Daily Moan About Driving Standards

[KPC]

Everyday without fail I see an incident on the roads, as do we all likely. Sometimes I've thought about posting them, but never bother as they are so frequent that there's little point. Now I've had an idea, a daily journal.

This morning's was not the worse by far, but I was on the road at 0530 on a Sunday, so there wasn't much about. A Honda Civic is in the third lane of the motorway pootling along at, probably 70. I went by, which is strictly undertaking as I was in the first lane with a whole lane between us, not that it usually bothers me anyway. I kept a good eye on the car for a good couple of miles until it had vanished in the distance and it stayed in the outside lane. There was a whole stack of cars behind it who wouldn't undertake (Non Brits: in the UK it is illegal to overtake on the nearside/slower lane) so those in the outside whoa re not performing an overtakiing manouvre, shouldn't be there.

[Bluebottle]

This thread could out-run the 'Worst Things...." thread!

O.k, one of my biggest gripes is tailgating- at any speed. There are only two reasons for tailgating,

1) Being very stupid

2)Driving competitivly on the road "(How DARE anyone be in front of you!!!!) which is actually the same as point 1...

Even if the person in front is, say, doing 40mph in a 65mph zone, that's no excuse for tailgating- how can you hope to overtake safely if all you can see is the car in front??

[sjw75]

1) middle lane drivers
2) people who drive around with their foglights on when its not foggy !!!

Si.

[garcon]

Lemme see. Can't think of anything particularly stupid over the weekend (though I did pull off an overtake on Saturday night that I'm not entirely proud of... ).

Oh yeah - except for the two car accident I came across on the Cat & Fiddle yesterday (A537 Macc to Buxton) ... it had only just happened, no obvious injuries and just a low speed glancing blow by the look of it, so I didn't stop.

One this morning... rush hour but not heavy, roundabout on a dual carriageway. Why is it some drivers can't count to three? On the immediate approach to this roundabout there's three lanes - the leftmost clearly marked as left turn only. Two cars at the roundabout in that lane this morning, both of them went straight ahead, which meant the car that had quite correctly entered the roundabout from the middle lane (effectively lane 1 for 'straight on') was forced out into lane 2, straight into my path in the middle of the roundabout. Luckily my observation was above average for a Monday morning and I saw it coming, backed off and let him into lane 2 ahead of me. Of course, the two who'd caused all this were entirely oblivious...

[bella]

someone did a good one to me the other day. there's a set of traffic lights on the a45/m1 junction on the roundabout, and there's 3 wide lanes. i was in the left hand one, when someone decided to create their own lane between mine and the middle one. er, hello... then they proceeded to cut me up... grr

(mind you, i went to burn them off, stuck the car into 1st, dropped the clutch and it failed it's fine now though, wierdly)

[Woolley]

Everybody who sits in the right two lanes of the M6 approaching the M5 and only pulls over in the last hundred yards in order to avoid the queue.

YOU ARE THE IDIOTS WHO ARE CAUSING THE QUEUE IN THE FIRST PLACE BY MAKING EVERYONE ELSE STOP TO LET YOU IN!!!

[Woolley]

Sorry, feel better now.

[Tim Falce]

Originally posted by Woolley
Everybody who sits in the right two lanes of the M6 approaching the M5 and only pulls over in the last hundred yards in order to avoid the queue.

YOU ARE THE IDIOTS WHO ARE CAUSING THE QUEUE IN THE FIRST PLACE BY MAKING EVERYONE ELSE STOP TO LET YOU IN!!!

That's what queues are for and don't shout, I have a headache.
On of my many hates is people who approach a roundabout, indicate right and then go straight ahead. Why don't they read the highway code about roundabouts?
One of my other hates is everyone else that is on the road at the same time as me.

[touringlegend]

Originally posted by Woolley
YOU ARE THE IDIOTS WHO ARE CAUSING THE QUEUE IN THE FIRST PLACE BY MAKING EVERYONE ELSE STOP TO LET YOU IN!!!

Hmmm, my main gripe as well. If it weren't for them everyone would get to work 10 mins earlier, much calmer etc...

There was one day on a road going from 2 lanes to 1, some guy in a car sat in the right hand lane so as these idiots couldn't get by. Almost felt like going out and shaking the guy's hand for having some sense.

[garcon]

Y'see I'm afraid I don't entirely follow that one. What seems to me to cause the queue is the line of lemmings who see a sign telling them that two lanes will reduce to one 800 yards (or more) down the road, so they all pull into lane 1 and then sit bumper to bumper to stop anyone "pushing in". I'm afraid I'm a pusher-inner - I can't bare to see 800 yards of perfectly useable lane lie empty. If everyone had a bit of bloody common sense and were able to merge in turn on the approach to the hazard (something sensible like a couple of hundred yards out) then the whol queue would run much more smoothly. But no, I've waited in this lane and I'm buggered if I'm going to lose one car's length in my quest to get on.

As for the idiots who try blocking the second lane, if there's enough room (which there usually is if you don't mind using a bit of verge) I drive round 'em and when they start to gesticulate just smile ever so sweetly whilst raising the middle digit of my left hand.

Reminds me of a queue I was caught up in on the M40. Bad accident ahead, motorway shut, we're stuck - edging a few metres every five minutes. Some idiots decide it's their "right" to use the hard shoulder to get to the next junction. Stupid move. But not as stupid as the guy who decided he'd try and stop them. Pulled across from lane 1 to block the hard shoulder. Trouble was, in this blind fit of self righteousnous, he didn't give himself any room in front to be able to pull back into lane 1. So when the ambulance arrived, blues & twos ablaze, it couldn't get through.

Shame it wasn't a firetruck - that would have just punted the silly off the road altogether.

[Woolley]

I failed to explain properly in my rant!

Here's the position, and this was a prime example. Heading for the M5, there's roadworks, so you have to move for the left lane to go from the M6 to the M5. Easy enough - all the lanes are moving ok (40 limit approaching), so you just feed gently into the gaps and move into the correct lane without inconveniencing anyone.

No, this numpty sits in the middle lane alongside a big gap, hastling the car in front of him, who's got a car in front of him, who's got... etc.

Just at the last point before the cones start, he gets almost in front of the car in the inside lane (behind which the big gap has now largely closed up) signals left and brakes, forces the car inside to brake to avoid him, and causing everyone behind to brake too. 300 yards back, the motorway comes to a stop in two lanes, and there's your queue.

Happens every night going the other way too as you approach the M54, the cars staying resolutely in the outside lane until the 100yd marker and then forcing their way into a gap that's too small causing everyone behind to slow.

So the point is, if these nerds would move over in good time while the traffic is moving, there wouldn't be a queue.

I'm still not sure I've explained that right!

[garcon]

Ah... see what you mean. (I think? )

That M6/M5 junction can be pretty appalling, especially with the roadworks. As you say, when the traffic's actually moving I don't understand those who don't merge into the gaps. The best ones are those who seem to have missed a mile and a half of signs and suddenly try to dive across at the last moment. Invariably they can't get in, so they come to a dead halt in lane 2 with their left indicator on, oblivious of the truck bearing down on them at 50mph...

Nothing much to report this morning. On the bypass I had an M3 who seemed to enjoy blatting out of the roundabouts, but when I pulled over he stayed behind me... must've been some sort of 'my car's faster than yours ritual'. (You get that alot driving an Impreza). I had to laugh though - I was much quicker through the twisty bits than he was. Wimp.

[jase]

oooooo, pet peeves, like the idiots who fail to indicate on a roundabout or indicate incorrectly. Like the guy this morning indicating right then pulls off to the left.

I'm glad I watch the drivers head rather than the car.

Peeves are foglights at any time of day, and then with sidelights at night.
and MLM's. USE LANE 1 FFS!!!!!
I will happily - where safe - pass on the left, in fact I can travel the length of the M40 from Brum to about Oxford at 70mph (70+miles) in lane 1 and pass the twits in lanes 2 and 3 holding themselves up.

Grr, don't get me started!

[garcon]

Amazing isn't it really. I only drive six miles to/from work, and there's always something.

Classic one today. Blonde bint in a BMW Mini, no real reason to be in lane 2 of the dual carriageway, decides to brake - fairly sharp - to 40mph for the speed camera. In a 50mph limit. Silly cow. Of course she had no idea I was behind her cos her mirror was set to check her make up.

[Woolley]

Originally posted by jasongore
and MLM's.

????

Is that the same as CLOCs (Centre Lane Owners' Club)?

We once pushed someone out of the lane by driving close behind, flashing the lights and all pointing left (there was nothing else on the road to speak of). Eventually she got the message and pulled in. As soon as we'd passed, she came back out again

And yes, garcon, I think we're on the same wavelength now.

[jase]

Originally posted by Woolley

????

Is that the same as CLOCs (Centre Lane Owners' Club)?

We once pushed someone out of the lane by driving close behind, flashing the lights and all pointing left (there was nothing else on the road to speak of). Eventually she got the message and pulled in. As soon as we'd passed, she came back out again ...

MLMs = Middle Lane Morons

Just like you just described above. They have no idea!

[Woolley]

Even worse when they get off the motorway and on to the dual carriageway. No middle lane, so they drive on the right. Grrrr!!! ~*&%$* out of my way!!!

[mjolnir]

aye, methinks that instead of stuff like charging people for not paying the conjestion charge on the same day, they should just sit themselves at places like these, then make a fortune fine-ing people for being inconsiderate jerks

[Daimlerman]

I had a right one this morning.

Two lane road (not dual carriageway), pouring with rain, dark, spray everywhere, line of traffic doing about 60mph. some jerk in a white van decides it is not fast enough and starts to overtake from about six cars back. Finally overtakes front car on blind right hand bend, across double white line, gets past then finds that bend is sharper than he thought and leaves road on left, across wide verge and into hedge Luckily no injuries but could have taken about 12 cars out if anybody had been coming the other way round the bend

[KPC]

1240, 21/10/2004:

Line marking, old girl with fish on boot, tries to undertake the lorry from so close she's blind. On the inside is the workman with a line connected to the lorry marking off distances. Two miles later:
A24 Ashington. Range Rover driver decides he wants to drive down the cycle lane for a bit. Then a swerve back into the inside lane, so he could've gone for a ziz? Five miles on: Mercedes man decides he wants to put his bonnet inside my boot. If I can't see headlights in my mirror, that's my get in a mood marker. So it was off the gas and glide, on the gas and pull away for ten secs, then off the gas and glide. Took him about five miles to get it.

I've also had three days of road resurfacing right outside my house. Lovely when off a nightshift. Instead of lights they had the bloke with the sign and radio. The amount of cars that beeped as they went through. "I've had to queue, so I'm tooting at you, booo hoo hoo." Pathetic. I had a good mind to follow some of them home and sit in their drives and beep a bit.

[Woolley]

I think I've got the hang of drivers who sit in the right lane of a dual carriageway at 35 because they are turning right at the third island they come to, but I can't get my head around the Audi tonight who did the faffing around on the right bit, but was turning left at the next island... on the brakes, signal left (at least he managed that much, but not until after braking) and then straight across my nose.

[garcon]

Tonight we had one that did the turn right thing at a roundabout from the left lane. Straight across someone's nose. At least he indicated - he'd have really copped one otherwise...

Funnily enough someone did to me what I occasionally (OK often) do to others... I was in lane 2, dithering a bit to be honest, noticed something approaching from the rear, looked again and realised he was travelling so started wandering over to lane 1 and he all but pushed me across as he came by without even lifting! Had to laugh - I bet he was cursing me! ;p

[TimD]

My gem for today - chap in the grey BMW 5 series, "OY02***", M40 southbound. He decided he simply had to be past me, so tried to undertake. Me? Middle lane? Nope - BMW man decided he was going to use the A34 Oxford sliproad to try to get past me, despite the third lane actually being as clear as a very clear thing at the time.

I did enjoy snookering him behind the Mercedes Sprinter.

So he hopped out behind me again, right up behind my bumper before sailing past at 90mph+.

Fair enough - I don't hang around either. But then I'm not ever guilty of weaving about the carriageway at that sort of speed in a 60mph crosswind with a phone clamped to my right ear. He was.

[sjw75]

There seems to be a common element in some of the posts...
..BMW, Merc, is it me or are most of the "Im to importatnt to indicate, use lane 1 or abide by any of the rules of the road" brigade driving Large luxury German cars ?

Simon.

[Woolley]

Except that I'm IN a BMW. Nah-nah-na-nah-ner!!!