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PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 23:51 
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Not sure if this is even worth posting. I was out on Sunday morning and the roads were extremely slippy. I was coming towards an uphill stretch and I could see a car coming down the hill towards me. It wasn't wide enough for us both to safely pass and he didn't look like he was going to stop, so I stopped and waited. When he (I say "he", I didn't actually see the driver) was about a dozen car lengths away, he decided to give way to me (as he should have done) by tucking into the nearside in a gap ahead of a parked car. Needless to say, on that surface, he didn't manage to stop! It all went into slow motion and I felt for this poor sod! I could see the front wheels locking and releasing as the ABS did its thing. I could see him winding on more and more steering angle as the car failed to pull back out into the road! He caught the corner of the parked car. Not much damage to either car. I felt a bit bad because with me having stopped, there was easily enough room for him to get round the parked car without giving way to me! it set me wondering whether on extremely slippy surfaces, the traditional etiquette should be reversed? (i.e. give way to traffic coming DOWN the hill)?


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 08:40 
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I've always believed this, personally, and I believe that the original "give way to traffic coming UPHILL" stems back to the horse and cart days when it was etiquette to give way to someone with low power who may be struggling to climb the hill. (although when you are climbing a hill on snow, the last thing you really want to do is stop). It's certainly far safer to stop on a snowy/icy hill, when going up, if the person coming down may have trouble stopping.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 21:54 
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For sure the etiquette changes but I see it from safety and sense than the 'right' thing but the best for ensuring all are safe.
When I see a car on any hill if there is not enough grip then I will wait until the other traffic is gone/passed in either direction, even where I know flat narrow (just 2 cars wide) roads are narrowed further by bad puddles or in now ice - ice areas or deeper snow areas (and I have 4" still at the moment and a LOT of ice all about).
Sometimes if you meet a car in teh opposite direction then you may have to continue.
Up and down hill are neigh just as tricky and need great care, as you were trying to do.
In busy roads of course it gets very tricky as when do you go, but I would wait then perhaps indicate to show oncoming traffic that you would like a 'turn'. I have found people grateful, but up here is a bit different from some other areas of the Country.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 23:50 
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I was always taught ,that traffic comng down should give way to that coming up- possibly a relic from the horse & cart era - but in the snow & ice era- possibly a good bit of advice on safety -

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 01:37 
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Yep uphill traffic should be given way to if they need it, but in snow and ice conditions over-ride in my view.

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