Why we should all have a Dash Cam

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 09:45
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - FiestaOwner

www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/miscellaneous/2018-02/dr.../

Unbelievable!

Should have been banned for life and jailed.

Longer clip on you tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bObg_JkB8Co

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 09:55
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Manatee

Silly thing to do but rather disingenuous of PC Liz Thompson to say he did it for "no apparent reason". It's obvious why he did it.

Few do it, but it would have helped if the tipper driver had signalled an intention to move over - I often do that if the driver behind looks 'pushy', the last thing I want is somebody diving up the inside.

Silly, but harshly dealt with in my view - to make an example I expect.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 10:02
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Bromptonaut

It wasn't the undertaking that justified the sentence, it was pulling in front of the tipper and 'brake testing' him.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 11:59
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Engineer Andy

It wasn't the undertaking that justified the sentence, it was pulling in front of the tipper and 'brake testing' him.

I never understand why someone driving a car 'brake tests' another driving a van or HGV - don't they realise that the other vehicle's brakes are nowehere near as good, and thus anything other than a light brush of the brake pedal and (at 60mph+) more than 10m+ away could easily cause the latter to crash into the former's car, possibly killing all on board and possibly many others had the lorry jack-knifed?

Idiot, and in my opinion, was lucky to get off relatively lightly. Personally, that was sufficiently dangerous driving to get an actual prison sentence and a much longer ban, plus having his car confiscated and sold.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 10:10
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - FiestaOwner

Few do it, but it would have helped if the tipper driver had signalled an intention to move over - I often do that if the driver behind looks 'pushy', the last thing I want is somebody diving up the inside.

Silly, but harshly dealt with in my view - to make an example I expect.

Disagree. The tipper driver should only have signalled left and changed lane, when there was a sufficient gap between it and the other lorry.

Not harshly dealt with at all. The Audi drivers actions could have led to fatalities!

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 10:43
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - John F

While not condoning it, the Audi driver has my sympathy. Few things are more frustrating on a long dual carriageway journey than following a truck for 5miles while it overtakes another at 0.0000000001mph faster, sometimes even having to abort the attempt when a hill is reached. Are lorry cruise controls really so inflexible that they can't be switched in and out to speed up this selfish and aggravating process which has no thought at all for other road users?

On really crowded dual carriageways there is a good case for restricting trucks to the inside lane. The problem would be solved if, like the USA, overtaking was allowed in any lane and all vehicles had the same speed limit. Having driven from New York to LA last year, I can vouch for this system....but as usual, GB is 10yrs behind....

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 11:29
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Sulphur Man

Being stuck in a 10-mile traffic jam for 50minutes is frustrating.

The sheer cost of running a car is frustrating.

The quality of road surfaces is often frustrating.

Exorbitant airport-parking charges are pretty frustrating. .

Doing 50mph instead of 60mph for a few miles whilst some trucks/tippers maneouvre is not frustrating. The driver of the Audi can now have 12 months to reflect and learn on why he's been banned and sentenced. Good news for all of us that he's off the road. Let's hope he doesnt continue that m****ic behaviour when he gets his licence back.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 12:06
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Engineer Andy

I agree that two wrongs don't make a right - one may be annoying and frustrating, the other is downright dangerous.

Having said that, I do feel we need more traffic police to ensure the many drivers who regularly get away with selfsih, careless and dangerous/reckless driving are dealt with to encourage better driving, which not only improves road safety, but reduces the cost of road repairs and insurance, as well as costs to business and government via lower accident rates and knock-on costs, as well as more freer-flowing roads.

Its a win-win, even if we have to pay a bit more up front to start with to get this going.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 10:45
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - oldroverboy.

If the "Tipper" had cleared the Lorry he was overtaking, and didn't move over, perhaps missing the flash of lights to say he was clear, he was wise to stay out a bit longer.,

Here on the A12 it is like dodgems most days.

I was overtaken in pouring rain in the dark at 05.30 on the A120 between Marks Tey and Coggeshall where there are in places two separated (by a foot or so) continuous white lines, cross hatched in white. A white Ford Kuga in a tearing hurry. Should have switched on my dashcam!

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 11:21
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - FiestaOwner

Have to say that I'm surprised at the comments on this thread and the comments below the Honest John news article (which I linked to) that critise the lorry driver(s).

Yes, it's annoying to be stuck behind lorries like this, but in reality it added less than a minute to the Audi's journey. If you can't drive with patience, then you shouldn't be driving.

I wondered if the Audi had intended to take the offslip and missed it.

Here' a link which show what can go wrong when you try and dodge round lorries without leaving a suitable gap with your small car. It's not worth it.

streetguardian.info/

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 16:14
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - nellyjak

They were both wrong...

...though I'm not sure that the lorry driver actually did anything illegal...stupid, selfish and bad road manners, ... yes.!

But what the Audi driver did was definitelty illegal..and also stupid.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 19:17
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Mr Carrot Cake

What did the tipper driver do wrong? The highway code tells you to leave a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front. If he had pulled over the other truck would have had to slow.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 21:29
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - FiestaOwner

What did the tipper driver do wrong? The highway code tells you to leave a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front. If he had pulled over the other truck would have had to slow.

I quite agree with you.

I'm astounded by the posts which criticise the lorry drivers. There is even a post which expresses a viewpoint that the tipper driver must be on the phone or a laptop. The reason for that viewpoint seems to be that the tipper driver was only returning to the left lane when there was a suitable gap between him and the lorry he had just overtaken. It looked to me like there were less than 2 car lengths between the 2 lorries.

I'm also astounded by the posts which express some sympathy for the Audi driver. He was demonstrating pure road rage!

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 21:32
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Manatee

I don't think he did anything wrong.

Although I have to say it would be a rare occurence for a wagon driver to observe the 2 second rule.

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 21:42
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - FiestaOwner

I don't think he did anything wrong.

Although I have to say it would be a rare occurence for a wagon driver to observe the 2 second rule.

Yes I agree with that. Many lorry drivers tailgate. I hate driving with a lorry (or any other vehicle) sitting just off my back bumper. I hate knowing that if I have to brake, that the tailgating vehicle is going through me!

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Tue 6 Mar 2018 22:11
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - P3t3r

The video isn't long enough to show what happened before, but I agree. It can also be hard to judge distances on those cameras as you can't see any of the vehicle in the camera.

Overtaking can be very difficult when you are limited to lower speeds. What if the driver on the inside had increased his speed while the lorry was overtaking? The lorry can either continue with the over take, brake and cause the car driver to undertake (bad), or cut in front of the car driver (bad). I don't like speed limits, but we're supposed to obey them and won't criticise anybody for doing that.

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Wed 7 Mar 2018 06:40
Why we should all have a Dash Cam - Manatee

Overtaking can be very difficult when you are limited to lower speeds.

Overtaking is not compulsory.

Given the levels of congestion and attendant frustration on the roads it is high time that the elephant races stopped - wagon drivers either need to be banned from unnecessary overtaking altogether or start cooperating so it doesn't take several miles.

This has been discussed many times and endless reasons are produced as to why it is unavoidable. None of them wash.

(retires with tin hat on)

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