Glad I didn't overtake!

[Moise]

Rural roads. So many hazards, especially in dairy farming regions. Milk tankers especially, because of their length and need to use the width of the road to turn into farm driveways.

[WristTwister]

When I see a second car behind another slow car in front, I like to give the second car a bit of space to over-take the car in front themselves, rather than pass both of them. There is always the chance the second car may decide to over-take at the same time as you and that could turn nasty.

[gsxr]

Many many years ago I had a situation that to this day has made me more aware of situational awareness on every ride.
Was a Ch Ch to Auckland ride useing state highways only when necessary. Well prior to GPS so all I needed to know was that I was heading north on my detours
I ended up on some windy hill road in central North Island (dont know where ) stck behind a logging truck for some time .I dropped back a little so i could see past it further up the hill for an opportunity to pass,
Road was clear from opposing traffic so I overtook only to confront a logging truck pulling out of a forestry road on the right going in the opposing direction.
My arse slammed shut harder than the pressure I had on the brakes.
That one experience taught me to expect the unexpected

[Banditbandit]

When I see a second car behind another slow car in front, I like to give the second car a bit of space to over-take the car in front themselves, rather than pass both of them. There is always the chance the second car may decide to over-take at the same time as you and that could turn nasty.

How long do you wait to see ???

[racingtothecafe]

Road was clear from opposing traffic so I overtook only to confront a logging truck pulling out of a forestry road on the right going in the opposing direction.
My arse slammed shut harder than the pressure I had on the brakes.
That one experience taught me to expect the unexpected

One bad habit most drivers have (including yours truly) is turning left without fully looking what's there. We all do the cursory glance but the mind is mainly focused on the right because that's where the traffic flow is coming from. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to the oncoming trucky as well.

During a recent country drive, I was overtaking a slow classic car on a long stretch of straight. Plenty of visibility and dotted lines all along. However, halfway through, I realised that there is a driveway on the right. And I thought about the exact same situation that you've described.

What if a car came out of that driveway, turned left, and drove straight into me? Would've been a major suck. But given the nature of the road, I'm hardly going to be the last person to overtake on that spot. So I was wondering if the person living there has really really absolutely learnt to look left before turning onto the road, for the sake of many lives. It also reminded me that I should really force myself to look left in any case on any road, just as a good habit.

[OddDuck]

One bad habit most drivers have (including yours truly) is turning left without fully looking what's there. We all do the cursory glance but the mind is mainly focused on the right because that's where the traffic flow is coming from. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to the oncoming trucky as well.

During a recent country drive, I was overtaking a slow classic car on a long stretch of straight. Plenty of visibility and dotted lines all along. However, halfway through, I realised that there is a driveway on the right. And I thought about the exact same situation that you've described.

What if a car came out of that driveway, turned left, and drove straight into me? Would've been a major suck. But given the nature of the road, I'm hardly going to be the last person to overtake on that spot. So I was wondering if the person living there has really really absolutely learnt to look left before turning onto the road, for the sake of many lives. It also reminded me that I should really force myself to look left in any case on any road, just as a good habit.

All too true. The only wipeout I've had on the Ducati so far (fingers crossed) was exactly this. I was heading to the shops, leaving my street, turning left on a give way sign. I was halfway through the turn when I checked left, and lo and behold, there's a fucking cyclist right in the way. I emergency turned hard left, lost grip on the front, and promptly dropped the bike.

The cyclist was on the wrong side of the road, going the wrong way, shooting an intersection from behind a hard-edged fence. No visibility whatever. Absolutely retarded thing to do... I have never got so angry so fast in my life.

We had a conversation. It went like this:

"Are you OK?" (this from her, while I'm under the bike, in the gutter)

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING THERE?!" (I wasn't feeling very diplomatic)

The cops were called, at my request, and two cars were sent. Must've been a slow day... Anyway, we both ended up in separate cars getting a talking to. I don't know what they said to her. I do know that her reason for doing what she was doing was that it was a strong on-shore wind, waves were breaking at the edge of the road (it's by the sea), and she was nervous so she was riding on the inland side of the road. Older woman in her sixties.

I was gobsmacked to be cautioned for failure to give way, and was left with the bill for a broken windshield. The cops sent her on her way, allowing her to ride on the footpath and on the wrong side of the road to boot.

It was just shit.

[swbarnett]

I was gobsmacked to be cautioned for failure to give way,

While I sympathise this is exactly what I would've expected. Until you are fully through the give way you are not entitled to use the lane. There are any number of reasons that a cyclist could legitimately use the "wrong side" of the road. From your description it sounds like she was entitled to view her side of the road as blocked. In which case she was entitled to use the other side as long as it was clear, which it was.

[OddDuck]

While I sympathise this is exactly what I would've expected. Until you are fully through the give way you are not entitled to use the lane. There are any number of reasons that a cyclist could legitimately use the "wrong side" of the road. From your description it sounds like she was entitled to view her side of the road as blocked. In which case she was entitled to use the other side as long as it was clear, which it was.

Well said. Everyone I spoke to had the same reaction... the cyclist was 100% at fault... but that's custom, not the law.

The law was quite clear: on a give way, you give way. Full stop. What other traffic is doing doesn't come into it. The incident aside, I actually quite like that, it's crystal clear. Shame to find out about it that way, though.

[varminter]

Almost the same thing happened to me, got to the end of my street and some fucking retard on a pushey shot round the corner on my side of the road, I grabbed a handful and he just made it round me. I'm sure he was chemically enhanced. This is the reason we are not allowed guns.

[rastuscat]

When I see a second car behind another slow car in front, I like to give the second car a bit of space to over-take the car in front themselves, rather than pass both of them. There is always the chance the second car may decide to over-take at the same time as you and that could turn nasty.

That, my friend, marks you as a forward thinker.

WTF are you doing on KB?

[Kornholio]

Maize will be coming off at the end of the month, so there will be tractors trucks and harvesters on the roads in numbers.

Being a driver of one of these tractors near misses are unfortunately are a daily occurrence(Not just bikes but cars, trucks, buses etc)

[rocketman1]

I think it is good to push the safety videos on tv.
But most are around speeding, ie slow down, while that is a great start, I think more could be shown on how to prevent accidents in the MANY areas that cause death that are incidents ie involving changing lanes, vehicles turning left out of driveways without looking left for overtaking cars.
I could write a list of 100 items quite easily. This would help teach alot of new drivers...EXPERIENCE.


Speed kills but so do alot of dumbarse drivers doing silly inexperienced things, lets all learn from the mistakes, tv's a good start.
Why not spend some of the gathered ACC taxes on this sort of education.

A few years ago I remember seeing a tv documentary , expect the unexpected, where these drivers on a closed road had various hidden obstacles to avoid. One shot was videoed from inside the car as it passed a truck at the intersection, when they pushed a fullsize cardboard cutout of a car out from behind the truck into the path of the car as it approached. I nearly shat myself watching on tv, let alone being the driver of the car. Certainly had an effect on my driving through intersections for many years afterwards.

TV can be very powerful, we dont use its influence enough for vehicle safety videos.

[buggerit]

Maize will be coming off at the end of the month, so there will be tractors trucks and harvesters on the roads in numbers.

Being a driver of one of these tractors near misses are unfortunately are a daily occurrence(Not just bikes but cars, trucks, buses etc)

K band on your radar detector safety device can give you an early warning of larger tractors , as a lot have ground radar to measure
speed over ground without wheel slippage interfering in the calcs

[Kornholio]

K band on your radar detector safety device can give you an early warning of larger tractors , as a lot have ground radar to measure
speed over ground without wheel slippage interfering in the calcs

Did not know that, Yes all of our tractors and the Harvester has those

[swbarnett]

I think it is good to push the safety videos on tv.

They are a big waste of money. Even if they have a point (I can't think of one off hand that isn't blatantly wrong), the only people that take any notice of them are those who already have a safety focus. The intended audience is completely closed to this type of social engineering.

But most are around speeding, ie slow down, while that is a great start,

They do more harm than good. If they achieve anything it's to make already slow drivers terrified, and even slower.

Speed kills

Physics states quite clearly that this is absolutely untrue.