Charles Hunt wrote:Smaragd wrote:Charles Hunt wrote:Just checking, do the new rules confirm that when you come out wide to pass cyclists or horses that you can do this irrespective of white lines and opposing traffic?
I don't recommend doing it irrespective of oncoming traffic!
Neither do I, but that's what's happened to me any number of times.
For many years there have been many drivers that will dawdle overtaking a cyclist and making the oncoming car brake to avoid a head on collision. Even more dangerous when they attempt the overtake going into a blind corner!
In the older days I assumed they had not selected a lower gear when necessary to get better acceleration to complete the overtake quicker and more safely.
In more recent times I sometimes wonder about the adverse effect of insurance black boxes assessing how good/bad a driver is by how spirited they accelerate/brake doing what used to be considered normal safe acceleration/braking. With these boxes I think they are more likely to dither doing an overtake. More likely to pull out of a side road into a gap not big enough or a big enough gap but not getting upto the (legal) flow rate of the traffic quickly enough - making other vehicles brake or swerve to avoid collision.
I have seen one car in December with a sign in the back window saying insurance black box fitted - please back off! That driver obviously got fed up of being tail gated after not accelerating properly.
However they have created a big blind spot for their rear view mirror ...
As humans, there will always be people that make an honest mistake and some that are just too impatient waiting for that safe gap.