An unfortunate "incident" a- warning to others

The driver behind you should have his or her vehicle under control at all times. They should not assume which way u were turning, they should not pass on the right unless safe to do so! and that's after u complete your turn and the lane or shoulder becomes safe again.

southpark wrote:

om wrote:
Didn't mean to cause such a stir. I do appreciate the advice on turns with a big rig. That was the intent of my post -awareness of what might happen in the same situation in our 43' mh. BUT, just for the record, our next left was maaaany miles on down the highway and no right turns for even further:). I think we might have been in the town on record as the "Narrowest" in the country:)

I did truly go out of my way to speak in generalities about how to approach these things rather than trying to Monday morning QB what happened in your particular incident at an intersection I've never seen, etc.

But since you seem like a great sport let me reiterate what someone said above on this page -- better defensive driving probably could have saved the day. Anticipate the worst from your fellow drivers. Make sure your mirrors are adjusted to give you a proper view. Consider getting a side view camera system. As you see impending disaster, stop moving. I suspect, though cannot know for sure hence my reluctance to talk too much about your particulars, that if you had both been watching each other and proceeding more cautiously you could have hit the brakes.

But, again, I don't know exactly what happened and didn't read your original post with a fine tooth comb. But if you were paying attention, yet couldn't see the guy (again, sorry if your post was clear on this point buy I didn't even read it again today), something with your set up was not up to the job.

If you were just in your lane and only turning right it seems pretty odd the cop would think the other guy was being reasonable, especially he had to go off-roading to get around you. But if you were turning left to swing left and there was a paved shoulder it might have been reasonable for the guy to think you had your blinker going the wrong way because, in his mind anyway, you're a kook, and try to go around you.

If none of my advice could possibly apply (I'm still betting it could), it may have been better to hug the left edge of your lane and NOT swing or turn left at all. And wait until it was clear. In other words, pay attention to other drivers and rather than bank on your perceived right of way, make sure everyone else is acknowledging it. If not, let whomever wants to go around you in whatever crazy fashion have at it. It is better than a lawsuit, injury, or damage to your rig.

I suspect you thought you were in your lane, I've got the right of way, no one is supposed to pass me on the right, so why on earth would anyone be on my right? So ignore that and focus on swinging left to make this tight turn. Again, sorry if your original post makes clear this is not what happened; I can't read it from this screen.

Well we now see you may have underestimated other driver's impatience and overestimated what other drivers might think of your right of way. Do we want to be right, or do we want to avoid accidents? And that really isn't directed at you. Just for everyone considering this. I am someone who gets easily agitated. And other drivers upset me daily. But I try not to let my belief I'm right get in the way of avoiding accidents. Again, not directed at anyone in particular, just food for thought for every driver out there.

In other words, don't move unless it is safe to do so. Even if you have the right of way. Let the other guy be wrong.

And maybe the thing to do is get one of those placards for the back that shows a truck turning wide and a passing it on the right and crashing into the side of the truck, along with a warning about this vehicle makes wide right turns. Then again, cigarettes could probably have warning labels that say "smoke this and you will die" and people will probably keep lighting up.

Thanks for letting me ramble as this post is not helpful like the others. But I have fun participating.

:). No problem

om wrote:
Didn't mean to cause such a stir. I do appreciate the advice on turns with a big rig. That was the intent of my post -awareness of what might happen in the same situation in our 43' mh. BUT, just for the record, our next left was maaaany miles on down the highway and no right turns for even further:). I think we might have been in the town on record as the "Narrowest" in the country:)

I did truly go out of my way to speak in generalities about how to approach these things rather than trying to Monday morning QB what happened in your particular incident at an intersection I've never seen, etc.

But since you seem like a great sport let me reiterate what someone said above on this page -- better defensive driving probably could have saved the day. Anticipate the worst from your fellow drivers. Make sure your mirrors are adjusted to give you a proper view. Consider getting a side view camera system. As you see impending disaster, stop moving. I suspect, though cannot know for sure hence my reluctance to talk too much about your particulars, that if you had both been watching each other and proceeding more cautiously you could have hit the brakes.

But, again, I don't know exactly what happened and didn't read your original post with a fine tooth comb. But if you were paying attention, yet couldn't see the guy (again, sorry if your post was clear on this point buy I didn't even read it again today), something with your set up was not up to the job.

If you were just in your lane and only turning right it seems pretty odd the cop would think the other guy was being reasonable, especially he had to go off-roading to get around you. But if you were turning left to swing left and there was a paved shoulder it might have been reasonable for the guy to think you had your blinker going the wrong way because, in his mind anyway, you're a kook, and try to go around you.

If none of my advice could possibly apply (I'm still betting it could), it may have been better to hug the left edge of your lane and NOT swing or turn left at all. And wait until it was clear. In other words, pay attention to other drivers and rather than bank on your perceived right of way, make sure everyone else is acknowledging it. If not, let whomever wants to go around you in whatever crazy fashion have at it. It is better than a lawsuit, injury, or damage to your rig.

I suspect you thought you were in your lane, I've got the right of way, no one is supposed to pass me on the right, so why on earth would anyone be on my right? So ignore that and focus on swinging left to make this tight turn. Again, sorry if your original post makes clear this is not what happened; I can't read it from this screen.

Well we now see you may have underestimated other driver's impatience and overestimated what other drivers might think of your right of way. Do we want to be right, or do we want to avoid accidents? And that really isn't directed at you. Just for everyone considering this. I am someone who gets easily agitated. And other drivers upset me daily. But I try not to let my belief I'm right get in the way of avoiding accidents. Again, not directed at anyone in particular, just food for thought for every driver out there.

In other words, don't move unless it is safe to do so. Even if you have the right of way. Let the other guy be wrong.

And maybe the thing to do is get one of those placards for the back that shows a truck turning wide and a passing it on the right and crashing into the side of the truck, along with a warning about this vehicle makes wide right turns. Then again, cigarettes could probably have warning labels that say "smoke this and you will die" and people will probably keep lighting up.

Thanks for letting me ramble as this post is not helpful like the others. But I have fun participating.

Didn't mean to cause such a stir. I do appreciate the advice on turns with a big rig. That was the intent of my post -awareness of what might happen in the same situation in our 43' mh. BUT, just for the record, our next left was maaaany miles on down the highway and no right turns for even further:). I think we might have been in the town on record as the "Narrowest" in the country:)

Legally, according to the DOT you are not allowed to swing out into another lane to make a turn. You are supposed (supposedly) to turn into the oncoming traffic lane which has to yield to you. Once when driving in NYC had a guy pull up and block me so I just sat there. he got out of his car screaming about calling the cops and I said "Go ahead, you'll get a ticket for not backing up." He backed up.So, you are lucky you didn't get a ticket.The only reason you didn't get one was because the officer did not witness the accident.
Moral: Never turn, drive straight ahead.

OP stated they were on a two lane road and had their right hand turn signal on. Even if they were slightly across the white/yellow line, the majority of their vehicle combination was still in the lane. That would mean the following driver had to move to the right OUT of the lane onto the shoulder in order to try and pass.

IMHO the following driver was in the wrong. However good defensive driving skills of the OP's vehicle by closely watching their right side rear view mirror could have probably prevented any contact.

In some states, if a vehicle is completely stopped on a two lane road waiting to make a left hand turn, it is legal for a following vehicle to SLOWLY pass on the right even if it means using the shoulder.

jfkmk wrote:
Something everybody seems to be missing here is the op was not driving his rv, an 18 wheeler or a stretch limo. He was driving a jeep towing an atv trailer. I ask again, just how far left did he have to go to make a right hand turn? His tow vehicle was hit, so the guy who hit him was at least past his trailer. That would indicate he was WAY left, perhaps in the oncoming lane. If I was following him, I might think he was making a left too. You might too!

Who, exactly, is missing that? Are you talking to me? Did anything I wrote suggest or even hint that he needed to swing left? Or are you talking solely to the limo driver -- which can't be since you refer to "everybody".

Since an articulated length like that should be easier to turn than a straight class A, could the answer to your question be "not at all"?

As for my comments above, I made them for the benefit of class A drivers because, unless I'm mistaken, this is the class A subforum. And I made the assumption this thread was in this subforum for the edification of class A drivers and responded accordingly. Do you think I made a mistake? Would you feel better if a moderator moved this entire thread to the Jeeps towing ATV trailers subforum?

And since I'm here, let me add a little more that might be helpful to someone: there are some streets where you should not be making a turn if you cannot do it safely. That may be because there is a car inching up on you to the right that you're going to clip. Or you are considering making a turn where you feel you need to swing out to the left and leave yourself in a situation where someone may think you're going left and be tempted to squeeze in to the right. And in a way in which you cannot see them and stop in time to prevent contact.

I suggest you don't make that turn. It's dangerous. As a professional driver I've been faced with those turns. The correct course, in my opinion, is to NOT try to force a dangerous turn like that. Do not turn right and take a chance of hitting the car on the right, running over the corner curb, running into or over the median in the middle of the right hand street, or confusing other drivers and put everyone and their vehicles at risk by having people second guess you.

So how do you safely get down that street on the right? Drive straight ahead. Make the first safe left turn that allows you to make another left after that that allows you to make yet one more left and turn onto the street your originally wanted to be on. Continue one or more blocks until you pass through the intersection where you were tempted with that unsafe right turn and continue on the street you originally intended to be on.

There. Now you know. And trust me, I am not trying to be a wise guy here. Like I said, even though some people insist we're not talking about 18 wheelers or limos, we're talking about long vehicles and unsafe right turns. Clearly not everyone knows how to do it. And, as I said in a previous post, not everyone has learned to professionally drive a bus or a big rig. And even some people who have are not sure how to handle every situation or have the presence of mind to make the right decision every time.

The truth is, many times we know where we want to go, and we know how we would do it in our car, and we just move forward with a whispered "I know I can make this" or "I hope I can make this" or, perhaps most frighteningly a "zzzzzzzzzz", which can sometimes lead to an "oh $#%!"

There's bound to be at least one person out there that recognizes the danger in driving large, heavy rigs, who will read this and think "wow, it seems so obvious now, but I never actually thought about that approach" and will keep these words in the back of their mind and will pause at the next iffy right turn and think "you know, it will take me only two extra minutes to just keep going and get on the same street at the same place by making easier left turns". And you folks make taking the time to write all this out worth it.

And Jimmy the limo guy, please think about this the next time you're on a job ;-)

Such is the world that incubates lawyers. Much to do about nothing.. Believe it or not, there is a local ad on Tv that just started, "If you find a fly in your soup, call XXXXX" . Honest, as per my wife. I don't waste my time to watch TV.... :(

jfkmk wrote:
Something everybody seems to be missing here is the op was not driving his rv, an 18 wheeler or a stretch limo. He was driving a jeep towing an atv trailer. I ask again, just how far left did he have to go to make a right hand turn? His tow vehicle was hit, so the guy who hit him was at least past his trailer. That would indicate he was WAY left, perhaps in the oncoming lane. If I was following him, I might think he was making a left too. You might too!

The OP already stated he was OVER the YELLOW LINE into opposing traffic....that's more than a little left swing....I can see why the LEO called it a draw...I would have too.....Dennis

jolooote wrote:
U People who always TURN LEFT before U TURN RIGHT have always made me cuss!

I'm learning with the RV but....left before right is necessary in the limo. Long wheelbase with stock Caddy steering.