ROR question

AugustusMinimus

Simple enough situation.

3 lane motorway. You have a car in lane 1 and a car in lane 3.

Both cars try to move into lane 2 at the same time. How has the right of way.

This happened to me the other day when I was in lane 3 and I yielded for no other reason that I was worried the other driver mightn't see me and wouldn't yield.

Atlantic Dawn

Car in Lane 1 should yield for cars in lanes 2 and 3, however you shouldn't be in the overtaking lane unless you are overtaking cars in lane 2.

AugustusMinimus

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Car in Lane 1 should yield for cars in lanes 2 and 3, however you shouldn't in in the overtaking lane unless you are overtaking cars in lane 2.

I had just overtaken a car in lane 2 and was moving into lane 2 after completing the pass.

Why did you presume I hadn't just overtaken a car ?

In fact, I can be quite vocal here at times about overtaking lane hoggers.

Seth Brundle

"Give way to traffic on your right"

Stoolbend

Did anyone else think this was a question for ROR?

CiniO

kbannon wrote: »

"Give way to traffic on your right"

Where did you get this quote from?
AFAIK this rule applies only on junctions of equal importance.

BTW it's very interesting question.
I was wondering about it once as well.
As in most EU countries the rule in this case is that the right of way goes to the vehicle changing lane from the right side.
But so far I didn't find any rule in Irish Road Traffic Law.

Probably in case of accident, the fault would be 50/50.

AugustusMinimus

kbannon wrote: »

"Give way to traffic on your right"

As with CiniO, I thought this only applies at 4 way stops etc.

Mc Love

Also thought about this on the 3-lane part of the N7 - that stretch of road is a law on to itself (that goes for the M50 too)

R.O.R

barry81 wrote: »

Did anyone else think this was a question for ROR?

As I seem to be the expert (about time someone realised ), car in lane 1 should have yielded, but it seems like AugustusMinimus took the sensible option of avoiding any sort of collision.

I'd prefer an undamaged car rather than bodywork repairs and letting insurance companies decide who was right or wrong.

T-Maxx

Why a RoR? Whatever happened to common sense? Jaysus no wonder there are so many accidents on the roads...

CiniO

R.O.R wrote: »

As I seem to be the expert (about time someone realised ), car in lane 1 should have yielded, but it seems like AugustusMinimus took the sensible option of avoiding any sort of collision.

You say that car in lane 1 should yield.
Question is why?

coylemj

kbannon wrote: »

"Give way to traffic on your right"

This applies almost nowhere on our roads because at virtually every junction in rural Ireland there is a 'Stop' or 'Yield' sign indicating to motorists that they are on the minor road.

On the issue of two cars coming from opposite directions and turning off (one turning left, the other right) into the same road, the ROR say that the guy turning left has the right of way so I don't know anywhere where 'give way to traffic on your right' applies.

CiniO

coylemj wrote: »

This applies almost nowhere on our roads because at virtually every junction in rural Ireland there is a 'Stop' or 'Yield' sign indicating to motorists that they are on the minor road.

On the issue of two cars coming from opposite directions and turning off (one turning left, the other right) into the same road, the ROR say that the guy turning left has the right of way so I don't know anywhere where 'give way to traffic on your right' applies.

It applies on junctions of roads of equal importance.
I barely have seen any of those in Ireland, but probably it happends sometimes f.e. in housing estates, etc.

Nissan doctor

Regardless of the ROR rules, if you are overtaking in lane 3, then you are closing on the car in lane 1 from behind, so unless they perform a dangerous lane change(no indication etc) then you can see what they are going to do if you are observing the traffic properly(indicator on, checking mirrors/over shoulder etc) and therefore shouldn't initiate a lane change yourself until you are past them.

AugustusMinimus

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Regardless of the ROR rules, if you are overtaking in lane 3, then you are closing on the car in lane 1 from behind, so unless they perform a dangerous lane change(no indication etc) then you can see what they are going to do if you are observing the traffic properly(indicator on, checking mirrors/over shoulder etc) and therefore shouldn't initiate a lane change yourself until you are past them.

Not in my case.

IIRC, I was overtaking a middle lane moron and I think the car in lane 1 was doing the same.

CiniO

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Regardless of the ROR rules, if you are overtaking in lane 3, then you are closing on the car in lane 1 from behind, so unless they perform a dangerous lane change(no indication etc) then you can see what they are going to do if you are observing the traffic properly(indicator on, checking mirrors/over shoulder etc) and therefore shouldn't initiate a lane change yourself until you are past them.

I have to disagree.
If there is a big traffic, and vehicles travelling both at lane 1 and lane 2, then you after overtaking on lane 3 if you want to come back to lane 2, might not see the vehicle changing lane from lane 1 to lane 2.
BTW. Remember that checking over the shoulder works on motorcycles and passenger cars, but not on vans, trucks, buses, etc.
And in that situation it's very easy to have a vehicles coming from lane 1 on the blind spot.

Nissan doctor

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Not in my case.

IIRC, I was overtaking a middle lane moron and I think the car in lane 1 was doing the same.

In that case the car in lane one was undertaking and braking the law anyway.

AugustusMinimus

Nissan doctor wrote: »

In that case the car in lane one was undertaking and braking the law anyway.

I like the think that it was the car in lane 2 who was breaking the law. More than the car in lane 1 anyways.

Nissan doctor

CiniO wrote: »

I have to disagree.
If there is a big traffic, and vehicles travelling both at lane 1 and lane 2, then you after overtaking on lane 3 if you want to come back to lane 2, might not see the vehicle changing lane from lane 1 to lane 2.
BTW. Remember that checking over the shoulder works on motorcycles and passenger cars, but not on vans, trucks, buses, etc.
And in that situation it's very easy to have a vehicles coming from lane 1 on the blind spot.

Any decent driver is aware of the blind spot, especially truck/bus drivers. I'd question the competance of anyone who could change lanes without being 100% certain its clear, if your not 100% then you wait, if you can't wait it means you've left it too late to try to change lanes. Its all a lack of observation/forward thinking IMO.

Nissan doctor

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I like the think that it was the car in lane 2 who was breaking the law. More than the car in lane 1 anyways.

I recon that if the car in lane one moved from lane 2(presumably) to undertake, then pulled back into lane 2 without enough warning(obviously, if you couldn't see what he was going to do) then I recon any garda would have much more interest in his manover then a car driving steady in lane 2.

AugustusMinimus

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I recon that if the car in lane one moved from lane 2(presumably) to undertake, then pulled back into lane 2 without enough warning(obviously, if you couldn't see what he was going to do) then I recon any garda would have much more interest in his manover then a car driving steady in lane 2.

I never said he started in lane 2 and then moved into lane 1.

Presumably, he was constantly in lane 1 and after undertaking the car in lane 2, he himself had to move into lane 2 to overtake a car in lane 1.

Nissan doctor

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I never said he started in lane 2 and then moved into lane 1.

Presumably, he was constantly in lane 1 and after undertaking the car in lane 2, he himself had to move into lane 2 to overtake a car in lane 1.

Well for me, it would depend on who was travelling faster, if he was going faster, approaching you from behind, then he should have been watching for you to change lane and vice versa if you were travelling faster.

If you were both going the same speed then you would check the lane is clear, then look across at the car parallel to you(in lane 1) to check for indication or mirror checking etc by that driver.