How would an experienced driver have handled this?
in [Cars]
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From: Jo on 18 Jul 2010 09:39 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. The oncoming traffic went to the left of their lane to make way for me and three vehicles were astride at one point. If you were in that situation what would you have done? I couldn't have gone back and it seems the only way was to get past and in front of the horse trailer. Thanks for any advice. Please don't flame me I'm a new driver and my confidence has been badly shaken today already :( Jo
From: Alan on 18 Jul 2010 10:12 "Jo" <joanna.hamilton90(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:cc357b2e-5fa8-446f-b65b-8c46eb71b8da(a)w12g2000yqj.googlegroups.com... > 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. > The oncoming traffic went to the left of their lane to make way for me > and three vehicles were astride at one point. > > If you were in that situation what would you have done? I couldn't > have gone back and it seems the only way was to get past and in front > of the horse trailer. > > Thanks for any advice. Please don't flame me I'm a new driver and my > confidence has been badly shaken today already :( > > Jo The problem lies here "I felt pressured into overtaking ". As a much more experienced driver I couldn't care how long I hold up traffic behind me. If I'm not happy to go, I'm not going to go. Alan
From: steve robinson on 18 Jul 2010 10:14 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. 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. > The oncoming traffic went to the left of their lane to make way for > me and three vehicles were astride at one point. > > If you were in that situation what would you have done? I couldn't > have gone back and it seems the only way was to get past and in > front of the horse trailer. > > Thanks for any advice. Please don't flame me I'm a new driver and my > confidence has been badly shaken today already :( > > Jo I cant see a horse carriage speeding up that much , you should have started your acceleration move earlier and been in the correct gear before you decided to make the manoeuvre Starting the manoeuvre earlier would have avoided hard , high revving acceleration which is not sensible when passing anything on four legs and given you the opportunity to abandon the move and lay in behind the carriage if you screw up What you appear to have done is what many inexperienced drivers do is creep right up behind the obstacle in front then try and drop the box and accelerate past getting yourself stranded on the wrong side of the road and being closed down by the vehicle behind .
From: steve robinson on 18 Jul 2010 10:16 Alan wrote: > > "Jo" <joanna.hamilton90(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > news:cc357b2e-5fa8-446f-b65b-8c46eb71b8da(a)w12g2000yqj.googlegroups.c > om... > > 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. The oncoming traffic went to the left of their lane to > > make way for me and three vehicles were astride at one point. > > > > If you were in that situation what would you have done? I couldn't > > have gone back and it seems the only way was to get past and in > > front of the horse trailer. > > > > Thanks for any advice. Please don't flame me I'm a new driver and > > my confidence has been badly shaken today already :( > > > > Jo > > The problem lies here "I felt pressured into overtaking ". As a > much more experienced driver I couldn't care how long I hold up > traffic behind me. If I'm not happy to go, I'm not going to go. > > Alan Better to be 5 minutes late in this world than 40 years early in the next
From: Ian on 18 Jul 2010 10:17
"Jo" <joanna.hamilton90(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:cc357b2e-5fa8-446f-b65b-8c46eb71b8da(a)w12g2000yqj.googlegroups.com... > 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. > The oncoming traffic went to the left of their lane to make way for > me > and three vehicles were astride at one point. > > If you were in that situation what would you have done? I couldn't > have gone back and it seems the only way was to get past and in > front > of the horse trailer. > > Thanks for any advice. Please don't flame me I'm a new driver and my > confidence has been badly shaken today already :( > > Jo OK.... lesson learned! In future, wait behind the slow vehicle until at least twice the distance that YOU need to overtake in, can be seen to be clear. Why *twice*? because anything coming intop sight from the opposite direction, is likely to be travelling at much the same speed as you are, so the gap is getting smaller twice as quickly as you thought. And get back in your car, and drive it again - NOW. Anywhere. For at least fifteen minutes. -- Ian |