Ive just come back to live in England (after living in Australasia for a couple of years) and I can't believe the stupidity of some drivers here.

Im quite used to bad drivers when im on a bike, but not so much in a car, and it seems to have got worse since i got back.

For example going to work on a quiet backlane in the countryside, i was speeding slighty going about 45 in a 40 zone, with some guy on my bumper who decides its a good idea to overtake on a bind corner.

Another one today, similar situation but on a really minor road with no white dotted lines, national speed limit but cant really do much more than 30-40, anyway merc driver behind me driving about 3 feet from my bumper decides to overtake, cuts infront of me missing my car by cm's. The stupid thing was i just carried on going th same speed and he was only about 100 meters infront of me.

Anyway is it just me or is there lots more bad drivers about now? Im tempted next time someone is up my backside just to slam my brakes on, my cars an el cheapo (i sound like a **** but how these people dont kill anyone i dont know)

anyway rant over………

Dunno what part of Australasia you lived in, but the driving here is years ahead of all the areas of Asia I have lived in.

It's nice to be able to go to work without seeing the fresh white body outlines of the roadkill from the night before. I enjoy not having to worry about somebody mounting the pavement to get past a traffic jam.

I love the fact that when I look to my right to pull out I don't have to check left as well to see if there are any cars/bikes on the wrong side heading towards me.

I like knowing that the buses in general have brakes that work and tyres that aren't through to the canvas.

I did though much prefer driving in Bangkok and Seoul than in London. Nobody really gave a toss if I cut into a space or pushed my way across the traffic. In London I would get knifed by some road raged business man.

Have a read of this and UK drivers will begin to make sence.

I agree with you – I've just come back from three weeks on holiday in Italy (- we drove through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria to get there). While there are idiots on the road in Europe too, I really noticed the self-righteous UK driving when I got back … people accelerating to close gaps when you indicate to move out on the motorway, aggressively driving really close behind when someone wants to get past, poor indicating discipline and general lack of courtesy … not just happening to me. Most people are courteous, but it annoys me to see so much rudeness from a sizeable minority on the roads here.

Like I said before, the driving in the Eurozone wasn't perfect, but it was a lot more patient and well-mannered than over here.

Driving in SE Asia … hmmm.

Over the past 10 – 20 years larger and larger proportions of the countryside have become "extra-berbs" meaning that more and more people are commuting greater and greater distances to work because it's "their right".
I have a theory that due to the increased traffic volume on these minor road, the fact it commuting traffic rather than working traffic and traffic that it is coming on and off of major roads more hence accustomed to higher speeds has resulted in more people driving like ****.

In general though people are stupid and selfish this is just a manifestation of that fact.

grahamh – Member
Have a read of this and UK drivers will begin to make sence.

Never seen that before, but it does make valid reading.

The part about queues is very true. Us Brits are dreadful at merging 2 or 3 lanes of traffic into less. If we followed the German way of merging in turn then things would be a lot calmer and quicker.

Yeah really bad drivers, like those breaking the law by speeding, the UK's full of them…
It's easy to overlook that 'minor' idiocy of your own, the one that is officially one of the major causes of road fatalities and injuries…

I'm english and I quite agree with him.
Mind you, the french are crap, so are the canadians and so is ALL of africa and nobody is sober in Bosnia EVER (my most frightening driving exerience to date).

people are stupid and selfish

bang on the nail

I can't believe the standards of driving I see on the roads, be it on my bike or in the car.

What annoys me most is when I'm on the bike riding along and a car behind thinks "cyclist, I MUST overtake NOW", they come racing past and then, oh look – a set of lights/junction/width restriction/oncoming traffic, they can't get through so it's a case of slam on the brakes. No looking ahead or reading the road.
Everyone is just so impatient.

Sort of related – driving home very late one night along the A6 from Derby towards Buxton, nothing at all on the roads except for one car RIGHT behind me, aggresively tailgating. In that situation, you just end up going faster, that road is now a 50mph limit recently reduced from 60mph and I was doing close on 60 for a lot of it with this car literally a couple of metres off my rear bumper all the way. I slowed to 30 through the villages and the car behind just got closer. About 15 miles later I got to a roundabout and, going round it, looked in the wing mirror and saw it was a bloody police car! Still don't know why he didn't pull me over for speeding but equally I'd have complained about his tailgating!

bassspine – Member
people are stupid and selfish
bang on the nail

Apart from STW members 😀

im not saying im a great driver, or that im perfect. The point is that while most drivers maybe flaunt the law slighty, ive been horrified by driving that while maybe technically legal is just so dangerous and pointless im beyond belief.

Oh please… Show me a driver, and I'll show you someone who casually and habitually breaks the law. You're all at it. I imagine there isn't a driver on STW who doesn't speed or commit other "dangerous and pointless" motoring offences.

People should have to retake the theory test every 5 years, if they fail they should have to take the full test again.

treefingerlongboards – Member
Ive just come back to live in England (after living in Australasia for a couple of years) and I can't believe the stupidity of some drivers here…

It still amuses me when some earnest spotty youth goes howling past in his exhaust amplified tin box – considerably slower than his antipodean counterpart in his smoking hot V8 ute with a proper exhaust note. 🙂

There's no substitute for cubic inches…

CaptJon – Member
People should have to retake the theory test every 5 years, if they fail they should have to take the full test again.

People should have to take a regular test before being allowed to cycle on the roads as well.

Pffft!

Re-taking the test won't achieve anything. People don't drive badly because they can't handle a car, they do it because they are mostly lazy and don't care.

I would like to point out that it's a lot worse in some areas of the country than others. Where are you OP?

I noticed a real difference between up here in Scotland and down south.

NZ is the pish driving capital of the world. Its incredible, i'd list my grievances but it would take too long.

I think you are being a bit harsh NZ Col – at least we don't run red lights to make right turns. Or park facing the wrong way. Or force people to buy over priced car insurance. And we let people past on long sections of highway with no passing lanes, unlike fracking tourists in their campers. We don't overtake in the queue to overtake a slow moving vehicle cos we have a BMW. I could go on…

Driving is bad in NZ, just in different ways…

I picked up a rental car last night and nearly got in TWO accidents in an hour, in Edinburh. One lassie decided she had time to hoof across the junction to turn right before I got there (wrong) and a big Merc decided he wanted my lane and didn't feel he should indicate or wait until it was empty. I know the brakes work on the stupid thing, as does the Cloaking Device, just have to figure out how to turn that off now.

i was in blighty for a weekend a couple weeks back and, even in london, i was surprised by the calm traffic. drivers mostly stop at traffic lights and tehre's not many aggressive drivers.

the fire service exist here (spain) for the sole purpose of cutting drunken boy racers out of their smashed up performance cars that they can afford cos they still live with mummy until they're 35. traffic lights are here for decoration and drunk driving is still culturally acceptable.

italy is even worse. when i talk of moving back to the UK, traffic is one of the main reasons..especially with the congestion charge in london. for a city of its size, the traffic not a problem.