Daily Moan About Driving Standards

[touringlegend]

Originally Posted by CombeMarshal

An increase at night might work, but would probably just end up confusing everyone!!

That's a thing I'd like to see happen. But no doubt PC Plod would be out catching people 1 minute before the limit was raised..

[krt917]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

Higher speed limit's not just about yourself and the car's capabilities, it's the fact other drivers may not be able to judge approaching car's speed correctly when overtaking.

Exactly. That's why top racing drivers tend to be dangerous on the roads. They can handle driving at hugely high speeds, but other drivers around them may not, and certainly wouldn't be expecting to be looking so far back for cars coming up really quickly.

Originally Posted by jase

1. Have to disagree with you here, since I've been driving I've seen the average ability of the young driver (anyone under25) go downwards.

Having driven abroad on quite a few occasions, I've found once you Understand Their rules it is better than the UK.


2. What is wrong with 100mph? if the conditions are right it can be safe.
What isn't are the MLM's and Holier than Thou drivers who sit in lanes 2 and 3 on the motorway oblivious to the traffic around them - drive to the conditions.

1. Fair enough. I haven't done any driving abroad, but was merely going on what I have heard from others. I guess it might depend on where we mean by abroad!

2. If the conditions are right? Maybe, but therein lies the problem - who decides when conditions are right? I have been passed by people cossetted in their 'comfortmobiles' (my car is relatively old and tends not to let me forget what I'm doing!) in appalling weather conditions. In the dry, I'll have happily gone passed, but when it gets wet or visibility is poor, some just carry on at the same speed and with the same gaps to the cars ahead.

Then, as touringlegend says, what about the people around you? The faster you go, the higher the speed differential between you and the slower traffic, giving everyone less time to spot each other and less time to react if things go wrong. I do sometimes feel that 70mph is a bit slow, but how much higher should it go?

[bella]

i've said this somewhere else at some point in time, but i admire the german system. the speed limit on motorways is advisory, ie there is no speed limit unless there's one specified around junctions or you crash. people on the road have a lot more respect for each other.

personally i was absolutely fine with motorway driving, it didn't worry or bother me in the slightest. i'd spent so long in the passenger seat learning observation skills that it came naturally to check the mirrors and make sure there weren't any police cars before attempting a land speed record

[siirx7]

ahhh my personal pet hate. In Oz we have signs that say keep left unless overtaking. But gee do reckon any of the idiots on today's roads take any notice of them??

[SpawnyWhippet]

Nope, I always find the left lane moves the quickest as its always empty. On the downside, you find idiots parked in them every km or so, essentially reducing the width of the road by 1 lane.

[bella]

i've found that...
left lane runs at a more consistent speed on the m1 and m25, but it's not quicker because of the need to change lane to avoid the really slow people. the middle lane is usually quicker in very heavy stop start traffic, but the left lane is quicker at 20mph-ish traffic.
the right ("fast") lane is fastest, but it's also shockingly poor on fuel and the brakes, and you do need to be fairly awake because theres a lot of braking i tend to find.
and on the early morning commute, the last thing i am is awake, so i tend to sit in the left lane with occasional visits to the middle.

there ends bella's study of 3 lane motorway behaviour

[Sheila M]

Originally Posted by bella

i've found that...
the right ("fast") lane is fastest

Correction: According to the Highway Code the Right Lane is the "Overtaking" lane. The word "Fast" does not appear

[Bluebottle]

Originally Posted by bella

i tend to sit in the left lane

Which is exactly what you're supposed to do unless overtaking

[Craig]

Suspect that's why she used the quotes, Sheila

[garcon]

And anyway, I thought we'd established that it isn't "fast" at all, cos it's full of lemmings.

Here's my moan for the day -

Warning, what follows is a rant and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Ten-Tenths. (To be honest, it probably doesn't even represent the opinions of the poster when they aren't ranting.) WHY THE FECK CAN'T PEOPLE PARK PROPERLY?!?!?!?!? We now return you to our normal ramblings.

[CombeMarshal]

That ****** me off bad!!!
Park with the flow of the traffic, not within 15 mtrs of a junction, nor a blind bend

[BGMS]

well to be fair, it is pretty annoying if someone parks right at a junction. and parking only with the flow of traffic is only at night, isn't it?

[CombeMarshal]

It maybe, but Comon sense should play a part of driving, how do you expect to see on coming traffic is there is another car parked in front of you, You have to pull half out before you can see, It's just lazy and Dangerous, plus, If it's at night the head lights 'dip' the wrong way and blind on coming cars

[John Turner]

Just had a 'lady' driver in an old Merc. driving about 6 foot off my rear bumper at about 40mph, chatting away on mobile phone in right hand whilst endeavouring to hold the steering wheel AND a lighted cigarette in left hand. Dangerous menace or what!