I actually take pride in driving, I’m not saying I’m good but I do try to be better. Most people don’t, they just drive, it’s just something they have to do. I don’t see that there’s any incentive for most to do better, the vast majority of accidents don’t result in injury or prosecution so why bother?

I have to drive, it’s my job, but as I’m picking up and delivering cars for auction or sale at a dealer, it’s in my best interest to be better than the majority. And doing (very) roughly 40k/year, I see a lot of very poor driving!
Much on the A30 in and out of Cornwall, as it happens, but I hadn’t noticed Launceston being any worse than the rest of Cornwall.

Not the punchline I was expecting – a book in the glovebox is handy when driving around the Scottish Islands IME. I did once get out of my car and walk up to the car coming the other way to offer to reverse the 10m to the passing place for her.

Actually did that on the Fosseway near Castle Combe, at the bottom of a section that drops down into a valley, the other driver sat, with the passing place ten metres behind, on a slope, staring straight ahead ignoring me, while expecting me to reverse around fifty meters back up a 1:6 hill, around a blind left-hand bend, to the next passing place another ten to fifteen metres beyond the bend. As I walked up to their car, the driver still refused to look at me, just straight ahead, it took another car arriving behind mine to convince them to take their foot off the brake and roll the car back into the passing place. What should have taken them a couple of minutes at most took nearly fifteen minutes!
****wits.

Because they’re knobs. Though more fundamentally you’re missing the other subsetting going on – the people commenting on here aren’t just drivers, they’re drivers who think about their driving

This is what winds me up, if you don’t think about your driving habits, you shouldn’t be driving. This is where the police and prosecution fail us big time, as yes a jury of peers is good for deciding guilt but a jury of EXPERTS in the field of *insert crime type* would be best for deciding.
It then come down to publicising exactly what happened and what sentence was given. People would change damn quick then.

Imagine all the people revenue, from making it compulsory to re-take your practical driving test every five years.

Now pass me the peace pipe, dammit! 😈

This is where the police and prosecution fail us big time, as yes a jury of peers is good for deciding guilt but a jury of EXPERTS in the field of *insert crime type* would be best for deciding.

And the trouble with a jury of your peers for a motoring offence, is every single one of them is thinking “there but for the grace of dog, go I”

IMO, we should start banning drivers for crashing. ie, if it’s your fault and you cause an accident, you get a 6month ban. If it’s your fault, and you cause a crash where someone gets hurt, you get a 5 year ban.

Retesting, not banning, IMO
Reach 3 accidents in 5 years, mandatory “advanced” (or extended) test of some sort

pistonbroke – Member

Certainly not defending poor driving or the selfish twunts who are around these days but I’m sure a big factor is the cost of running a car for young people.

Perhaps the huge cost gives people a sense of entitlement. 😕

Fundamentally the “jury of peers” is completely **** up for motoring offences. It’s like selecting Fagin’s gang as the jury for somebody charged with pickpocketing. Though it’s actually even worse than that, as juries are specifically instructed to judge standards of driving against their own driving (following case law). Any review of driving laws really needs to remove that subjective judgement.

And the trouble with a jury of your peers for a motoring offence, is every single one of them is thinking “there but for the grace of dog, go I”

Exactly my point Ben, and that’s why when it involves the injury or fatality of a cyclist its biased towards ‘not guilty’ because most of the jury members don’t cycle and don’t understand the dangers posed by motorists doing things that they shouldn’t, yet doing exactly what most of the jury would deem acceptable as that’s what they do themselves!
The problem is still there for incidents with more than one motorist as well, as the one who IS at fault is doing nothing that most drivers would find unacceptable.

GlennQuagmire – Member
Very much this – I get this every day on my commute to work. The village we pass through are also getting cheesed off and have started their own community speed watch which I think is a great idea.

There’s a NIMBY area on the edge of town with some posh houses that think their little spot with just a few houses, nothing on the other side for people/kids to be crossing the road, never see anyone in the road, no parked cars or obstructions that can be a risk, obviously deserves a 20mph (currently a 40 into 30). They’ve been trying for years and managed to get the council to paint speed bumps. There aren’t any bumps, just painted on.

Now and again they do the community speed watch. Fair enough as some are still doing a fair speed along there.

Last night I’m going along, I know what my true speed is, which was roughly 30. In the dark, resident with no high-viz just pops out and aims a flashing speed gun thing at me.

I assume I’ll get a grumpy letter from them or the cops now for doing 30.5. Or they may claim more as their stuff is likely not calibrated. I’ve heard you can be put on a watch with the cops too so get pulled over for the slightest thing.

Fair enough their campaign, but I live on a far busier main road which is also a 30 but a lot of heavy traffic, local Fast and Furious kids racing up and down. We’d try to do likewise but the police and council have no interest as we’re not posh houses, don’t have a local councillor or someone influential living on the road, and the road is a trunk road so it’s important to not put speed controls on it else it will cause chaos (more than usual).

Ignorant ****…
New neighbours moving in next door but 1.
Fair enough.
Removals truck shows up before 1, sits there till almost 3 before they open the doors (guessing waiting for “official” handover) and still there now.
Wouldn’t mind but at no point did they think about knocking the door to say “Hi – we’re moving in and will be a while, do you need to get out, etc…”
Would’ve taken 30s and both mine and next doors car could’ve been moved before they started.
But nope – asked how much longer and bloke says “can you not get out of there then?
Err… no or I wouldn’t have sodding well asked you would I……
Took suggesting that if I can’t get out for 5:30 then I’ll be moving their truck for them so I can, for them to surprisingly finish emptying the truck in a matter of minutes and leave in the last couple of minutes.
Mucking Fuppets!

I call those 40 mph everywhere drivers ” my speed drivers ”

Having delivered Speed Awareness and Driver Improvment courses in the past, it’s amazing how many motorists don’t know the National Speed limit for their vehicle. Majority of car drivers think it’s 40mph.

Regarding reversing, about a year ago I was driving through a housing estate and a woman was reversing into her drive. She was blocking the road so I stayed well back. After a few go’s, she was clear of the pavement and still reversing further into her drive so a moved off just as she started coming out again without looking nearly going into the side of me.

As I’m a Driving Instructor, that was my fault according to her as she ran behind me and asked if I teach my students to go through when people as reversing ( like I said, I went when she was on her drive and she was still reversing….) so I explained that she was on her drive when I went so why did she move off again ?

She just kept saying ” do you teach that ” so I replied ” no love, I teach them how to reverse without taking ages, want a card so I can teach you ” she walked off then 😀

I’m in Florida at the moment and it takes shit driving to the next level.

Lots of cars have combined brake/indicators, both red with no obvious difference in brightness to differentiate but the never use them anyway.

Zero respect for speed limits anywhere and freeways seem to be 90 mph in every lane.

It’s genuinely stressful in a way far worse than my daily M62 commute which I thought was the shittest journey possible.

It’s like a real life game of Frogger.

I forgot everyone seems to be on a phone as well

Where I live 46% of households don’t own a car…

And that’s high for London. 58% don’t in Lambeth (based on last census – likely to have dropped further since).

I forgot everyone seems to be on a phone as well

Woman (with phone in holder) on a video call with her kids on my ride this afternoon. FFS.

I forgot everyone seems to be on a phone as well

Belgium was like this. Is it legal to use the phone whilst driving there? Because it seemed like everyone was doing it.

Let’s ask the Professor, shall we?

“Hi. I’m Professor Brubaker from the Institute of Studies.

Many of our studies have shown that a significant cause of many of our problems is that a major percentage of humans are really stupid.”

So that’s good then. Exactly. No, yes no yes.

You are Tom Logan and I claim my five Pounds.

Mister P, just googled it and its not illegal to use a phone while driving (in Florida, other states differ) but they take it into account if you crash/cause shenanigans

Out west in the States I’ve always found it pretty chilled driving. Even in LA. Everyone just cruising along. I’d think I was speeding going down a street compared to the rest of the traffic and I’m pootling at 20. Interstates are just pick a lane and cruise. No real lane rules (there are in some cases but no one bothers), which makes it easier as no one is queuing behind someone stuck in the middle lane, just go either side. Though peak traffic can be chaotic, but if you’ve got a group with you, go HOV lane! 😀

Thread resurrection!

So another question for the forumites…

Why do some people driving round in a 1 tonne metal box (BMW) think it’s a good idea, on a mini round about, to go (when they shouldn’t) exposing themselves to a side on impact from me driving my 2.5 tonne metal box (Transit)? Do these people have no sense of self preservation or what!!!!

No wonder cyclists get so many problems when they can’t even look after themselves!

My biggest issue is tailgating –  what is the situation pertaining to legality? Could one use  rear dash cam footage as evidence ?

Motorists are t*ats and I am one so I can say that!

<span style=”color: #444444; background-color: #eeeeee;”> Could one use  rear dash cam footage as evidence ?</span>

unless you have some method of calibrating that camera so that the distance between you and the car behind is measurable then not really.

The camera could make the car behind appear a lot closer or further away than it really is depending on how its configured and where its placed. A rear camera would only give a record of the drivers behaviour but it wouldn’t be proof of much else.

crazyjenkins01

‘Thread resurrection!

So another question for the forumites…

Why do some people driving round in a 1 tonne metal box (BMW) think it’s a good idea, on a mini round about, to go (when they shouldn’t) exposing themselves to a side on impact from me driving my 2.5 tonne metal box (Transit)? Do these people have no sense of self preservation or what!!!!

No wonder cyclists get so many problems when they can’t even look after themselves!’

Not sure what the situation you describe has to do with cyclists?
Basing your driving habits on the size and mass of your vehicle is also particularly worrying, and largely irrelevant….I suppose you think they should be paying more care than usual to get out of your way?