Driving query

Oisinjm

This may not be the appropriate place for this question, feel free to move it if not.

I'm a fully licenced driver and was driving on the m50 earlier in the middle lane. Overtaking a car towing a large mobile home in the first lane. I was at the back right of the mobile home doing around 100km/hr with it doing approx 85. I saw the car and mobile home start to move into the middle lane and cross into my lane and had to swerve into the middle of the far right lane to avoid it before moving back.

There was a motorbike coming up the outside who was obviously fuming I had swerved into that lane.

Did I do the right thing here? Should I have slammed on the breaks? My thinking would have been that breaking suddenly would have been more likely to cause a crash but I'm unsure.

verycool

So, the mobile home swerved in to your lane (middle) without indicating, or did you have time to slow down to let it in?

You did what you could in this situation, but I think the right thing to do to deal with this eejit was to slow down and beep them. Swerving in to the overtaking lane was a little dangerous but chalk it up to experience.

punisher5112

If you swerved then you have lost control.

If there was no other vehicles around you could chance what you did but doing this on a motorcycle whether he was traveling fast or not is most likely a close call as slowing a bike is much harder then just stopping a car.

If there is going to be contact try and minimize it but never swerve at speed as it could end up a lot worse then just a few scratches down the side.

Neon_Lights

I'd say the mobile home is at fault here, it obviously didnt check it's mirrors, and the driver was obviously too concerned with sniffing his own farts & drinking budweiser in wexford to give a crap about what was in the other lane. Obviously swerving didn't help. This is why I think doing a little over the speed limit, or popping in a little bit of acceleration, when overtaking helps here, as it allays the ambiguity of the driver behind who could be hogging the middle lane like an idiot or doing that slowly creeping overtake. Its nothing compared to what I see in Australia now on a daily basis, so don't sweat, you'll learn from this one.

Del2005

You should always stop in your own lane. By swerving you create more danger than braking. But realising that you should not swerve when another vehicle is coming into your lane is not easy.

fritzelly

With a 15 kmph difference you had plenty of time to brake without risking other drivers lives. As others have said if you were swerving you weren't in control

But the car pulling the caravan was breaking the speed limit

Isambard

gosh there were a lot of people there in the car with you. Several of them posting here

were you alongside the mobile home or further back? That's the crucial bit. If you were alongside it, you had no choice but to take avoiding action, if not, you should have maintained your position and braked.

verycool

Isambard wrote: »

gosh there were a lot of people there in the car with you. Several of them posting here

were you alongside the mobile home or further back? That's the crucial bit. If you were alongside it, you had no choice but to take avoiding action, if not, you should have maintained your position and braked.

*makes patronising remark about people giving their opinion
*gives own opinion which echoes what other posters have already said

Alanstrainor

Towing vehicle moved into middle lane without making sure the lane was clear. This is clearly wrong, and they were wrong for doing so. As for your response, it's hard for us to comment here without having at least a video to work from. But it sounds like braking would have been more appropriate. Swerving really is a drastic manoeuvre, and a dangerous one to make without being aware of all other traffic around you.

I would be highly cautious passing a towing vehicle like this. Trailers can behave unpredictably, and if it was a normal car towing an especially large trailer I would be even more worried. I think I would have moved out into lane 3 and given this thing as much space as possible. I would also want to pass it as quickly as possible and would have accelerated above 100km/h briefly to do so. Yes it is breaking the speed limit, but in the circumstances I would think it would be wise to do so.

Isambard

verycool wrote: »

*makes patronising remark about people giving their opinion
*gives own opinion which echoes what other posters have already said

I gave no opinion at all

verycool

Isambard wrote: »

gosh there were a lot of people there in the car with you. Several of them posting here

were you alongside the mobile home or further back? That's the crucial bit. If you were alongside it, you had no choice but to take avoiding action, if not, you should have maintained your position and braked.

Isambard wrote: »

I gave no opinion at all

:rolleyes:

Isambard

The OP asked a question to the effect of were they right to swerve and I answered it. It depends on the circumstances.That's not an opinion.

An opinion would be saying that the towcar driver didn't check their mirrors.

Diemos

As others have said, the towing vehicle was in the wrong with it's actions.
But your response was also wrong.
If you had hit the motorcyclist, you would have been the party responsible for their injuries and damage.
The correct thing to do would have been to brake and stay in your lane.
I understand that you would be concerned about vehicles behind you but it is their responsibility to have been driving behind you at a safe distance and paying attention to what is going on before them.

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

...I would be highly cautious passing a towing vehicle like this.....

This.

It's more than likely that a gust of wind on the exposed M50 caught the side of the mobile home and it acted like a sail. Very much doubt that the driver intended to swerve. High sided empty caravans/mobile homes etc. can be notoriously difficult to control especially if towed at a higher speed than is appropriate. Youtube is full of clips of caravans 'fish tailing'.

I'd stay behind or pass at speed.

Samuel T. Cogley

While it's not popular to use it for some reason, your horn is there to be used to warn other drivers. I'd have been leaning on the thing and trying to stop in my own lane. That said I understand the natural reaction to swerve.

Also to echo Wishbone, get past things especially where they are likely to be effected by wind or have low visibility. I know the limit on the M50 is 100 but overtaking, get past. Frequent argument I have with the wife.