Tractor on fast roads

[jpaul]

I think the tractor video is misleading, cannot see the speed of the tractor and difficult to estimate over-take speed,
the Glasgow folks coming towards the tractor must be either very tolerant, not flashing, and giving way/braking, or the margin is much larger than it appears.

None of which detracts from the fact that the ONLY correct response to seeing somebody coming towards you on your side of the road is to slow/stop.

of course.

Generally need to anticipate the problem and warn oncoming people (before they move) not to try overtaking where the gap is not large enough, by putting on the lights, or flashing,
to say I am here.

 

[Orionaut]

Generally need to anticipate the problem and warn oncoming people (before they move) not to try overtaking where the gap is not large enough, by putting on the lights, or flashing,
to say I am here.

Unfortunately, flashing of lights under this scenario is ambiguous.

I know that is not what the HC says, But in the real world Many people would interpret flashing under these circumstances as an invitation to proceed.

 

[ttaskmaster]

I do wonder sometimes if they really NEED to be out during normal rush hour.

Depending on conditions, crop, time of year, etc, it can be a 24/7 job. If our local lad has finished ploughing one field, he's going to dive to the next one and get started. He's not going to sit there for three hours waiting for traffic to die down.

If I then see somebody actually doing so I stop if necessary.

You do this in rush hour traffic, and admit it in a thread bitching about having to slow down for slower moving vehicles?
Come try that round here, see how many ***** then overtake your snail-ass, while giving you a faceful of abuse for driving like a granny - It's best when the person doing it is nearly twice your age, as well!!

Sure, But anybody who willingly chooses not to mitigate somebody eleses error by slowing down/stopping to make the situation safe is a jerk.

If I did that every single time, I'd have to spend more than half the day parked up at the side of the road!!

but can anyone honestly say they enjoy being stuck doing 25mph behind a tractor?

Sure - It gives me time to vape, sort out my make-up, eat a cup of porridge, scream at the kids... Home away from home!

 

[jpaul]

Unfortunately, flashing of lights under this scenario is ambiguous.

yes - good point ..

how do you say politely 'get back in your box' - fixed main beam (daytime anyway) ?

case in point - this evening A10 going North, raining hard, artic was coming towards me, he decides to over-take a cyclist and ignore us, forcing us towards edge of road,
as opposed to waiting ... I flashed him before he was level with cyclist .. to no avail , maybe he was a foreigner.

 

[Orionaut]

case in point - this evening A10 going North, raining hard, artic was coming towards me, he decides to over-take a cyclist and ignore us, forcing us towards edge of road,
as opposed to waiting ... I flashed him before he was level with cyclist .. to no avail , maybe he was a foreigner.

Well, that's kind of the point I have been trying to make.

If I was driving along a busy SC road in the rain and saw a Cyclist coming towards me with an HGV gaining on him (And obviously wanting to pass)

I would (And have) braked, pulled very obviously to the extreme left, and flashed rapidly (Ambiguousness not withstanding, but I would hope that pulling over to the left would reinforce the message) in order to give the HGV the opportunity to pass safely.

Just carrying on regardless flashing my lights and tooting my horn in righteous indignation because "Right of Way" risks killing the cyclist, destroying the life of the truck driver and even risking serious injury and death for me too.

Its nuts...!

Isnt it just a bit better to just relinquish a bit of speed and entitlement to make, not only mine, but everybody elses day easier, freer flowing, and above all, safer.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

No people over taking into traffic are nuts. There is a huge difference between driving defensively and having to take evasive action to avoid an incident. Having to take evasive action due others lack of care and attention isn’t normal.

That being said defensive driving is sensible.

Some of those tractor overtakes are just completely mental and frankly unnecessary. So many people hanging around on the wrong side of the road well after they were well past the tractor, they show a complete lack of awareness.

 

[Rroff]

they show a complete lack of awareness.

What is concerning me is I'm seeing more and more and more incidents of people who take 20+ seconds to notice (if they notice at all) a big emergency vehicle all lit up usually but not always siren going and when they do notice unnecessarily continue to overtake that one more car before giving way or still pull out of that junction across the path of the emergency vehicle then trying to getting out the way, etc.

Plus all the contemptible people who when someone in front of them has done the considerate thing and pulled out the way then move up into the space that person vacated instead of waiting for a second to facilitate them resuming their journey.

 

[Hotwired]

Fit tractors with high range gearboxes, job done!

There are "high speed" tractors. JCB does a bunch able to do up to 50mph.

I'm not convinced that's what tractor operators really want.

Had a look at John Deere and Massey Fergusons sites, they have selling points such as having 10 gears to efficiently crawl at 3-10mph. Plus another 5 gears for reversing. Then in a minor point you can find out that at an efficient 1600rpm you can make a 400hp monster tractor do 30mph for travelling purposes

Presumably without the gigantic, view blocking trailer of bales as featured in the OP.

 

[Howard]

can anyone honestly say they enjoy being stuck doing 25mph behind a tractor?

I don't particularly "enjoy" queuing in traffic, or having to stop and wait behind a bus at a bus stop letting 10 people on, or having to wait behind a cyclist for a while because I can't overtake, or having to yield to any other perfectly legitimate road behaviour that might briefly hold me up. But they don't bother me. It's just one of those things.

I get annoyed if I'm being needlessly held up by someone who isn't driving correctly, but the tractor driver is probably having a busy enough day and wishes his vehicle could do 50mph fully laden. Why should he have to "get off the roads at rush hour" or whatever, just so you can get home from your office job 3 minutes quicker?

Drivers in this country need to learn to be more cooperative and less selfish.

 

[200sols]

If I was driving along a busy SC road in the rain and saw a Cyclist coming towards me with an HGV gaining on him (And obviously wanting to pass)

I would (And have) braked, pulled very obviously to the extreme left, and flashed rapidly (Ambiguousness not withstanding, but I would hope that pulling over to the left would reinforce the message) in order to give the HGV the opportunity to pass safely.

No, the only safe overtake here is for the HGV to wait until the road ahead is clear to pass. Your scenario has you driving in the gutter and the cyclist pressed hard left to avoid being crushed by the HGV.

 

[Orionaut]

No, the only safe overtake here is for the HGV to wait until the road ahead is clear to pass. Your scenario has you driving in the gutter and the cyclist pressed hard left to avoid being crushed by the HGV.

I am not talking about a three way pass, And, of course, it depends on the road.

In the scenario I am describing, the truck would have passed the cyclist before I got anywhere near the two of them because i would have allowed space and time for the truck to pass safely.

Pulling over is a signalling maneuver rather than a making space one. It is the slowing down a bit that makes the space for a safe pass.

More to the point really. If I saw a situation like this developing ahead of me I would hang back from it rather than just barrel on flashing my lights because "Right of Way"

As described, heavy rain and all that, the HGV might have already been committed and unable, at that point, to stop safely behind the cyclist. Trucks cant stop on a sixpence you know.

Quite apart from anybody else. I would not want to put My life at risk on the assumption that he would be able to do so.

Which of course brings us back to the clip of people passing the tractor.

Many of the oncoming cars would have had ample time to come to a complete stop on seeing the bad overtakers. And yet they didn't. they just kept going. some having very close near misses.as a consequence.

Being in the right, having a bright set of headlights and a loud horn will not protect you from the consequences of a head on collision.

Dead is Dead, regardless of whose fault the coroner and Inscos decides it was..!

 

[ttaskmaster]

Plus all the contemptible people who, when someone in front of them has done the considerate thing and pulled out the way, then move up into the space that person vacated instead of waiting for a second to facilitate them resuming their journey.

I get that a lot on the bike, being narrower.
Obviously the contemptible ones are FAR more important than you, and usually more than the emergency vehicles you're making way for, as well... I mean, what good is ferrying a dying child to hospital (at Contemptible's tax-paying expense, I might add), if Contemptible is not home in time to watch Love Island and Made In Chelsea? If they don't get their dose of artificiality TV, they'll be in a bad mood the next day, the middle-management structure of the advertising industry will collapse as a result, and then that child would grow up not having a clue what products to buy - Can you imagine the tragedy? CAN YOU???!!!!!

In the scenario I am describing, the truck would have passed the cyclist before I got anywhere near the two of them because i would have allowed space and time for the truck to pass safely.

Which now slows down traffic behind you, making them impatient and nowadays with all these powerful cars around, you get them overtaking you, as Roff described above.

Many of the oncoming cars would have had ample time to come to a complete stop on seeing the bad overtakers. And yet they didn't. they just kept going. some having very close near misses.as a consequence.

Because such overtaking has become so common, people don't bother stopping or slowing any more.
Either you'll make your bad overtake and carry on driving like a ****, emboldened and bolstered by the fact that you got away with it... or you'll hit the oncoming car, it will be your fault and if they survive your insurance will buy them a brand new vehicle.

 

[ajf]

I don't particularly "enjoy" queuing in traffic, or having to stop and wait behind a bus at a bus stop letting 10 people on, or having to wait behind a cyclist for a while because I can't overtake, or having to yield to any other perfectly legitimate road behaviour that might briefly hold me up. But they don't bother me. It's just one of those things.

I get annoyed if I'm being needlessly held up by someone who isn't driving correctly, but the tractor driver is probably having a busy enough day and wishes his vehicle could do 50mph fully laden. Why should he have to "get off the roads at rush hour" or whatever, just so you can get home from your office job 3 minutes quicker?

Drivers in this country need to learn to be more cooperative and less selfish.

Which was my point which you argue against.
I have, and do simply relax behind tractors etc when no obvious way past and even let them pull out on difficult roads.
I'm saying maybe they ( as in slower moving vehicles) could help by where possible planning travelling at quieter times and if not, pull over where appropriate.
Again, the last part is I believe part of the Highway Code, which all drivers should adhere to.
Those that don't pull over are just as selfish and uncooperative as car drivers not being patient, and in such an instance I would say needlessly hold up traffic.

I think we can agree to have different views though

 

[HangTime]

1:39 seems a legit move...

 

[new boy]

Support british roads, buy non-british produce!

 

[Lopéz]

1:39 seems a legit move...

Christ...

 

[Resident]

1:39 seems a legit move...

I thought 2:20 was worse tbh

 

[wolfie138]

They really do need to introduce some sort of ban to stop them going on roads during rush hour, or where the NSL is 60+.

newcastle already has this on stretches of the Bypass that i've been on.

 

[Orionaut]

1:39 seems a legit move...

Which is basically the point that i am trying to make.

I cannot see how the oncoming car could not see the overtaker coming and not realize, well before things got really dangerous, that he was unlikely to stop and pull in behind the tractor at that point.

And yet, he just came coming and nearly ended up in a high speed head on as a consequence.

Even a gentle tap on the brakes rather than a full stop would have increased the margin of safety for the overtaking vehicle by a second or two. (Which is an eternity in road accident scenarios)

I am just astonished at just how many people there are (Including here it would seem) who seem perfectly happy to Kill/Be-Killed (Or at least seriously injured) just because they think they are in the right...

 

[InvaderGIR]

Which is basically the point that i am trying to make.

I cannot see how the oncoming car could not see the overtaker coming and not realize, well before things got really dangerous, that he was unlikely to stop and pull in behind the tractor at that point.

And yet, he just came coming and nearly ended up in a high speed head on as a consequence.

Even a gentle tap on the brakes rather than a full stop would have increased the margin of safety for the overtaking vehicle by a second or two. (Which is an eternity in road accident scenarios)

I am just astonished at just how many people there are (Including here it would seem) who seem perfectly happy to Kill/Be-Killed (Or at least seriously injured) just because they think they are in the right...

The car overtaking should not have even entertained the idea of overtaking as there was clearly a car driving correctly. You should be focusing your confusion and idiocy elsewhere, not that the person driving correctly but the ignorant idiot endangering themselves and others by overtaking where it's clearly unsafe to do so.

Please get off the road if you think others should give way to yourself when executing similar maneuvers.