From: Alex Heney on
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:12:25 +0100, %steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth)
wrote:

>Dave Head <rally2xs(a)att.net> wrote:
>
>> >> Well, its not completely without risk, either. If he screws up, you
>> >> are likely to become part of his accident.
>> >
>> >Not if you are driving sensibly and in an appropriate position.
>>
>> Totally wrong. If you are following the trailer at whatever distance,
>> he screws up the pass and someone else takes a "ditch" path to avoid
>> them, the guy in the ditch may pop out of it just in time to nail you
>> head-on, possibly not even in control of the vehicle by that time. And
>> the guy passing you both is probably going to be going even faster
>> than he would passing just you.
>
>Well no it's not totally wrong

Yes it was.

As you would well know, if you knew anything whatsoever about driving
(or about basic physics for that matter).

--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
Diplomacy is saying "nice doggy" until you find a rock.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
From: IanAl on
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:39:56 -0700 (PDT), Jo
<joanna.hamilton90(a)gmail.com> wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>I'm quite shaken as I had a brush with the grim reaper today :(
>
>Coming off a roundabout, I was driving along an A-road immediately
>behind a horse carriage doing 20 mph in a 60 mph road. I was about 150
>yards past the roundabout and a queue of cars had built up behind me.
>
>I felt pressured into overtaking the horse carriage. It was too slow
>for 3rd gear and I was in 2nd gear. The horse carriage seemed to speed
>up as I was overtaking them (but can't be sure). I sped up to about
>30mph and was now astride the rear wheels of the vehicle. I fumbled
>the 2-3rd gear change (seemed stuck and cost me a few seconds to try
>again) and oncoming traffic lead by a truck was now too close. There
>was enough space if I didn't fumble the 2-3rd gear change and didn't
>expect my spot behind the horse trailer to be closed up so quickly
>
>So having no choice I floored the accelerator to 60mph on 3rd gear.

Should have used 2nd.
From: Alex Heney on
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:25:35 +0100, %steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth)
wrote:

>Mike Ross <mike(a)corestore.org> wrote:
>
>> she was passing a horse TRAILER or box
>
>No, writing TRAILER in capitals still doesn't change the origial post
>which referred to a carriage.

And which in another part of the post referred to a trailer.

It's obvious if you read the whole OP that she was actually referring
to a horse trailer, not a horse and carriage.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
Lobotomize Hillary - Now there's a health plan.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
From: Alex Heney on
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:25:42 +0100, Terry <me(a)privacy.net> wrote:

>Gareth wrote:
>> On 18/07/2010 14:39, Jo wrote:
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I'm quite shaken as I had a brush with the grim reaper today :(
>>>
>>> Coming off a roundabout, I was driving along an A-road immediately
>>> behind a horse carriage doing 20 mph in a 60 mph road. I was about 150
>>> yards past the roundabout and a queue of cars had built up behind me.
>>>
>>> I felt pressured into overtaking the horse carriage.
>>
>> An option here would be to leave a big enough gap between you and the
>> horse carriage for other cars to overtake you. If you do this leave a
>> really big gap so that it is clear to drivers behind that you have no
>> intention of overtaking and there is plenty of room for them to safely
>> get past you.
>
>Which will get the other car where exactly?

Into a position where they can overtake the horse trailer at the next
opportunity.

If you are second in line, with a significant queue behind, but you
have no intention of overtaking, then it is just good manners to leave
sufficient gap that traffic behind can "hop" past.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
If I had anything witty to say, I wouldn't put it here.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
From: Dave Head on
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:49:01 +0100, Alex Heney <me8(a)privacy.net>
wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:56:29 -0400, Dave Head <rally2xs(a)att.net>
>wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>>><shrug> You're allowed to have the wrong idea, I just hope I'm not
>>>around when you practice your brainwave of overtaking "as a surprise".
>>>Nothing you do should come as a surprise to anyone else on the road.
>>
>>If you let everyone know what you're up to, a lot of times they use it
>>against you.
>
>If people "use it against you", then said people shouldn't be on the
>road.

Yeah. No kidding. So what? They're out there.

>That is no excuse for driving like a pillock yourself by giving
>people no idea what you might be going to do.

Sure it is. Its called not giving the bastards the opportunity.

See, if I don't let 'em know, they guy behind is left sitting there
saying to himeself, "Well, if I'd have known he was going to do that,
I woulda followed him and we could both have passed." But since he
doesn't know, he can't do that, at least not anywhere close so that if
I decide I DO need to hit the brakes and abort the pass, I don't have
his radiator cap up m tailpipe.

>> And, there's absolutely no value to those in the rear of
>>knowing you're going to pass. What are they gonna do about it, eh?
>>
>
>I have on a number of occasions had fats powerful cars pull out from
>behind me to overtake both me and vehicles in front.

Not applicable. I'm not going to start a pass if someone is coming
from the rear like that.

>If I had been pulling out to overate without warning, that would have
>resulted in my trying 6to occupy the same piece of road as them. Which
>doesn't work.

It would have been entirely your fault for failing to maintain
situational awareness.

>If I am going to overtake, and there is somebody behind me, I
>indicate, to make sure that doesn't happen.

You go right ahead. I watch what is going on in order to do the same
thing. You're flaw is that you expect them not to attempt to overtake
simply 'cuz you make some little light flash. Ha! I don't trust 'em
that far. I'm going to do things for myself. I trust me a whale of a
lot more than I trust them.