained on meeting Mr arsy that day!

Exact same thing happened to me. Rather than just fold my arms, I dug out a paperback book from the glovebox. Didn’t take him long to reconsider.

I’d “reverse” down the hill.

But then those HC experts are always wrong IMO!

About 15 years ago I can vividly remember I didn’t have much petrol in my car and was going up a narrow roaded hill nr Dalby and this rich **** driving a Merc came down at me forcing me to slam all on. My engine died due to the angle and limited petrol not being able to get out of the tank. I had to roll down the hill with the engine off and sit a while before I could start my engine and get another run up on the hill. I was fuming at him for not following, what I didn’t think was in the Highway Code, but was in the informal Gentleman’s Country Driving Code

Exact same thing happened to me. Rather than just fold my arms, I dug out a paperback book from the glovebox. Didn’t take him long to reconsider.

Not around here with Old Man Dutton, he’d have got out of his van and gone home. He was well known for not reversing, never!

the number of cars that met head on and both refused to reverse on principle was quite funny,quite often there would be a standoff, with more cars backed up behind each leading car.

It was almost a sign of weakness to engage reverse.

Yeah, arrogant wankrs in cars are brilliant aren’t they.

Edit: Brakes are made for slowing cars down. Engines are made for making them go.

One word. Engine braking.

The ‘people coming uphill have right of way’ is a throwback from the days before cars as its much easier to back a horse and cart / carriage uphill than down.

What tyres for reversing turnips up a hill BTW?

Not read whole thread, but I was always taught that users going uphill have right of way, because doing a hill start is harder than just rolling down.

What tyres for reversing turnips up a hill BTW?

🙂

Regardless of the law/highway code/terrain it does seem that the biggest vehicle has priority round our way at least.

I drive 8 miles along a single lane twice every day and very often someone in a van will stop with their arms folded even when the back of their vehicle is adjacent to a passing place. Then there are the people who simply can’t reverse it’s easier just to go back so we can both get home before one of us dies.

As said above, reversing is somehow perceived as a sign of weakness

druidh – Member

Edit: Brakes are made for slowing cars down. Engines are made for making them go.

“IHN – Member

Pish”

“coffeeking – Member

Rubbish.”

“mastiles_fanylion – Member

One word. Engine braking.”

So the three of you are saying that the primary purpose of an engine (i.e the job which it is designed and manufactured to do first and foremost) is to arrest your velocity? And that the primary purpose of brakes (i.e the job which they are designed and manufactured to do first and foremost) is to increase your velocity?

One word: pish and rubbish 😉

One word. Engine braking.

That’s two words.

edit: beat me by 30 seconds

So the three of you are saying that the primary purpose of an engine (i.e the job which it is designed and manufactured to do first and foremost) is to arrest your velocity? And that the primary purpose of brakes (i.e the job which they are designed and manufactured to do first and foremost) is to increase your velocity?

No, none of us said that.

Two words: tit 😉

Is someone about to quote Jackie Stewart?