Has anyone the right of way?

[Songbirdy]

A narrow single track country road with passing places on a steep hill, two vehicles are heading towards each other, is there a rule about who pulls into the nearest passing place?

[bednobs]

it's the person going uphill i think - less risky to reverse downhill. However, if the person going downhill had just passed a passing place it would make sense for them t do it

[Maydup]

I cut and paste from the Highway Code

Country Roads
155.
Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

[aggiela]

The person closest to the last passing place

[AlBags]

There is no rule of law .. It's in the Highway Code.

[DTCwordfan]

yes - the nearest and if there is a "dispute", technically the car going up the hill has right of way - an old hangover in the HC....

[RATTER15]

Traditionally, the person coming down the hill would always give way, this was because on a steep hill in the days when some cars may have had difficulty pulling away halfway up a steep hill, where as a car coming down would be able to reverse and pull away a lot easier because reverse gear was always a lower gear than most cars 1st gear. so the person coming up the hill wouldn't have to stop.

[DTCwordfan]

We still have those sort of cars and the narrow lanes with steep hills in Devon and Cornwall, don't, we ratter.....

[Maydup]

In Norfolk we know the rules but have forgotten the meaning of the word "hill"or "steep"!

Instead we give way to sugar beet lorries regardless of who has the right of way as they are bigger than us and keep everyone sweet.

[RATTER15]

We certainly do DT, in my home town of Dawlish, many new cars cant pull away on Stockton hill and Strand hill, when you come over the top you feel like you are dropping off the edge of the world!!

A fair few steep hills in North Devon as well!!

[BrainsTracy]

there is no such thing as "right of way". The Highway code explains the situations when you should give way. As a general principle you should give way to vehicles comming up hill. but that is not a rule merely a principle based on the horse mobility.

[whiskeryron]

Yes simple answer-- ME, When driving in a narrow or country lane, if I see an approaching vehicle I always give way for the simple reason I do not know who is driving the other vehicle & what their capabilities are so I would rather not risk my vehicle & the passengers in it.

Ron.

[RATTER15]

I do the same Ron, I will usually give way or reverse back, its generally quicker than watching some fool dithering around reversing and swerving all over the road.

[DTCwordfan]

got one the other day that was an L driver.....far quicker for me to reverse down the hill to the nearest junction, some 250 yards than the 50 they had to go up the hill - though I realised that I should ahve got out of the car and asked how comfortable they were to do this so as not to undermine confidence - he was certainly a beginner though.