[Ross PK]

When I was going down there road the was a bus that had stopped.

It felt too dangerous to overtake it because there was traffic coming towards me on the other side of the road.

So I stopped behind the bus. A car then stopped behind me, he then started flashing his lights as though he wanted me to go, and then he pulled out and went past me and the bus. I think there might have been cars behind him as well.

I don't understand this, I'm not sure if he wanted me to drive around the bus, but surely he must've known that I didn't want to do this other wise I wouldn't have been stopped there in the first place, and plus, he didn't need me to go as he proved by the fact that he ended up pulling out and driving past me and the bus. Why didn't he just do that in the first place and not stop behind me?

Can anyone make any sense of this because I really can't.

Things like this really bother me because I feel like I'm doing things wrong and bothering other drivers, but I just don't know what to do in these situations, in fact I just plain don't understand them.

[chopper jockey]

Driver behind you probably thought there was enough room to get a tank through and wondered why the hell you stopped. The fact that he then passed you and the bus suggests he was right. He would have flashed you first to give you the opportunity to go before him.:)

[Xenomorph]

I agree with the first reply and I was about to say the same thing.

[Watcher]

Stopping behind busses

I'm sick and tired of people who stop just because a bus (or anythink else) has!

IF you are paying attention to what is going on in front of you, and anticipating properly, you should observe a] the bus, b] the stop c] the bus slowing down. Then you gradually ease towards the centre of the carriageway so you can easily pass the bus when it stops, there usually being enough room to get a tank through!

Far too often what happens is that people get far too close to traffic they are following, so that when the bus (or whatever) stops they have nowhere to go and have to stop directly behind it and wait (because to get past they would have to pull out onto the other side of the road) and all because they were not paying attention!

[Ross PK]

Where you can see 'bus stop' is pretty much where the bus had stopped, you can see that by going around it I would've had to have gone onto the side of on coming traffic.

As I was driving along, the bus was already stopped there, and there was traffic coming towards me on the other side of the road. I think what happened was because I saw the traffic on the other side I thought it was just best to stop behind the bus, and I realised that it would be awkward trying to pull out after this because it would be hard trying to see if there was any traffic coming my way.

[Ross PK]

Originally Posted by Watcher

I'm sick and tired of people who stop just because a bus (or anythink else) has!

IF you are paying attention to what is going on in front of you, and anticipating properly, you should observe a] the bus, b] the stop c] the bus slowing down. Then you gradually ease towards the centre of the carriageway so you can easily pass the bus when it stops, there usually being enough room to get a tank through!

Far too often what happens is that people get far too close to traffic they are following, so that when the bus (or whatever) stops they have nowhere to go and have to stop directly behind it and wait (because to get past they would have to pull out onto the other side of the road) and all because they were not paying attention!

Why does it bother you so much? Can't you just go around them (since you obviously think it's so easy)?

[Loony]

Originally Posted by chopper jockey

Driver behind you probably thought there was enough room to get a tank through and wondered why the hell you stopped. The fact that he then passed you and the bus suggests he was right. He would have flashed you first to give you the opportunity to go before him.:)

I have to agree as well.Sounds like you coul have got passed and by not doing so it made things harder for everyone else hence the flashing.

[Snowball]

Looking at the aerial view, Ross PK would be facing a lefthand curve in the road, meaning that his view of oncoming traffic would be severely restricted. Added to this, there is always the chance of someone getting off the bus and crossing in front of it.

Just as drivers have different levels of driving skill, they also have different levels of caution. The bus was already at the stop as he approached, so it would be reasonable to think it was likely to move off as he approached.

I find it a bit childish to denigrate someone for showing caution. And the driver who was flashing his lights was just as bad. By eventually pulling out and passing the other car and the bus, he showed that he could have done this in the first place, and then threw his dolly out of the pram because he had pulled in behind the waiting car. Bear in mind that Ross PK was perfectly entitled to wait behind the bus if he felt it safer to do so. Hindsight is a marvellous thing; it is so easy now to accuse Ross PK of being over-catious, but the restricted view could just as easily show that "flasher" took an unnecessary risk.

If "flasher" had hit an oncoming vehicle, then I suppose the same ones chiding Ross PK would now be saying what a prat "flasher" was instead.

A wise man anticipates the unexpected, even if it was a false alarm; a foolish man gets caught by the unexpected.

Regards, Snowball.

[Ross PK]

Thanks snowball. It seems that all Watcher ever seems to do on here is to give people a scolding.

I think I remember something about being aware that I could stop further away from the bus (so I could get a good view), wait for the traffic to clear and then drive around it. And I remember how for some reason it really felt like a bad idea, I felt very unconfident about it, that I could end up in a crash, and that's why I stopped closer to the bus and just waited for it to go.

Now I think I know why, because of how you mentioned where the road bends, which would mean that it probably still would've been hard to see on coming traffic even if I stopped further back.

[Xenomorph]

Ross PK -

Your description on this thread was WHY did the guy behind you flash you. You have received a few replies as the why we THINK the guy MAY have flashed you. The obvious answer is that he thought you could have safely proceeded. Don't take it personally...

Now there are a lot of things to consider before concluding whether you WERE in the wrong or not and as none of us were there we cannot say either way.

In this case were there people getting on or off at the time; was anyone using the pedestrian crossing; what did you see coming towards you as you approached the bus; was the bus stationary as you approached it or were you following it as it stopped...etc.

[Snowball]

Ross, I think I would have done exactly the same as you. I don't like taking risks. Apart from consideration for others, accidents usually hurt; and I don't like pain.

Seriously though, I frequently give way to buses; these have timetables which they are expected to accomplish. If we don't give buses a clear path voluntarily, it just means more bus lanes, and more delays for other drivers, at the end of the day.

Take care. Regards, snowball.

[Snowball]

Originally Posted by Xenomorph

Ross PK -

Your description on this thread was WHY did the guy behind you flash you. You have received a few replies as the why we THINK the guy MAY have flashed you. The obvious answer is that he thought you could have safely proceeded. Don't take it personally...

The "flasher" was in the wrong. You don't decide when it is safe for others to proceed. The graveyards are full of people who overtook when others decided to hold back. This is one of the major faults with today's drivers; it is always the other guy who is wrong. Very few drivers will hold up their hands and say "sorry".
No matter how careful an experienced driver may be, our old friend Human Nature will occasionally step in to spring the odd boob. But some drivers will hoot and mouth expletives as if this somehow turns the innocent chap into the rogue. Funny people, humans!

[Ross PK]

Originally Posted by Xenomorph

Ross PK -

Your description on this thread was WHY did the guy behind you flash you. You have received a few replies as the why we THINK the guy MAY have flashed you. The obvious answer is that he thought you could have safely proceeded. Don't take it personally...

Now there are a lot of things to consider before concluding whether you WERE in the wrong or not and as none of us were there we cannot say either way.

In this case were there people getting on or off at the time; was anyone using the pedestrian crossing; what did you see coming towards you as you approached the bus; was the bus stationary as you approached it or were you following it as it stopped...etc.

Hey Xeno. The bus was stationary as I approached it, no one was using the pedestrian crossing and I didn't see anyone get on or off the bus. So yeah, after I stopped a few seconds later the guy comes up behind me, I think there might have been traffic behind him. He was behind me for only a few seconds until he started flashing me.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Watcher

I'm sick and tired of people who stop just because a bus (or anythink else) has!

IF you are paying attention to what is going on in front of you, and anticipating properly, you should observe a] the bus, b] the stop c] the bus slowing down. Then you gradually ease towards the centre of the carriageway so you can easily pass the bus when it stops, there usually being enough room to get a tank through!

Far too often what happens is that people get far too close to traffic they are following, so that when the bus (or whatever) stops they have nowhere to go and have to stop directly behind it and wait (because to get past they would have to pull out onto the other side of the road) and all because they were not paying attention!

Just one thing missing you did not mention the bus with door at the front and the kids, and some adults, who rush off the bus and cross the road in front of the bus. They do tend to make a mess on the car when you hit them...

[wagolynn]

Possibly the flasher was in a hurry to get too his next accident?

Ross don’t worry about it, he may be proud of his nice head lights. He possibly does not know that that is the quickest way of killing the bulbs...

[Ross PK]

I still don't understand why he just didn't go around me in the first place and not stop. :confused:

Unless what chopper jockey was saying was true.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Ross PK

I still don't understand why he just didn't go around me in the first place and not stop. :confused:

Unless what chopper jockey was saying was true.

Even from pictures it is imposible to say what is wrong or right in most motoring situations we would have to have been there and then the view from the passanger seat is different to the drivers view.

He probably paused because he was not sure what you were going to do next, or he may have thought he had Light Sabres fitted to his car, but it really does not matter. If there is a better way for you to deal with buses, providing you think about what you are doing, you will eventually sort it out. There is no hard and fast rule here other than don’t go if it looks unsafe to you.

Did you consider the extra instruction time?

[Ross PK]

I've thought about it, but I really don't know if it'll make any difference, I've already spent so much money, so I'm still at the stage of thinking maybe I should just cut my losses and give up, which I've been at for months now.

I'm going to be seeing a therapist eventually, to try and find out what's wrong with me, only then will I be able to make a proper descision on whether I should keep driving or not.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Ross PK

I've thought about it, but I really don't know if it'll make any difference, I've already spent so much money, so I'm still at the stage of thinking maybe I should just cut my losses and give up, which I've been at for months now.

I'm going to be seeing a therapist eventually, to try and find out what's wrong with me, only then will I be able to make a proper descision on whether I should keep driving or not.

NHS I hope, is that at the thinking stage or have taken the first step?

[Ross PK]

Originally Posted by wagolynn

NHS I hope, is that at the thinking stage or have taken the first step?

Yeah it's the NHS, I've taken the first step, I'm just waiting for a letter to give me a date of an appointment.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Ross PK

Yeah it's the NHS, I've taken the first step, I'm just waiting for a letter to give me a date of an appointment.

Best wishes...:)

[Ross PK]

Thanks.

[98selitb]

Sorry have only just come across this thread so am a bit late. But most importantly, don't let something like this convince you there's something wrong with your driving. Contrary to how we are taught, I don't think being a bit cautious/hesitant in the name of safety is wrong. There's nothing wrong with being cautious - it doesn't matter if it causes a few seconds' delay, it could save lives. Sure it can be annoying when someone in front won't go when it seems there's no obstruction, but it is most likely they have seen something you haven't, or they are just being careful, and it will only take a few seconds from your journey. And as has already been observed, the road was going round to the left so it would have been very hard to see oncoming traffic. Are you local to that road or not? If you were not local and the guy behind you was, he may have been aware from his knowledge of the road that it was OK to overtake, but you had no way of knowing this because you didn't know the road.

Anyone who advises you to blindly overtake the bus is looking for trouble, that's unbelievable anyone could advise that! Where and why do buses stop? Bus stops! What happens there? People get off, and there is always the risk of people walking across the road in front of the bus who you won't see until their body parts are on and under your car.

[Ross PK]

I am local to that road, unfortunatley.

I always thought that if a bus has stopped at a bus stop that you should go around it (as long as there's no bend), because that's what my driving instructor always advised me to do.

[98selitb]

Originally Posted by Ross PK

I am local to that road, unfortunatley.

I always thought that if a bus has stopped at a bus stop that you should go around it (as long as there's no bend), because that's what my driving instructor always advised me to do.

I wouldn't agree entirely with that. There's no black-and-white, every single scenario is different. It depends how long the bus has been stopped (the longer it's been stationery, the more likely it is that it's finished there and will start moving off again soon), of course also it depends on cars coming in the opposite direction, which will obviously have priority over you. Then it depends on the people getting off and where they are walking, especially bearing in mind children who might run out, and the elderly who will be slower in crossing the road and reacting to cars. So yeah there a a number of factors that you should bear in mind when considering overtaking a bus at a stop, not just one concrete "yes or no" rule. Oh and if it's stationery but indicating right, you should never overtake it as it will be pulling out, especially as they might not be able to see you depending on the size/shape of the bus and how close you are behind it.

[kyo4o3d]

Flashing lights and overtaking

Norwood High Street is narrow and often suffers from parked cars on yellow lines. Half way along is a side street from which buses turn onto the high street and at both ends there are traffic lights. Half way along on one side is a bus stop.

"whilst proceeding in the direction of Penge" I stopped behind a bus because it was not clear whether there was room to pull up in front of the bus and behind the queue at the lights were I to overtake the bus.

Sure enough a Chelsea tractor driver behind me hooted and overtook me and the bus only to find he could not turn back on to the left hand side because there was no room. Faced by an approaching line of cars, he was forced to reverse backwards before he could pull in and in fact ended up not one car behind me but three!

I am tempted to have a pop up sign in my rear window saying

"your impatience will be the death of you"

But realise that would be dangerously distracting even if true

[Xenomorph]

The above post made me smile for all the right reasons!

[Snowball]

I was driving along the M69 at about 11.15 pm last night, and travelling at the legal maximum (indicated) of 70 mph.. Somewhere some distance behind me, I noticed what had to be flashing headlights.

Shortly afterwards, a car sped by me in the centre lane, then immediately pulled back into the nearside lane.
Following him, faster and passing in the centre lane, was an oldish Fiesta I think, and it was a dark-coloured vehicle.

This car had no rear lights showing, and immediately disappeared in the darkness. I could not help thinking, what if he/she eventually slows down and another vehicle comes up faster from behind?

I also flashed my headlights as he/she pased, but there was obviously no reason to take any more notice of me than of the earlier incidence of flashing. I completed the last few miles of the M69 in a very alert state of mind.

[kyo4o3d]

Can anyone enlighten me as to why I am described as Pedestrian under my user name on these posts?

[Xenomorph]

Originally Posted by kyo4o3d

Can anyone enlighten me as to why I am described as Pedestrian under my user name on these posts?

It all depends on how many posts you have made. The more post you make the faster your mode of transport.;)