There is a road I use regularly; it's single-track lane with houses to one side and a kerbed grassy verge to the other. At its end there is a T-junction onto the main road where the lane widens to allow junction markings and 2 cars side by side, one turning in and one leaving.
There is a lady driver I see regularly who currently has a red Polo; she uses the lane a lot. In fact, she uses the lane as though it is her own driveway. In the 15 years I have lived in the area, her hair has got whiter, her glasses have got thicker and she has apparently got smaller (or she sets her seat lower). Every month or two, the red Polo has alarmed one or other of the family; she's had my son off his bike through not paying attention; she's failed to see me on my bike a few times; she's turned the normally calm Mrs H into a venomous witch and she' s whacked my door mirror after parking too close before Christmas.
Today, I was towing the trailer, preparing to turn left into the main road when along comes Mrs Polo at some unfeasible speed turning right into the lane, cutting the corner and ignoring the road markings. She's so far over on my side of the lane, she hasn't cleared the main road and she's lost the opportunity to turn wide and wait offside to offside next to me while I turn onto the main road. I can't turn into the main road because the Polo is in my way. When this has happened before, I've reversed out of the way so she could carry on. Today, I wasn't the gentleman. She waited until a few cars built up and peered at me through the thick glasses. The cars wouldn't want to pull out and pass because of the left-hand bend further on. I folded my hands on top of the steering wheel; I didn't feel like reversing the trailer out of her way. She revved the Polo's engine and appeared to fight the thing into reverse. More cars appeared. She shot backwards the way she had come, giving a Vectra driver a nasty moment as she straddled the white line going backwards on the main road. Then she made a great production of going forwards and bumped over the kerb onto the pavement and I was able to complete my simple left turn.
Failing to take into account the needs of the older driver? Guilty as charged M'lud. Nurse, I'm ready for my medication now. Thank you for listening.
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Hearing one side of the story, which I don't doubt at all BTW, it is perhaps time to consider whether this lady can meet the legal visual requirements for holding a driving licence. As to who asks the question and takes action on the answer that is another matter altogether!
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These things need to be done sometimes Hawkeye. Confession and sharing is a wonderful thing isn't it? I got fed up on what is almost single track road with the behaviour of school bus drivers nearly running me off. Now when I see a bus coming I stop wholly in the road before a passing place, (ideally one on their side) it forces them to stop and then I move. It works a treat and there's no chance of any damage being caused. And of course I feel better!!
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I don't think you were a git Hawkeye. I always try to accommodate the incompetent and pathetic driver of any age, if only to save time by doing the difficult stuff myself instead of waiting for them to do it. You can usually see them looking puzzled or panic-stricken, and that's all you need.
However there is another category of incompetent driver that is arrogant and unaware rather than pathetic and panic-stricken, strangely enough just as likely to be female as male (most categories of really offensive driving are dominated by men). These people, who are also often very rude, need a short sharp shock from time to time just to put them in their place which is underfoot...
You weren't being a git. You were administering a much needed slap on the bum. Of course if you had been pressed for time you would have reversed, trailer or no, wouldn't you?
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If I read this correctly, someone had to reverse.
Common sense says it should be the Polo because it is much simpler for her to go backwards than it is for the OP, who has a trailer.
Hawkeye - your posts over the past year tell me you are not usually a git, even if you were one today. :)
Edited by ifithelps on 10/04/2009 at 18:40
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Or could it be that you need some lessons in reversing an 'artic', Hawkeye?:)
Pat
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The world needs gits. There would be global chaos and disorder without them. Imagine a world totaly dominated by grey haired mrs magoo's!
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Knowing you are being "git" means you anticpated the problem, full marks, many dont even know which planet they are on.
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"Failing to take into account the needs of the older driver? Guilty as charged M'lud"
I think you are taking the blame unnecessarily Hawkeye - sounds more like she was "failing to take into account the possible presence of any other driver on "her" road"
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Hearing one side of the story which I don't doubt at all BTW .......
Sounds to me like the usual biassed ageist complaint, made by a younger driver, about the driving of an older driver.
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Assuming that GIT means Goods In Transit, it seems only reasonable that Poloperson should reverse in your favour.
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IME There are some odd people driving Polos.
Couldn't begin to guess why, and not all Polos contain an odd driver, but there are some.... Moderators excepted, of course :-)
Edited by Another John H on 10/04/2009 at 20:58
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Sometimes we all get fed up with being accomodating and defensive, especially when as seems in this case that its either taken for granted or worse oblivious.
there are many about who take advantage of ones competency speeding through unseeing when you have driven properly and allowed them to do so.
If you were a git today HE which i seriously doubt then i confess to being so inceasingly often as i do as one said above about the school bus taking advantage, if i have to take avoiding action then i make sure that the other driver does also.
I wasn't always like this and i try to be polite and decent in my life including motoring, but the sheer ignorance and bad manners of some drivers astounds me.
Only yesterday we followed a good driver who allowed 2 females to turn across the front of him without inconveniencing the flow either, neither had the decency to thank or acknowledge him, swmbo gets most irate at that behaviour as it reflects on her gender badly.
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Only yesterday we followed a good driver who allowed 2 females to turn across the front of him without inconveniencing the flow either neither had the decency to thank or acknowledge him
Totally agree there, GB, it only takes a raise of the hand and a smile... perhaps they don't know how?! ;)
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Thank you for your broadly supportive replies. I hope not to need Backroom therapy too often.
Pat; I've no fears about reversing trailers, a skill I gained from about age 15 when, being the only one able to start the pitch roller's Lister diesel engine, I was appointed pupil groundsman and I had a scabby Fordson Major and a decrepit trailer to play with. In the course of my gardening work I tow, and reverse, a trailer 3 days a week in the summer, usually without incident :-o
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Glad to hear it Hawkeye, you're a better man than me then!
I struggle with our car and caravan and won't even go near the small car trailer we have:)
The bigger it is, the easier it is.
Pat
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I folded my hands on top of the steering wheel; ..........
Well, I bet that little extrovert display of your superiority, clearly intended for the benefit of the onlookers, didn't fail to impress them all. I bet they all thought "Now there's someone to admire, someone who knows his rights and isn't afraid to insist on them regardless of the situation."
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Sounds to me like the usual biassed ageist complaint, made by a younger driver, about the driving of an older driver.
I don't think I am biassed, I would probably have reacted the same if the driver were younger and had history. I'm not that young myself.
and
Well, I bet that little extrovert display of your superiority, clearly intended for the benefit of the onlookers, didn't fail to impress them all. I bet they all thought "Now there's someone to admire, someone who knows his rights and isn't afraid to insist on them regardless of the situation."
There were no onlookers that I was aware of; so no-one to seek to impress, clearly or otherwise. Hands on the wheel; it's just what happened. I didn't feel superior; the post title says how I felt.
I'm not sure of your point; are you condoning an aggressive non HC move from the Polo driver because she is old ? Isn't that ageist anyway ? If I analyse the incident again, I would say that Mrs Polo was possibly seeking attention by revving the engine, reversing at speed and then driving over the pavement. Give and take L'escargot. I just didn't feel like giving on that occasion and felt unsure about it; hence the post.
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