How would you alert another motorist that there was something wrong?

[Member]

Would the instances I outlined be classed as an emergency?....Or more to the point would the police class it as an emergency?

 

No. Its not an emergency.

[geared]

Chances are the driver wouldn't notice, or would ignore you anyway.

 

A while ago I saw some silly bint driving down the motorway with a flat tyres so bad it was smoking.

I flashed, sounded the horn and drove along side pointing.

 

She looked at me like I was from outer space and drove on :mad:

 

I wouldn't start jumping out of the car in traffic, you might get knocked over or something if it all started moving suddenly.

[Cyclone]

Now this has happened to me twice in the space of a week.

 

This morning on my way to work and in quite heavy traffic (but it was moving slowly). I allowed a car into traffic pulling out from a side street. It was a woman (that's relevant..stay with it)....As we continued along the road, I happened to notice that her rear offside tyre was quite seriously deflated (not completely flat, but enough to cause concern).

 

As the traffic was actually moving, I was loathe to get out of my car and run to her drivers window and tap on it to tell her. Flashing my lights or pipping my horn would have made me seem like some sort of road rage nutter, and bearing in mind it 'was' a woman, I could easily have freaked her out. (Although I don't think I'm 'that' scary) Eventually, approaching a traffic island, she moved to the inside lane and I moved to the right hand lane. As I came level with her I opened my passenger window to try to shout to tell her, but at that moment her lane moved off, and she was gone.

 

I was deeply frustrated that I didn't manage to alert her.

 

In the other incident, late last week, it was dark (driving home from work) and I noticed a car with no rear lights on at all. The headlights were working, but not the rear ones. It was on the motorway, and coincidentally, she (yes another woman) pulled off at the same junction as me....Once again I tried to alert her by pulling alongside and pipping my horn to get her attention, but she ignored me .... possibly because she was a woman and maybe felt threatened. Again, eventually she went one way and I went another....

 

All I wanted to do on both occasions was do a good deed and possibly prevent an accident, but was thwarted on both occasions.

 

What would you do?

 

 

I've wound down my window to tell someone they had a nearly flat before. Sometimes you manage to get it across, sometimes you don't. Sometimes they even say thanks.

[geared]

It's not easy to tell sometimes.

 

I drove with a flat the other week, I'd only get the car the previous evening and from diving I could feel abit of a wobble through the steering but nothing much else :o

[PeteMorris]

I've wound down my window to tell someone they had a nearly flat before. Sometimes you manage to get it across, sometimes you don't. Sometimes they even say thanks.

 

I was just a bit annoyed with myself that I couldn't do much. If I'd have got out of my car to approach the vehicle, sods law would dictate that the traffic would have started to flow quickly and I'd be left stood there, with others getting impatient that I'd 'apparently' got out of my car for no reason. And as I said, for a woman it could be seen as intimidating. I'm always conscious of that.

[altus]

I've been known to let drivers know about faulty lights when I've been filtering through traffic jams on my cycle. I tend to start with "You probably haven't noticed but..." so they don't think I'm being accusatory. Almost everyone has said thanks. Only once has a driver not taken it as intended and he complained "Well it's not my car" - I'm not sure why, I'm sure the laws regarding defective lights apply to the driver as much as the owner.

[PeteMorris]

I've been known to let drivers know about faulty lights when I've been filtering through traffic jams on my cycle. I tend to start with "You probably haven't noticed but..." so they don't think I'm being accusatory. Almost everyone has said thanks. Only once has a driver not taken it as intended and he complained "Well it's not my car" - I'm not sure why, I'm sure the laws regarding defective lights apply to the driver as much as the owner.

 

Ah...Now that's where you have the advantage...Being on a cycle....Well done fella!

[tinfoilhat]

Please persist if you see something. A friend of mine was driving his van one day down the m1, blissfully unaware it was on fire until a driver flashed, honked and shouted at him to stop, which he did eventually.

[TimmyR]

I did once think it would be very useful to have a digital display board in the back of your car that could connect via bluetooth to a phone. Then you could display a message via voice activation such as "Your tail light is off". Trouble is it may be used for abusive statements like "You drive like a badger!" or "Your indicator is there for a reason you cretin!"

[PeteMorris]

I did once think it would be very useful to have a digital display board in the back of your car that could connect via bluetooth to a phone. Then you could display a message via voice activation such as "Your tail light is off". Trouble is it may be used for abusive statements like "You drive like a badger!" or "Your indicator is there for a reason you cretin!"

 

It's actually a good idea. Someone posted a link earlier in the thread, but you couldn't tell someone their tail light is out, as you would only know that from being behind them....Not unless you jump traffic and force your way in front of them.