Am I wrong?

Mr. Loverman

This is something which I experience on a daily basis in the estate I live in and has me thinking I must be the one that's wrong. Or is this simply another case of half the world being totally thick?

Have a look at the attached picture.

In a nut shell, when there is a car parked on the road, the cars coming towards me just pull out into my lane causing me to have to jam on my brakes and wait for them to pass the car/return to their own lane.

I'm not speeding or driving too fast, and surely they can see me coming towards them. It seems they believe I should have to stop so they can pass the parked car.

I have always assumed they should stop behind the parked car, wait for me to pass, and then go around the car. But this hardly ever happens.

Am I wrong?

amacachi

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

This is something which I experience on a daily basis in the estate I live in and has me thinking I must be the one that's wrong. Or is this simply another case of half the world being totally thick?

Have a look at the attached picture.

In a nut shell, when there is a car parked on the road, the cars coming towards me just pull out into my lane causing me to have to jam on my brakes and wait for them to pass the car/return to their own lane.

I'm not speeding or driving too fast, and surely they can see me coming towards them. It seems they believe I should have to stop so they can pass the parked car.

I have always assumed they should stop behind the parked car, wait for me to pass, and then go around the car. But this hardly ever happens.

Am I wrong?

Dunno if it's rules or just manners but it's rare I've noticed someone not waiting.

Mr. Loverman

amacachi wrote: »

Dunno if it's rules or just manners but it's rare I've noticed someone not waiting.

Yeah I notice it mostly in my estate rather than on main roads, etc.

Do people's brains just switch off when they're nearly home?

Forest Master

If the obstruction is on their side of the road, they're supossed to wait until there is no oncoming traffic before they overtake it. So yes, you have right of way.

And yes, more than half of people are idiots.

unkel

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

Am I wrong?

No, you are right

And funny you mention it, in my experience most drivers here seem to stick to the rule that if the object is on your side, the opposite driver has right of way. Not like most drivers in this country who (only) indicate left when taking a right (third exit) of a roundabout :rolleyes:

djimi

Rules of the road state that you must yield when the obstruction is on your side of the road. Of course the vast majority of Irish motorists do not even know what the rules of the road are, let alone what they say, so this behaviour is hardly surprising.

I find it best just to assume they will pull over to my side of the road and to accordingly give them a wide berth.

unkel

djimi wrote: »

I find it best just to assume they will pull over to my side of the road and to accordingly give them a wide berth.

Or in general, just to assume every other driver on the road is a complete idiot about to do something really stupid. That's what I've been doing and in nearly 25 years of driving, the only accident I've had was being rear-ended at about 5km/h by a Latvian girl at a roundabout.

bladebrew

this situation definetly happens way more in estates, its simple as mentioned if the obstruction is on your side of the road then you yield,
well it sounds simple:)

a few weeks back like the picture, a woman driving towards me, a car parked on her side she slowed a bit so i kept going, then she changed her mind and swung out around the parked car and just missed my wing mirror, i beeped at her, it made no difference,
it wasnt exactly a dangerous situation but i dont want to be picking up bits of my car because she doesnt know the rules of the road,

edit: my mother recently said "sure iv never done a test":o:o
she was one of the free upgrades:mad:

-Corkie-

Op you are wrong to let her away with it every day. Dont be a fool at all leting people away with murder...:(

BostonB

I see this all the time. Some people just don't know how to drive, or just don't care about other road users. its that simple.

johndaman66

Very fancy artwork with the drawing you attached OP;)

I'm not sure if its a side affect of the recession or higher fuel prices and that and not wanting to waste more by stoping or people just being even more impatient than normal of late but it seems the last thing people want to do on the roads is stop. As in the scenario that the OP high-lighted or at traffic lights. In the past I see unnecessairly breaking amber lights is a regular occurance but of late more and more motortists seem to be breaking red lights...I actually see it a lot every day from what little mileage I'm doing at the moment.

johndaman66

bladebrew wrote: »

a few weeks back like the picture, a woman driving towards me, a car parked on her side she slowed a bit so i kept going, then she changed her mind and swung out around the parked car and just missed my wing mirror, i beeped at her, it made no difference,
it wasnt exactly a dangerous situation but i dont want to be picking up bits of my car because she doesnt know the rules of the road

No doubt you got a dirty look to go with it bladebrew?

newmug

You are right, they are wrong. I wouldnt stop. Make them reverse, they'll think twice next time.

TheUsual

Imagine if everyone drove as if they have the right of way (according to the rules of the road) and other drivers should yield to you.
It would be carnage, you just let some things go and don't get angry about the small things. Yes they are wrong, but you are wrong as well to get mad about it. Meet them half-way.

Bonito

When their side of the road is obstructed and yours is clear, they must give way. I love catching the chancers who don't wait. Nothing like a good aul game of chicken to get the juices flowing.

Seriously though, don't jam on, keep going and let them jam on, then make them reverse back out of your way and wait.

corktina

It depends how close you are to the restriction...if they get there first then they wouldn't have to stop BUT if its 50/50 )or even 60/40 maybe, you should have priority.

Also to be considered is whether letting them go would actually help you if the road is congested behind them, it isnt cut and dried...experiance and courtesy are called for.

ART6

Bonito wrote: »

When their side of the road is obstructed and yours is clear, they must give way. I love catching the chancers who don't wait. Nothing like a good aul game of chicken to get the juices flowing.

Seriously though, don't jam on, keep going and let them jam on, then make them reverse back out of your way and wait.

Good plan -- but what if the other driver turns out to be an eighteen stone rugby player? Personally I find that patience with idiots is less stressful and less risky:D

Dardania

corktina wrote: »

It depends how close you are to the restriction...if they get there first then they wouldn't have to stop BUT if its 50/50 )or even 60/40 maybe, you should have priority.

Also to be considered is whether letting them go would actually help you if the road is congested behind them, it isnt cut and dried...experiance and courtesy are called for.

very balanced advice - it's not just about individual rights, but functioning a part of the wider road network. Also, karma comes into it!

My bro was learnign to drive lately, he told me that he'd figured out clutches, gears etc. and it was grand he could drive.... not so fast sonny!

ART6

I have never been happy with this "I have priority" attitude. There is much more to driving than that. Vehicles are driven by people with all of the usual human failings. The guy coming the other way may have simply misjudged the situation. He might even be a complete idiot who didn't even recognise that there was a situation. Due to traffic he might not have been able to pull out earlier to be able to see past the obstruction, or even not have realised that he should do so. I wonder how many of us -- at least those who have been drivers for some years -- have not on occasions thought "Sh!te I made a mess of that".

Personally I am in the camp that says if the other guy seems to behaving like a lunatic, slow down and let him get it out of his system them move on. Confrontation solves nothing.

So there:D

ArphaRima

You are not wrong.
Yet you are wrong to assume.

Right of way does not replace good defensive driving. Expect them to do the wrong thing, prepare for it and drive accordingly.

Small things like this really annoy me too. You can drive like an asshole to force the issue, but it really isnt going to get you home quicker. Now I just facilitate their ignorance in the name of courtesy. Slow down, flash and allow them to pass. Situation defused.

newmug

ART6 wrote: »

I have never been happy with this "I have priority" attitude. There is much more to driving than that. Vehicles are driven by people with all of the usual human failings. The guy coming the other way may have simply misjudged the situation. He might even be a complete idiot who didn't even recognise that there was a situation. Due to traffic he might not have been able to pull out earlier to be able to see past the obstruction, or even not have realised that he should do so.

Its idiots like that who shouldn't be on the road. Cars are like loaded guns, if you dont know how to use them, dont play with them.

ART6 wrote: »

I wonder how many of us -- at least those who have been drivers for some years -- have not on occasions thought "Sh!te I made a mess of that".

Maybe twice, in 15 years or so. It really shouldn't be on the "once or twice a year" scale. If it is, there's something wrong:(

dr.fuzzenstein

It's one of those things.
In theory the driver who has the obstruction on their side of the road has to wait.
In practice (just as with pulling out from sidestreets or crossing junctions) the rule is just floor it, chance your arm and play thick when caught out.
Once met a guy on a narrow country road, he was going too fast and on my side of the road, hit my mirror, his and my mirror broke.
When I confronted him he said "ah sure call the cops, sure I don't care", knowing as this is a narrow road I could indeed claim off him, but he would also claim off me, trying it on if I would go as far as have my premium loaded in order to replace a E20 mirror.
I had no choice other than to let him go and he knew that.
Be aware that an awful lot of people out there just plain don't give a sh*t either about you or themselves and couldn't care less about what happens to themselves or you for that matter.
I like the idea of a game of chicken though...

Seosaimh77

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

is this simply another case of half the world being totally thick?

In a nut shell, when there is a car parked on the road, the cars coming towards me just pull out into my lane causing me to have to jam on my brakes and wait for them to pass the car/return to their own lane.

I get the same up my way. It's weird. The other car should definitely stop and wait, but it never seems to happen, and I've never seen anyone even complain about it before. I'm with you, half the world is mental and seem to be missing something.

Plus my road isn't even an estate, it's a fairly busy road

the_syco

Aye. Some will try to squeeze by you. If going slowly, in the middle (or your lane), allowing no room, they'll stay there. Slowly, in case they decide to pull out, so that you can stop in time.

daltonm

Nope you are absolutely spot on - I have the same problem in three specific areas near my home. Two involve cars illegally parked on the left hand side of the road and me coming off a main road. I have to brake to let these &*$$s pass, while the traffic behind me, on a main road comes to a stand still.

It's driving lesson 101 to view the road, distinguish obstructions and allow for them, if there are none then you continue, if there are some, then you give way.

RandomAccess

I prescribe...

CiniO

TheUsual wrote: »

Imagine if everyone drove as if they have the right of way (according to the rules of the road) and other drivers should yield to you.

You don't have to imagine it.
Go to Poland and drive there. You will see that your imagination is reality.

knird evol

ART6 wrote: »

I have never been happy with this "I have priority" attitude. ............ The guy coming the other way may have simply misjudged the situation.

He (more likely she) may have misjudged in moving over to the wrong side of the road when the way is not clear, but they are not going to deliberately collide into oncoming traffic. They hope for and benefit from Passive driving like the OP's who grind to a halt leaving a gap for them to come through and move back to the right side of the road. This positively reinforces their selfish, ignorant attitude.
If oncoming cars are not so forgiving or passive to their ""mistake"" then they are forced themselves to stop, and then to move back.

shedweller

knird evol wrote: »

They hope for and benefit from Passive driving like the OP's who grind to a halt leaving a gap for them to come through and move back to the right side of the road. This positively reinforces their selfish, ignorant attitude.

And they don't like it up 'em!
I see this kind of behaviour on roundaboust all the time too. The lack of indicators is apalling.
You could drive in such a way that you make a point about their bad driving but then you'd be one of those drivers that drive to make a point. Thats not pleasant either.
It's like those people that park in set down areas at gyms. :mad: I just set down opposite them and load the kids just to hold them up. effin assholes. Its petty but hey.... they don't like it up 'em!

Viper_JB

This bugs me to no end, I used to not care but currently have to deal with it pretty much every day on the way home from work, and a lot of the time it's the same guy!!!! So annoying I wish there was someway I could educated him with out putting myself in harms way...

BrianD3

knird evol wrote: »

He (more likely she) may have misjudged in moving over to the wrong side of the road when the way is not clear, but they are not going to deliberately collide into oncoming traffic. They hope for and benefit from Passive driving like the OP's who grind to a halt leaving a gap for them to come through and move back to the right side of the road. This positively reinforces their selfish, ignorant attitude.
If oncoming cars are not so forgiving or passive to their ""mistake"" then they are forced themselves to stop, and then to move back.

+1 to that, the driver who has priority (in this case the OP) should assert themselves. This doesn't mean having a crash to prove a point but the opposite extreme is to stop/pull in at the first sign of trouble. When someone starts overtaking into my face on an urban road like the OP described I keep going and make them *think* that I'm not going to stop. I also maintain my position and don't pull right over to the kerb to make additional room for them as that will only encourage them to overtake into my face and force me to stop

Basic rule of driving - drivers must give way to oncoming traffic when overtaking obstructions. Made up "courtesy" rules usually serve to confuse matters. In certain situations it may help the greater good if drivers reliquish their priority but I doubt this applies in the OPs case. Also it is up to the driver with priority to relinquish it as opposed to being forced into it by someone else's bad driving.

longhalloween

Forest Master wrote: »

If the obstruction is on their side of the road, they're supossed to wait until there is no oncoming traffic before they overtake it. So yes, you have right of way.

And yes, more than half of people are idiots.

Agree with this. The obstruction is not on your side, so it's not your problem.

keithclancy

We used to call it a Douglas street standoff

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Douglas+St,+Cork,+Ireland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.114675,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Douglas+St,+Cork,+County+Cork,+Ireland&ll=51.893277,-8.469633&spn=0.012209,0.027595&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.893315,-8.469781&panoid=aXZ5dmOHVH-C4ah2XXeS9w&cbp=12,126.15,,0,11.05

For some reason half the people thought that if you had more cars on your side than the other you had right of way.

I saw a Taxi there one day, he had right of way. Some bellend in a Honda Civic with Halfords junk all over it sped up the street. skidded to a halt in front of the taxi going down that road. Started beeping his horn, taxi driver just sat there waiting for him to move. Young fella gets out and starts banging on the taxis window. Then after about 2 - 3 minutes goes back to his car.

Guy in Civic starts revving his engine, turns up the volume on his stereo etc.

Taxi driver turns off engine, takes out the Irish times and starts reading.

Eventually theres a queue forming on either side, some lad in a van behind the taxi driver walks down, tells the young fella to move or he'll move it for him, sheepishly pulls into a parking space to let everyone pass.

Taxi driver puts down paper, turns on engine and drives on.

Saw the same thing happen another day where some italian nut job mounted the footpath, rammed off the side of 4 cars, hit off the Green Parties front door, then tore off around the corner and crashed into a parked car. He wasnt even drunk, he just lost it. Gardai arrested him about 15 minutes later.

limklad

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

This is something which I experience on a daily basis in the estate I live in and has me thinking I must be the one that's wrong. Or is this simply another case of half the world being totally thick?

Have a look at the attached picture.

In a nut shell, when there is a car parked on the road, the cars coming towards me just pull out into my lane causing me to have to jam on my brakes and wait for them to pass the car/return to their own lane.

I'm not speeding or driving too fast, and surely they can see me coming towards them. It seems they believe I should have to stop so they can pass the parked car.

I have always assumed they should stop behind the parked car, wait for me to pass, and then go around the car. But this hardly ever happens.

Am I wrong?

No you not in the wrong. If the road of the estate is a Public Road then the rules of the road applies. They meant to stop if there is an obstruction on their side of the road to allow you to pass before taking over your side of the road. But if you are on Private property (Most housing estates are not handed over to the council control), the Insurance companies may go 50:50 as the accident happen on private property as they may not be any road markings.

nullzero

I see this happening all the time too.

Having some plonker drive out into your path when you've got right of way is annoying, but I find it equally annoying that many of the cars parked on the road are outside houses whose driveways are perpetually empty.

I live in a cul de sac, three cars in my house, all in the drive way (garden has been converted).
The rest of the clowns on my road park on street leaving thier diveways empty, some of them with three or four cars per house hold.
I just pity anyone trying to drive up the street who doesn't know what's lurking behind the Landcruiser parked on the bend, where there have been a good few near misses.
Mind boggling stuff.

Lord Nikon

The Rathangan Road in notorious for cars abandoned on the side of the road, with people not even using their driveways. Some don't even park close to the curb, usually leave 18" gap. Cars on both side of the road too. The mind clearly boggles.

x in the city

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

This is something which I experience on a daily basis in the estate I live in and has me thinking I must be the one that's wrong. Or is this simply another case of half the world being totally thick?

Have a look at the attached picture.

In a nut shell, when there is a car parked on the road, the cars coming towards me just pull out into my lane causing me to have to jam on my brakes and wait for them to pass the car/return to their own lane.

I'm not speeding or driving too fast, and surely they can see me coming towards them. It seems they believe I should have to stop so they can pass the parked car.

I have always assumed they should stop behind the parked car, wait for me to pass, and then go around the car. But this hardly ever happens.

Am I wrong?

the n0bs on the other side should wait.

why?

because the offending car is on THEIR lane, duh.

galwaytt

keithclancy wrote: »

We used to call it a Douglas street standoff

Ha, good one - we have one in Athenry as well: He who's bravest, wins !

Wonders: what if you're a Googlecamera car ??

keithclancy wrote: »

Saw the same thing happen another day where some italian nut job mounted the footpath, rammed off the side of 4 cars, hit off the Green Parties front door, then tore off around the corner and crashed into a parked car. He wasnt even drunk, he just lost it. Gardai arrested him about 15 minutes later.

...hey, at least some good came of it...........:D

slimjimmc

limklad wrote: »

No you not in the wrong. If the road of the estate is a Public Road then the rules of the road applies. They meant to stop if there is an obstruction on their side of the road to allow you to pass before taking over your side of the road. But if you are on Private property (Most housing estates are not handed over to the council control), the Insurance companies may go 50:50 as the accident happen on private property as they may not be any road markings.

There is no difference between public roads and private roads in un-gated estates, property ownership doesn't come into it. Both are defined as public places under the Road Traffic Act unless the estate is a secure gated community where the public have no means of access. Traffic law applies equally in both places.

zenno

Forest Master wrote: »

If the obstruction is on their side of the road, they're supossed to wait until there is no oncoming traffic before they overtake it. So yes, you have right of way.

And yes, more than half of people are idiots.

100% correct. i have had this happen to me a few times but not that much. people are just inconsiderate thats all.

bazzachazza

This happens all the time outside schools. Parents pull in drop off/pick up kids then drive off passing other parents stopped whilst driving wrong side of road into on-coming traffic expecting the other drivers to yield.

Example: Primary school in Enfield county Meath. Bunch of feckin twats won't even walk their children to school yet insist on blocking other people's journeys everyday:mad:. It got so bad the residents of one estate came out and hammered in 4ft metal stakes into the grass and tied long bits of plastic tape to stop parents DUMPING their car's on the grass over the double yellow lines. You could barely get a car down the middle of the road.