As you may be aware, motorists are allowed to tow a caravan or trailer up to a certain weight without the need for a special licence (link is external) – and with towing them likely to be an occasional rather than regular practice, that means that it’s easy to forget the risks that can be caused to vulnerable road users, for instance by pulling in too quickly, which features in our Near Miss of the Day series.

The footage was shot on the B5246 in Lancashire heading towards Tarleton from Wiggins Lane by road.cc reader EHE Life Cycle who, in a message to the motorist, said: “Probably this is the only time you have ever towed a caravan!

“The clue is in the homemade (can’t really see) number plate. You've forgotten that the caravan makes your combined length longer and you appear to just overtake me with the car length forgetting that you are towing quite a large caravan.”

The footage was sent to the police but they did not respond – “probably they don’t monitor the inbox,” added EHE Life Cycle.

Lancashire Constabulary were in fact on the scene – you can see one of the force’s patrol cars being driven in the opposite direction towards the end of the clip – but even if they’d been there a few second beforehand, it’s questionable whether the officers in the vehicle would have seen just how close the driver had come to the cyclist.

https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-706-driver-towing-caravan-pulls-too-early-289949

On 31/01/2022 12:06 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> As you may be aware, motorists are allowed to tow a caravan or trailer up to a certain weight without the need for a special licence (link is external) – and with towing them likely to be an occasional rather than regular practice, that means that it’s easy to forget the risks that can be caused to vulnerable road users, for instance by pulling in too quickly, which features in our Near Miss of the Day series.
>
> The footage was shot on the B5246 in Lancashire heading towards Tarleton from Wiggins Lane by road.cc reader EHE Life Fairy-Cycle who, in a message to the motorist, said: “Probably this is the only time you have ever towed a caravan!
>
> “The clue is in the homemade (can’t really see) number plate. You've forgotten that the caravan makes your combined length longer and you appear to just overtake me with the car length forgetting that you are towing quite a large caravan.”
>
> The footage was sent to the police but they did not respond – “probably they don’t monitor the inbox,” added EHE Life Cycle.
>
> Lancashire Constabulary were in fact on the scene – you can see one of the force’s patrol cars being driven in the opposite direction towards the end of the clip – but even if they’d been there a few second beforehand, it’s questionable whether the officers in the vehicle would have seen just how close the driver had come to the fairy-cyclist.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-706-driver-towing-caravan-pulls-too-early-289949

Pointing Out The Obvious #239:

When being overtaken by an articulated vehicle combination, recognise
the fact that the driver might not be as used to the length and handling
as you or he would prefer.

So slow down and let him "back in" without ceremony. He is going faster
than you. He'll soon have disappeared into the distance and will have
done you no harm.

Don't get huffy. Don't get indignant that he has had the effrontery to
pass you. In short, don't be such a fairy-cyclist.

Just slow down and keep back until the situation has been satisfactorily
resolved.

It's the cautious thing to do.

It's the correct thing to do.

It's certainly what I do and even though I'd typically be going faster
on the open road than any fairy-cyclist, I have never felt "threatened"
by a caravan-towing vehicle moving back to the nearside after passing me.

On Monday, January 31, 2022 at 12:06:46 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
TriTaxMan | 496 posts | 1 hour ago
2 likes

When do we think it is going to make an appearance to somehow blame the cyclist for the rubbish overtake by a driver on the fact that the cyclist was riding a TT Bike?

No doubt he will say that.... if the cyclist was riding on a normal road bike they would have been in better control of their bike and would have been able to slam the brakes on avoid the caravan being driven towards them....

QUITE.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-706-driver-towing-caravan-pulls-too-early-289949

On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 13:06:04 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> fairy-cyclist.

And lost the argument.

On 31/01/2022 03:56 pm, Mike Collins wrote:

> JNugent wrote:

>> fairy-cyclist.
>
> And lost the argument.

There is no "argument".

I was just pointing out some rather obvious facts.

When being overtaken and gaining the impression that the overtaking
driver might not be able to correctly judge when his (long) vehicle is
fully past your position and that he might pull back in a little too
early, *reduce* *speed* and *drop* *back* a little.

It's the courteous thing to do.

It's the safe thing to do.

It's the correct thing to do.

And more than that, it's what the Highway Code advises us to do:

QUOTE:
Rule 168
Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a
steady course and speed, *slowing* *down* if necessary to *let* *the*
*vehicle* *pass*. *Never* *obstruct* drivers who wish to pass.
ENDQUOTE

Anyone determined to maintain speed at all and any cost in such
circumstances is an idiot.

On Monday, January 31, 2022 at 2:14:02 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Monday, January 31, 2022 at 12:06:46 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
essexian replied to TriTaxMan | 65 posts | 3 hours ago
4 likes

The Guardian gives an excellent example of the difference between being hit by a bike and a car:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/jan/31/the-times-... (link is external)

Also, perhaps our resident troll would like to provide us with details of the last time a TT bike hit a child, or indeed a ped of any kind. A Google search could find no such examples.
> > https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-706-driver-towing-caravan-pulls-too-early-289949

On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 16:18:19 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> On 31/01/2022 03:56 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>
> > JNugent wrote:
>
> >> fairy-cyclist.
> >
> > And lost the argument.
> There is no "argument".

So why do you still use the childish term fairy-cyclist?

On 31/01/2022 07:07 pm, Mike Collins wrote:

> On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 16:18:19 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>> On 31/01/2022 03:56 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>>> JNugent wrote:
>
>>>> fairy-cyclist.
>
>>> And lost the argument.

>> There is no "argument".
>
> So why do you still use the childish term fairy-cyclist?

Why do you say the term is childish?

And what does it have to do with "arguments" (even when they occur)?

The term was not invented by children and neither, in my experience, is
it often used by children.

It is used by adults to refer to the machine.

But let's not lose sight of the actual point, which is safety-related.

When being overtaken and gaining the impression that the overtaking
driver of an articulated vehicle (or of a vehicle pulling a trailer or
caravan) might not be able to correctly judge when his (long) vehicle is
fully past your position and that he might pull back in a little too
early, then irrespective of what sort of vehicle you are using...

....*reduce* *speed* and *drop* *back* a little.

It's the courteous thing to do.

It's the safe thing to do.

It's the correct thing to do.

And more than that, it's what the Highway Code advises us to do:

QUOTE:
Rule 168
Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a
steady course and speed, *slowing* *down* if necessary to *let* *the*
*vehicle* *pass*. *Never* *obstruct* drivers who wish to pass.
ENDQUOTE

Anyone determined to maintain one's own speed at all and any cost in
such circumstances is an idiot. Isn't he?

On Monday, January 31, 2022 at 12:06:46 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
Oldfatgit | 240 posts | 7 hours ago
6 likes
WELL SPOTTED:

It's a legal requirement to use extension mirrors when towing a trailer that obscures your vision.
That nearside mirror might as well be facing outer space for the good it's doing.
..
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-706-driver-towing-caravan-pulls-too-early-289949

On Monday, January 31, 2022 at 12:06:46 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

Rule 162 of the new version of the Highway Code relates to overtaking and advises motorists:

Before overtaking you should make sure

the road is sufficiently clear ahead
road users are not beginning to overtake you
there is a suitable gap in front of the road user you plan to overtake..

BANG TO RIGHTS ON ALL COUNTS - SM.

On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 19:28:56 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> On 31/01/2022 07:07 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>
> > On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 16:18:19 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> >> On 31/01/2022 03:56 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
> >>> JNugent wrote:
> >
> >>>> fairy-cyclist.
> >
> >>> And lost the argument.
>
> >> There is no "argument".
> >
> > So why do you still use the childish term fairy-cyclist?
> Why do you say the term is childish?
>

Facts are self evident.

On 31/01/2022 08:26 pm, Mike Collins wrote:

> On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 19:28:56 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>> On 31/01/2022 07:07 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>>> On Monday, 31 January 2022 at 16:18:19 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>>>> On 31/01/2022 03:56 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>>>>> JNugent wrote:
>
>>>>>> fairy-cyclist.
>
>>>>> And lost the argument.
>
>>>> There is no "argument".
>
>>> So why do you still use the childish term fairy-cyclist?
>> Why do you say the term is childish?

> Facts are self evident.

So you have no basis for your complaint (which I have already answered).

Never mind all that... how far have you got in your coast to coast journey?