Daily Moan About Driving Standards

[garcon]

Buses. Well, the Highway code does say give way to them.

But I agree some bus drivers do take that a little too literally. I guess it just takes experience to work out whether a bus is about to leave its stop or not and whether you should go for it or hang back.

One of my favourite comedy moments on the road is the typical dumb driver who can't seem to anticipate the simplest thing. Like if you're following a bus, it's more than likely to stop at a bus stop at some point. How stupid do you have to be not to realise a bus might stop at a bus stop? hrug:

The number of times I see a car (or even two or three) travelling so close behind a bus that they get stuck behind it at a stop is amazing. Even more hilarious if there's room for me to overtake the car(s) and bus, smiling sweetly at the dumb blind morons as I pass by.

[275 GTB-4]

I have calmed down now........

We have all seen them....

DIAWOTO!!

The majority are all trying to row there cars along in sympathy with the conditions and their surroundings to try and avoid holdups and keep the flow........

But NO, some people just don't get it!! Do they!!

Taking off at their own pace, forgetting to put it in gear, adjusting hair and makeup while the lights are green, wobbling all over the road while on the cell/mobile....I could go on and on and on....but I feel better now so I won't!

[sjw75]

I drove from Reading to Bristol and back again today and would like to congratulate all of the who insisted on sitting in the middle lane when lane 1 was empty. All I can say is move over and learn how to drive properly you lazy arrogant !!!!!

Thats it for now, I feel better after that !!

Si.

[Neil Adams]

some silly woman in a big 4 by 4 edged out like you do to get out of a junction, problem is the traffic aint moving in the direction she wants to go, so all shes done is manage to block the road,

thanks i was allready late! had to wait about 5 minutes, bloody ridiculous!

[KPC]

Merc this time. Broadwater, Worthing, yesterday. Should you ever read this you git, send me a PM and.....

Pulls out from a give way junction on the left. I have to brake a bit sharpish. Then toodles along at about 15mph up to the roundabout. Sits at the clear roundabout not doing anything. Five cars come up from the right and he pulls off, leaving me to wait for the stream to go by. I had not made any jesture or anything at this point, just thought in my head, Jeez, you're a W*****. I manage to pull out quick after car two has gone by... am in hot pursuit now. He pulls over to the left and parks up without indicating... on zigzags. As I pass I stop to give the obligatory whatnot and sure enough, he's on his mobile. Five offences in the space of a hundred yards and thirty seconds.

And, if you were in that McNicholls van by the Black Horse, Findon earlier.... NO. IT IS A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY, YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO ACROSS IT INTO THE FILTER LANE FOR CARS ON THE OPPOSITE CARRIAGEWAY. AND EVEN IF YOU DO, YOU DO NOT THEN PULL OUT INTO THE OUTSIDE LANE IN FRONT OF THE CAR OVERTAKING CARS ON THE INSIDE. I MAY HAVE JUST HAD A HEADSHAKE AT THIS BUT FOR SOME REASON YOU FLASHED ME AFTER WOBBLING OVER BOTH LANES FOR A BIT. No wonder you only drive a van for a living. What's the matter with you people? Really?

[dtype38]

Hates....

Anything done by a Mercedes driver! It's as if, when they buy one, they get their very own personal instruction book which must read something like....

"Dear new Mercedes owner, welcome indeed to the elite and very special group of drivers who not only use the highways and byways of this land of ours, but actually OWN them as well! Yes, that's right. As a Mercedes driver, you now not only have personal ownership of the piece of road you are on, but the pieces that everyone else is on as well. And if that weren't enough, you now also own all the verges, parking places (always to be used two-at-a-time of course), bus stops, and pavements. As for road signs, markings, and in particular "the highway code", these have naturally all been waived in deference to your new found status. Also be aware that understanding and correct use of the controls of your vehicle is no longer required, as all other road users are required by duty of honour to get out of your way at all times."

Or does it just seem like that?

spellings corrected

[TimD]

Hmm - I've got a Mercedes, and you have us all wrong. It's the BMWs you've got to watch.

My rage for today is the bronze Peugeot 307, KY02*** southbound on the A1M near Stevenage today. When there were two lanes, he's in number two, and when there are three, he's in three.

At 60mph.

And nothing would shift him for 10 minutes. Thank heaven for the ubiquitous white Astramax van. I got fed up with him being in my boot, so I let him take on the Peugeot-hassling duties, and I'm delighted to say he had him unglued from the fast lane within three quarters of a mile.

[bella]

i'm my driving whinge today, i nearly killed myself. i went around a boy racer peugeot 172-equivalent on a roundabout, and he fought back, so naturally, we had a drag race. only i was in the slow lane and there was a very slow mondeo in front of me. which i didn't notice until i was about 2 metres from his bootlid and had to hurl the brakes on. i nearly threw myself through the windscreen, and pretty much lost control of the front end, still whilst hurtling towards the mondeo. after i'd managed to get it back, and finished having a heart attack, i realised that one should only try and outdrag someone a) on a clear road and b) when you know you're going to win by more than a car length in time for the next obstacle...

fwiw, i won by about a foot before i had to stand on the anchors...

[GTRMagic]

Isnt that what airbags are for?

I have had a horror run with people wanting to turn in front of me in the last couple of weeks... drifting into the right-turn-only lane at what seems like 2 miles a fortnight, turning into driveways without indication and notice... ESP has never been a strong suit....

[KPC]

Nothing really bad today, just general moans:

Drivers who leave their full beam on until they've come over the brow of a hill or round the corner and have you caught like a trapped rabbit, blind you then leave you to your fate... driving blind round a corner or over the brow of a hill. Is there really any need? You can see the whole close encounters light thing going on while the idiot is two miles away and you just KNOW they're going to blind you. This morning it was dark and foggy, surely they are just blinding themselves? And personally I've never been a full-beam bloke. If you're driving at an appropriate speed you can see well enough with dipped, there's no need whatsoever to see what's going on in the next county if you're toodling along a country lane at 35mph.

Then I had one of my particualar hates this morning. Clear dual carriageway. Bod in a Micra (spit) sitting on the bumper of the lorry in front driving totally blind. I come down the outside lane, nothing else in front or behind, doing considerably more speed (although I lift off to pass at an appropriately safe speed ). Micra (how's that for Micraspeak?) decides to pull out to overtake the lorry. Why Micrapratt is bothering god only knows, coz he's doing an extra 2mph. I have to brake up and sit behind micrabrain for the next two minutes until it's past the lorry. I mean, fer fe**sake. There are these things on your doors and by your head on the windscreen. They are a clever invention, they're called.. MIRRORS. The idea is....

[KPC]

Actually, I hate Micra drivers with a passion, they're the other end of the scale from the BMW/Merc brigade carwise, but up there with the full frontal lobotomy jobs.

For example, I was about to reverse into a parking bay the other day and the Micra in the next bay sticks it's reverse lights on. Not a problem, but I think I'd better let Vallium Mum get on with it, she'll only panic if I swing in. Anyway, lights go off and no movement. Sigh. I swing in and the woman is sitting looking at me shaking her head. I get out and say, "WHAT?" im my deepest and grumpiest voice. "You came in too quick." she says. I asked why she'd put her reverse lights on and was told she was going to straighten up but hadn't as I'd hassled her. I replied that I was in fact waiting for her to sort herself out, so how was that hassle? Furthermore, when she'd done nothing I then, and only then, decided to swing in. "You still did it too fast she says." Never admit they may be wrong do they. Deary me. So I says, "Did I hit anything? NO. So what's your point. In fact I reversed in and am positioned where I want to be. You don't see me p**sing about with my gears to straighten up, so who's the better driver?"

ME OBVIOUSLY. I win, I win.

[KPC]

Oh, and I forgot...

The reason she gave for having to straighten up was that she didn't have power steering.

You see a Micra and it shouts at you: Petrified driver who will never be able to drive adequately and would rather be anywhere else but on this road.

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by bella
i realised that one should only try and outdrag someone a) on a clear road and b) when you know you're going to win by more than a car length in time for the next obstacle...

Maybe you need to learn a much more important lesson. Racing on a public highway is not only illegal, it's stupid & dangerous.

You've had a near miss; doesn't that tell you anything? Next time you may not be so lucky.

[KPC]

There you go Bella, a valuable lesson in life girl. Don't admit to your mistakes in public.

My run in with BMW man last week involved some (rare)couldn't-get-a-fag-paper-between-that jostling. But I've kept that to myself.


Oh....

[Craig]

hahaha

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by KPC
There you go Bella, a valuable lesson in life girl. Don't admit to your mistakes in public.

Just in case my post was misunderstood, it was a brave thing to admit such a mistake in public. I made a serious point; you have, of course, the right to make fun of it.hrug:

[KPC]

We all make mistakes out there, every last one of us. My latest is that I brake a bit too late in the wet when approaching roundabouts and have had about three lock ups recently.

[Woolley]

My BMW has anti-lock. Maybe that's why we have trouble with the cars around us

[ranoff]

Hi Woolley, I suspect you are on the money with your comment.

Surprisingly, road safety advisors now consider that drivers should be taught to use anti-lock brakes. The high mileage drivers at our firm are each to undergo a one-to-one defensive driving course where this will be covered. A risk assessment carried out on our people considered that our customer service manager undergoes the same annual risk as a coal face mine worker! Guess what he drives. A BMW 320 D with ABS.

My chief moan - The over the shoulder check before pulling out or changing lane seems to be dying out. I suspect drivers are relying on the convex zone that is part of most modern door mirrors, or just not bothering to check.

[Tim Falce]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
Maybe you need to learn a much more important lesson. Racing on a public highway is not only illegal, it's stupid & dangerous.

You've had a near miss; doesn't that tell you anything? Next time you may not be so lucky.

You sound like Sheila, she gave me a similar response last night when I mentioned that I once nearly blew myself up with a bottle of petrol.

[bella]

your mistake clearly was nearly blowing yourself up, you should have actually blown yourself up and you'd have saved us all a lot of trouble

oh, mr brand sir? sentiment appreciated, but i'm usually pretty safe thanks.

[KPC]

Originally posted by ranoff
Hi Woolley, I suspect you are on the money with your comment.

My chief moan - The over the shoulder check before pulling out or changing lane seems to be dying out. I suspect drivers are relying on the convex zone that is part of most modern door mirrors, or just not bothering to check.

This is what happened yesterday with the Micra I had a good moan about. Then on my way home I had a Pug 307 indicate and pull out and then hold me up over the next 5 miles. But this was a case of the magic indicators: Doesn't matter that there is something coming up behind me, I can't wait two seconds to let it pass, I've indicated and am therefore indestructible. I WILL PULL OUT.

I've had ABS in the past, nothing to particuarly write home about. In five years I don't ever remember it cutting in to tell the truth. I now have a less powerful and less equipped car than I have had previously, and in many ways it is a good thing, you know you're driving, not cocooned in fluffy cloud cuckooo land.

I spent 10 miles this morning sharing road with a Jag S Type. What a gent. Didn't hang about, but got on with it, didn't feel the need to overtake just because he had the big powerful car and little stupid brain. Even flashed me out into the third lane when a Smart (Johnny Cab) car decided to pull into the second for no apparent reason in front of me. I hate to stereotype, but as surely as there are Sunday drivers there are the BMW/Merc Brigade. Those with real dosh, style and nouse obviously go for something a little more upmarket.

[ranoff]

What a gent. Didn't hang about, but got on with it

Can almost hear myself talking there. On those rare occasions where you come across a safe driver making good progress, doesn't it stand out! Have had similar experience of decent types over the years and I too hate to stereotype, but its almost never a BMW/Merc driver.

[touringlegend]

In defense of BMW drivers, I did have one let me out of a junction on Friday - the first time that's ever happened to me.

But usually the stereotypical view is pretty spot on.

[KPC]

Let's face it, forget the PC Brigade nonsense, stereotypes do exist in specific contexts, the advertisers do their damndest to make sure of that.

As for a good, or similar driver to yourself, standing out, very true words. You almost want to pull alongside and give them a thumbs up.