Crossing straight over - where to look?

[bluebox_rob]

I'm looking for some advice on where/when/how long to look left and right when crossing a junction.

I regularly drive through a particular cross-roads where I need to go straight on, but must give way to traffic coming from the left or right. There is limited visibility/cross views on the approach, so my stop/go decision can only happen once I am within a few feet of the give-way line. The junction is in a 30-limit, with good visibility in both directions once you actually get up to the line.

I drive through it every day and often feel like I miss gaps that were wide open, and on a couple of occasions have cut things a bit fine, going when I should have waited. Is there a commonly taught system of where to look in this situation? Should it be right first? left first? lots of quick glances in both directions, or just one or two longer ones? I often find I need to look one way for about a second in order to 'fully process' everything that's there, and feel happy I haven't missed a cyclist for example.

[ROG]

Keep scanning both ways but always with a right look just before proceeding to ensure it is clear then keep a left look

[martine]

If you have approaching traffic it's often best to look away and then back to better assess how quickly they are approaching.

Don't get hung up on it though...better to be sure, 100% sure it's clear before crossing the give-way line - don't kick yourself for missing a marginal opportunity...crossroads are one place where it's better to be quite 'timid' than save a few seconds journey time.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right. But for planning, it's often best to start by looking for gaps coming up on the left, then find one on the right to synchronise with it. Once you're clear of the possibility of being hit from the right, switch vision to the left, but primarily, get on with it and get out of everybody's way.

[Graham Wright]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

Where I live it's left! There is little traffic from the right at the relevant time but that coming from the left has just spotted an opportunity to overtake and they do. Despite the fact the limit is 50, 70 is more the norm.

"Never overtake at a junction" doesn't seem to work anymore.

[TripleS]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

Where I live it's left! There is little traffic from the right at the relevant time but that coming from the left has just spotted an opportunity to overtake and they do. Despite the fact the limit is 50, 70 is more the norm.

"Never overtake at a junction" doesn't seem to work anymore.

Could that be because we now have so many rules that the important ones, like the one you mentioned, get overlooked amongst all the others?

[jont]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

Where I live it's left! There is little traffic from the right at the relevant time but that coming from the left has just spotted an opportunity to overtake and they do. Despite the fact the limit is 50, 70 is more the norm.

"Never overtake at a junction" doesn't seem to work anymore.

Could that be because we now have so many rules that the important ones, like the one you mentioned, get overlooked amongst all the others?

Or everyone knows there's nowhere for the scamera van to park up across the junction?

[MGF]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

I prefer to take into account relative views when deciding which direction poses the greatest threat from approaching traffic.

[waremark]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

I prefer to take into account relative views when deciding which direction poses the greatest threat from approaching traffic.

Yes. If the view from one direction is short that is the focus fior the last check.

I always look both ways more than once. I don't quite trust the first look.

[TripleS]

As Rog said - the last look before you set off has to be for the traffic that's going to hit you first - i.e. right.

I prefer to take into account relative views when deciding which direction poses the greatest threat from approaching traffic.

Yes. If the view from one direction is short that is the focus fior the last check.

I always look both ways more than once. I don't quite trust the first look.

I know exactly how you feel. I'm getting to the stage where I don't always trust the second look either! It's a bit sad when you start losing confidence, albeit confidence that maybe wasn't justified in the first place.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Gareth]

There is limited visibility/cross views on the approach, so my stop/go decision can only happen once I am within a few feet of the give-way line. The junction is in a 30-limit, with good visibility in both directions once you actually get up to the line.

I drive through it every day and often feel like I miss gaps that were wide open, and on a couple of occasions have cut things a bit fine, going when I should have waited.

Something about this has been festering in the back of my mind ... could it be that you are feeling internal pressure to treat the junction as a 'give way' by not actually stopping unless it is absolutely necessary?

My feeling is that, given there is limited visibility on approach, it would be better to plan on stopping and only continue if & when you can see it is clear.

If, from a personal satisfaction point of view, you'd prefer not to stop if possible, then depending on the junction layout you might be able to give yourself more observational time by completing most of your braking away from the junction, then trickling up to the line.

[TripleS]

My feeling is that, given there is limited visibility on approach, it would be better to plan on stopping and only continue if & when you can see it is clear.

If, from a personal satisfaction point of view, you'd prefer not to stop if possible, then depending on the junction layout you might be able to give yourself more observational time by completing most of your braking away from the junction, then trickling up to the line.

....possibly at idling revs in first gear with the clutch engaged, but being prepared to declutch quickly and stop if necessary. I find that works quite nicely in some cases, but it does depend on the extent of vision you have in various directions.

[revian]

My feeling is that, given there is limited visibility on approach, it would be better to plan on stopping and only continue if & when you can see it is clear.

If, from a personal satisfaction point of view, you'd prefer not to stop if possible, then depending on the junction layout you might be able to give yourself more observational time by completing most of your braking away from the junction, then trickling up to the line.

....possibly at idling revs in first gear with the clutch engaged, but being prepared to declutch quickly and stop if necessary. I find that works quite nicely in some cases, but it does depend on the extent of vision you have in various directions.

Devil and the deep blue sea choice? I'd like to keep it rolling however slowly to make sure of a quicker crossing... On the other hand it may be a temptation to rush it and not see what's there...

Ian

[TripleS]

My feeling is that, given there is limited visibility on approach, it would be better to plan on stopping and only continue if & when you can see it is clear.

If, from a personal satisfaction point of view, you'd prefer not to stop if possible, then depending on the junction layout you might be able to give yourself more observational time by completing most of your braking away from the junction, then trickling up to the line.

....possibly at idling revs in first gear with the clutch engaged, but being prepared to declutch quickly and stop if necessary. I find that works quite nicely in some cases, but it does depend on the extent of vision you have in various directions.

Devil and the deep blue sea choice? I'd like to keep it rolling however slowly to make sure of a quicker crossing... On the other hand it may be a temptation to rush it and not see what's there...

Ian

Quite true. In taking the liberty of adding to what Gareth said, I did possibly open the door to a problem that might not otherwise arise, so it does require cautious application.

As with many aspects, it shouldn't always be a matter of insisting that certain things are done, or not done, at all. It seems to me preferable to have a wide range of options, from which we can choose how to deal with various situations by applying a suitable method from what we feel we can apply to get a safe and satisfactory result in each case. This should work perfectly well for all our normal driving, but one might need to adopt a more conventional approach if taking some kind of driving test, though it sounds as if attitudes are becoming more flexible in that area too. That seems to me to be something to be welcomed.

Best wishes all,
Dave.