ADUK Archive

So on Wednesday evening I had to go to a RoADAR committee meeting. I set off in a sensible and advanced driving mood, on my way towards Swindon. Soon after turning out of my road, I come to a mini-roundabout with 3 exits. It's at the top of the hill, my approach, and the one opposite, arriving uphill, the first exit left being on the flat. So as you arrive, you can see clearly to the left, but not so well straight ahead.

Here's the mini r/a in question. I am arriving from 8 o'clock, like the first red car, intending to follow the same path as the one already on the r/a.

As I arrived at the r/a, so did a lady in a small Peugeot from the exit opposite (4 o'clock on the map), indicating right. We both stopped, then I decided I would be the one to be assertive and go first. I set off, and started driving round the r/a.

What happened next took me by surprise. Without looking in my direction, the lady in the Peugeot turned sharp right, and drove across in front of me (the wrong side of the r/a). I braked (not emergency braking, just enough to leave her room), and she drove off down the exit to my left. As she came past, she looked to her left and noticed me. She gave me a pitying look and shook her head disapprovingly, then carried on her way. I have to admit I did consider following her at this point, and taking her to task for her rather strange interpretation of the Highway Code, but in the end I just laughed (somewhat hollowly), and proceeded on my way also. I'd love to know what the chap behind me thought

Did I do something wrong? How come she (apparently) completely failed to see me? Could I have done something differently, or should I just put it down to experience?

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:She gave me a pitying look and shook her head disapprovingly, then carried on her way.

How old was she?
Maybe Gerald has a solution?

Slightly younger than me, at a guess

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:Slightly younger than me, at a guess

In that case you should definitely have followed her.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I've had a similar situation on a mini-r/b - I think some people get confused about who should give way.

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:As she came past, she looked to her left and noticed me. She gave me a pitying look and shook her head disapprovingly...

Do you think you may have misinterprated her reaction - she may have been shaking her head at her own stupidity.

Put it down to experience - you can't always second guess others actions.

martine wrote:Do you think you may have misinterprated her reaction - she may have been shaking her head at her own stupidity.

Yeah, that'll be it!

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:As I arrived at the r/a, so did a lady in a small Peugeot from the exit opposite (4 o'clock on the map), indicating right. We both stopped, then I decided I would be the one to be assertive and go first. I set off, and started driving round the r/a.

Why do you think she hesitated? She may have been taking her time in assessing the road to her right. I think you say the view is restricted. Did you interpret her hesitation due to your presence rather than just deciding if the road to her right was clear? Did you have eye contact as you moved off?

Obviously no excuse for driving round the MR on the wrong side.

Foreigner?

Gerald wrote:Foreigner?

More likely she was temporarily being hapless without being an old buffer.

[Thinks: Is haplessness something you can display on a temporary basis?]

Best wishes all,
Dave.

It's a possibility - slim, I admit - that she genuinely didn't see you.

If your approach put you on a 'constant bearing' line of approach, you would not have moved across her field of view.

That means that her only 'view' (as in 'attention getting') of you would have been 'looming' ie gradually increasing in size.

Then, as you slowed and stopped you ceased to be a problem to worry about, so she was more concerned with the fourth (also sloping?) approach direction - where 'surprise' was likely, unlike the nice 'advanced driver' who'd [apparently] stopped.

No excuse, etc. - but a possible reason or contributing factor.

Horse wrote:It's a possibility - slim, I admit - that she genuinely didn't see you.

If your approach put you on a 'constant bearing' line of approach, you would not have moved across her field of view.

That means that her only 'view' (as in 'attention getting') of you would have been 'looming' ie gradually increasing in size.

Then, as you slowed and stopped you ceased to be a problem to worry about, so she was more concerned with the fourth (also sloping?) approach direction - where 'surprise' was likely, unlike the nice 'advanced driver' who'd [apparently] stopped.

No excuse, etc. - but a possible reason or contributing factor.

There are only 3 exits, Malc, but that's the closest I can get to an explanation. "Ok, he's stopped, I'll turn right". "What!? He's set off again, how dare he ...". The fact that she only appeared to notice me after I had appeared at right-angles to her in her passenger window, suggests she had interrupted her forward vision and instead decided to concentrate on the view to her right. Whether she honestly didn't realise there was a mini r/a, or whether she decided cynically to turn sharp right, I don't know. Anyway, no contact, no actual harm done, just some surprise.

Ah, OK. Miss-read your post as 'my approach + 3 possible exits'.

FWIW, as much as the Law & H Code say drivers must go around the island, I expect them not to.

Did you make eye contact, etc.? How did you make your 'go' decision (apart from to avoid Mehican stand-off)?

A corker indeed! Without any other evidence, I'm inclined to go with the view that your interpretation that she "gave a pitying look and shook her head disapprovingly" could equally have been "noticed me with some shock and shook her head in dismay at her own mistake." As far as priority goes, I don't believe that eye-contact means anything, but what led you to interpret her reaction as you have done? Was there more to suggest that she judged you to be at fault?

David

If I am in a position where I need to give way to someone at a MR and they appear to be hesitant I would not move off for a right turn without having made eye contact as I cannot be sure they have seen me. That is, to me, the benefit of eye contact.

Even if she hadn't have seen Mr CW she is most likely to have believed she had 'right of way' over him regardless of which part of the MR she was using. I doubt she was shaking her head at herself.

I couldn't see if I had eye contact or not. It was early evening and the sun was low. When I set off, however, I took the precautions you would in such a situation. I started off gently, in the expectation of possible problems, and was ready to brake if necessary. In these cases, where you are both stopped, someone has to move first. The alternative is just to wait every time, and let the other party go first.