Overtaking HGV's through Roundabouts.

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Sat 24 Dec 2016 17:14
Overtaking HGV's through Roundabouts. - Colin Davis

Ten years or so ago only a complete idiot would contemplate overtaking an articulated HGV as it manouvers through a roundabout. It now seems pretty much commonplace.

Thinking of the roundabouts along the A43 from M1 to M40 and also A31 from M27 to Ferndown as very good examples of this driving style.

Even a well driven artic trailer cuts slightly through centre of roundabout as it proceeds through.

Who would be considered blameworthy if a collision occured under these circumstances?

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Sat 24 Dec 2016 17:40
Overtaking HGV's through Roundabouts. - RT

The onus is shared - Highway Code 184-187 make clear that the driver of the large vehicle (artic, rigid HGV or car towing trailer) should be signalling and positioned properly - as well as other road users required to give them space.

It's not exactly uncommon for two cars to collide when one decides to "straightline" the roundabout when there's already a car alongside.

I've always been baffled by the number of driving lessons recommended as required to pass constantly increasing over time while standards continue to drop - 50 years ago it was 1 lesson per year of age.

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Sat 24 Dec 2016 23:03
Overtaking HGV's through Roundabouts. - gordonbennet

Give and take required by all parties, the only problem roundabout on A43 between Towcester and Cherwell Valley services is the one by the Evenley turn just south of Brackley, but to be fair most people use noddles reasonably wel there, it's Friday lemming time when they try their best to write their cars off and ruin everyone's weekend.

As for general roundabout progress, if the road is clear and no one is going to be affected i will straighten roundabouts to maintain progress in an artic, sometimes on that road and at that roundabout in particular it is often the case that a switched on driver approaching fast from behind seeing the situation develop will take a line to follow me through instead of trying to fit beside, which is tight there is they do decide to go round beside you, in some cases i've had a flash of lights as confirmation* to go first, it works best because i can maintain speed, the driver who let me go can follow my line and if they hung back as they approached can make the perfect slingshot and be doing nearly 60 as they go past, often a mutual wave of appreciation follows....yes they are rare but the skilled couteous driver is still out there in all sorts of vehicles.

* yes luckily we Brits still insist on flashing each other as courtesy despite experts telling us different.

In a previous life when i had dark hair i met a rather lovely woman at Evenley one day and we clicked but i lacked the courage (shy see) to enquire if she might like to meet again, a time machine would be a well appreciated Christmas present if anyone has a spare.:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 24/12/2016 at 23:12

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Sat 24 Dec 2016 23:48
Overtaking HGV's through Roundabouts. - focussed

"I've always been baffled by the number of driving lessons recommended as required to pass constantly increasing over time while standards continue to drop - 50 years ago it was 1 lesson per year of age."

It was about 50 years ago that I passed my car test - I had two lessons, to obtain a driving school car to take the test in as none of the wrecks I had available would have kept running for the time needed to take the test!

I had been riding motorbikes and driving my own car for about 2 years before the test.

The difference between then and now is simple - 50 years ago there was not the volume of traffic on the road as there is now.

The current driving test is not easy - in an inner city area it's b***** difficult and the big problem is dealing appropriately with other traffic.

It's not about chugging around a test route a 30 mph any more, you'll be on dual carriageways if any are available and you'll have to drive up to the limit if conditions allow or you will fail for not making proper progress.

I was an instructor before I left the UK in 2009 and the average number of lessons for a total beginner to make test standard with no private practice at all was about 50 hours tuition for a canny pupil.

That's so I had to be happy with their driving and they were driving on directions only, with no coaching or help for the majority of a two hour lesson, I wasn't going to let anybody loose in my car unless I was happy wth their driving.

Two or three weeks befor the test I used to put then through a mock test complete with pukka green test marking sheet, the DL 25, and I used to role play the worst examiner I had ever come across, complete with fidgeting with pen and sniffing!

Many pupils commented that I was harder on them than the examiner was in their real test!

Out of my last 20 pupils in 2008-9 before I packed it in, 17 passed first time, one with zero faults (a clean sheet) and the remaining three passed second time.

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