Off-siding

[Another Bill]

Interestingly also in that extract it does not make any reference to a centre line.

The accompanying diagram does show a centre line, albeit no artwork to clarify the dash style, just shown as a single black ‘pencil’ line. The diagram is indicative of quite a wide road with room for two cars side by side in each direction, but I think that’s just to emphasise the different sight-lines for a car hugging the kerb, vs one closer to the centre.

I’m reluctant to scan and post it out of respect for copyright, not sure what the rules are for a 60 year old HMSO book!

[Strangely Brown]

You may adopt or hold an offside position to maintain an existing view for as long as it is safe to do so. You may not adopt an offside position in order to seek a view that you do not already have.

At the risk of being needlessly argumentative, I am firmly of the opinion that the potential hazard in their minds is an on-coming road user, not a field entrance.

Unless the field entrance has lots of muddy tractor tracks going in and out of it then I'd say you're probably right.

[Strangely Brown]

I am far less interested in what the IAM or RoSPA have to have about it than I am in whether or not it is a) safe and b) do I gain anything from it.

Under test conditions it is obviously required that the requisite hoops pertaining to that particular test are jumped through - hence the conversation with the examiner in order to clarify expectations. When I am on my own or with other driving coaches I will drive my way. If I do something that is unsafe or potentially hazardous then it will be picked up and corrected.

Pretty sure someone not a million miles away said: Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

These days I only keep up the RoSPA test because I happen to like driving and chatting with the local examiner.

[Gareth]

Seen this?

Been having fun trying to work out the roads used in the video. I bet someone has already done this, but it's fun doing it myself! Found the first roundabout, and the last roads, so maybe I can figure out where they go between.

[GTR1400MAN]

I'm late to the party.

Maintain not gain. Simples.

Though in reality the danger element is down to how far away you adopt your position.

Having said that, there's not much advantage at posted limits, though I do it sometimes for smoothness.

[waremark]

Seen this?

Watched it for the first time just now - only as far as 4 1/2 minutes. That very definitely encourages crossing a line to gain a view - very un-IAM. Personally I was a bit dubious about 4 1/4 minutes. I would have liked a video available to the public to put more emphasis on when and why it is not safe to cross the centre of the road.

[Gareth]

I was a bit dubious about 4 1/4 minutes.

From rewatching it and looking on Google Maps, there's a right kink before the left, so the 'moving across' was more like holding the view, and I thought the lead bike was moving in as the vision was closing down, just before the road started to bend left. I guess the question would be how much vision did the rider have, and did it become too little. Street View doesn't entirely help, since it shows the view from the nearside, but it has a useful view showing the end of the right kink into the start of the left.

right-kink-into-left.jpg (455.26 KiB) Viewed 23131 times

[Another Bill]

How about multi lane dual carriageways? There’s plenty examples I can think of where you get a huge visibility benefit from using the right lane of a twisty two lane DC, providing you’re not holding anybody up.

One big problem, for me, is perception of other drivers. Many people think there’s “a new law about lanes”, thanks to poor media coverage of careless driving fixed penalty enforcement wrt lane hogging a few years ago. Also, the HC does tell us to stay in left hand lane when not overtaking.

Similar applies to motorway driving but more rarely, as motorways are usually straighter.

[martine]

The examiner at my last RoSPA test asked RoSPA for a definitive answer having discussed the matter during the test.

They said:
You may adopt or hold an offside position to maintain an existing view for as long as it is safe to do so. You may not adopt an offside position in order to seek a view that you do not already have.

That sounds simple enough to me.

That is my understanding as well but I believe there is a difference between what Associates are expected to do and the higher level Masters. I don't think being offside (i.e. across the centre line) is expected at all for 'mere' associates.

[exportmanuk]

Some would say you have paid for all of the road use it.

DC when my speed is appropriate for it to be an advantage I certainly use the outer lanes if it improves the view allows me to continue at a higher speed safely and I am not causing inconvenience to other road users