Morris Minor Owners Club

A few years ago I was happily driving my white convertible down a suburban street close to my home. There were no parked cars; but there was a skip positioned on the opposite side of the road to me.
As I came alongside the skip, a Subaru Impreza roared round the corner in front of me, and positioned itself directly in front of my car. There were two young men in the Subaru, and the driver gesticulated that I should back up.
I was directly alongside the skip......it was 100% my right of way.....and 0% the Subaru driver's right of way.
I gesticulated that he should back up; but he just stayed where he was.
The curb to my left was high, otherwise I might have gone up it and past the Subaru.
I sat and waited for quite a while, hoping that another vehicle would come up behind me, see the situation and strengthen my position. No other vehicle came from either direction.

Eventually I backed up of course. As the Subaru passed the skip and came alongside me, the driver lowered his window and shouted abuse. He told me I should be more observant!
As soon as I had room to get through, I drove on.

Sometimes I reminisce about the situation. I tell myself that I probably did the right thing in avoiding confrontation. Other times, however, I wish I had got out of my car and re-designed his windscreen with my starting handle.

What would you have done?

I had virtually the same situation. I just sat there and got out some paperwork to read. But in the end traffic backed up behind him so eventually I had to move back - the Bar steward!

I think that backing up was the expedient thing to do. Despite being in the right, and fun though it would have been to confront them, I suspect that after a lengthy stay in hospital wondering where you were going to get your car repaired you might have regretted your decision.

stuffedpike20 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:52 pm Sometimes I reminisce about the situation. I tell myself that I probably did the right thing in avoiding confrontation.

You did the right thing. Poor thing could have been rushing home to change his underwear because he’d had a little accident or going to pick him mum up because its her bingo night...

Remember Kenneth Noye? He's not alone out there you know - there are people on the roads who turn a minor incident into a life or death situation through bravado, or intoxication, or just neanderthal reasoning. I'm not a little bloke, and at work over the years I've been threatened with a knife more times than I can remmber, stabbed once, even shot at once - I'm not a 'shy and retiring' bloke. But in most cases I'll just wave the knuckle dragger on and roll my eyes. Life's too short to have some cokehead risk your life because he doesn't understand road sense

Yes, I had a similar situation once where the other driver went completely mental on me and threatened violence. He looked completely wired on something so I decided to reverse. In any case, were one to get into a physical altercation with the other driver, you would be the one likely to end up in court! One day he will mess with someone who decks him regardless of the consequences.

Great replies.
Thanks everyone. I do not cope well with this kind of situation.

I wonder what behaviour on the roads will be like from Monday onwards as lockdown eases more?

Police rely on drivers handing in dash cam footage to catch dangerous drivers these days. Personally, I would like to see many more traffic cops out there.

And then of course there was the 'famous' Ronnie Pickering (I'll bet his wife really looks forward to rides out with him!):-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acybk6aSohQ

Probably sit there for a while, then back up...slowly...oops I stalled the car, now it won’t start (cos I’ve pulled out the choke fully while the engine is hot), oh dear-it looks as if I’ll have to get out and push it backwards...sorry I’m so slow, bad back and leg (bazooka round injury at Iwo-Jima), why can’t I push it back? oh dear I must have left the handbrake on... that’s it ... oh dear a coughing fit...give me a hand to push it back mate-I’m not as young as I was...sorry for the inconvenience, I was stupid to realise anyone would come around that corner so quick-it’s the skip lorry drivers fault for leaving that thing on the road....
If only the right words came to us at the time

Police rely on drivers handing in dash cam footage to catch dangerous drivers these days.

Yes, then go through it, looking to do you for going a few mph over the limit. It has happened.
It doesn't just record what other drivers are up to....... I'd think twice before handing it over......
I for one won't be getting one.
Best wishes,
Mike.

You should of used the starting handle on them

I don't think the Subaru driver would have blocked my way if I had been driving a Kenneth Noye type black Range Rover with tinted windows.
I think he thought he could have some fun with an old Morris Minor driver.
I generally get more intolerance driving my Minor than I do driving my modern car. Small children and elderly people seem to love seeing it; but everyone in-between seems to treat it as a burden on the roads.

As for dash-cam footage...I am sure I heard recently that in 2019, 10,000 clips of dangerous driving were sent to the police; and from those there were 5,000 convictions.
If 10,000 people were bothered enough to send in clips of dangerous driving, just how many incidents of dangerous driving take place every year?