Meeting On-Commimg Traffic

A meet situation occurs when you need to use the same piece of road at the same time as the oncoming traffic. This is quite a common occurrence in built up areas. It also happens on narrow country lanes where hopefully there will be passing places, but this is not always the case.
Before this can be done, you need to know about the holdback position.


Holdback position.

The holdback position is ideally two car lengths back from the stationary vehicle and in a right turn position by the white line.
I say ideally because it may not always be possible; for example if there are cars parked opposite and you stop by the white line the oncoming traffic may not even be able to get through.

You will benefit from stopping two car lengths back from the hazard because it is easier for you to steer around it when you do move away. You stop by the white line (or as far towards it as is practical) so that you are securing for yourself the best possible viewpoint down the road ahead.

Oncoming traffic.

The priority in this situation is decided by on whose side of the road the stationary hazard is and how much clearance is available.. Not by who gets there first or whether or not you think that you will fit through the gap. You should always be prepared to give way for the sake of safety. If it is your priority and the oncoming vehicle is being driven by an inconsiderate person, then give way to them. Pride does not hurt as much as a crash!

By using effective observations you will have spotted the meet situation early. The procedure for tackling it safely is as follows :-

Mirrors. Full set of mirror checks on approach.

Decide if you need to stop. If you spot the situation early enough you will be able to avoid it by slowing down in advance. This allows the oncoming vehicle to pass therefore leaving you with a simple stationary hazard to pass.

Stop if necessary in the Holdback position.
Decide when to move off. You do not want to be sitting in neutral not having done any preparation or checks when the time comes to move away. If you can spot the time early you can be ready.

A few seconds before you think you will be moving off prepare the car by selecting first gear and setting the gas and biting point.

As the last vehicle is approaching you check your central and right mirrors and indicate if necessary (if there is anything behind you whether stationary or moving).

You will be ready now to move away at the soonest convenient time.
Pass the hazard with suitable clearance.
Perform a full set of mirror checks and follow the road ahead.

Road works.

Road works are another area of hazards that do not get enough coverage in the syllabus. You will find them generally speaking wherever you go and there are various different types of traffic control depending upon the size of the road works themselves.

Just cones.

This would only be acceptable where there is encroachment into the road by the workers but not a serious interruption to traffic. You would deal with this in exactly the same manner that you would deal with any other stationary hazard as detailed above. The cones are on your side of the road so you are the one that has to be prepared to give way.

Worker with a stop & go pole.

There is usually only one of them but at larger road works there are sometimes two who will be in contact by walkie talkie. Simply follow the instruction on the pole and do not creep as close as you can get. As you approach the works you may see a sign saying something like "waiting traffic stop here". Use the holdback position but instead of basing it on the first cone, base it on the 'stop here' sign. If there is no sign make sure that you leave a larger space than two car lengths. The point is that an articulated lorry may need to manoeuvre slightly to get around the last part of the works and they do require a lot of room.

Temporary traffic lights.

On approach you will see a red and white sign before the lights saying "when red light shows stop here". The best advice would be to stay back a couple of car lengths just in case. Don't forget to check your mirrors and perform a shoulder check just before you move away. It is easy for a motorbike or cyclist to move up on either side without you hearing it.

Country lanes.

Passing on country lanes can be a pain if not done properly.

If there are no passing places then you will need to keep a check as you drive along on where the last place was that you came by that you could reverse to if it became necessary. If there is an oncoming vehicle and there is not enough space to pass then one of you will have to reverse. There is no way of saying who it should be but good manners dictates that if you know that there is somewhere suitable reasonably near to you that you should reverse to it. Otherwise you will just sit there staring at the other driver.

Sometimes it is possible to pass in tight circumstance if you are both prepared to put two wheels off the road. Be sensible when doing this though. If the surface at the side of the road looks too soft don't do it else you might not be able to get back on again.

Passing places.

A passing place looks like a small lay-by and they are usually to be found at regular intervals on a narrow road. They may be on either side of the road or they may alternate depending upon the area available. As long as everyone knows the correct way to use them it is not a problem.

On your left.

If there is an oncoming vehicle and you get to the passing place first you should pull into it to allow the oncoming vehicle to pass. If the other vehicle gets there first then they should stop before it to allow you to pull into it.
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On your right.

If there is an oncoming vehicle and you get to the passing place first you should stop before it to allow the other vehicle to pull into it. If they get there first they should pull in to allow you to pass.

You only use the passing places on your left.