According to some self righteous posters on this site, they have a devine right to travel at 50 mph on motorways, and sod anybody else it might affect.
Well last wednesday pm, I became part of what can happen.
Traveling toward J30 - clockwise M25, with about 10 minutes left to get into thurrock services, travelling at 55 mph, followed at a safe distance by a white DAF XF.
Came up behind a rigid travelling at 50 mph just before the 1 mile junction sign.
Checked mirrors and indicated to pull out, a car travelling in lane two slowed and flashed me out instead of going into lane three. As I swapped lanes checking o/s n/s mirrors I saw the DAF start to indicate to pull out, I also noticed the yellow dutch style reg plate and left hand drive wiper layout.
I was passing the cab of the 50 mph rigid when there was an almighty noise from behind my right shoulder, a similar sound to somebody dropping a sheet of corrugated tin from a great height followed by a wobble wobble sound.
A check of the os mirror revealed a cloud of brown dust in lane three, with debris exiting this cloud
A check of the ns mirror revealed an empty lane one.
I finished passinng the 50 mph rigid and returned to lane one, and the events started to fall into place, I suddenly realised that the DAF driver hadn’t seen the car in lane two that had let me out and had sideswiped it sending it into the barrier.
So, is travelling at 50 mph on the motorway really so safe and relaxing.
Or do such drivers just switch on cruise, and switch off and relax
manwell:
I finished passinng the 50 mph rigid and returned to lane one, and the events started to fall into place, I suddenly realised that the DAF driver hadn’t seen the car in lane two that had let me out and had sideswiped it sending it into the barrier.
Seems to me it was the Daf drivers fault, due care and attention springs to mind. I dont know about now, but when I took my class1 it was drummed in that “the onus is always on the overtaker”.
Sounds like your scenario should be geared toward blind spots on left hookers — not a speed difference of 6mph or that the car driver thought he was doing the decent thing by letting you out!
Any outsider (or insider, for that matter) reading these forums would think UK truckers are obsessed / paranoid about speed. I forget the exact figures, but when a truck is involved in an accident there is a 40% increased risk of fatality compared to cars (based on K’s driven).
There is also the scent of “me, me, me” - the “my journey is the most important” brigade.
Cut down on the accidents (all road users) and we’ll all get to “wherever” a bit quicker.
A psychologist might put it down to short bonnet syndrome!
daf by name daf by nature why blame someone who is driving along at 50mph and not causing any bother,was it him that made the daf git pull out,doh i don’t think so.
Hmm, These days I always have to take a doubletake on when pulling out because, despite indicated (for more than 5 flashes usually) and starting manouver to pull out there is always someone in the outside who is starting to pull in, and they’re doing more than 70 and I’m usually doing less than that!
But as you’ve said, it also highlights the blindspots by LHD vehicles. ISTR Top Gear (or 5th Gear) did something on this recently??
The cause of the accident from what I can make out is the cruise control.
This - along with the DAF being L.H.D. contributed to the problem.
I have sat in lane 1 myself going up a slight incline with a 30 ton excavator on the back doing much,much, lower speeds than 50 m.p.h.
Basically, you get immune to the fact that there is an artic coming up behind you at full speed and, after watching it swerve violently at the last minute thinking "that could have hurt ".
They don’t call lane 1 the crawler lane for nothing, sometimes people do crawl in it.
Think of our foreign freind, happily motoring at full pelt on cruise, with stingy eyes, maybe trying to read his map in a strange country.
Whoops ! at the last minute he sees a wagon in front going slower than he is.
A quick ( and I mean quick ) check in his mirrors and he thinks it’s clear to pull out. But it’s not.
Be honest. How many of us in R.H.D. trucks on U.K. roads have thought it clear to pull out, only to find a car smaller than your fuel tank stuck in your blind spot ?
Me for one.
As most have said, the DAF was to blame.
Remember; MEASURE TWICE - CUT ONCE ( think about it ! )
Unless they have a darn good reason, then it should be as much a crime as speeding. I had to do 45 down the M4 this afternoon behind a car that refused to go any faster. No point overtaking as I was just going Almondsbury to the M32… How annoying and dangerous is that? Such idiots should shape up or get off the road.
In this case, the actual accident was the fault of the Dutchman, but obviously the design of the 95 played a significant part.
Unless they have a darn good reason, then it should be as much a crime as speeding.
A darned good reason in my opinion is the freedom to do it! I’ll do 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, or whatever. And also, support the free rights of anybody else to do tha same. Why should anyone be dictated to and banned for doing 6 m.p.h. less than somebody else? What is this, a communist dictatorship?
Forward planning and observation, there aint a problem with others speeds then, its served me ok for 24 years. If everybody concentrated on looking out for thereselves, keeping em peeled, and a decent gap I reckon there wouldnt be so much need to go round trying to dictate what others should be doing to suit somebody elses’s wants.
If on the other hand you were just being sarcastic Alli, and not being the thou shalt-do-this thou-shalt-do-that merchant, Apologies offered in advance!
I agree, Indeed it does, but to attempt to diminish or suppress someones freedom simply because it does not sit in accord with ones own wishes is the haven of the tyrant and dictator! IMHO!
Unless they have a darn good reason, then it should be as much a crime as speeding.
A darned good reason in my opinion is the freedom to do it! I’ll do 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, or whatever. And also, support the free rights of anybody else to do tha same. Why should anyone be dictated to and banned for doing 6 m.p.h. less than somebody else? What is this, a communist dictatorship?
Forward planning and observation, there aint a problem with others speeds then, its served me ok for 24 years. If everybody concentrated on looking out for thereselves, keeping em peeled, and a decent gap I reckon there wouldnt be so much need to go round trying to dictate what others should be doing to suit somebody elses’s wants.
If on the other hand you were just being sarcastic Alli, and not being the thou shalt-do-this thou-shalt-do-that merchant, Apologies offered in advance!
Give me liberty, or give me death!
Hear Hear…
Spoken like a true Professional(whatever one of them are)
I do 50 on moterways because I feel safe and more relaxed and because I can!
Alikat sorry I don’t agree with you… when you learn to drive an artic you might realise that driving a rigid is not the same as driving an artic even going straight on a moterway!
I dunno about proffessional Critic! But I do get paid to swing a wheel so I spose I am!
Seriously though, I defend the liberty of the 56 and 50 mph geezer, and do believe 100% that if youre paying enough attention, all can live side by side no probs, accidents happen, but a lot can be avoided with that old lesson I got drummed into me, forward planning and observation.
If you want to drive slowly, join Hanbury Davies, and do 53, which is what their motors are limited to, and then we’ll at least have a chance to plan far enough ahead to get past should we need to.
Sorry, but this is a bit of a bugbear to me. Anything under 50 on the flat is dangerous, more dangerous than speeding in many cases. 53 is acceptable, it’s close enough to what everyone else does.
I’m sorry if you feel that I’m being un-neccesarily harsh on this, but this is a deomcracy, and this is my view. Feel free to continue disagreeing with me as much as you like.
Urm, Critic, I’ve taken an artic up a motorway on an assesment, I don’t see that it’s much different in a straight line. Yeah, it’s longer, and it bends a bit on a bend, but what difference does that make on a motorway at 56? Not much as far as me or my backside could tell.
And no, the gearbox and weight don’t enter into it. I’m driving 32 tonnes with a 16 speed box this week. That’s as much as many artics on the road.
I certainly will keep disagreeing with you, as indeed you are free to disagree with me, and remember, I wont be wanting to relieve you of any of that freedom either!
The rule of the herd dont cut any ice with me Im afraid, and like I say, Ive managed to get by for a long time and a lot of miles still ticking over, no big smashes and a good track record for being on time ect, and all that without resorting to dictating to others what they have to do to suit me!
I aint no special case, or any “great driver” so why can I do it? I cant see where the big problem is. In fact come to think of it years ago, you could come across a motor with a 180 in at 32t that was down to single digit speeds on some motorway banks! yet still, we got by.
Yes, I’ve done under 30 up some hills on the M5 after missing a gear on a climb, but that was uphill, and we all know how slow things can get on a climb. As I said, 50 on the flat. Most of us can see a hill, and prepare for it. If the guy in front pulls out around a slow coach, it’s sometimes debatable if there’s always sufficient time or space to do much about it.
Unless of course we should pull out with the “2 second gap” between wagons we may only have 2mph on?
I’m with Mal and Critic on this. I cannot see the danger in going slower than max speed on a motorway. The danger is those speeding or not paying attention.
One of the big retailers (can’t remember which one) has their wagons limited to 50mph - according to the stickers on the back of their trailers. What ever speed you do, there’s always some doughnut who wants to sit on your back door pushing you along.
why blame someone who is driving along at 50mph and not causing any bother,was it him that made the daf git pull out,doh i don’t think so. 
