Would you have had a word?

[fimm]

So my final approach to my office involves me turning right from a main road into a road that leads to the office car parks. This morning I looked back, saw it was clear, and moved into the centre of the road as usual. As I moved I could hear a car behind me, and I realised that they had pulled up behind me to turn right (rather than passing me to my left to go straight on, which there is adequate room to do). I wait for an oncoming car, and then turn right. As always, I head for a point immediately left of the centre line of the road I'm turning into, because I am about to take another right turn into the car park.

As I make the first right turn, the car behind me overtakes me. I went "Oi" but more in surprise than anything else. He accelerated past me, took the right turn I was heading for (but well in front of me at this point) and then went left into a car park. I started to follow him, but then decided against having a word because I wasn't quite sure if I had a problem with what he did. It was quiet, the visibility was good, the distance by which he passed me was perfectly adequate. It was certainly a cheeky and impatient manoeuver (by how much would he have been delayed if he'd stayed behind me?) but was it actually dangerous?

Would you have spoken to the driver? Why/why not? What would you have said if you did speak to him?

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

I head for a point immediately left of the centre line of the road I'm turning into, because I am about to take another right turn into the car park.

As I make the first right turn, the car behind me overtakes me.

That sounds to me like he is turning into the junction on the wrong side of the road, especially if - as you say - he gave you room.


That's pretty dangerous, IMO.

 

[Ste T.]

He's just being an arse. If he didn't physically endanger you I'd let it go. Save your stress levels for the idiots who do.

 

[fimm]

That sounds to me like he is turning into the junction on the wrong side of the road ...

Yes, correct, that is what he did.

 

[yello]

It was quiet, the visibility was good, the distance by which he passed me was perfectly adequate.

That's your answer in my opinion. I wouldn't make something out of it unless you really thought that, despite all of the above, you felt it endangered you. But it sounds to me that it didn't, merely caught you a tad unawares.

 

[Amanda P]

I've had exactly that happen. I knew the guy concerned, so when I caught up with, I remarked casually something along the lines of "that was a rather unconventional manouvre". He got all uppity and defensive, and I let it go - I never intended to make a big deal of it. His response told me that he knew it was a silly thing to do.

 

[400bhp]

As I make the first right turn, the car behind me overtakes me. I went "Oi" but more in surprise than anything else.

There was clearly a danger of you turning into his path then.

 

[ianrauk]

I would have just called him a w***ker and got on with my life.
But then again being in London we see this type of stuff most days

 

[fimm]

Thank you for the comments. I think I did make the right descision not to speak to him - but as someone said above, if it had been someone I knew, or I could have had a word informally (without following them just to speak to them) I might well have done. I didn't think it was dangerous because it was quiet and the sightlines are good - he would have been easily able to see that there was nothing coming the other way. Not a manoeuvre I would make myself, of course, nor have any of the other drivers who have arrived behind me at that right turn felt the need to do it, but not worth making a fuss over.

He was probably annoyed with me for making him stop to make the right turn!