Driving debate

[coventryrover]

Taking inspiration from the speeding thread below driving is an emotive issue. I am not a perfect, by no means. However, the speeding thread has stirred up my pet hates of driving especially after experiencing the majority of my pet hates on the way up from London yesterday.

An apology for the rant but here goes


1)   Middle Lane Hoggers

This one gets me the most. Time and time again I am travelling in the middle lane when I approach a vehicle that is slower than me.  There is nothing in the ‘slow lane’ and the fast lane can be too busy to overtake.  The person in front, by and large a woman (sorry ladies), seems to be in a zone and not aware of what is going around them.  I am not prepared to undertake as I don’t think that is a safe option.

Yesterday I experienced such a thing.  Nothing in the left lane couldn’t overtake the slow driver so flash him and beeped him.  Eventually driver pulled into the empty lane, but pulled back out into second lane after I had passed!  Go figure??

Also I have used the new stretch of 4 lanes on the M1 between Nottingham and Mansfield many a time.  So many people are not using the left lane it’s untrue.  What was the point of all those road works?

Is it too hard for drivers to return to a slower lane once they have overtaken a vehicle?  Surely this should be the first target to reduce congestion.

2)   Speeders

Many times I have seen speeding vehicles (usually blokes in BMWs, Mercs, Range Rovers etc) hurtling along the fast lane at such a rate that they approaching other traffic so fast they have to slam on the brakes.  Do these people have any spatial awareness?  Do they not see the car in front of them come into their vision quite quickly? No, they have to brake hard to avoid going into the back of someone.  Pretty dangerous in wet or cold conditions.

What’s the rush?

3)   Weavers

Said speeders who come across a busy fast lane weave between lanes, sometimes quite sharply, to get ahead a few spaces.  Why??????????????????????

4)   Non indicators

Is it to much to ask people to indicate to other drivers when they intend to pull out of their lane to overtake?

5)   Slip Road

Many times I have seen drivers access a motorway via a slip road at quite a rate, in excess of building up the appropriate speed, then immediately dart across to the fast line in one motion.  Seems a bit dangerous to me.

6)   Tailgaters

Said BMW drivers etc can often get so close to me that I can count how many nose hairs they have got.  They are usually trying to intimidate the person in front to overtake.  I have had a fairly large accident on the M25 where someone was following me so close that they couldn’t slow down when I was forced to slow down, thus shunting me and writing off my car.

Like others I tend to slow down gradually if tailgated, if that doesn’t work the fog light goes on.  I would love all new cars to be fitted with a device that would limit the distance a vehicle could be from another with respect to particular speeds.

7)   Uninsured drivers

We are all paying for these dangerous set of drivers.  If caught a custodial sentence is an appropriate form of punishment as well as taking away their licence.

8)   Drivers texting/reading/on the phone

Any driver not fully concentrating on the road is a danger to others.  Is it such a bind to pull over at the safest next point and phone/text/read?


Thats just motorway driving

What gets your goat about other drivers?

[Mike_F]

Pretty much all of the above annoy me, with the possible exception of moving across multiple lanes form the slip road. Obviously if there's a lot of traffic around it isn't right but when the traffic's light I often find myself moving smoothly from slip road to lane two to avoid having to brake behind a wagon.

Non indicating at roundabouts really annoys me. I get really wound up when I spend ages waiting for a gap to pull out and some numpty keeps his right hand indicator on as if he/she is continuing around the roundabout then pulls off. By the time they are in this manouvre the vehicle behind is usually approaching so the opportunity is gone.

Kitsonflap tosspots with front fog lights who insist on using them in all weather and visibility conditions also piss me right off. Particularly those who drive with sidelights and fog lights on. If visibility is so poor that you need fog lights, surely side lights aren't adequate.

Of course I know that it's something people do to draw attention to themselves and they think it looks \"sporty\". Here's a tip for them. It doesn't. It jsut draws attention to the fact that you're driving a shitty old Saxo/Megane/Corsa and everybody thinks you're a prick.

[coventryrover]

Mike_F wrote:

Of course I know that it's something people do to draw attention to themselves and they think it looks \"sporty\". Here's a tip for them. It doesn't. It jsut draws attention to the fact that you're driving a shitty old Saxo/Megane/Corsa and everybody thinks you're a prick.

Another one.


Said people, as mentioned above, driving around with their windows down with appalling music blaring out.

I'm all for decent music but Scooter and eurodance ffs!!!!!!

Its never anything decent

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Lorries on the M18 who always wait until passing J2 before overtaking thus ensuring half of Yorkshire has to sit behind as they take 3 miles to overtake.  I know it's a boring job but stop being dick heads.

Those who don't understand that not everyone pulls off a hill start perfectly.  If you pull up to my bumper, in the rain on a steep hill I may just hit you if I roll back (as happened in a thunderstorm when I had my old 998cc Corsa that just wouldn't stop wheelspinning on the hill (and the cheeky guy wanted me prosecuted for it, he had a shock when he found out he was in the wrong).

[BillyStubbsTears]

coventryrover wrote:

Mike_F wrote:

Of course I know that it's something people do to draw attention to themselves and they think it looks \"sporty\". Here's a tip for them. It doesn't. It jsut draws attention to the fact that you're driving a shitty old Saxo/Megane/Corsa and everybody thinks you're a prick.

Another one.


Said people, as mentioned above, driving around with their windows down with appalling music blaring out.

I'm all for decent music but Scooter and eurodance ffs!!!!!!

Its never anything decent

You need to drive behind me then cock.

Window down, stereo up to 11. Headhunter by Front 242, Mama Weer All Crazee Now by Slade, Burn My Shadow by UNKLE and Faure's Requiem on thecwat put to Buxton today.

Not 'alf.

[CusworthRovers]

The Roundabouters.

In addition to the ones that keep their indicators on, which leads you to rightly think they are coming round, only for them to turn off, whilst you have rightly waited patiently and in essence another 4-6 cars could have got out with you.........there is also the opposite:

The ones that don't indicate and drive all the way round the roundabout ie where the chuff is this bell going and which lane will he eventually decide to come off.

The traffic lighters

You know the score, driving down York Rd at a decent speed with an emptyish road and 1 car behind you. Lights go on red, you stop, and car behind you decides to go on the outside lane. Now we are clearly in race mode now. You swap sideways glances, You both look sheepish as you have caught each others eyes. You both look at the other lights, knowing it will trigger a go on yours. You do a sideways movements of eyes without turning your head, so they don't see you. They've done the same. He's got 1 hand on the wheel and 1 hand on the gearstick. He lets out a cheeky rev. I'm not in race mode, but this kid clearly is. I'm just mad that he wants to race me, and cut back into my lane 50yds further up and drive at normal speed.

[coventryrover]

Not too bad cock:)

This morning I had the Black Keys rocking their way down into Leeds

[coventryrover]

The traffic lighters

You know the score, driving down York Rd at a decent speed with an emptyish road and 1 car behind you. Lights go on red, you stop, and car behind you decides to go on the outside lane. Now we are clearly in race mode now. You swap sideways glances, You both look sheepish as you have caught each others eyes. You both look at the other lights, knowing it will trigger a go on yours. You do a sideways movements of eyes without turning your head, so they don't see you. They've done the same. He's got 1 hand on the wheel and 1 hand on the gearstick. He lets out a cheeky rev. I'm not in race mode, but this kid clearly is. I'm just mad that he wants to race me, and cut back into my lane 50yds further up and drive at normal speed.[/quote]

And they have achieved what exactly?  

[MrFrost]

How about the one's who will pull out from a side junction infront of you (and its obvious they have seen you) forcing you to slam on the breaks, despite there being an empty road behind you.

[RobTheRover]

Front 242 - Headhunter.  Fantastic track.  Thats proper misters dance music, not this crap that passes as dance music these days.

And when I need to chill out (keeping the numbering system going) it has to be Electribe 101.

[DRFC MYERS]

lorrys overtaking each other annoy me as well... ive seen them take like nearly 5 mins before they pull back in

[CusworthRovers]

Slight tangent:

Traffic Lights

Why is it, late at night, with hardly a sausage about, that you come up to some traffic lights or temporary traffic lights and they turn to red, knowing full well you are coming. Then, to top it all off, there is the annoying no traffic actually coming out or through, that the lights have turned red for.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RobTheRover wrote:

Front 242 - Headhunter.  Fantastic track.  Thats proper misters dance music, not this crap that passes as dance music these days.

I hear you bruv.

Nowt like a bit of hardcore Belgian body-beat to get the juices flowing before a hard day at work.

Video for it is yet another of example of why any Euro-type claiming to be arty should be neutered. As far as I remember, it comprises entirely balck and white footage of Richard 23 with a Brazilian haircut eating boiled eggs in front of the Hyde Park flats in Sheffield.