Playing chicken (1 Viewer)

[Caron]

so it's the first time we have driven the motorhome abroad. Travelling to Bayeux on a wide and quiet D road I see a mini coming around a bend in the distance driving at speed over the markings in the middle of the road. Instead of pulling back to their own side of the road the mini, apparently deliberately pulled further over heading straight for us. I slowed right down and pulled over as far as I could and just before the mini reached us it pulled back to their side of the road and sped on.

Heart thumping and sweaty we carried on. A few hundred yards further on a large 4 x 4 drives towards us doing the same thing . This time he drives so close to us that he knocks the passenger mirror and the mirror pops out and the fitting on the lower mirror shears off. I have driven a car many times in France but have never experienced this kind of behaviour. I wondered if it was a game that idiots play with motorhomes? By the way both cars had French plates.

 

[Madeinengland]

Scary!!!

 

[Minxy]

Unfortunately we've experience idiots doing similar stuff, not quite as fast but certainly trying to 'intimidate' the foreigners ... it's a rare thing though ... if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

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[ianandkath]

try driving on the right side of the road

 

[Badknee]

Thanks for the heads up. I've driven in Germany/ Holland/ France/ Spain/ Italy/ Sicily before and always found the driving good, well ok the Italians are tossers but there you go

 

[Forestboy]

Driven hundreds of thousands of miles in over 70 countries and never experienced behaviour like that in fact I find driving standards in Europe as good if not better than the UK.
Never experienced intimidation towards foreigners in France always found in exceptionally friendly.

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[DavidG58]

I reckon it was pure bad luck, possibly even one idiot chasing after the other

bad luck to suffer damage though, a dash cam needs to go on your wish list

 

[Caron]

I reckon it was pure bad luck, possibly even one idiot chasing after the other

bad luck to suffer damage though, a dash cam needs to go on your wish list

Yes it was probably bad luck especially as earlier that day the windscreen was chipped by a car overtaking us. 40 years of driving and only the second chipped windowscreen. I was starting to think that the gods were telling us something............

 

[andrewjw]

Unfortunately we've experience idiots doing similar stuff, not quite as fast but certainly trying to 'intimidate' the foreigners ... it's a rare thing though ... if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

That sounds like a very dodgy tactic to me ...

You are likely to end up having a "head on" , possibly someone getting injured and being charged with dangerous driving.

Not a lot of fun in that.

Like everyone else I've never come across anything like what happened to the OP...very scary indeed!

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[Fenman]

Never experienced that but if a French driver on a country road takes a left hand bend they always cut it whether totally blind or not, I came to the conclusion long ago that that is how they are taught to drive.
The similar habit they have is driving well into the middle of country roads but that's to avoid the edges of the road which are more often than not mighty rough. They pull over at the last minute and rarely slow down.

 

[Fletton]

My boys bought me a dash cam for my birthday.... Not sure i'd have got one myself... However it may come in handy

We will be venturing over to France for the 1st time in moho - this summer...

 

[gus-lopez]

Never experienced that but if a French driver on a country road takes a left hand bend they always cut it whether totally blind or not, I came to the conclusion long ago that that is how they are taught to drive.
.

So do most in the UK now. Whenever I'm approaching a blind bend on country roads I use the air horns . Once they are committed to cutting a corner most are too stupid to realise that they can't get back on there own side & I'm certainly not damaging my own vehicle to avoid a twat. Golden rule no:1 " always hit the one that is moving" you can argue/batter them.

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[Hollyberry]

I was told when I lived in France to drive towards the centre when possible on country roads to give you more time to avoid a sanglier or similar coming out from the sides. Not sure how reliable that would be.
Was also advised to always drive with lights on.

 

[Caron]

Never experienced that but if a French driver on a country road takes a left hand bend they always cut it whether totally blind or not, I came to the conclusion long ago that that is how they are taught to drive.
The similar habit they have is driving well into the middle of country roads but that's to avoid the edges of the road which are more often than not mighty rough. They pull over at the last minute and rarely slow down.

I have experienced bad bend driving in the uk as well, I understand driving in the middle of the road on small roads with rough edges but this was a good widish road and the bend was some way ahead. The first driver definitely altered course to my side of the road which was why I thought that he was "playing chicken"

 

[iandsm]

Unfortunately we've experience idiots doing similar stuff, not quite as fast but certainly trying to 'intimidate' the foreigners ... it's a rare thing though ... if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

Bad advice I think. What if the oncoming persons reactions to the sudden twitch they are not expecting are a little too slow!

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[Minxy]

Unfortunately we've experience idiots doing similar stuff, not quite as fast but certainly trying to 'intimidate' the foreigners ... it's a rare thing though ... if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

That sounds like a very dodgy tactic to me ...

You are likely to end up having a "head on" , possibly someone getting injured and being charged with dangerous driving.

Not a lot of fun in that.

Like everyone else I've never come across anything like what happened to the OP...very scary indeed!

Bad advice I think. What if the oncoming persons reactions to the sudden twitch they are not expecting are a little too slow!

It was a suggestion, I'm not telling anyone what they MUST do ... obviously you wouldn't even think about doing it when the car was anywhere near you ... and I'm not talking about a large 'jerk' (they're the ones driving towards you!) just enough to show them that you 'may' move to their side instead of the opposite way and therefore they can't be sure that you'd be able to get out of their way if they kept going as they were ...

 

[Photo4x4]

Interesting, of course there are dangerous idiots everywhere.

This happened to me early one morning some years ago when I was travelling into work on my motorcycle. I was riding along a road in the West Midlands, a two way road with a hatched area in the middle, when a 'lone' car coming in the opposite direction changed course crossed over the hatching and headed right for me. I was forced into the kerb to avoid a collision and the driver of the car was laughing at me as he passed!

I immediately wrote down the registration number, time and location.

As I said I was on my way to work, well what the driver of the car didn't know was my job was - a police traffic patrol motorcyclist! On arrival at work I reported the incident to my Inspector and made a statement. Within a short time we had traced the vehicle via the PNC and later that day we went to interview the driver of the car.

He certainly did not expect that and of course he denied the incident happened saying that the motorcyclist was making it all up or had the wrong registration number.

The Inspector pointed out that the person on the motorcycle was in fact the very officer who was in front of him right then! Also a little investigation showed that the road was on his route to his own work and that the time of the incident tied in with the time he started work.

His face was a picture I can tell you and now he was full of excuses.

Anyway the result was he was reported, summoned and convicted of 'Driving Without Due Care and Attention' (very difficult to prove intent enough for Dangerous Driving) for which he received a fine and an endorsement!

I must admit that I felt a warm glow of satisfaction as I left the court.

Hopefully it taught him a lesson.

KH

 

[scotjimland]

if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

It was a suggestion, I'm not telling anyone what they MUST do ...

bad advice.. bad suggestion

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[Forestboy]

Unfortunately we've experience idiots doing similar stuff, not quite as fast but certainly trying to 'intimidate' the foreigners ... it's a rare thing though ... if you want to scare them make a very quick jerk on the steering wheel to the left and back again (not going too fast though!) ... it might make them think twice in future as they hurtle into the verge to 'avoid' you!

Very very bad advice.
Crazy manoeuvres like this get people killed.

 

[Minxy]

I shall resist from responding to individuals who are 'criticising' me personally for what was just a suggestion ... as I'm sure they are perfect drivers at all times regardless.

 

[iandsm]

I shall resist from responding to individuals who are 'criticising' me personally for what was just a suggestion ... as I'm sure they are perfect drivers at all times regardless.

I don't think anyone is criticising you personally, just your advice/suggestion. No doubt people who disagree are not perfect and I don't think they claim to be either.

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[sdc77]

@Minxy Girl .. it's just bad advice that you gave that's all. Don't fret about it .. it's not personal.
The correct advise if someone is approaching you partially on the wrong side of the road is to pull over to your nearside or into a turning or lay by ... slow down and/or stop whilst flashing your headlights and sounding your horn.
It's not about being "perfect" drivers .. it's about avoiding an accident or death.
The oncoming driver may not be concentrating, may have a medical problem or may just be aggressive but carrying out the actions above are your best course of action to avoid contact.
Swerving .. no matter how slight puts you and them in more danger.

 

[roadster55]

I've never experienced anything like that thank goodness - it's a pity you couldn't have got their registrations and reported them to a Gendarme.
I did have an incident in Spain in 2003 where 2 swarthy looking blokes in a scruffy looking Spanish car, pulled alongside my campervan (Autosleeper Symphony back then) and pointed at the lower part of my Peugeot boxer or something and waved frantically to try and get me to pull over. I waved back and ignored them, at that moment my greyhound stood up and looked out in their direction - pure fluke he was on the couch as usual! Soon they sped off no doubt looking for another target elsewhere. I pulled off that route and picked up another road. Needless to say there was nothing wrong with the vehicle that evening.
Otherwise never any probs.

 

[MattR]

I've never experienced anything like that thank goodness - it's a pity you couldn't have got their registrations and reported them to a Gendarme.
I did have an incident in Spain in 2003 where 2 swarthy looking blokes in a scruffy looking Spanish car, pulled alongside my campervan (Autosleeper Symphony back then) and pointed at the lower part of my Peugeot boxer or something and waved frantically to try and get me to pull over. I waved back and ignored them, at that moment my greyhound stood up and looked out in their direction - pure fluke he was on the couch as usual! Soon they sped off no doubt looking for another target elsewhere. I pulled off that route and picked up another road. Needless to say there was nothing wrong with the vehicle that evening.
Otherwise never any probs.

We are aware that there are peeps who try and wave drivers down and then rob them but we were leaving Luxembourg and were flagged down by a car load of teenagers that were pointing to our rear wheel. It was a busy motorway and I felt OK about pulling over to the hard shoulder. Seeing that we were slowing down, the car drove off. I checked my camper being very cautious and found ... a deflating tyre. It has a 3cm slash. I've no idea what caused it but don't think that it was done when were parked up and we had driven for about 20 mins before being flagged down. It then took approx 5 mins to delflate completely (we had some anti-puncture stuff in it so it took longer to go down than normal).

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[maison]

We have travelled thousands of miles in France without incident, although I admit drivers in our area do tend to drive towards the middle of the road. Usually this is due to the uneven nature of the road edge and all drivers are used to the practice and simply move over when meeting another vehicle.

Having said that, last year we were overtaken by two male youths who, having passed us, wound down their windows and both gave us the V sign. (We were on UK plates).

Idiotic behaviour by qualified idiots but that is the only time we have had any problem.

(There I've said it now! Should have had more sense as we are heading over the Channel again next week!)

 

[makems]

In Morocco this year we lost a very expensive mirror to a French motorhome driver who was clearly incapable of keeping to his own side of the white line.
Same thing happened last year too. Again a french driver.
Nothing malicious, just plain old-fashioned lack of care and attention