Too close for comfort!

**Chuddy** · 21st July 2011, 19:59

Was on way back from my fiances house last night when i was behind a artic lorry and a suzuki swift. Followed them both at abnormally slow speeds for a little while as it wasn't safe imo to overtake. When the swift turned off a side road, the road was totally clear for a good 1/4mile or more, on a totally straight road with no dips. So naturally, i put the indicator on, planted my foot and started to go past. As soon as i started overtaking the lorry started swaying towards me! Thank God for the power of the GSi or i can gaurantee i wouldnt be here today. It was like a movie, could see the gap getting smaller and smaller and if i was a split second slower i would have been in the hedge, as the lorry must have only been millimetres off my mirror as i got past.

What had happend, when i looked in the rear mirror, was the lorry had overtaken a stationary car (parked on a main road...), but the lorry failed to put the indicator on nor did he check his mirrors clearly.

I do accept that we was both partly to blame but i obviously couldnt see the parked car atall due to the large lorry back the truck had and i couldn't predict it to be there as the lorry didnt indicate or show any signs of it, and you dont exactly expect that on a main road.

Just wondered if this had ever happend to anyone else and also wanted to warn people to think twice when overtaking. As i was so nearly gone last night

**Vectra_C_Chris** · 21st July 2011, 20:12

I know that Feeling chuddy.

Was a few years ago, and a little more stupid than I am these days.
Went to over take a convoy of slow cars, was 3 in total.
Got half way and realised the road slowly curved left, which I hadn't realised at the start of overtake of course.
Half way I find myself face to face with a commodore about 200m infront of me, we're doing probably 150 - 120 between us.

Thank god for the GSi having the pickup it does in any gear, I think I missed the on coming car by 10m.

Thankfully my stupid young ass was saved by the trusty GSi.

**markmac21** · 21st July 2011, 20:42

i think if you had been further back you would of seen the parked car and realised what was about to happen , wagons are not a good think to be getting close to from any angle

**Chuddy** · 21st July 2011, 22:24

Originally Posted by markmac21

i think if you had been further back you would of seen the parked car and realised what was about to happen , wagons are not a good think to be getting close to from any angle

Which is why i say i do believe i am partly to blame but at the same time, i wasn't what i would call too close, i was at the usual, non sunday driver standard distance. Either way, i wouldn't have overtaken if there had been a signal. The standard thing to do before any maneuver also, is to atleast check your mirrors. Mirrors, signal, maneuver. In a car, let alone a 45 tonne truck.

I'll be alot more careful in future though, as things like these really do open your eyes. I also hope people read this and think in future more carefully when they are in similair situations!

**DAVIDD88** · 21st July 2011, 22:30

Could have happened to any one of us mate

**hoochydady** · 21st July 2011, 22:36

lucky escape i rem a few years ago now me the wife and the kids where in the car going along the london road in glasgows east end 2 lane road and there was a royal mail artic on the left lane and me in the rite as i was passing he swung his back end out the wife let out a scream now i know this road well and just at that bit by luck theres a space for turning rite so i shot over it lucky to no 1 was on that side i was on the horn etc and cut back in to the road agian and the ass tried to do it agian only i was on the breaks and stoped now i know theres traffic lites up a head so as i see hes stopping i boot it up and stoped jump out to see what hes all about and he just sitting there saying w**** and flipping the bird to me wouldnt come out his safe cab or so he thout lets just say he wasnt lol for long by the way i came strait back down that road no parked cars etc

**byebyeitsagsi** · 22nd July 2011, 00:33

Originally Posted by hoochydady

lucky escape i rem a few years ago now me the wife and the kids where in the car going along the london road in glasgows east end 2 lane road and there was a royal mail artic on the left lane and me in the rite as i was passing he swung his back end out the wife let out a scream now i know this road well and just at that bit by luck theres a space for turning rite so i shot over it lucky to no 1 was on that side i was on the horn etc and cut back in to the road agian and the ass tried to do it agian only i was on the breaks and stoped now i know theres traffic lites up a head so as i see hes stopping i boot it up and stoped jump out to see what hes all about and he just sitting there saying w**** and flipping the bird to me wouldnt come out his safe cab or so he thout lets just say he wasnt lol for long by the way i came strait back down that road no parked cars etc

How did he swing the back end out? Only way that could happen is if he's taking a left turn in which case the tail of the trailer would swing out, in assuming your on the right hand side in lane 2.

**hoochydady** · 22nd July 2011, 11:30

yip in lane 2, he swung the cab to the rite then pulled it back in and it kicked the back end out im guessing thats how he did it now there wasnt any left turn at that bit i will admit i saw red and lost the plot but i had 2 kids in the back in baby seats at the time

**big jon** · 22nd July 2011, 13:33

i was going to liverpool from the wirrel side there is about 5 or 6 lanes i was in the lane one from the big concrete wall and a lorry started to drift out its lane forcing me against the wall my wife was squealing i was blasting my horn and squeezing my shoulders and butt tight, he hit the wing mirror then realised he was drifting, lucky not the word, as it happens it was on camera going into the tunnel and he was done for it

**byebyeitsagsi** · 22nd July 2011, 14:23

Clearly these are all signs of someones concentration lapsing and poor driving. Im an HGV driver and would love to educate other drivers on a daily basis but everyone has a lapse at some stage.

The only advise i would give to other drivers is never drive alongside and sit level or slightly behind the cab of a large lorry if you do this on the nearside then the driver cant see you no matter how many mirrors are fitted your car wont be seen. Another piece of advice is if your driving on a motorway or a dual carriageway and a truck overtakes you then your going far to slow. When your driving for a living with schedules to adhere to if a truck goes on the motorway it needs to sit on the speed limiter at 56mph, if your doing 50mph and a truck goes to overtake you DONT speed up even if your that thick you didnt realise your going so slow the truck cant go anywhere and you end up causing problem for the truck and everyone behind them.