rules of the road

geordief

Does anyone know if there is anything in the Rules of the Road to cover turning out left from a minor road to a major road?I have been told by the Gards that it can be dangerous driving if done wrongly and that I would see if I looked in the Rules of the Road.
I don't remember anything specific myself and can't see anything in the Rules of the Road I downloaded from the Sticky in this forum that seems to cover it.
I am being led to believe that if there is a vehicle approaching the junction from the left hand side and on the opposite sideI have to wait before exiting no matter how far away it is -or else it is dangerous driving.Can that be right?

69 mustang

Minor to major road maneuvers are the same as leaving your driveway its a matter of judging speed and not just pulling out and crawling.
While keeping tight to the left as possible,until speed is built up.
Some junctions are on or near a bend and its a risk each time you take, that the driver on the major road sees the junction sign and lets off on the accelerator.
As just because someone may have right of way doesn't mean they can ram someone.But also doesnt mean they won't
Basically the element of surprise is not something that should be practised on the road.:)

geordief

The case in point involves a car approaching from the left on the opposite side.I wonder if the car is near it is possible to pull out carefully then or if this is implicitly or explicitly forbidden- so that you have to wait until it has passed or go before it has come too near before making your own exit.

BrianD3

You are supposed to check both ways when turning left out of a side road and give way to traffic on the main road. You shoudl not hinder the traffic on the main road, cause it to brake, cause it to take evasive action etc.

It is quite easy to forget to check for traffic approaching from your left i.e. travelling on the wrong side of the road.

I would imagine that if you pulled out and there was a crash, the blame would be divided between both parties depending on circumstances. Eg if he was overtaking across hatch markings or continuous white lines he would surely be held partly liable and be charged with dangerous driving himself. Also, I believe it says in the ROTR that you shouldn't overtake when approaching a junction.

Litcagral

BrianD3 wrote:

You shoudl not hinder the traffic on the main road, cause it to brake, cause it to take evasive action etc.

If one is exiting at a junction with a fully laden truck or other such large vehicle, it may be necessary to cause approaching traffic to slow down or brake as it takes considerably longer to turn and build up speed. The junction may have been sufficiently clear at the start of the manoeuvre and it's acceptable (within reason) to continue with the turn despite the fact that one may temporarily slow down the progress of other vehicles. The vehicles with right of way must still drive with due care and attention.

Tony

Having said that some car drivers pull out when they can clearly see you and then drive way too slowly causing you to brake hard, I saw a really bad accident caused by such behaviour.

BrianD

Depends on the road. I know from a petrol station on the N3 that as you turn out left you can quite often encounter overtaking traffic on the wrong side of what is a straight 'fast' road. It's quite easy to forget about this factor - particularly if you are a waiting for a gap in traffic approaching from your right and aren't heeding what's happening on the side ou perceive to be of lower risk.