Off-siding

[Another Bill]

This road used to be on my daily commute, predating my IAM membership. It’s NSL, note the ‘kink’ in the distance.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vx2ZYArmC8KTdpW46?g_st=im

At that location, in good conditions and if I had the road to myself, I would always pull right over to the offside which gave me a great view into the kink. It was especially worthwhile, as there’s even a concealed nearside farm gate.

During IAM course I learned that what I was doing probably fell into “off-siding”, and considered something of a sin.

Was I really off-siding, and was I being bad?

[exportmanuk]

I always ask What advantage would this give me and is that worth any extra risk. On a motorcycle I may make a different decision to when driving a car. You have just exited a 30 zone into a NSL.

[Another Bill]

You have just exited a 30 zone into a NSL.

i was commuting 120 miles round trip each day. That does not excuse risk-taking but it creates an incentive, where safe, to take full advantage of every transition to NSL.

[waremark]

This road used to be on my daily commute, predating my IAM membership. It’s NSL, note the ‘kink’ in the distance.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vx2ZYArmC8KTdpW46?g_st=im

At that location, in good conditions and if I had the road to myself, I would always pull right over to the offside which gave me a great view into the kink. It was especially worthwhile, as there’s even a concealed nearside farm gate.

During IAM course I learned that what I was doing probably fell into “off-siding”, and considered something of a sin.

Was I really off-siding, and was I being bad?

You were definitely offsiding - you pretty much say so yourself. What you were doing was legal and could have been perfectly safe. Whether or not the IAM likes it is a completely different matter. Officially they don't - they are quite rightly concerned that if they encourage drivers to do it and someone does it inappropriately and it goes wrong they, a road safety organisation, will have made the roads less safe rather than more so. They also believe that there is generally little or no worthwhile benefit from doing it if driving within the national speed limit of 60 mph. On the other hand, most IAM Examiners have been taught to do it themselves and would personally quite like it in appropriate circumstances.

[Gareth]

was I being bad?

If it's safe and it enables you to see more, then I think it's fine. Maybe there are other advantages. I remember a few kinks that I straighten, given the opportunity. And I generally off-side while over-taking. Given the IAM syllabus still includes over-taking ...

[waremark]

The IAM do approve crossing the centre line to straighten kinks; what they don't approve is crossing the centre line before a left hander to extend the view. Having said that, that has been published in the past as an official position, but what they say changes over time and gets interpreted differently by different examiners.

Looking at the linked view in Google Maps, if in the scene photographed you went offside to consider an overtake of the tractor, took the overtake and remained where you had a view round the left hander, I don't think any examiner would criticise you - except that having already seen that the road round the left hander was clear the view is then maximised by moving back to the left!

[Horse]

gets interpreted differently by different examiners.

FWIW when I started rider training in the early 80s, one of our tame trafpols (a 'double one', cars and bikes) said on one of his car courses they always stayed in 'their' lane (or words to ... it was 40 years ago, at the time I don't expect to me quoting him now ). IIRC he did courses at Maidstone and Chelmsford.

offside to consider an overtake of the tractor,

Isn't there a field entrance on the right? Any chance of another farm vehicle emerging?

[Another Bill]

Isn't there a field entrance on the right? Any chance of another farm vehicle emerging?

[/quote]

There is another entrance but I don’t remember feeling threatened by it (my commute stopped in 2010, memories fade). It was the left hedge that worried me - not just the field entrance but also a fair amount of invisible tarmac with potential for all sorts of obstacles, that I really wanted to take a look at in advance when planning the kink. Once I could see the hidden tarmac I think I probably moved back nearside which also straightened the bends.

I’m honestly not sure what I’d do now if driving that road after IAM training. I think off-siding was given a big feature in the magazine just when I was on the course and my observer did spot me doing so least once which I accepted as fair criticism, but I often thought of that one bit of road. If I wasn’t able to move out and look, I suppose I’d just want to slow down more. This is of course Oxfordshire so I expect they’ll soon be putting the 20mph signs up, making that decision for me.

[Horse]

If I wasn’t able to move out and look, I suppose I’d just want to slow down more.

Keep in mind that if you're out there and there's oncoming, you'll need to both slow down and
move left.

And there's another field entrance on the left too

[Horse]

Oooh - Q for long-standing members here: is this a good time to bring in 'surprise horizon'?