For driving instructors or those thinking about becoming a driving instructor.
DorWey
Driving School
Common Problems When Following Other Traffic
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As with all driving, anticipation and intelligent use of information is crucial when following other vehicles. Below you will find a list of headings with explanations on how to cope with specific traffic problems. Rather than repeating myself over and over I am assuming that you (the driver) will check your mirrors as soon as you notice anything happening ahead and at the appropriate moments as the situation develops.
Vehicle(s) Ahead - Turning Right.
As soon as you see any indication that a vehicle ahead is turning right you should immediately start assessing whether the driver is going to be able make the turn or is going to have to wait in the main road. You should also assess whether there will be enough room for you to pass on the nearside?
By looking ahead and observing approaching traffic you should be able to assess (in most cases) whether the driver in front will be able to complete the turn without stopping. You should also look to where they intend turning to find out if there will be any problems. If you think that there will be a delay and there is no room to pass on the nearside then start slowing down early, trying to time it so that you don't have to stop*. Take into account that drivers in this situation may sometimes allow other vehicles to emerge from the side road before they turn into it (e.g. see blue lorry in diagram below) so look for vehicles waiting there.
 If
drivers turning right do intend letting a vehicle out of the side road they
will usually slow or stop well before their turning point. To get more
insight into the situation look for the driver in the side road waiving a
'thank you' before setting off. |
If the side road is blocked the driver in front probably won't start the turn until they can fully exit the main road.
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Slowing early and keeping the car moving, rather than continuously stopping and starting is mostly a good idea but before you slow down check your mirrors. If there are vehicles behind signalling to turn left or right and by slowing down you will delay that turn then, if possible, you should leave the slowing down until you have passed their turning point so you don't hold them up. See diagram.
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As you approach think about moving over to the left. By putting your car in this position you will be able to start off sooner as the vehicle in front commences the turn right. Positioning your car over to the left will also alert following drivers to your intentions. If you stop directly behind the car turning right, following drivers (thinking that you also intend turning right) may try to squeeze down the nearside of your car.
Vehicle(s) Ahead - Turning Left.
Although vehicles turning left won't have the problems of approaching traffic holding them up it may be more difficult for you to assess whether they are going to be able to get out of your way.
If they are turning into an open junction with sweeping corners you will have more chance to see if there are any problems but closed junctions with sharp corners will be more difficult to assess. If the car in front is turning left into a property you must take into consideration that someone may be exiting from that property at the same time, which may cause a problem to the driver turning left.
It can be easy to be complacent about vehicles turning left, imagining that they will just clear off the road and out of your way but you will come across situations where the vehicle in front suddenly starts breaking hard as the driver realises at the last moment that there are problems. If the following driver hasn't anticipated this they may end up driving into the back of them! This problem is quite often compounded if the driver who is turning has done that turn without any problems many times in the past. Because they have never encountered any difficulties previously they may be going far too fast which may mean an abrupt and unexpected stop, with part of the car still in the road in front of you! To paraphrase - familiarity breeds complacency.
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Copyright Information
- January 2002.
The copyright of
this web site and the downloads found within (apart from third party material) belongs to its author, Paul Pearson
ADI - DorWey Driving School. Material may not be reproduced or used in any form or
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