Maniacal HGV driver
 

Was nearly involved (sort of) in a head on crash on the way home from college this afternoon.

I was slowing down to turn left off a main road and onto the road to the village where I live. A van was waiting to turn right at the junction. He sees me slowing and indicating so pulls out. wagon driver behind me decides to overtake instead of slowing down behind me and nearly goes ploughing into the van. ABS on the truck going like the clappers. How he didn't see the van pulling out I cannot fathom.

The standard of driving these days is shocking. Especially from a 'professional' driver.

Sorry to hear about this and glad to know that you & the van driver are OK.

Sadly, IMHO, the standards of most things is falling at a dramatic rate and driving is somewhere near the top.

It's no excuse but I wonder what pressures the driver is under to meet targets/delivery times etc. etc.

A phrase I've heard and used is:

"If you want someone to make mistakes, put them under a tight time deadline"

Alternatively the driver could just be thinking "I'm big and you're little so you WILL give way and if there's a collision I'm high up in something very heavy so I'm unlikely to get badly hurt."

Yes drivers are certainly put under a lot of pressure to meet deadlines. My dad is a lorry driver and has told me about the crazy amount of work he sometimes has to do. Doesn't help that some of places reject the goods if you arrive after your delivery slot.

As this happened on a Friday afternoon not far away from the haulage company's yard my guess is that the driver just wanted to get home for the weekend or was running out of time on his tacho. Still no excuse though.

That van should never have made that turn until you have actually done so. if I am at a junction and a car indicates too turn left, then I will make sure he has done so.

Rev

Yes... in this over consuming world and when people must av th newest fad yesterday corners will be sadly cutt. Can th consumer pay that little extra so safety is applied for all??

Saw this on th back of a lorry th other day. "If you don't like trucks, stop buying stuff".

Th high way code says.

167
DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example

approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road.

Im glad everyone is ok.

The driver in question made a split second decision and got it wrong thankfully everyone around him came to no harm. Whether he considered the risks or regretted that decision are debatable.
The question of pressure to meet a deadline should not be an issue, as it is far better to be late than never arrive at all. The point of consumers paying a little more is fanciful because unfortunately extra money wouldn't make a poor driver have any more consideration for those around them.
Driving a truck is a thankless task.

If more time was given then surely less risk would occur... But agree that there is bad driving from all vehicles on th road. Everyone thinks they are a good driver... I always say "im still learning to expect th un expected".

"Driving a truck is a thankless task". (Indeed that why everyone is "rushing" to do it for a living)

Or alternatively could be thinking 'as I am on the main road it is my right of way therefor the van pulling out from the side road ought to stay where he is' While there will always be the proverbial 'bad egg' in any industry, I feel that the roads would be a lot safer if upon passing a car test every driver was made to take a lesson in a loaded truck to see the issues we HGV drivers have and hopefully in the majority of cases it would open car drivers eyes to the issues we face daily on the roads.

First off, the van driver should not pull out until you had completed your turn and the HGV had gone past. If the road was then clear at that point then the van driver can start his next move.

The HGV should keep a longer distance but often the load dictates the amount. For instance, 38 tonnes of steel piping/bars on the back of a flatbed will, on heavy braking, travel through the cab. One would have to strap the load down correctly. Of course this does not apply on gently braking.

So, two bits of poor driving driving!

Kev

Can I add go onto 2 wheels, both bicycle and motorbike........

Never having done steel I can't say how to load these properly but a load should ALWAYS be secured correctly as you never know if or when you will need to brake harder than usual or take evasive action. I would say something like 50% of steel carriers I've passed on the road have had lose chains. I've even been shocked on occasion that drivers have used straps to restrain steel 'I' beams with no sleaves on them!

#




Well if that's what he's thinking then he's not entirely correct. He's overtaking immediately before a junction. There's a vehicle waiting to emerge from the junction and the vehicle in front of him is indicating to turn left and slowing down. What does he think will happen? If he's supposed to be a 'professional' or at least experienced driver there is no way he'd contemplate the risk of overtaking in such a dangerous spot. I'm not sure if that's what you meant when you mention 'bad egg' .
Most car drivers would benefit from both large vehicle driving and motorcycle experience.



Absolutely.

I think the HGV drivers mistake was assuming the van driver was competent, it would have been perfectly safe to move around a slowing vehicle if everyone obeyed the rules of the road...ie not pull out in front of another vehicle from a minor road. We also don't know how much warning the OP gave, all to often people use indicators as something to tell other road users they know they are turning NOW and not putting them on early enough to give people chance to ease off, increase gaps and travel smoothly which to any HGV is important for both the vehicle and the fuel consumption! 2 miles to the litre when cruising for mine....when having to accelerate 44tonnes I daren't contemplate.

See it so many times, the attitude that "my journey is way more important than anyone else's!".

Saw a beauty once. A bus stopped just beyond the bus stop and next to a traffic island effectively blocking the road, I was 2nd in the queue behind it. Another car stopped behind me but the next car passed everybody, wrong side of the traffic island and away. The car behind him was an unmarked traffic car, pulled him in just along the road. For once the police were there when you wanted them!

So what you're saying is that the HGV was following the vehicle in front too closely. Forcing him into a dangerous overtake because he couldn't stop in time.

There's no rule to say that you can't emerge from a side road if there's traffic approaching, that would be ridiculous - every city centre would be in perma gridlock. If it is safe and clear to do so then it is fine.



Rules 170 and 172 cover the van driver's obligations.
(relevant portions only)

Quote:

170 is a 'should' rule so not enforceable directly, and would probably only go against a driver contravening in the case of an actual accident when apportioning blame (in court).


172 is a 'Must' If the driver was confident that the approaching vehicle really was turning left at the junction (and it did QED) then he can make a fair judgement as to whether he can clear the junction in time. I.e. turn onto the left side of the road he's turning right onto fully so as not to be blocking the opposing lane. Given rule 172 he has no expectation of the HGV driver moving into that lane to overtake the turning vehicle.

Back in the early 70's I had a light haulage job as a student. Rubbish for the hours worked, but my main compensation was getting to drive a Ford Transit V4 pick up truck. One job was to deliver an incinerator door to Porton Down. The boss used old clothes lines to tie it down and I wasn't happy but told to get on with it!. I had to brake heavily when an overtaking car cut me up and the 1 ton steel door tried to join me in the cab. The steering went really heavy for the rest of the journey. A bit later I argued with my boss overloading the truck with around fifty steel gates, again tying off with clothes line. After around ten miles the load toppled out on a ( fortunately deserted ) minor road which got me fired (for being careless.)
Lots of hard lessons learned working for that guy, especially how not to secure a load.:icon_rolleyes:

If we all pulled out in front of traffic that is on a main road then of course there would be gridlock as everyone would be embedded in other vehicles, pulling out in front of oncoming vehicles is a moronic thing to do whether they are overtaking or not and whether they are in the right or wrong. Its beggars belief people are actually defending this kind of behaviour. No I did not say the HGV was following to closely, I said it is important to an HGV to keep the vehicle moving as it is costly and time consuming to slow the vehicle and get it moving again in fuel, time and wear and tear on the vehicle, all of which are important to an HGV driver and their company and other road users who are held up behind slow HGVs. As for rule 172 if we are going by the rule book (how many motorists have read it recently let alone be able to quote it!) says give way to traffic on the main road...it doesn't specify which direction that traffic needs to be coming from and in which lane. it says "GIVE WAY to traffic on the main road" and not "give way to traffic on the main road unless it is overtaking a slower vehicle in which case pull out in front of it and potentially cause a huge pile up with many fiery deaths"

Overtaking at junctions where other traffic is present is wrong and downright dangerous in any situation. There are no if's or but's about it. safe driving trumps any economic need or pressure to be on time.

Absolute rubbish. Economics of the HGV don't supercede either the rules of the road or safety of others. Where would that stop: His journey is no more important than mine or yours or anyone elses.
The highway code doesn't require drivers to be clairvoyant and expect such dangerous maneouvres from so called professionals. Like I said, the driver of the HGV was either too close and forced to swing out for an overtake due to his own bad judgement, or putting his own schedule above safe driving. It's ludicrous to claim anything else. Another HGV in a hurry to arrive 30 seconds earlier at his destination.

I've ridden and driven many different types of vehicle over the years, and reading the road is one of the most important things you can do irrespective of the size of vehicle being driven.

There are two people at fault here, the van driver for pulling out from the side road, and the driver of the heavy for overtaking the vehicle turning left, both drivers displaying impatience and lack of regard for their fellow road users.

It is always better to arrive 10 minutes late in this world, than five minute early in the next.

Brian :D

Not on time....!!!!! Could you imagine not been on time. Th customer would implode having to wait till there "MUST HAVE IT YESTERDAY" shinney shinney arrived... They'd give you th sack. Or something worse ... Like a demotion to..... "TH OLD TRUCK"