Daily Moan About Driving Standards

[KPC]

It's the whole thing of: have money, no brain. I have a posh car and it can out-squirt yours and I think putting the pedal to the metal in a straight line is clever racy driving. However, I have no spacial awareness, no common sense, no driving ability and no manners. However, I have money so am better than y ou, so get out of my way...

Even more hateful than the successful business man in a BMW type, is his dopey blonde missus who is giving it all the "out of my way" bit, but really has no confidence and wobbles and brakes and generally gets in the way on every bend (between home and the 100 yards to the school gates).

Anyway, today's moan. Had the whole on off the gas bit agian today with a Vauxhall UGLIER. Spack car for spack drivers. Didn't get the jist and really got upset when I tailed right back on the M23 slip to let the 4 cars in front get in a pickle while merging. When I had a clear run, Uglier man was no longer a concern.

I did get flashed by a speed camera also, but was on the opposite side of the road travelling towards it, and hadn't even reached the grid. I was also only doing 42 in a 40 and braking at the time. So I'd better not be getting any gifts in the post, or it's into battle.

[Aarrgh8]

Today's moan from Australia would be a smash on a bridge on the F3 freeway, just North of Sydney last night. We're talking about a divided, six lane freeway with emergency lanes, world class road, immaculate surface, fantastic lighting, etc. The sort of road where there shouldn't be any accidents at all. Anyway, fifteen cars managed to get all tangled up as a result of a lot of tail-gating. (This road is renowned for it. People escape the city and get onto the freeway and go, always travelling too close together.) Cars are stationary across three lanes. Thirty seconds later, a semi arrives on the scene. He's had a clear view of the road ahead for about two kilometers, but he's travelling at around 110ks. Eventually realises there's no room and hits the brakes. The trailer jack-knifes and the truck is all over the place. The fifteen car accident becomes a twenty-two car plus one truck accident. One fatality and it sounds like more to come.

[Aarrgh8]

Correction / update. Thirty-two cars and one truck accident.

[KPC]

0500 - 0600. The fog light brigade were out in force, in spite of the fact that although drizzling, visibility was fine??????????????

Then I had an Avensis join the M23 as I passed the slip. It decides to do a ton to get past me and then pull in front and sit on my bonnet depriving me of not only any braking distance but the half a mile of clear road that I had in front. I couldn't be arsed to play silly buggers, especialyy only having had 4 hours sleep. So I back off and guess what... it slows. I'm doing 20mph less than I would usually, so overtake. Next thing it's in the outside lane, past me and then doing a steady 80, which is obviously as fast as it feels anyone behind may do.

Does anyone else get it? Are they purposely a-holes or just stupid. It's difficult to imagine anyone is really THAT stupid.

[Tim Falce]

I was going to rant on about going to Gatwick in my mates Toyota this morning and the bloke I saw as I pulled onto the M23, but I won't............
Maybe you upset him in someway as he joined the motorway and this was atouch or road rage. Another thing is that some people do like to bunch up when there is an empty road, how many times do you go down a completely clear motorway and then see half a dozen or so cars driving together? Or maybe he was just an A-hole

[KPC]

I'd of given him a good kick up the third choice given half a chance.

Well, two motors came off the slip together and I could see by his line he was gonna jump the car in front and go straight out into the middle lane regardless of where I was, so I took the third until past them, then back to the first. May he wind up road kill.

Daft looking car anyway, you gotta be an idiot to buy one.

"What did you say you did?"
"I didn't."
"Doll scum."

[DAVID PATERSON]

Avensis?! What a stupid name, they're getting sillier by the muinute.

[johnh875]

Re the prang on the F3, apparently began from a swaying/jackknifing trailer, then after the resulting pile-up the un-registered truck was coasting down the hill in "angel gear" (ie out of gear), ran out of brakes and it's all over. What is worse is the suggestion the truck was pulled over for a weighbridge check up the road where they didn't check for current reg/defects/anything except the weight.

KPC what do the last 3 lines mean? I can relate to your observation though - when you see a car & think "why would you buy one of those" quite often the driver is somewhat lacking in skill/awareness.

Pato, in Oz we receive the "Avensis Verso" which is the smaller-than-Tarago job Toyota don't sell too many of.

[Neil Adams]

my mine gripes are people the middle line hoggers and people you change lanes on roundabouts.

the middle lane people really peeve me cause a drive a low litre car its difficult to pick up enough speed to get back out into the outside lane without holding someone else up, if they all moved over it'd be fine, but no they tootle on regardless, so many times i saw to myself and justiculate to them - "wtf are you overtaking!!"

roneo corner roundabout romford, i'm in the right hand most lane so when i go around the roundabout i'll be right next to it, right? i pulled out at same time as a grey transit (peugeot 307), starts to squeeze me, i think fine "you dont know how big your car or lane is", but they carried on to squeeze me moving completley over into my lane, next to the roundabout, i had stop sharply, i was so enraged i'd got past the **** before i was off the roundabout.

theres so many people out there you drive along completley oblivious to other drivers.

on a funny note, although i drive a nova a do sometimes find bmws getting in my way!! btw its standard, i've not stuck any silly boy racer rubbish on it

[Aarrgh8]

Back to Australia and the F3.

The original 15 car prang was caused by cars all travelling too closely together. They were all stationary when the truck arrived. In 'angel gear' as you say. Also uninsured, unregistered and definitely unroadworthy. Total became 35 cars and one truck. One death and many serious injuries.

[johnh875]

True, it might have been a single- or two-car accident if people didn't tailgate so much, not to mention it would help if they looked further than the rear bumper of the car in front.

My daily moan is actually from last year but prompted by the weather this morning (some torrential rain) - travelling along a 3 lane freeway (south-eastern/Monash in Melb) watching a WRX sit no more than 3 feet from the back of a truck at 100km/h in said torrential rain & standing water on road.

That's hardcore tailgating, by the time his brain (sorry, what brain?) registered brake lights coming on for a rapid stop he would already have hit the truck.

[Neil Adams]

people who overtake slowly then pull in and accelerate p me right off

[Woolley]

People who pull away like a sports car at the lights, and then proceed to crawl once you can't overtake them back.

[TimD]

I got road-raged today for hanging back and giving another road user space to sort himself out!

You know how people in family cars are supposed to be locked in little cocoons oblivious to the poor, vulnerable bikers outside in the cold? Well, I was negotiating a three-roundabout system in Aylesbury today, behind a bloke on a yellow sports Yamaha. From the revving and blipping, he was having real clutch trouble, so I kept my distance, gave him a wide berth, let him sort himself out, just in case his gearbox did something which surprised him.

You should have seen the gestures I got! I'm just glad my little cocoon of metal and glass shielded me from whatever he was saying inside his helmet.

All he had to do was wave me through....

...gratitude, eh?

[KPC]

I'm seriously thinking of starting a Daily moan about BMW drivers driving standards thread .

Last night on my way home, 20:00ish I got so badly cut up that I engaged in some rare road/rage, aka sport. Shockingly dangerous and I won't even repeat it here, lest you think even less of me, but I was that enraged that I became kamikazi. You wanna kill me, okay, go for it pal was my attitude.

Traffic is usual Friday night heavy. I'm approaching the Gatwick South Terminal roundabout on the M23 spur from the North Terminal. Some of you may know it. The dual carriage way opens into right lanes, two to continue over the roundabout, the third to filter left and towards the South Terminal.

The traffic on the roundabout is heavy and so, to get onto it involves some queuing. I'm in the outside lane to carry on across the roundabout onto the spur, which at the junction is the middle lane. Off I go with a petrol tanker on the inside lane opposite me. We stick to our lanes perfectly if I may say so.

Then a BMW comes tearing down the empty third lane across the roundabout to try and cut across into the outside spur lane, which is where I happen to be. I'm not talking about just approaching the spur but still on the roundabout, I'm actually entering the spur. Now, fair enough if I was pootling along and he had time to do the manouvre, I'm not averse to doing such myself, if there is the time and space to do so. No road reading for this pratt. Now, if that was me and I'd misjudged it, and let's face it, we occasionally do, I'd of either braked up and fallen in behind or just said fair cop and done a lap of the roundabout and tried to merge again. Not this . Decides there is room for two cars on the one lane. Or moreover, there isn't but he's gonna have my bit of road. Now, so bad and pushy and stupid and ignorant and basic bully tactics was his move that I refused to be intimidated. It was my piece of road. Faced with the central reservation armco he just comes across at me and I had no choice than to fall into the inside lane, right in front of the petrol tanker, who then flashes ME. A petrol tanker for christ sake, could've been nasty.



First time I pull up along side him at the lights his looking at me all righteous and angry. How about an apology mate. Good job we aren't allowed to carry guns, eh . Anyway, he thinks he can try and rub panels with me a bit more until he realises I can do so to a greater extent and don't have a big posh red shiny car to damage, just a pauper's Vauxhall. A few miles later he dropped right back.

[KPC]

Excuse me... should read.....

Originally posted by KPC


Traffic is usual Friday night heavy. I'm approaching the Gatwick South Terminal roundabout on the M23 spur from the North Terminal. Some of you may know it. The dual carriage way opens into three lanes, two to continue over the roundabout, the third to filter right and towards the South Terminal.

Tis early. Very early.

[Tim Falce]

Originally posted by KPC
I'm seriously thinking of starting a Daily moan about BMW drivers driving standards thread .

Last night on my way home....rant rant rant....

It's on those occasions that I am happy to be driving a ten year old Land Rover Discovery and don't have to bother moving over

[KPC]

Once the interest rates come down it'll be new car time for the missus. I think something big and aggresive will be the order of the day. I did ask her if she wanted a Corsa and got a very blunt reply.

[TimD]

Ah, the joys of driving a car you don't worry about.

I once had a small run-in with a pushy taxi-driver (probably the first Metrocab I ever saw, thinking about it) and my mount was a London-distressed Morris 1800 with not a straight panel on either side.

"Face facts, mate. I don't give a stuff about my paintwork, the stone frontage of Admiralty Arch doesn't give a stuff about its paintwork and neither of us is moving - your call."

He gave way and fell back into line.

[KPC]

Yep, bangers had their advantages. My old mark 3 Cortina was like a battletank... chomp chomp chomp.

[Tim Falce]

I had a head on collision with a Honda Civic down a country lane a few weeks ago. The Honda was a write off (front end pushed up to windscreen)and all it did to mine was dented the bull bar which broke the headlight and bent the bumper. I think if I hadn't have had a bull bar fitted it wouldn't even have broken the headlamp as the main impact was taken by the chassis.
Luckily no one was hurt.

[KPC]

But whose fault was it?

Or are you not speaking until insurance claims are settled?

[Mike_Wooshy]

caravansers !!!! i dont know if they have been mentioned, but omg everytime im on the motorway there seems to be caravans everywhere, its not that they block traffic or anything like that which annoys me. BUT the fact they over half of the drivers cant load them properly. All of the time i see the front of the caravan dipped and the back of the car dipped, its so dangerous, thats where half of the accidents happen right there,as braking is unimproved and handling is also duffed. But another thing that annoys me is buses, okay people dont use cars have to use some sort of transport thats cool. BUT can the drivers of buses show a bit more common sence and USE the damn bus stop rather than just pulling half in and half out, and then they have the nerve to pull out unexpectedly. I mean when i took my test a month back i was driving along, back to the test centre and this bus just pulls out as im half way round her and then SHE puts her hand out to say thanks, thats just really me off, but it was my test so i didnt give him the middle finger salute like i would now.

[johnh875]

Falcemob, sounds like you need one of the "your car is my crumple zone" stickers that 4x4s have out here

[Eurosnob]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mike_Wooshy
But another thing that annoys me is buses ... and then they have the nerve to pull out unexpectedly.

I can sooo relate, as will those of us in N.S.W. In Sydney and other areas Buses always have right of way unless it's an 80kph or better zone.

And oh boy, don't they know it and love it.

They don't care if you are level with the drivers window or not - they are coming out at full throttle and you'd better hope the oncoming lane is clear!

***

At this point I nominate myself for dumb-arsed stunt of they day. Depart Rockhampton, QLD 7am - arrive Sydney, NSW 11pm same day. Coffee & comfort stops only.

Dumbest thing I have done for a while & never again, although I got to see some really really big trucks.

Eurosnob.