My current 'pet hate' with drivers

Interesting inputs, esp from a driving instructor. I do think the standards have dropped however, what I do see and am always surprised to see is that those making silly/ignorant errors are often those who should know better. We all make mistakes or have bad days but my most common sight is "the **** driver" normally middle aged, in a banger or cheap Korean box. Hugely over cautious, breaks as car pass, takes 8 months to pull out a junction and refuses to adhear to the speed limit, by this I mean doing 40 everywhere, through 30mph villages, down national speed limit roads, everywhere.
Both me and my girlfriend spot these weirdos from a mile off and you sit there waiting for them to do something dangerous, weather that's the amber gamble or the using the wrong lane at the round about.
When I first past my test(about ten years ago now) my dad said to me (an advanced driver himself) it doesn't matter how good a driver YOU are, everyone else on the road is an idiot. Expect them to do the most stupid things out at any time and you won't go far wrong. I've found that to be the truth.
As for all the papers and tv moaning about new drivers and how dangerous they are, if there not up to scratch after passing YOUR test to prove they are, YOUR test is not suitable. Speak to any policeman, ambulance driver etc and you get the same story, yes they do get a fair few young lads make a cock of it, in reality though, there is no average **** drivers.
 
kev64 said:
My pet hate is drivers stopping at roundabouts when they can clearly see that there is no one there, RIDDLER might have an answer to this, but I always thought it was be prepared to stop and give way not stop altogether, or some muppets sit there until someone does come WTF is that all about???:smash:
Click to expand...

I teach my pupils the following as they approach roundabouts: Mirrors, signal (when necessary), take the correct lane and (usually) change down into second. As you approach you should be HOPING to keep going (if nothing is approaching from the right) but EXPECTING to have to stop (because something usually is).
I too am frustrated by drivers who come to a stop in front of you at roundabouts, even though even YOU can see there is clearly nothing approaching them from their right.
What all drivers should practice is the LADA system (no, not that terrible old car from the 70s). Lada stands for Look, Assess, Decide then Act.
 
In fairness I think the driving standards and habits are different throughout the country. I live and work in Yorkshire, where there are less cars, but also less roads, less routes and of late, more ridiculous councils, insisting on endless traffic lights, to the extent that most roundabouts have traffic lights on them, for no apparent reason.

I see people talk about middle-lane-hoggers all the time, but in fairness, the only middle lane hoggers I usually see, are people doing 70, that can't pull into lane one because it's full, end to end, with trucks. Now this may be pretty exclusive to the roads I use, as we get a lot of trucks on the M62 coming from the ports at either end of it, but it also very much applies to the A1 and M1 up here too. I'm not going to get annoyed at someone doing 70 in the middle lane, because lane 1 is full, just because I might want to do 75.

Another thing is this flashing to get past, now I've no problem with someone flashing me to let them past when they're doing the speed limit and I'm in lane 3 doing 60, with lanes 1 and 2 clear, but that NEVER happens. Instead what happens, is I'm pushed out to lane 3 by lanes 1 and 2 being full to the brim with trucks and people doing 60-65, I'm doing 70 - 75 in lane 3 and some **** comes flying up behind me at 90 (usually in an Audi), flashing his lights like he's a copper and has ultimate right of way to get past me, even though that means I'll have to drop my speed, in order to move over. Even this, I wouldn't have too much of a problem with, if it weren't for the fact that lane 3 is also pretty full and the guy flashing me is going nowhere if I do move over anyway, he's going to make about 100 - 200 yds before the guy in front of me is also going to be in his way.

Tailgating in lane 3 REALLY gets my goat, especially when they're in a **** eurobox diesel you're just overtaking someone. They edge closer and closer, as if to insist you move out of their way, they own the road......no mate, you don't! At this point, I usually drop to lane 2 once I've overtaken the car I was overtaking, drop a few gears, let them past and then sit on their **** upto whatever speed they choose to try and hit to lose me. In most cases, they slow down pretty quickly and move over to lane 2, I then follow them, they then slow right down and move over to lane 1, at which point I pass them at the speed limit and usually never see them again.

Before anyone says the obvious, yes I know I should just let them get on with it and not tailgate them myself, but after 14 years of driving without a point or an accident and 14 years of these twats doing the exact same thing, I'm more than a little sick of it to be honest.

Not indicating on roundabouts is my biggest pet hate lately, I can almost always look at the roundabout and say 'that pug is coming this way and not indicating' and be 100% right, so I tend to get along ok, but anyone less sceptical than me, would drive straight across the roundabout in front of the pug and there's then either a near miss, or a T-bone. Of late, trucks are getting quite bad for this on big two lane roundabouts. They are always in the left hand lane obviously, no matter what, even if going past a turn off and I've seen 3 cars T-boned by artics in the last few months, on these roundabouts, clearly because they've tried to go from the right hand lane to the turn off, in front of a truck, that wasn't indicating right, so the car driver thought the truck was turning off as well. Unfortunately the truck is technically in the right, if he's going straight over the roundabout of course, but the person who's in the right hand lane, just come round the roundabout and has no idea where the truck entered the roundabout, does not know this.

Riddler - It sounds like you're a good instructor, as my instructor taught me the very same things you've mentioned and I passed my test first time because of his instruction. Please keep up the good work!
 
The rules on roundabouts are quite straightforward. Unless the lanes are marked otherwise, if you are turning left or going straight on at a roundabout you should ALWAYS be in the left lane. If you think of yourself as approaching a roundabout from 6 on the clock face, you should only take the right lane if the road you want is AFTER 12 o clock. If it is AT 12 o clock (ie straight ahead) you should take the left lane through the roundabout.
Signalling should be as follows: Turning 1st left, use left lane and indicate left on approach. Going straight ahead, take left lane, no signal on approach then indicate left after passing the first exit. Turning right (say third exit), take right lane, signal right on approach then switch to a left signal after passing the 2nd exit.
So there you have it - and I'm not even charging for this advice! But then again, I am sure all you excellent Z drivers knew all this stuff anyway . . .
 
Here's a good roundabout one which annoys me no-end:

Travelling south on the A5 there is a roundabout where the A38 crosses it near Lichfield. So it's left for Lichfield and straight-on for the A5. Most times I see drivers take the middle lane for straight-on, I'll take the left lane. When they exit for the A5 i.e. 2nd exit (straight-on) THEY TAKE THE OUTSIDE LANE OF THE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY. I end up slowing down and letting them come into my lane. If I don't do that I'm passing them on the inside and also risking them pulling into me. I can assure you I'm not hassling them or forcing them into the outside lane, they take it by choice - it happens so often and I can't understand their logic.

Why do they take the middle lane on entry and why exit in the outside lane?????
 
Rob Gaskin said:
Here's a good roundabout one which annoys me no-end:

Travelling south on the A5 there is a roundabout where the A38 crosses it near Lichfield. So it's left for Lichfield and straight-on for the A5. Most times I see drivers take the middle lane for straight-on, I'll take the left lane. When they exit for the A5 i.e. 2nd exit (straight-on) THEY TAKE THE OUTSIDE LANE OF THE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY. I end up slowing down and letting them come into my lane. If I don't do that I'm passing them on the inside and also risking them pulling into me. I can assure you I'm not hassling them or forcing them into the outside lane, they take it by choice - it happens so often and I can't understand their logic.

Why do they take the middle lane on entry and why exit in the outside lane?????
Click to expand...

If there are THREE lanes on approach then usually the left lane AND the middle lane can be used for straight ahead. If they took the middle lane then that would naturally lead them into the outside lane of the dual carriageway that goes straight ahead. Usually you would expect traffic doing that to be travelling faster than the cars which have stayed in the left lane throughout because they are travelling a shorter distance in a straighter line - your Z is obviously too fast for them Rob!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not my words,but the mrs(you had to mention bloody trucks,hollowpoint lol),,,,"I have been an artic driver for 16 years and only 2 non fault accidents and never had points in over 20 years. When going around roundabouts i follow the proper lanes and indicate as necessary although some roundabouts have narrow lanes and barely enough room for a wagon and car, in this situation i deliberately take up both lanes to avoid incidents and misjudgements of other drivers as i have blind spots and a lot of the other car drivers are unaware of this and dont realise how much space i need especially when they are not disciplined in their own lanes, better to be safe than sorry.To be honest its an unfortunate mix of vehicles,,,but is a reality and there are some tossers in lgvs.My advice would be to give lgv's a wide berth and dont try to sneak around them or even better peeps should have a lesson in an lgv to see a different perspective.
 
RIDDLER said:
If there are THREE lanes on approach then usually the left lane AND the middle lane can be used for straight ahead. If they took the middle lane then that would naturally lead them into the outside lane of the dual carriageway that goes straight ahead. Usually you would expect traffic doing that to be travelling faster than the cars which have stayed in the left lane throughout because they are travelling a shorter distance in a straighter line - you Z is obviously too fast for them Rob!
Click to expand...

Ok, good so basically they are doing nothing wrong except getting in the way! Glad I asked, I'll be more understanding next time. We can always learn, :thumbs:.
 
lol I'm not arguing the rules on roundabouts at all and as I said, the trucks are actually doing the right thing if going straight over the roundabout and the only thing they can really do anyway, if they're turning right in fairness. I wouldn't expect an artic to be able to change lanes on a roundabout, my point is more than people assume too much, i.e. someone coming round the roundabout in the right hand lane, turning right and taking that exit the artic is just going past and isn't indicating, doesn't think to themselves 'that truck might be going straight past that junction' and then they dive past, or try to in some cases......
 
The reply was just in jest,she shouldnt have been overlooking my shoulder and just reading the words truck and car in one sentence, gone back to her truckers forum now.:bow:
 
Final point on this - car drivers should always treat big trucks with respect and realise that because of their length and size they may have to take an unusual course when approaching roundabouts simply in order to get round them. Often a truck turning right at a roundabout has to use the left lane otherwise it would run its rear wheels over the roundabout. Slow down and give them time to turn is always the best and safest solution.
 
Agreed, I tend to treat Trucks as though they're going to do something 'stupid' or 'abnormal' at all times. Mostly because I see them do all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Driving down the A1 the night before last on my way home from work, some truck began to drift to the left, then sway back to the right again and came into my lane. Brakes were slammed on by me, don't think he even saw me to be honest, then waited for him to straighten up and stop swaying and blasted past him. It was a Polish truck, not that his nationality makes any difference obviously, but I guess being on the wrong side of the truck doesn't help much.
 
My sister and my mate have had accidents with LHD trucks so RIDDLER your advice needs to be taken on board.
 
Interesting points made - especially about lorries from different countries. For a few years I seemed to live on the M25 and I lost count of the amount of accidents I saw where cars were scrubbed out by a lorry. If they are sitting on the "wrong" side of the cab to drive then the simple fact is that you have to assume they cannot see you, and therefore you have to plan a pass more carefully than you would normally, this mean allowing plenty of space in front so you can quickly get to safety in front of them. Only then can you be sure that they have seen you. Trouble is people on the M25 are more interested in their hair or a text message than actually driving.
Another thing I have noticed is the increasing incidents of people not understanding the technology in there car, something I have called the dumbing down of driving. People are now starting to say things like , "my car cant go up a hill in the snow" for example..........answer........turn your traction control off and boot it! I first saw this when ABS became more widely available. I started seeing people braking later and later and provoking the anti lock system, in the belief that as they couldn't skid, they could stop sooner. This is not the case, and the simple fact is you are not gonna stop if you brake too late no matter what ABS system you have. If there is a problem, people seem to believe that their car with all the gizmo's on it will sort it out - not use intelligence or get extra training to understand how to avoid the problem in the first place.
Also - when did overtaking become illegal? I am often amazed that people with fairly powerful cars will sit in a line behind grandma on a perfectly straight road with clear sight lines etc etc not overtaking . And more to the point, when I do overtake , why am I suddenly stared at like I am some sort of complete alien, or worse start getting weird reactions involving horns and waved fists, when I am doing so in a safe and efficient manner in a diesel landrover discovery 2 , not the hooligan motors. The days of lunatic driving for me ended many years ago, and to plan an overtake in the landrover requires at least two memo's and a royal seal of approval delivered by the post office before I can get the old shed shifting well enough to make sufficient progress! So why they are getting annoyed I have no idea!
And on the subject of the Discovery - I think I have spotted another driving standards issue, something I shall call "the invisible car syndrome" . When out in the discovery I have seen numerous examples of people checking at a junction of a roundabout , seeing an old Landrover that weighs over two tonnes, is doing the same speed as everybody else, making a split decision that as it is a landrover it MUST be slow, and therefore they can pull out in front of it. The number of times I have nearly driven through a car cos of this is ridiculous. If people knew how hard it is to stop a larger vehicle when it has barely sufficient braking , and weighs what it does, then I am sure they wouldn't do this.
As said previously in this thread by someone else , the only way to drive is to assume averybody else is an idiot !
Blimey - that was a long one, and I haven't even started on busses, sat-nav, people who think they have a fast car, etc etc etc !
 
Know what you mean about the invisible land rover! I have a p38 range rover now and previously had a 200 disco. Most people in yorkshire are bright enough to realise, a vehicle weighing several tonnes doesn't stop well, but can and will keep up with traffic, but the number of people who seem to think it won't hurt, when said landrover tears their tin can apart, with them inside it, is still far too high.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
I find the '2 HGV's abreast on a dual carriageway' irritating during a 15 minute overtaking manouve only to find that when its complete the 'overtaken' becomes the 'overtaker' and the process begins over again as each tries to prove that his particular steed (even though both are governed at 56 mph) is actually a couple of metres per hour faster than the other. In the meantime there is 3 miles of light-traffic congestion behind them!.:confused:
 
The A1 is particularly bad for that. I've often sat there watching the lighter truck overtake the heavier one uphill and then the heavier one overtake the lighter one downhill for ages, whilst the traffic backs up and in many cases just stops about half a mile back......enough to make me wonder if trucks should be banned from overtaking at all on dual carriageways.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
So much lorry hate:rofl: something you wont see from a cars vantage point is the truckers who watch porn whilst driving,,,,scumbags ,and then lookin down and catching sight of car drivers having a w***,you see a lot from above,to be honest they drive better than when texting,lol,and lets not forget the bottles of lemonade? chucked at the roadside.Then again dont blame the tool blame the driver.Being in charge of a (44ton unladen) vehicle should be taken more seriously considering the amount of destruction theyre capable of.
 
Stockdale said:
I find the '2 HGV's abreast on a dual carriageway' irritating during a 15 minute overtaking manouve only to find that when its complete the 'overtaken' becomes the 'overtaker' and the process begins over again as each tries to prove that his particular steed (even though both are governed at 56 mph) is actually a couple of metres per hour faster than the other. In the meantime there is 3 miles of light-traffic congestion behind them!.:confused:
Click to expand...
Legally you can only do 50 on dual carriageway plus you can do 60 on motorway but the governed lorry speed (60 and under)isnt written in stone(it varies)some can only do 50 or so because the logistics companies try to save fuel or give a bit of leeway to the legal limit.Just a shame very few drivers dont slow down when safe to allow another lorry to pass quickly.Doh 44 laden,previous post.
 
bigblock said:
Legally you can only do 50 on dual carriageway plus you can do 60 on motorway but the governed lorry speed (60 and under)isnt written in stone(it varies)some can only do 50 or so because the logistics companies try to save fuel or give a bit of leeway to the legal limit.Just a shame very few drivers dont slow down when safe to allow another lorry to pass quickly.Doh 44 laden,previous post.
Click to expand...

I don't seem often to come across an HGV doing 50 on a dual carriagway, particularly if unladen! Seems more like 'foot to the floor lads come hell or high water and lets take advantage of the 10% + 2mph' :unsure:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top