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Idiot/dangerous drivers

fatmarley said:
Why not read the Rac guides to motorway driving. Although it was all common sense to me. I think you could learn a lot.
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I fear you missed the sarcasm in my post
but yes, I think we can always learn and that includes driving. I have tried to learn a little: 20 years a class 1 police driver, ARV's operationally for quite some time. I managed to keep biannual accreditation, despite non-op posts following a few promotions, because my standard of driving is important to me. I've had other driving instruction as well and was a qualified instructor myself. Always something to learn though and you're only as good as your last drive. And we all make mistakes. I'll let you decide whether adopting lane 1 on the A11 to avoid the bumbling convoy in lane 2 was a mistake or deliberate action!

I do enjoy these driving threads that seem to crop up with some regularity. Many experts about, pleasingly. Me? I'm average and trying to improve.
 
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blossomchris said:
It is far easier to assist mates/friends when retired, these are the best years of my life, so far

Bloss
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I’m far from retirement age at 35 but I do have some fairly serious and complex health conditions while has rearranged my priorities somewhat. I’m no longer scrambling to be a millionaire, I’ve found work that pays well for the hours I do, and I’ve limited my hours (20-30 as opposed to 50-60). I do now like to try and help friends and family out in my spare time and within my limits. I’ve fixed a couple of bits of kit for people on here for the cost of return shipping because it feels good to help people out... another thing I’ve done since relaxing my working hours and going fully self employed is to stop speeding. I’m just not in a rush to get places, I allow myself ample journey time. I think that does account for a lot of poor driving, people with hectic schedules trying to dart from place to place on time.
 
Ginger said:
I fear you missed the

I do like these driving threads that seem to crop up with some regularity sarcasm in my post but yes, I think we can always learn and that includes driving. I have tried to learn a little: 20 years a class 1 police driver, ARV's operationally for quite some time. I managed to keep biannual accreditation, despite non-op posts following a few promotions, because my standard of driving is important to me. I've had other driving instruction as well and was a qualified instructor myself. Always something to learn though and you're only as good as your last drive. And we all make mistakes. I'll let you decide whether adopting lane 1 on the A11 to avoid the bumbling convoy in lane 2 was a mistake or deliberate action!

I do enjoy these driving threads that seem to crop up with some regularity. Many experts about, pleasingly. Me? I'm average and trying to improve.
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Ignore the bit above about me quitting speeding ... I’ve never sped anywhere before, honestly officer!
 
Pet peeve.....those bastards that park on the bridges over motorways, presumably watching the traffic go by. What’s that all about?
 
I read this thread yesterday having my lunch. Driving home yesterday evening, stopped in traffic on A2 at M25 interchange, a car went into the van behind me causing a 4 car pile up. Luckily for me the van had left plenty of space in between us so he didn't shunt into me. Luckily everyone involved was okay.

Cheers BB
 
Brown Bottle said:
I read this thread yesterday having my lunch. Driving home yesterday evening, stopped in traffic on A2 at M25 interchange, a car went into the van behind me causing a 4 car pile up. Luckily for me the van had left plenty of space in between us so he didn't shunt into me. Luckily everyone involved was okay.

Cheers BB
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The car that crashed into the van was obviously driving too close. Each of the following 3 cars involved in the pile up were each driving too close to the car in front.

Driving too close is a national disease.

Every car should be fitted with a large spike sticking straight out of the centre of the steering wheel. That would make most people drive with due care and consideration and severely limit the number of times it can happen to those that don’t!
 
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ks.234 said:
The car that crashed into the van was obviously driving too close. Each of the following 3 cars involved in the pile up were each driving too close to the car in front.

Driving too close is a national disease.

Every car should be fitted with a large spike sticking straight out of the centre of the steering wheel. That would make most people drive with due care and consideration and severely limit the number of times it can happen to those that don’t!
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A less drastic solution is adaptive cruise which automatically sets the distance between cars; greatly reduces stress and I use it all the time.

Current car has four distance settings and I don't remember ever using the two closest. You occasionally get idiots slipping in front but that's life.

Daughter's first write off was a sandwich between two at lights, she was stationary.
 
Mullardman said:
That's why he's worth a few bob. It's a different mindset. I bet he votes Tory too.
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On the very few occasions I've had a customer do the sharp intake of breath thing when presented with the bill, and ask if I could knock money of for cash etc, it has on 100% of such occasions been some twat in a top of the range Merc or Beemer etc... I've had many more customers turn up in a battered Escort van or similar, in scruffy cloths, and say "great job, good price, here's a fiver on top get yerself a beer" :)
 
Tony Lockhart said:
In my opinion, for what it’s worth, I’d say that apart from older drivers occasionally driving a little slower than the norm, they don’t really cause issues. As shown on telly in the last few years, some 100+ year old drivers are perfectly capable of safe driving.

Around Suffolk, where I spend most of my driving time, the most noticeable annoyances are:

Cutting across blind right hand bends

Using a handheld device

Speeding through villages. And I’m talking full throttle acceleration in 30 zones to, at a guess, 50mph+.

Older drivers tend to not take part in those mentioned above. And for some reason it appears to me that women aged 17-45 are most likely to be using their mobile while driving.
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I've found elderly drivers to be by far the biggest danger. Twice I've had them coming towards me the wrong way on a dual carriageway! Failing to observe properly or use indicators are also common issues. They will try and change lanes into your space with you still in it! Going far too slow is another major hazard at times... maybe not too much of an issue for all the adenoidal IAM types on here who never go over 69.9mph but if you regularly do 90 - 100 as I do (or would if my bike was on the road...:(), expecting other traffic to be doing between say 55 and 90 and taking full account of this, it can be a an "oh shit!" moment to unexpectedly find someone doing 30... and guess what kind of age such drivers almost always are...
 
The best, though perhaps not safest, way to deal with tailgaters is to touch the brakes and light up the brake lights. I've only been brave/stupid enough to do this once but the effect was immediate and remarkable.
 
Colin L said:
Pet peeve.....those bastards that park on the bridges over motorways, presumably watching the traffic go by. What’s that all about?
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When I was about 10 one of those bastards threw a spanner into my mum's windscreen. I'm happy for them to watch.
 
Alex S said:
The best, though perhaps not safest, way to deal with tailgaters is to touch the brakes and light up the brake lights. I've only been brave/stupid enough to do this once but the effect was immediate and remarkable.
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I did this once. But I managed to engage the brake very slightly and for the briefest os secondS. Nevertheless, it was very nearly an accident. Now I just take my foot off the accelerator.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
I've found elderly drivers to be by far the biggest danger. Twice I've had them coming towards me the wrong way on a dual carriageway! Failing to observe properly or use indicators are also common issues. They will try and change lanes into your space with you still in it! Going far too slow is another major hazard at times... maybe not too much of an issue for all the adenoidal IAM types on here who never go over 69.9mph but if you regularly do 90 - 100 as I do (or would if my bike was on the road...:(), expecting other traffic to be doing between say 55 and 90 and taking full account of this, it can be a an "oh shit!" moment to unexpectedly find someone doing 30... and guess what kind of age such drivers almost always are...
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You’re a driving/riding ban waiting to happen. Going way over the limit on mways and dcways makes you a very easy target, and you gain almost nothing if you get away with it. It’s not even exciting.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
You’re a driving/riding ban waiting to happen. Going way over the limit on mways and dcways makes you a very easy target, and you gain almost nothing if you get away with it. It’s not even exciting.
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You and you're type are the problem.... I almost added an extra bit telling those who were thinking of replying along the lines of your own reply not to bother and to take it as read that "the finger" metaphorically awaits any such reply.

Now't worse on so many levels than all the old codgers in high performance cars they couldn't afford when they were young and had the reactions and urges to drive such a thing like it was meant to be driven, but now use it as a prestige/status symbol as they potter along the highways getting in the way of faster drivers/riders and being blown away by yoofs in a 20 year old Pug 205 GTI as they potter at 60 in their brand new BMW M5's, Porsche 911's etc

If I gave a flying fcuk about speed limits I wouldn't have bought a vehicle that does 0 - 60 in 2.8 seconds and 186mph top speed!:p
 
I just love folk who say they go over the speed limits by daft numbers. It suggests very selfish behaviour, without cause or refection for the consequences on others should something happen to them.

I used to ride a CBR600. I went to a fatal collision involving a very large cc motorcycle v HGV. The M/cyclist was very experienced by all accounts, but didn't cope with the wet inspection hatch in the middle of lane 1 of an empty dual-carriageway r-hand bend when doing nearly 100mph. Lost control and the rest you can work out.

Very traumatic for his family, the HGV driver, ambulance staff, road maintenance staff, police officers etc that had to deal with the aftermath.

Sold the CBR shortly after.
 
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