Safe Speed Forums

I made a bad mistake coming home one night this week.

A138, approaching A12. I want to head East - that's the left hand lane of 3. The right two lanes of the three go around a sharp right hander to a roundabout complex, one of which is to turn left - a recovery situation I've used the odd time if I can't get back over to the left in ample time.

As usual, the left lane is sparsely populated with slow-moving vehicles, the middle lane more densely populated but with faster movers, and a few (including me) up at the limit in the right lane. Getting over to the left for the "straight on" road can be done at any time up to about 100 yards before the right hander when there is hatching (but still traversible tarmac). I normally pick a gap out several seconds ahead and filter across at a matched speed, occasionally having to dab brakes once then twice.

Whether I was tired or what I'm not sure, but very unusually a gap didn't seem to materialise like it usually does. I saw a 3/4 gap but even that disappeared as, very unusually, one of the cars from the left lane going quite slowly came across to the middle lane, causing quite a concertina.I decided - split-second - that the roundabout was very crowded but that the slow car that had pulled across to lane 2 was exceptionally cautious and had opened up a gap in front of him. I blipped - went for (and got) the gap in front of him, then went over the hatchings, intending to go into the large gap in L1. What I'd not seen was a silver Audi in L1 that, either I'd not clocked all along or that must have performed a manoeuvre similar to my usual one - picked a gap a second or so earlier than I did and booted it. I made the lady in the Audi brake fairly hard (in fact there would have been room for her to carry on as I was in the no-mans-land bit, but she understandably wasn't to know that I might have swung hard left and pinned her to the verge. A second or so later, the Audi's headlights flashed a couple of times. I held my hand up for several seconds by way of apology.

I think that is the worst bit of driving I've done in many years. I should have accepted my fate and negotiated the crowded roundabout complex, but I saw an opportunity to avoid it - that was not really an opportunity.

The more I think about it, the more I realise now that the cardinal mistake was to drive at all at that time. I should have sat for another 15 minutes at work and calmed down. Many things right now in my life meant I was "buzzed" - and probably concentrating on the wrong things.

If the lady driving that Audi reads this, please accept my sinceree thanks for spotting my mistake and dealing with it professionally and courteously.

It goes to show doesn't it how your 'state' affects your driving. Due to my profession I have learnt to stay focused but you know, sh*t happens, we're all human and I really notice the difference if I let stuff get on top of me. Then I get even more cross with myself for driving like that so I have force myself to concentrate properly again until I've got to where it is I need to get to! (sorry, it's early )

At least you held your hands up Roger and learnt from it. Most people would probably have forgotten what they did 10 seconds later.

This is what I also explain to my students: most people drive just get from A to B and could well be stressed out and will do silly things around them and we are all human (well most of us!) . Try and be forgiving as they themselves will also make silly mistakes. I feel it goes a long way to apologise to the offended driver that you've just been a plonker!

All very true.

I've noticed that I work further to the right on the aggression scale in may things - including driving - when I'm stressed. However, I'd like to think that my extreme edge of aggression is still below that of Mr Chav, and probably noticible only by professionals. I don't "do" intimidation any more - lost that a couple of decades ago I think. I don't think this was aggression (or a result of it), just bad judgement, exacerbated by perhaps a 10% (or maybe more?) loss (or, being pedantic, diversion) of concentration.

Snap decision. Not enough information. No margin for error. Not enough caution.

This is a classic case of expedience winning out over wisdom.

Eliminating the possibility of a 'snap decision' from your driving plan will stop it ever happening again. Normal driving does not require snap decisions.

Of course snap decisions may be required when unplanned and unanticipated things happen. (In which case we'd be looking at a different problem. )

I don't really buy the 'I shouldn't have been driving' thing.

Glad it worked out OK.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I agree it was a snap decision, but made several tenths of a second prior to executing it. By the time I realised that a car was coming up the inside (which I had clocked as clear a second or so before-hand; I saw the audi as I was pulling over), I had run out of options in fact. The bend was looming and I doubt - seriosuly - I'd have had enough manoeuvering room to brake and get round it. Certainly I had limited margin for error at that stage - although traffic in lanes 2 & 3 I was clear of by adequate margins of time (though perhaps 30% of what I normally like to offer/receive).
I hope I never ever do that again. The last time I remember chancing my arm by pulling over without being certain somewhere was clear was in a friend's car in London almost 30 years ago. I got away with that one by the skin of my teeth - but still remember it like it was yesterday. I am glad this one didn't result in anything other than a little extra adrenalin rush in the inocent party, and hope this refreser course also lasts 30 years.

Roger, honest post -respect you and others for opening up.

As I improve, the thing I currently struggle with most is consistency. I have drives that I feel rightly proud of, drives that are OK but could have been more focused, and every now and again a drive which is completely ruined by a momentary 'WTF was I doing there?' error.

We all agree its about learning from mistakes. That and the desire to deeper embed the discipline that good driving demands. But I sympathise with anyone who genuinely trys hard to be safe and considerate on the road but cocks up every now and again.

However, as others have alluded to, its pretty healthy that we berate ourselves for near misses when many struggle to accept their fault in an actual crash. Its the very fact that we encounter relatively few of these moments which makes them stick out like a sore thumb, and that goes to show its worth the effort to be the best driver you can.

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"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

I seem to go through similar phases, but based on a long slow period. And I mean slow.

I was proud of 2004 and 2005; in 2003 I was a bit too lacadaisical at times, and for the first part of this year, I have almost overcompensated for lack of risk by poor driving at times, although I think I'm back to a pretty acceptable standard after this close call (touches wood) and long may it remain my norm.