A collision near Harrods in London, or was it..

[London WitnessCam]

Cameras mounted in a large Coach

 

[Module 79L]

As soon as I saw the Audi driver trying to turn right in between stopped vehicles I said to myself "Russian crash waiting to happen". Fortunately it was just a fender bender.

 

[London WitnessCam]

Impatience nearly cost her

 

[Module 79L]

I never let anyone do that if there's another lane to my right (your left), no matter how pissed they may become that I didn't let them through, since I wasn't moving. Making it easy for them can lead to an accident and I don't want to have the responsibility of contributing to it.

 

[kamkar]

Russian crash waiting to happen

Thats what i was thinking too, they have a hard time handeling situations like this over there

When i am in a simmilar situation here i an glued to my mirrors, and i will honk my horn like a madman if i think things are about to go wrong.

It is pretty common here ( to my suprice ) that cars will hang back to let a car from a side road out into traffic, not least if there is a intersection up ahead and its red light.
Same situation allso happen to let oncomming cars wanting to turn left and cross your path thru, and here you have to be extra carefull as doing that allso mean you will have to cross a bicycle path thats obstructed by the car/cars stopped to let you thru.

For some reason the town i live in ppl practise this even if there is noo bloce up ahead that slow things down anyway, so you can see a guy stopping on a 60-70 km/h street to let a car on a side road out. and since this is fast wide roads motorbikes might still be passing the stopped cars.
I dont get why ppl do the last thing, the car on the side road dont have any form of right of way so it better be there untill its safe to enter traffic.

 

[Rajagra]

I never let anyone do that if there's another lane to my right (your left), no matter how pissed they may become that I didn't let them through, since I wasn't moving. Making it easy for them can lead to an accident and I don't want to have the responsibility of contributing to it.

If you drove in London, you would understand why helping out is necessary.
The other drivers were to blame. One for turning too quickly (should be expecting cyclists for one thing) and the other for undertaking at a junction carelessly.
Also the Powerline van (who behaved as you would) actually made the situation worse. Something to think about.

When i am in a simmilar situation here i an glued to my mirrors, and i will honk my horn like a madman if i think things are about to go wrong.

This. I also wind down the window if I have time, to give a hand signal to anyone overtaking. Though I know that any cyclist overtaking on the wrong side of the road will blast through anyway. That's down to them though.
(And as I've mentioned before, if I do stop I stop well back so visibility is good.)

 

[London WitnessCam]

As the Audi driver had decided that she was going to turn no matter what and had already decided to do so (already into the oncoming lane), to move further forward wouldn't have got me anywhere apart from unnecessarily causing further obstruction to her and the junction to my left (as the Powerline van had done) especially in the 42 foot long coach I was driving. The decision was entirely hers to go when she did, all she had to do was look. Rajagra also reinforces the point very well that I made the correct decision

 

[BlazinBob]

Just a love tap, fortunately for her. Like you said, she was already encroaching on the oncoming traffic lane. Not sure what else you could have done. People make bad choices sometimes, that's why dashcams are so handy.

 

[Rajagra]

Nice camera setup BTW. I'd like an all round view myself, but I'm not sure I want to mess around with all that cabling with a company vehicle that can be swapped out at short notice.

 

[Module 79L]

If you drove in London, you would understand why helping out is necessary.
The other drivers were to blame. One for turning too quickly (should be expecting cyclists for one thing) and the other for undertaking at a junction carelessly.
Also the Powerline van (who behaved as you would) actually made the situation worse. Something to think about.

I'm not blaming @London WitnessCam or the Powerline van driver for it. The Audi driver had no one behind her, so she could've waited until it was clear to turn.

 

[Rajagra]

The Audi driver had no one behind her, so she could've waited until it was clear to turn.

You misunderstand. In London it may never become clear to turn in busy periods. Until some kind soul stops to let you turn.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/london-the-worlds-most-gridlocked-city-a3203246.html

The Audi should have gone slower though, since it couldn't see clearly.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah we get the same too here in town in some places during rush hour, not least around the bridge crossing the Gudenå ( river of the gods )
Really stupid to have so many intersections so close to a choke point, off course ppl entering the intersection when they clealy know they cant be out of it before the light turn avay from green dont help, and so you can sit there with green light but you cant cross the intersection cuz some dumbasses is parked out there.

To be honest i some times feel like geting out of my car and walk over to then and scream my head off at them, but these ppl are beyond reach of common sense so shouting profanities to ther face will not help.

I even doubt it would help if the cops camped out there for 1 week during rush hour and then give tickets to every one that dont know the simple rules regarding intersections.

 

[Module 79L]

Speaking of Danish drivers, some time ago I caught an HGV driver doing two-lane roundabouts in the inside lane (as they should do) like he was driving a Mini! It was a sight for sore eyes, compared with the "professional" portuguese truck drivers.

 

[kamkar]

well we aim to please
But the plates on the truck beeing Danish do not mean its a Dane driving it, the trucking industry here have taken a severe hit here over the past years.
For the most when we was shipping stuff from my old job the driver dident undestand a word Danish, but if we was lucky he might undestand a little German.
Allso many trucking companies have relocated out of Denmark, and at truck stops here you will find eastern drivers camped out for weeks, some times having to beg money to get somthing to eat.

Due to Eu rules i think they can do a fjew runs when they get here, but then they are supposed to go home
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/road/haulage/cabotage_en.htm

But rules seem to be there to be broken

On the furniture factory where my sister work you will be good off if you speak Polish, Seem like Danes are too good to work in low wage jobs ( by our standarts )
So now the welfare fares get ajusted to a degree where ppl on welfare cant even pay ther rent any more its the same way i am heading, by this time next year i expect to be living on the streets and eating out of a dumpster.

 

[sludgeguts]

Karma?
Audi driver wants to turn right so begins by blocking one lane for oncoming traffic.

I hate people who drive like that.
Seems to be a common thing round here with taxi drivers, edge out until your car is so far out so as to make it impossible for cars to get by.

 

[Module 79L]

well we aim to please
But the plates on the truck beeing Danish do not mean its a Dane driving it, the trucking industry here have taken a severe hit here over the past years.
For the most when we was shipping stuff from my old job the driver dident undestand a word Danish, but if we was lucky he might undestand a little German.
Allso many trucking companies have relocated out of Denmark, and at truck stops here you will find eastern drivers camped out for weeks, some times having to beg money to get somthing to eat.

Dane or not, he sure as hell handles a truck and trailer better than the large majority of portuguese truckers.

 

[kamkar]

Then i am glad we done see portuguese truckers up here, or at least off the top of my head i cant remember seeing one.

 

[tk000]

Audiot