by Oddball » Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:02 pm
Hi folks,
I thought it would be nice if we could post any motoring 'sins' we accidentally commit - situations where you kick yourself, and worry about perhaps what kind of mayhem you've caused. We've all done it, and I'm quite confident that none of us ever go out and not do something which we weren't particularly happy with.
So it's not an entirely negative thread, I thought it would be good if we could also post a solution - what we should have done in that situation. It will also give others a chance to mention their own experiences of a situation - hopefully making the 'sinner' feel less bad!
You can tell that I'm just digging for sympathy really, can't you? I'll start the ball rolling then...
Yesterday, driving towards Sheffield (can't remember which road exactly), we came to a crossroads. Lights were red on the approach, so slowed down and stopped at the line, handbrake & neutral as normal. Watched the traffic go by for a bit: saw the crossways traffic stopped and got the car ready to go (clutch, first, that sort of thing).
Light went amber, then green, and I proceeded as normal across the crossroads. Had one right turning in front of me - I would have normally had priority, so I slowed and waited for eye contact - car still moving though.
Got an angry beep and a hand signal from the right turning driver. Wondered why - I looked back, no-one following. Played the whole thing back in my mind...
...the green light was a right filter light. Damn! I'd shot the red light. I'm still kicking myself now! It didn't cause too much hassle, just that right turning one. Still, I feel ashamed about it, so I've posted it on here.
So, what could I have done better. Well, first thing is to probably not pull up right to the line. I'm quite a tall chap, and some traffic light arrangements are difficult to see from the line. And the second thing? Make sure it's your light...!
The whole thing is made more embarrassing when you consider I got my IAM membership confirmation through just the day before.
Ha!
Anyone else got any motoring boo-boos?