Idiot trucker

sogood

I just want to say a big "Thank you" to the lunatic driver who was travelling aound north cork today, around 11.30. driving an articulated gravel truck. It was on some narrow back roads and as I approched a blind, right hand bend, complete with continuous white line etc. the above mentioned idiot appeared, on my side of the road, as he chose that time and place to overtke a cyclist! Luckily I was just cruising along in my car, at a gentle pace, because I drive coaches on these type of roads all the time and so always try to expect the unexpected.
I had to brake hard, just to allow this clown room to get past the cyclist and back onto his own side of the road. He wasn't even looking my way, as he was stretched forward in the seat, looking at the cyclist in his mirror.
It was fortunate that I wasn't travelling any faster, or that an elderly lady, perhaps with slower reactions, hadn't met this guy. This level of stupidity from a supposed professional driver is unbelievable. I'm sure he won't be reading this, but if he is, he will know what sort of idiot he is!

Rant over.

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

I just want to say a big "Thank you" to the lunatic driver who was travelling aound north cork today, around 11.30. driving an articulated gravel truck. It was on some narrow back roads and as I approched a blind, right hand bend, complete with continuous white line etc. the above mentioned idiot appeared, on my side of the road, as he chose that time and place to overtke a cyclist! Luckily I was just cruising along in my car, at a gentle pace, because I drive coaches on these type of roads all the time and so always try to expect the unexpected.
I had to brake hard, just to allow this clown room to get past the cyclist and back onto his own side of the road. He wasn't even looking my way, as he was stretched forward in the seat, looking at the cyclist in his mirror.
It was fortunate that I wasn't travelling any faster, or that an elderly lady, perhaps with slower reactions, hadn't met this guy. This level of stupidity from a supposed professional driver is unbelievable. I'm sure he won't be reading this, but if he is, he will know what sort of idiot he is!

Rant over.

If I ended up in his position, I would also be looking at the cyclist, not you.

kirving

If you also saw the cyclist, would you not have anticipated the truck moving over to overtake them?

How much room do you give cyclist when driving an artic around a blind bend?

Bear in mind that the rear wheels take a shorter route around the corner, so it seems the truck driver was ensuring that he didn't mince a cyclist today.

sogood

CiniO wrote: »

If I ended up in his position, I would also be looking at the cyclist, not you.

He didn't end up in this position, he put himself in this position. Overtaking a cyclist on a blind bend causing the truck to pass over onto the wrong side of the road is a very big no no, big time.

CiniO

Kevin Irving wrote: »

If you also saw the cyclist, would you not have anticipated the truck moving over to overtake them?

I think OP saw truck and cyclist at the same time, as at the moment he saw them, truck was already overtaking cyclist.

Idleater

Kevin Irving wrote: »

How much room do you give cyclist when driving an artic?

enough room to pass safely without crossing a continuous white line :rolleyes:

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

He didn't end up in this position, he put himself in this position. Overtaking a cyclist on a blind bend causing the truck to pass over onto the wrong side of the road is a very big no no, big time.

It's just terminology. No matter what was the reason, that was the position he end up (meeting a car on blind bend while overtaking a cyclist).
Good that he kept looking at cyclist.

sogood

Kevin Irving wrote: »

If you also saw the cyclist, would you not have anticipated the truck moving over to overtake them?

How much room do you give cyclist when driving an artic?

The truck and the cyclist appeared around the bend together with the truck alongside the cyclist because he was overtaking it. Totally wrong, as it meant the truck came around a blind bend, towards oncoming traffic, on the wrong side of the road. We all get stuck behind cyclists, tractor and dawdlers in general, but we have to wait until it is safe to pass them, or am I mising something?

kirving

Yeah, but the truck driver may also have found himself on top of the cyclist, as the cyclist would be going around the (blind) bend much more slowly.

CiniO

Idleater wrote: »

enough room to pass safely without crossing a continuous white line :rolleyes:

How much is enough room? (in metres or feet) ?


PS - sometimes it's impossible to avoid passing continous while line when driving a truck.

sogood

CiniO wrote: »

It's just terminology. No matter what was the reason, that was the position he end up (meeting a car on blind bend while overtaking a cyclist).
Good that he kept looking at cyclist.

Yes, I suppose you're right. Better not to squash the cyclist who he shouldn't have been overtaking in the first place and just take his chances with the oncoming traffic instead. Must try that approach in future myself as opposed to being a little bit patient and not taking dangerous unnecessary risks.

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

Totally wrong, as it meant the truck came around a blind bend, towards oncoming traffic, on the wrong side of the road.

I drive a coach and I have to do it everyday (come around a blind bend towards oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road).
Not because I'm overtaking cyclists on blind bends. It's because road is too narrow, and my coach takes all left lane, and half of right lane. Somehow magically I didn't crash yet over last 5 years doing it.

We all get stuck behind cyclists, tractor and dawdlers in general, but we have to wait until it is safe to pass them, or am I mising something?

I don't think you are missing anything. Driver you described must have been out of his mind.

sogood

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Yeah, but the truck driver may also have found himself on top of the cyclist, as the cyclist would be going around the (blind) bend much more slowly.

So he should hav held back then, but this wasnt the case, as the road he had come along was straight and he would have seen the bike. He took a dangerous, reckless chance, simples. I was there! He was on my side of the road, entirely, completely, absolutely, as he came around the bend.

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

Yes, I suppose you're right. Better not to squash the cyclist who he shouldn't have been overtaking in the first place and just take his chances with the oncoming traffic instead. Must try that approach in future myself as opposed to being a little bit patient and not taking dangerous unnecessary risks.

You are talking nonsense here.

Obviously it's better not to squash the cyclist then not to squash a car.
At this point, it was best what he could do.

Fact that he shouldn't have been overtaking is undoubful, but he did that already, so what the point in questioning it.

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

So he should hav held back then, but this wasnt the case, as the road he had come along was straight and he would have seen the bike. He took a dangerous, reckless chance, simples. I was there! He was on my side of the road, entirely, completely, absolutely, as he came around the bend.

Allright.
If I was to start a new thread about anyone I see who does something stupid and dangerous on the road, I would be writing up to 50 threads a day.
Just calm down. There's nothing you can do about it now, unless you had a dashcam and have it recorded. Then you could probaby report him for dangerous driving.

scary

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Yeah, but the truck driver may also have found himself on top of the cyclist, as the cyclist would be going around the (blind) bend much more slowly.

so he slows down and waits till its safe, like most sensible people do, so he loses about 1 min on his journey big deal better than going head on into someone coming around a blind bend.

bugsntinas

crazy!surely anyone in their right mind would know that you don't overtake on a bend of any kind especially where there are white lines.i learnt to drive in the uk and i believe,it's a while ago now,that the highwa code stated that you should give at least 6 ft of space where possible and from cycling and coming off my bike that is roughly a safe gap to stop your head being squished.

sogood

CiniO wrote: »

You are talking nonsense here.

Obviously it's better not to squash the cyclist then not to squash a car.
At this point, it was best what he could do.

Fact that he shouldn't have been overtaking is undoubful, but he did that already, so what the point in questioning it.

You might let me know what bus you drive so I'll know never to get on it!
I didn't question his actions, I condemmed them. This is a motoring forum, meant for debating/discussing all things motoring and I expressed the opinion that the truck driver was an idiot for doing what he did. You can excuse him or defend him all you like, that's your perogative. I just said what happened.

sogood

scary wrote: »

so he slows down and waits till its safe, like most sensible people do, so he loses about 1 min on his journey big deal better than going head on into someone coming around a blind bend.

Thank you, a voice of sanity and reason!

CiniO

sogood wrote: »

You might let me know what bus you drive so I'll know never to get on it!

I won't.
What else can you do while driving a bus which is wider than the driving lane?

Yawns

Yeah Scary but what if what had happened was the truck was coming along driving normally and starts on a blind bend. Suddenly half way round he sees a cyclist but can't slow down enough in time as the cyclist is cycling so slow and the truck is too heavy to slow quick enough. He sees no traffic as such and makes a split decision to overtake.

During the overtake OP comes along and the truck is already halfway through the overtake. If he can complete while not killing cyclist and the op managed to slow down enough then brilliant. It could have ended very differently very easily and at the end of the day the truck driver should have slowed enough to go into a blind bend as it was. He was still in the wrong but it's things like this that can happen and cause misery on the roads.

CiniO

bugsntinas wrote: »

!surely anyone in their right mind would know that you don't overtake on a bend of any kind especially where there are white lines

We all overtake on bends f.e. on double carriageways or motorways.
Also there's nothing wrong in overtaking on bends, when visibility is good and you can see nothing is coming.
And finally even if there is continuous white line, you can still overtake (f.e. cyclist) provided you don't cross the white line, and keep enough distance between cyclist and you.

So saying that you can't overtake on bends, is not entirely true.

CiniO

Yawns wrote: »

Yeah Scary but what if what had happened was the truck was coming along driving normally and starts on a blind bend. Suddenly half way round he sees a cyclist but can't slow down enough in time as the cyclist is cycling so slow and the truck is too heavy to slow quick enough. He sees no traffic as such and makes a split decision to overtake.

During the overtake OP comes along and the truck is already halfway through the overtake. If he can complete while not killing cyclist and the op managed to slow down enough then brilliant. It could have ended very differently very easily and at the end of the day the truck driver should have slowed enough to go into a blind bend as it was. He was still in the wrong but it's things like this that can happen and cause misery on the roads.

As you said.
In relation to bold text, there is a regulation requiring everyone to drive at speed allowing them to stop on a distance of road which can be seen to be clear.
That's a very good regulation.

bugsntinas

some people are twisting things here and seem to be taking it personally.at the end of the day the only one that knows why the truck driver was doing what they were doing is the truck driver end of.i've seen the way people pass cyclist and i shudder when they do.

Idleater

CiniO wrote: »

And finally even if there is continuous white line, you can still overtake (f.e. cyclist) provided you don't cross the white line, and keep enough distance between cyclist and you.

agreed.

However, in the instance in question this was not the case.

jimmyw

Yawns wrote: »

Yeah Scary but what if what had happened was the truck was coming along driving normally and starts on a blind bend. Suddenly half way round he sees a cyclist but can't slow down enough in time as the cyclist is cycling so slow and the truck is too heavy to slow quick enough. He sees no traffic as such and makes a split decision to overtake.

During the overtake OP comes along and the truck is already halfway through the overtake. If he can complete while not killing cyclist and the op managed to slow down enough then brilliant. It could have ended very differently very easily and at the end of the day the truck driver should have slowed enough to go into a blind bend as it was. He was still in the wrong but it's things like this that can happen and cause misery on the roads.

yeah the driver was probably half way through the manoeuvre when the OP came along but couldn't do much then.I wouldn't be too hard on the driver, and I am a part-time cyclist and nearly s... when some trucks past me a little too close for comfort.

I find that 9 times out of ten when I am coming up to a bend, then that's when a car, truck etc seems to come along behind me and I am always afraid that another vehicle will be coming in the other direction.

Of course the driver was right to watch the cyclist as he was passing, what did you want him to do OP? Squash the cyclist ?

scary

jimmyw wrote: »

yeah the driver was probably half way through the manoeuvre when the OP came along but couldn't do much then.I wouldn't be too hard on the driver, and I am a part-time cyclist and nearly s... when some trucks past me a little too close for comfort.

I find that 9 times out of ten when I am coming up to a bend, then that's when a car, truck etc seems to come along behind me and I am always afraid that another vehicle will be coming in the other direction.

Of course the driver was right to watch the cyclist as he was passing, what did you want him to do OP? Squash the cyclist ?

you weren't there so thats only speculation, anyone on the road should be driving at a speed and distance that allows them to slow or stop safely.

jimmyw

Yes but maybe before the truck driver overtook, there was no one coming in the other direction and the OP came along in the mean time.What was he supposed to do? go back behind the cyclist?

Yes it is only speculation but we are only hearing one side of the story and not the lorry drivers side.But it could well be true that they were in the wrong.

Yawns

Well either way it's a given that the truck driver was in the wrong. Even if noone was coming when he started or he had to start because he was going too fast for conditions or w/e you want to hear it. But I do agree that it could have been a very easy mistake to make that he was going around a blind bend and simply wasn't expecting a cyclist to be there. Luckily it wasn't someone in a car crawling around and he had to overtake with the OP coming sooner.

Maybe he will learn from this and slow down further in future.