Near Miss - have you had something similar recently? (1 Viewer)

[GAVLAD]

This was one of a few incidents experienced on our recent travels.
This was approaching the roundabout by the big church in Avranches.
Fortunately, I was only doing 5mph, but was indicating and already on the roundabout.
Maybe a 9m long, 3+m high big white bus isn't enough to be seen in some parts?

 

[DiggerJon]

Priorite a droite? Well, in his mind anyway!

 

[Ninovan]

I had something very similar in Perigeux. Some locals still seem to get confused with the priorite a droite & just go for it . It was a coat of paint situation, lile you.

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[Devon Sue]

We had a couple of similar incidents during our recent trip, do they have Specsavers in France?

 

[MR. FUSION]

I now have front & rear dash cams in my car, I believe with the current state of distracted driving it's only a matter of time before an incident occurs. From my roadside observations I think about 30% of drivers are fiddling with phones/satnavs/entertainment systems in cars as they speed along. The figure is higher at about 60% in city stop/start traffic!!!

 

[Taran_Las]

Had this occur many times in the last month while travelling France.

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[SpeedyDux]

Make sure that the "cloaking device" setting is OFF.

It must be somewhere in the owner's manual but I haven't found it yet

 

[Dorwyn]

Just back from 5 weeks in France, about 3 serious incidents, worst was following a tractor and trailer on a very narrow diversion road, the tractor pulled off the road, I could see one car dutifully following behind me, I started to pull out to overtake the tractor and a fourth vehicle overtook the 3 of us using the grass verge. Goodness knows what speed he was doing, but it was very fast.

 

[Lenny HB]

We had 3 incidents on our last trip a few weeks ago, I'm sure the French are getting worse.
The last one doesn't look bad on camera but it was really frighting. The lorry came round the bend with the tail wagging the dog by the time it got to us the cab had straightened up but the trailer was still zig zagging across the road and the back end came within a foot of us, the noise is all the wood chippings flying off the back hitting our van.

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[tacr2man]

I saved a few when I first got my dash cam , but its such a regular
occurrence these days don't bother anymore , as long as I can manage to keep missing them , although lost a o/s rear side marker in Poland on last trip and I was crawling on a down hill sharp bend and nearly in the ditch , transit with trailer at warp speed going the other way , he did look very surprised !!! I dont think they have grasped how RAB work in EU yet especially when they are driving over here

 

[gus-lopez]

This was one of a few incidents experienced on our recent travels.
This was approaching the roundabout by the big church in Avranches.
Fortunately, I was only doing 5mph, but was indicating and already on the roundabout.
Maybe a 9m long, 3+m high big white bus isn't enough to be seen in some parts?

Quite normal here. I think it is more a case of
" **** don't want to be stuck behind that !"

 

[Madcaravanner]

Not near miss but my B*****y fault again

Going round a corner on site only 50m from the pitch had to go round a corner on which a certain person parked his Mercedes Ass out and so I would miss it as he is a beggar for doing it and getting everyone to pay the repair bills for every scratch even if they didn't cause it (well known on site)

So I missed him but caught the wall the other side and clonked the water heater grill/baffle and fibreglass mud guard AGAIN (did something similar on our First trip with motorhome) locally it will cost €70 for the parts but when we are home it's only £37 so it can wait

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[DiggerJon]

I'll prepare my spare Sherman tank for my next continental tour. That'll show 'em who's boss!

 

[Pia]

The French are the most aggressive rude drivers we have encountered...courtsey (on the road) is not in their vocabulary... though I must say we haven't been to Italy.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Erm, about 20-30 times a day.

Usually because the other driver is updating Facebook .

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[elamessa]

The French are the most aggressive rude drivers we have encountered...courtsey (on the road) is not in their vocabulary... though I must say we haven't been to Italy.

Sorry can't agree with that. We think that those with UK plates are worse.

 

[TerryL]

As elamessa says, don't think France is any worse than UK, and I've been driving over there for years.

My father taught me to drive defensively and I still do - expect the other silly b-----d to try and kill you. I just shrug it off now, not worth getting heated up about it.

 

[Pia]

Sorry can't agree with that. We think that those with UK plates are worse.

Isn''t it interesting how different our experiences are...we live in Staffordshire and the drivers here, on th whole, are very courteous, they will happily filter in one car at a time, allow people to pull out, don't cut you up, and wave when you let them through especially the bus drivers....I know drivers in the south are very different but I guess for us in France the most problematic is the 'cutting up' they as a nation, in our experience of driving there through France several times a year over many years have found they will overtake no matter what even if there is little space and they cause you to brake to avoid an accident....but they are the best at indicating their intentions early and they are also brillaint at lane control. The 'cutting up' behaviour never fails to amaze me, though....but we're aware of it so it's not so bad. We love France and their roads are just amazing and a pleasure to drive on. We don't usually encounter that many with UK plates in France and have yet to encounter bad driving. We tend to travel out of season and on quiet country roads....motorways only round large cities and to cross borders.

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[tacr2man]

I find its pretty universal that its more what the wheels are rather than the nationality of the driver , large German made cars seem to have owners of a certain mind set . The other thing is how truck drivers on the continent are adopting some of UK practices eg acting as rolling road block to stop queue jumpers.

 

[Pia]

I find its pretty universal that its more what the wheels are rather than the nationality of the driver , large German made cars seem to have owners of a certain mind set . The other thing is how truck drivers on the continent are adopting some of UK practices eg acting as rolling road block to stop queue jumpers.

Yes, I agree about the large German car owners Haven't noticed truck driver's behaviour but then I'm not sure we've been in any traffic queues in France at all for many years

 

[mitzimad]

5mph no wonder he didnt want to get stuck behind you

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[TerryL]

It quite often fell to me to take first-time coach drivers onto the continent and almost the first lesson was how to drive in France! On the whole (but of course there are always exceptions, and the OP report is one of them) French drive what I call aggressively but without malice - they don't hesitate and always indicate to show what they are going to do, then do it. So for instance, if a French driver overtakes and indicates he is pulling in, he will pull in. He's already decided there is enough room. Yes, it's moving into your braking distance and in the UK we call it "cutting up". But it's the norm and you should accept it. Once you do, you quickly adapt and as long as you do it without malice, can do it yourselves.
The same applies to parking - if the space is long enough he/she will get in, if necessary "nudging" other vehicles. That's why you don't leave your handbrake on when street parking - they have a different attitude to their cars to us. Whilst waiting for a pickup one evening in Paris I watched several examples of this; one car actually ended up about 3 car lengths away from where it was originally parked.
I'll say it again, the simple answer is to keep a sharp eye out and accept it.

 

[Pia]

Thanks @TerryL you have articulated this excellently much better than I did. I can relate exactly to what you have described and completely agree. We do just accept the driving in France but are still amazed by it....also the nudging of cars this happens in Spain also. We're very particular where we leave our vehicles for this reason and tend to use car parks as opposed to parking in the streets. Every culture is different and there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way just different ways...we're happy with that and enjoy it

 

[Nirvanauk]

The French are the most aggressive rude drivers we have encountered...courtsey (on the road) is not in their vocabulary... though I must say we haven't been to Italy.

definitely Italians are worse!

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[Pia]

definitely Italians are worse!

...we'll find out next year as we drive through Italy on our way to Greece.

 

[ianandkath]

remember the MAIN rule of the road--------------------------------- the largest vechicle has rhe right of way.

now, does any one want to take on a jcb

 

[DBK]

...we'll find out next year as we drive through Italy on our way to Greece.

The main lesson I've learned in Italy is to expect cars coming from side junctions to pull out in front of you causing you to brake. They rarely wait for a gap but it isn't done aggressively. I haven't seen any aggressive driving so far but I guess it just depends on your definition of aggressive. Pushing out into a busy road is normal, I do it now.

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[oldfozzie]

Driven 10’s of thousands of miles all over Europe. Last time took the mh to Scotland and Lake District, lost offside mirror 3 times in 10 days, say no more

 

[allempty]

Just expect anything to happen and you won't be disappointed !!