MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Driving to work this morning, it's dark, dual carrigeway, dry, I'm doing about 60mph because I don't rush in the morning.
I come up behind a van (old Vauxhall Combo) going a bit slower then me, I pull out nice and early. I see lights waaaaay behind me. The 'lights' catch me up at some speed as I pass the van, but sit and wait patiently, and I speed up a bit to get out of their way, and as soon as I'm nice and clear of the van, I pull back in. The 'lights' accelerate and pull away. No problem there.
I then notice it appears the van I've overtaken has full beam on. I assume he's just not noticed this and carry on: I'm pulling away from him slightly as I've resumed my pre-overtake speed and he's not speeded up. Full beam goes off. A couple more cars overtake, then the van speeds up, cuts in close to my rear and comes past hooting his horn and giving me 'hand signals' (Well, I think so, it's dark, I can't really see and I'm more interested in the road ahead. I might be wrong about that)
He pulls back in front of me and slows down, but before I get close again my turning comes up and I'm off.
I've been sitting here all morning wondering what I could have done wrong.
This is what I've gone through in my head -
All my lights work (I checked them at the weekend) and I wasn't dazzling him bacuse I always have the headlight leveller sat 1 or 2 notches lower.
I checked, but I didn't have fog lights on by mistake
I must have pulled out 50, maybe 100 yards before I got to him. Loads and loads of space.
I didn't cut in too close when I pulled in.
I didn't weave in my lane as I passed or get too close to him.
I didn't hold him up.
I was under the speed limit at all times.
The bloke behind me had no problem with my driving.
I was paying attention to what I was doing, and as far I could see I was driving by the book (The Advanced book, I've done my advanced test)
So, seriously now, suggestions as to what I could have done wrong please. It's baffling me and I'd like to get to the bottom of it if I can.
😕
That was me.
I was trying to signal you to stop for some cottaging action, but you just ignored me.
Maybe he just new you were a cyclist
Nothing, He was just a being a c0ck. Make a cuppa have a biscuit and forget about it.
[i]All my lights work (I checked them at the weekend[/i]
Did they still work this am. 😉
Probably some minor thing pissed him off, what were the weather conditions?
"Driving to work this morning,"
There you go, thought you biked to work 🙂
Nothing, He was just a being a c0ck. Make a cuppa have a biscuit and forget about it.
seconded. if you overtake and then go at the same speed some people take exception to that. if so, see above.
What you did wrong was overtake one of those people who can't cope with being overtaken.
Yep, the thing you did wrong was encounter a total ****t. There are so many of them on the roads, it's difficult to go a few days without encountering one.
Was the van white?
I would guess that the person was just a bit of c0ck, sounds like you did nowt wrong...
I drive into and out of manchester everyday, it amazes me the way people drive, cutting down the outside of long lines of cars to turn off, or squeezing the last inch of road out before a bus lane etc... seriously, do they get to work/home any quicker? Personally I just take it easy, stick the ipod on shuffle and leave plenty time to get to work in the first place.
As mentioned above, put the kettle on, have a biccy, and relax in the knowledge that at somepoint the person will flash & wave fingers at the wrong person.
I've been sitting here all morning wondering
that's where you've gone wrong. life's too short to be interested let alone bothered in trivial bollox like this.
I'll add a +1 to the theory of he didn't like being overtaken by someone who then slowed down. And a +1 to him being a cock. Don't worry about it. 🙂
Was the van white?
Blue.
The only thing I can think is that he must have tought I pulled in too close to him. I don't think I did, and I was watching carefully, but I had to let the guy behind me past. I cartainly wasn't CLOSE by any stretch of the imagination.
Maybe he's just never seen anyone pull in after overtaking before.
Been busy since I posted this thread and I've nearly forgotten about it now.....
TBH, when you do something obviously wrong and get hooted or the finger for it, it's easy to understand. It's just this time I really can't think of why I got that reaction, and I kept going over and over it in my head. 😐
I'll add a +1 to the theory of he didn't like being overtaken by someone who then slowed down
Just to make it 100% clear, yes I did slow down, but not to his speed or below. I was still doing 1-2mph more. 🙂
E.G. - He was doing 60 I was doing 62, I accelerated and passed him at about 65-68, then I slowed bak to my 62 after I pulled back in.
Is there something hanging off the bottom of your car?
Nope. Just checked.
wonder if he mistook you for one of the other cars who may have done something stupid. though thinking about that you said he had high beam on then dropped that after you passed, as if he was pissed off as you passed.
Some people just don't like being overtaken...
Not refilled your washer bottle recently have you and left the bonnet on the catch?
I regularly see (a few a week) cars with their bonnets open - held just on the catch.
I think that when the car isn't being driven, there's no wind pushing the bonnet up so it's not noticeable but loads of cars come past me with their bonnet definitely in an 'open' position. When I pull the release catch on my bonnet, it barely lifts it - I don't think I'd notice it.
I never know how to give people a warning without them thinking I am some kind of irate, tailgating motorist, so perhaps that's what he was doing??
Some bellends about. Had one this morning bumbling along at 55 ish, when i went to overtake he floored it and undertook me. Fine. But then don't drop back to your original speed and hold me up again!
I think its the indignity of being overtaken my shitmobile which tends to spark this reaction tho 🙂
I reckon you awoke him from his favourite dream, about Jordan, also in the process of waking he spilt his McDondalds coffee all over a copy of the Sun, ruining page three and a bit got onto his already flith laden jeans, holes at knees and pockets and a$$ hanging out the rear, those were his favourite jeans too. Worse still, he thought you were Polish!
My missus is forever thinking people behind/ on-coming are flashing (their lights at her) when in actual fact it is just the other car bouncing a bit on the road and making it look that way.
Maybe as you approached him he through you were flashing him and getting frustrated? Was it a bumpy road? Do you have a highish vehicle (transit, SUV, MPV etc) - this seems to make the effect worse as the lights are more in line with 'normal' car's mirrors.
i once tried to signal to someone who had overtaken me, to let them know that one of they're hubcaps was flapping and about to ping off, eventually stopped at some lights, pulled up next to the car and made gestures again, they finally wound down their window and before i could actually say 'just thought you might like to know you're about to lose one of your hubcaps...' got a mouth full of abuse and they sped off...
I personally think you did nothing wrong.
Several years ago a guy in a white van, tried to run me off the road on the M6. At the time I was a very experienced motorway driver, who regulary drove from Manchester to London. His road rage attack really shook me up for ages after. Luckily hubby was in the car with me, so when this idiot tried to run me off the road again, we had a big camera trained on him. His reaction to that was to quickly get off the motorway at the next juction.
Some people shouldn't be allowed on the road, they are selfish and just think they own the road.
People are just 'tards.
Had a bloke walk in front of me this morning at a junction (im on a bike) and basically blocked me from pulling out into a gap in traffic, asked him why didnt he walk behind and he just got abusive! Ironically the two kids with him both went behind me... cock.
Maybe as you approached him he through you were flashing him and getting frustrated? Was it a bumpy road? Do you have a highish vehicle (transit, SUV, MPV etc) - this seems to make the effect worse as the lights are more in line with 'normal' car's mirrors.
The A331 is as smooth as silk and I'm driving a 55-reg Ford Focus.
[i]I regularly see (a few a week) cars with their bonnets open - held just on the catch.
[/i]
I don't think I've seen that once in the last 15 years!
I've been sitting here all morning wondering what I could have done wrong
Nothing wrong with your car? Drove safely? Give more room next time?
Don't worry and waste your morning life is too short! go get laid.
Didn't Jeremy go on about feeling the need to re-overtake someone who's overtaken you a few shows ago? Must be a loss of image thing thinking he's going at the appropriate speed then someone implying he isn't.
Didn't Jeremy go on about feeling the need to re-overtake someone who's overtaken you a few shows ago? Must be a loss of image thing thinking he's going at the appropriate speed then someone implying he isn't.
Well it wouldn't have been hard. Like I said, I wasn't in a rush! But he made no effort to go after the 3 cars that overtook us both.
It's just wierd.
I'm not bothered by it, but you know sometimes when you just doubt yourself? When up to a given point you think, nay KNOW you're right, then something happens and you begin to question yourself?
That's really the point I suppose.
I've stopped going over it now. I relise I will never know for sure, I wasn't in the wrong, and it doesn't matter! 😀
DezB - I see it loads, although last one was a couple of weeks ago while I was walking along the pavement near my house. Stopped at a mini-roundabout and a TT came past with the bonnet peeking open. Tried to gesture to him, but just got a blank stare. Hopefully he'd have checked when he got home.
I do 600 miles/week just commuting, so see quite a few cars! Oh, and after seeing it a couple of times, it seems to catch my eye now.
It is truly astonishing the things some people will get upset about when they're in their cars. Not much you can do about it.
Last time I drove before I injured my knee I realised that people think they own the road.
Just started driving again with knee and people still think they own the road and drive like idiots.
Just drive safely and polish your bike then go ride!
[i]I do 600 miles/week just commuting[/i]
Jeez! Lucky you 😯
@ DezB - yeah tell me about it. Decent job came up though after 6 months of redundancy - not really in a position to turn it down & it's actually a great place to work.
Fairly straightforwad journey - 1hr 15mins average each way & my car's quite economical so it's not a disaster! Would prefer it to be a 10 mile cycle ride though!!