[Closed] Hostility on the roads

Winter is usually worse.

Until the first really hot day. 😆

I agree. Drove to London and back yesterday (from Yorkshire) and the amount of idiot/angry drivers was disconcerting.

You like cleaning cars? Does that stretch to motorbikes? Mine *really* needs a good clean...

Rachel

Does anyone else think it has got a LOT worse recently? Is it just increased volume and general stress levels?!

I'm not sure what you mean by recently but I would say year on year it gets worse. Probably in part due to increasing congestion, and in part due to people become more detached from reality and human interaction.

Self service tills, online shopping etc etc modern life in general is becoming more impersonal and less polite. couple that with increased consumerism and importance placed on material possessions, people's need/right to have cars and how attached or empowered they make them feel and you have a recipe for disaster when someone's little metal world invades your little metal world. If you commute by bike it's ten fold in terms of stress and aggression directed at you, and driving a car is relatively detached in comparison.

It's amazing how people forget themselves. When I was commuting through Belfast by bike I regularly had single women drivers, pensioners etc threaten me, try to run me over, challenge me physically etc.....I had a frail oul boy in a people carrier deliberately ram me at a set of lights because I filtered past him a few times, threatening to beat the **** out of me etc. One punch would have killed him.

People totally forget who they are and how vulnerable they are in the real world.

It's frickin horrendous - I do 30-40,000 miles a year and it's a zoo out there. Somehting about stepping inside their tin-box of power that turns ordinary people in to total arseholes. Dunno what it is but we'd all better off without them (cars, that is).

[i]Does anyone else think it has got a LOT worse recently? [/i]

Nope. It's been gradually getting worse and worse as the roads in this country fill up with thick idiots in cars.

Same here, everyone is so territorial and truck drivers are the worst and not understanding the merge in turn principal. Everywhere around the outskirts of manchester is being dug up and where there are lane reductions there are queues, made twice as long by truck drivers blocking the road. Nobody is allowed to get by them, including emergency vehicles stuck in the tailbacks that they can't see.

I do think the lack of real human interaction means that people are less able to see a situation from any viewpoint other than their own. Combined with increased congestion it's a recipe for idiots to prosper.

We're all becoming like Americans online even when we're offline. Faster, ruder and cruder. This could be the Age of Ego.

It's definitely not a new thing for sure. Once you accept that about every 3rd driver on the road is a complete cock you get over it. Helps massively to live somewhere away from major traffic congestion too.

they are all angry

i find it gets even worse if you dare to let someone out of a junction infront of you . the number of times ive had folk give me gestures/horn abuse for daring to let someone out into the flow of traffic to help other roads flow.....

but the person behind me will get home 14 seconds later.

Why though? Why is everyone [b]RACING[/b] to get to work? "Must get in front of that one more car before my junction, cut in at the last second and I'll get to the queue before them! There got it [b]1st place[/b] go me! Oh they'ev just passed me in the other lane even though they were sitting behind a lorry going 60mph. DAMMIT tomorrow will be my day I'll cut across 3 lanes of traffic at the last second without indicating and take them all by surprise. Suckers!"
Its mental.

We're all becoming like Americans online even when we're offline. Faster, ruder and cruder.

Well, Americans are generally a lot more friendly and open as long as you don't disagree with them - and funnily enough they are far more docile on the roads than people are here.

They generally aren't concentrating on driving though - not sure which is worse!

in part due to people become more detached from reality and human interaction.

+1

I started driving late. I found it quite hard to adjust to people acting aggressively towards me in their cars.

If someone did some of the gestures, physical manoeuvres or horn etc while you passed each other in the street on foot, you'd be likely to knock them out in self defence. I reacted quite badly at first, taking each as a personal attack, when in reality it's just people who are hiding in their little metal bubble, completely detached from the fact that its other [i]people[/i] surrounding them, not anonymous cars.

I was in the wrong lane approaching traffic lights not long after I passed my test and sat for a while with my indicator on trying to get in. I waited for the stream of cars to pass and eventually I edged into space, but as I did so the lights changed and I stopped at the line. The person behind me had obviously wanted to squeeze through on red and wasn't happy that I'd stopped them, so decided to sit behind me with their hand on the horn...constantly! I lost patience after 30 seconds and got out the car and walked casually towards theirs (I'm not an aggressive guy at all, I just planned to tell them to take their hand off their horn)...but as I approached, the guy in the car threw it into reverse and sped backwards at full tilt, before swinging it round and speeding off in the other direction!! 🙂 It seems that people don't understand how confrontational their actions can be perceived.

I think British drivers are still the most relaxed and courteous I have ever encountered. Almost too polite e.g. the complete inability to zip merge, but there you go.

Just had two separate incidents as a pedestrian crossing the zebras in Asda car park. First, a jag revs like crazy and charges the crossing trying to intimidate me into not crossing. Then as I'm halfway across the other Zebra the woman in a Qashcow just looks at me and drives across. Nuts.

I can't get over the amount of people who get all aggro when you have the nerve to overtake.
And I mean overtaking safely with plenty of room, and not tailgating beforehand.
A couple of days ago I overtook a respectable looking old man who was sat at 40 on a national speed limit road, and despite me having my boy in the car, he flipped me the bird!
You also get them flashing lights and beeping.
I haven't challenged your masculinity, I just drove past you in a car!

Is this a backwards welsh phenomenon, or does this happen elsewhere too?

oh the other one is on round abouts up here - you some times come off in the RH lane.

folks will actively try and undertake you as your moving to the LH lane with your indicator on and get shirty when you have completed your manuver and they had to slow down from their frantic undertake - or worse - they ones that just sit in the vans blind spot on the LH side not undertaking but not dropping back-as you indicate while the guy behind you is on your arse trying to ram you out his way.

or what about the 45mph A road driver - who will always speed up when you overtake him..... my wee van only has 68 bhp so i have no choice but to drop back.

Thats why i like the trains and buses let some one else have all that stress, just wish the bus/train companies would get their acts together and offer a better service.

[i]Is this a backwards welsh phenomenon, or does this happen elsewhere too?[/i]

Happens down here. Car in front going slow on the A road, follow at a reasonable distance, overtake when clear.... Flash flash go the headlights! dunno what they're on.

trail_rat - Member

oh the other one is on round abouts up here - you some times come off in the RH lane.

Round my way it's people trying to turn left from the RH entrance lane that you have to watch for. Impatient idiots. Saw a nasty crash were one of them drove straight into the car in the LH lane that was (legally and perfectly entitled to) going straight on. Luckily there were plenty of people about because RH left turn driver was adamant that he'd done nothing wrong was ready to properly rage it up.

DezB - Member

Happens down here. Car in front going slow on the A road, follow at a reasonable distance, overtake when clear.... Flash flash go the headlights! dunno what they're on.

I thought it was just an uptight northern Irish thing, doesn't matter if I'm overtaking one car or twelve (hello molgrips), quite often flashed lights and tooting horns.

Walking through Tesco car park the other way, some woman driving towards me starts leaning on her horn.

I was all "WTF, what's her problem, I'm only walking along here," then she smiled and waved at her friend who was behind me. 😳

There are some right idiots out there! I suspect they're just a bit tired and scared - I give 'em a wide berth and let them get on with it.

Road speed doesn't seem to be considered as a factor as to whether you're 'allowed' to overtake or not - just whether or not your car is more expensive than theirs.

Last night, just north of Sheffield on the M1 (about 6.30pm) I came up to an accident and all around me cars were swerving to get off the sliproad, cutting across hatched areas, reversing (despite several plods coming up on the inside using the hard shoulder). It probably took 10 minutes to clear the accidents (there appeared to be two or three separate incidents) so an utterly pointless (on top of being incredibly dangerous) exercise.

Then straight away I saw people accelerating hard, getting up the backs of cars in front of them, undertaking etc - hadn't any one of them absorbed the fact that they had just passed an accident and driving like that was likely to lead to another?

I don't think it has helped that every road in Newcastle/Gateshead has been ripped up recently but there seems to be so much agression amongst motorists at the moment; tailgaiting, not merging in turn, beeping, flashing, shouting, giving the "bird", undertaking and squeezing back in to get 1 car length ahead etc. etc.

I don't think you can underestimate that. The town is a spectacular mess at the moment. It took me over two hours to get from Wylam to the QE and back at about ten pm last friday. If I was doing that every day I'd throw myself in the river.

I certainly think that red light jumping by cars has got much worse. Been commuting the same route by bike for 14 years and recently it seems at every junction cars just keep going through after it's changed to red and just don't seem to care that they're endangering pedestrians / cyclists by speeding through red lights.

I think British drivers are still the most relaxed and courteous I have ever encountered

crikey, where are you from? British drivers are at times shocking.

Had one a few weeks ago coming down a residential street in his fancy little Audi at a ridiculous speed; obstacle on his side but he barges through anyway, making me brake although there's nothing on my (uphill) side. so I give a bit of a hoot and the bugger turns round and starts chasing me, all the while gesticulating frantically at me and turning purple! Turns out he's a member of my gym and a total cock in there too. Competitive spinning? yep, that's him. Rush to get in front of you at the queue for the entrance turnstiles? yep, that too

I found Canadian drivers to be the nicest that I have ever encountered.

"just keep going through after it's changed to red and just don't seem to care that they're endangering pedestrians / cyclists by speeding through red lights."

totally agree

just about got rear ended by a mini last week when i drove in as i had the audacity to stop at a red light - they had been accelerating from a long way back hoping to nick through behind me - only i had stopped as it was red and he came screetching up behind me brakes locked and dived into the empty space next to me - didnt make eye contact at all despite me burning holes in the side of his head.

british drivings not so bad . try kuwait/azerbaijan/texas/ukraine/belgium at rush hour. makes the uk seem pleasant.

LA is interesting! Don't think there's enough time to get angry concentrating on what's going on around you 100% of the time!

I think it is just a gradual degradation, rather than a recent thing.

I have thought about posting the same thing on here for quite a while, but it just sounds like too depressing a subject and horrible to bother with.

I hate my commute now (in the car).
You leave a gap for someone to pull into who is indicating and get no thanks.
People come up slip roads like they have a divine right to pull out exactly where you are, or try desparately to get a nose in front so they can force their way in (even if there's no space on your outside for you to move over).
People deliberately getting in the wrong lane because the queue is shorter and then just barging their way across at the last minute.
People leaving it until the last minute to exit the main carriageway at the junction they require, causing everyone to brake as they swerve into a non-existent space.
People speeding up when you overtake them.

I have on numerous occasions thought about joining in and turning into an aggressive knob driver, but I am not sure that I want to lower myself to their level.
Not saying I am a driving angel, but I do try to be considerate and think about what others might be about to do or might want to do, my position on the road and how it affects others etc.
Many people's attitude seems to be 'must get there at all costs, regardless of everyone else'.

First, a jag revs like crazy

the woman in a Qashcow

in his fancy little Audi

Why do some of you feel the need to specify what type of car it was that pissed you off? It's like reading a Daily Mail story.

moshimonster

in his fancy little Audi

Why do some of you feel the need to specify what type of car it was that pissed you off? It's like reading a Daily Mail story.

Because more often than not an Audi is involved. And also, why not? "A car did this, then another car did this, and then a third car did something else" is silly. He's just adding more detail to flesh out the story and to help you visualise it.

stumpy01 -
People deliberately getting in the wrong lane because the queue is shorter and then just barging their way across at the last minute.

What's the correct name for this and is it illegal? It boils my piss. When I drove to work I had to go through a major junction where approximately 70% of drivers did this, the net effect was a half mile queue of traffic whilst they barged in forcing other drivers to stop. On principal I never jumped the queue no matter how late I was.

Its odd how the speed people drive and the performance of their car seems to be indicative of their human capability. Its just a machine FFS and nothing to do with you, it just happens to be the thing your driving. Challenge me to a physical / mental test and we're talking something more meaningful about our existences.

The self-righteous ones who think they're setting a good example or trying to force what they perceive as 'Good practice' are just as bad.

[i]Yesterday for example I ended up in the wrong lane coming out of Preston only for it to disappear.. as I indicated and pulled back across the bloke behind went absolutely bananas.. seatbelt off, oot the car, ready for war.. [/i]
Ah good old Preston. Last year I saw someone jump out of their car, stand on the bonnet of the car behind and try and punch there way through their windscreen before they managed to drive off. Unfortunately the guy jumped off the bonnet and tried to rip the car door off then.

i think half of the problem is the distinct lack of enforcement of anything other than speed limits. There's one junction I know in Bradford that has traffic light cameras; the driving standards around that junction are soooo much better than, say the next junction along.

I think when the displays on the motorway say 'Stay in lane' when there's heavy congestion there needs to be some sort of Tron style light wall that instantly destroys any vehicle that doesn't.

I agree though, people are becoming almost detached as they spend so much time communicating electronically.

As balance I had some mum dropping her kids of massively cut me up and put me off the road. Once i had rejoined the road i was filtering past her and she had her window down immediately apologising for being a twunt. I let her off.

I recently drove on motorways in the SE of UK having not done so for about a year (living overseas). I was shocked at how I had become unnacustomed to the level of concentration required, mainly due to the volume of traffic, the contant overtaking / undertaking all around, the lack separation etc. And that was the same in the pouring rain, no-one seemed to drive to the conditions at all. I am so glad I don't live in the SE of England anymore for this reason alone. And I don't buy the whole "British drivers are so good compared to everyone else" crap, it seemed worse to me not better. But I also thought it had got a lot worse than I remember, I think mainly due to the sheer number of cars on the road all the time.

Because more often than not an Audi is involved.

That's an interesting theory. Was it not traditionally BMWs? Are they okay now then?

moshimonster
That's an interesting theory. Was it not traditionally BMWs? Are they okay now then?

I was going to write Audi or BMW actually 😉

I think there was definitely a transitional period a few years ago where BMW's were so negatively stigmatised by media in general that they lost a lot of customers to Audi, and I think this coincided with a change in Audi's marketing which went from understated, sensible Germanic quality to I'm in a 2.0 TDI so **** YOU ASSHOLE!

yeah, BMW drivers have matured (and no, not me. not at the moment anyway, although I did have one once); Audi is the car of choice now for the Max Power generation growing out of their chavved up corsas

Right, I'm off home and if any of you weasels get in my f***ing way while I'm tryring to make some progress I'll tailgate the tits off you and give you a pursed lipped scowl of biblical proportions. Make way losers, middle management colossus coming through!

wilburt - Member

Thats why i like the trains and buses let some one else have all that stress, just wish the bus/train companies would get their acts together and offer a better service.

if bus/rail travel was as hugely subsidised as car travel, it could be amazing!

Having moved to the Uk from abroad I have a definite belief that the drivers in the Uk are more aggressive and less caring than home.

Adding to that the only two cars that came very close to wiping me out while training in Spain this Spring were GB reg'd cars. I've felt safer driving and riding in undeveloped countries than I have here sometimes.

I firmly believe that Uk drivers don't give a rats ass about me when I'm driving or riding - so I pay as much attention as I can. Still won't stop me having one or two close calls on my ride home through the city.

And I don't buy the whole "British drivers are so good compared to everyone else" crap

They are probably more aggressive than many but we do seem to take it more seriously than most - perhaps this is the problem. You can't argue with the stats though, our roads are some of the safest in Europe and possibly the world.

Adding to that the only two cars that came very close to wiping me out while training in Spain this Spring were GB reg'd cars

Maybe driving too close to the verge due to being on the wrong side of the lane? It's disorientating.

LOL - the cars that passed me too close when I was riding in spain had GB stickers

That's what I mean - the car drivers. Being on the wrong side of the car relative to the lane can bugger up your lane position if you're not careful. But then again.. you'd tend to drive too close to the middle rather than the verge...

anyway, when I said "fancy little Audi" I meant exactly that. A1 (little) with an S badge (fancy) on it.

Because more often than not an Audi is involved.
...
That's an interesting theory.

I do wonder if this is self-fulfilling, you know.

I had an E-class Merc for a while (snagged it when it entered the company car pool, it used to belong to a Director). It was a great car, but the level of contempt and hostility it attracted was just incredible. People just don't give you an inch; no-one gives way if they can possibly help it, and indicating just serves to tip people off so that they close gaps and box you in rather than let you out.

In the end I found myself driving to stereotype, having to be more assertive than usual and not indicate as much just so I could get anywhere. Ie, it wasn't the car, it was everyone else's attitude to the car that turned me into a Mercedes (BWM, Audi etc) Driver. Soon as I swapped to an Astra van everyone was nice as pie again. Very odd.

if bus/rail travel was as hugely subsidised as car travel, it could be amazing

A point I often make in less enlightened circles.

There is a progression in these things, parking is an example- there was a time that sports SUV's chose parent and baby parking spaces then moving up to disabled parking spaces, they now appear to ignore actual parking spaces altogether including reserved ones and just park right across the entrance to the our local tesco's, its a matter of time before their through the door!

I was going to write Audi or BMW actually

I tend to agree with you actually. There are a lot of "racing" Audis on the road these days. But the biggest cock by a country mile I've seen in recent months was actually driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo around Towcester. I've seen him twice and both times he was driving like a complete c*** by any standards. Anybody on here?

In the end I found myself driving to stereotype, having to be more assertive than usual and not indicate as much just so I could get anywhere. Ie, it wasn't the car, it was everyone else's attitude to the car that turned me into a Mercedes (BWM, Audi etc) Driver.

The only time I've personally taken note of any Merc drivers was on the bike as a large number of them seemed to be elderly and not very switched on, making them oblivious. I can see what you're saying but that doesn't account for the motorway tail gaters or fast lane hoggers, a disproportionate of whom drive Audi's and BMW's. In my experience.

You want contempt.

I once hired a full size camper van . Holy shit ive never been cut up so often or so badly.

I am much more zen now I drive round in a van. Maybe it's because other van drivers let me out at junctions or that being higher up and so able to see what's going better is less frustrating - and I can't see tailgaters if they are properly close so why worry. Possibly, because the van is not exactly quick there is no point rushing to get anywhere now.

In fact, I really don't like using mrs ODs car even if it's more comfortable, it's like being dropped back into madness.

crikey, where are you from? British drivers are at times shocking

I grew up and learnt to drive in South Africa, so British roads are a walk in the park.

This was news not long before I left to move back to the UK:
http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/hockey-stick-was-weapon-in-road-rage-death-1.51293#.VHdY3PmDm-0

I have seen two drivers pull over on the hard shoulder as traffic was travelling past at 70mph, and start having a go. One had a pick-up, and grabbed a plank from the back, I'm not sure what the other bloke was brandishing (many people carry baseball bats in their car. Or a gun). Then we can get on to drunk driving, speeding in traffic, ill maintained cars, the Saturday nights spent listing to the drag racing through the suburbs etc. etc.

And some recent gems:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Cop-in-dock-over-KZN-road-rage-shooting-20141106

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Biker-road-rage-trial-to-start-in-January-20140930

My philosophy is to just be relaxed behind the wheel. People are people, and there is nothing you can do to change that. As Cougar points out - it can become self fulfilling.

I've recently done my motorbike lessons and test, that is an eye opener! Hadn't realised how bad people's driving standards and attitudes had become until I had to grow eyes in every orrafice and look at other drivers.

Think I struggled to find anyone actually driving within the law and was more bothered about failing my test due to somebody else driving like a tool than I was about my own ability to control the machine. scary!

PS... the downside of being high up in the van is being able to see all the idiots texting (or whatever) on their phones. I don't think that drivers are deliberately trying to hit me when I'm on my bike, but worry that some tosser updating their facebook status will take me out without even seeing me.

Drove to London and back yesterday (from Yorkshire) and the amount of idiot/angry drivers was disconcerting.

I moved to London a year back and the standard of driving (and cycling) down here really is terrible. If you want to see agression and anger at rush hour then try the southern approach to the Blackwall tunnel any weekday morning between 06:30 and 09:00.

Age of ego

I like that MalvernRider. I may steal it!

Because more often than not an Audi is involved.

I'm not sure if this is confirmation bias or just complete shite...

Yes, I drive an Audi and no I'm not a cock behind the wheel. I have had people crash into me and tell me it's my fault because I'm an Audi driver though... Funny really seeing as I stayed in my lane and they swerved into mine... Same kind of attitude as you JimJam...?

It really feels like it's getting worse. Personally I'd rather not even drive anymore - train is a much nicer way to travel, or cycling on quiet roads.

Interestingly, the commuter trains and Tube in London which are the traditional preserve of lousy behaviour, are getting nicer and nicer - there's almost a competition to be polite and do the English 'sorry' thing. Lots of standing up for pregnant ladies and helping people carry luggage up and down stairs. I think people are tired of feeling stressed and isolated - and being nice to other people is an antidote.

Cars are fundamentally unhealthy - physical, mental, social. They bring great benefits when used appropriately but current usage patterns are excessive and unnecessary. The sooner we get back out of our cars and back on the streets with each other, the better IMO

jamj1974

I'm not sure if this is confirmation bias or just complete shite...

I tell you what, do a google image search for Audi meme. Actually I'll do it for you

[img] [/img]

Now, the mere fact that there are thousands of images in circulation about Audi drivers beings dicks doesn't mean that Audi drivers are all dicks but it indicates some sort of phenomena. There's no smoke without fire, and most cliches have some truth to them. I realise that I am probably now more sensitive to Audi and BMW drivers "habbits" due to a minority of drivers behaving in a pretty terrible way, but it happens to be the case that a lot of asshole drivers seem to drive Audi's.

Same kind of attitude as you JimJam...?

Yes I regularly crash into audi drivers and blame them for being at fault 🙄
If I wanted to blame an Audi driver for a crash all I'd have to do is touch my brakes on the motorway.

The sooner we get back out of our cars and back on the streets with each other, the better IMO

Agree with that.

You want contempt.

I once hired a full size camper van . Holy shit ive never been cut up so often or so badly.

Try running a Driving School, I'm seriously looking for another job because of the idiots on the road.

there seems to be a huge rise in young women drivers who seem to use their car as a weapon, just randomly aiming at other cars to get past, then when they crash they ring their dad/boyfreind and cry like a child. Seen that a few times.

also middle aged men driving like prats, trying to emulate clarkson but without any skill.

There's an awful lot of reverse snobbery too when it comes to Audis / BMWs etc but they all too often do live up to the negative expectation. Maybe it's the company car mentality? But then that would imply an awful lot of Mondeo/Passat driving dickheads on the road too and if I'm honest I haven't seen that many of those in proportion to the Audi types.

Plenty of other "stereotype" driving cocks to choose from anyway e.g. senile pensioner in Micra, white van man, boy racer Corsa, school run mum, etc, etc. The latter can be pretty scary outside our local school.

While we are bashing premium German cars. There seems to be a misconception that all Audi and BMW cars have a self destruct mechanism triggered by flicking the indicator stalk. [b]This is untrue[/b]

I drive a Mercedes, which is another German brand that appears to attract bad drivers, but it does seem to be the case that a lot of BMW and (especially) Audi drivers do live up to the negative stereotype.

Good thread OP - I agree that this time of year seems to bring out the worst in people on the roads

It's not called the rat race for nothing

Be nice to see some stats rather than anecdotal evidence...

Generally on my west London cycle commute there are a number of drivers/ vehicles/ brands that do seem to fit stereotypes, mostly gained through slightly unpleasant personal experience:

[b]Women from middle 20s -late 30s[/b] = the worst, most aggressive drivers on the road, usually driving a [b]BMW Mini[/b].
[b]BMW 1 series[/b] - 20s/ 30s males and females = "making progress" I believe its called
[b]Minicab drivers[/b] - usually a MPV such as a [b]Vauxhall Zafira[/b] or [b]VW Sharan[/b] - actually the Addison Lee guys have been pretty well brought to heel after the enormous level of bad publicity that they got a couple of years ago.
[b]Seat[/b] drivers - they must now believe that they're the baddest asses on the road, more so than [b]Audi[/b] (which tend to be particularly awful on motorways).
Modern [b]Volvo[/b] cars - they must believe that they're driving the new version of those TWR racing 850 estates
[b]SUVs[/b] - doesn't matter what brand, all of them - often driven either by [b]diminutive Asian women or blondes[/b]

If you think London is bad never drive in or near Portsmouth.
Red lights are seen as a vague indicator that you may need to slow to 50 as you came it through.
Slip road barging is seemingly the norm along with the usual last minute lane swappers and people forcing their way into traffic by simply driving into moving traffic from side roads.

After that, London seems much more polite to me, it's just a lot busier so can seem hectic.

Try running a Driving School, I'm seriously looking for another job because of the idiots on the road.

Oh the ironing! 😆

Strange thing with Audi being the badge of choice for today's estate agents is they (audi) once ran an advertising campaign positioning themselves as the car for more considered people a direct dig at BMW who at the time were for brash loads amoney types.

Here you go...

How things have changed!

Ha, had totally forgotten that ad!
Audis just make me think of the ad they used to (still do maybe) have on the radio with a guy with a really, really smug voice.

Its just a machine FFS and nothing to do with you, it just happens to be the thing your driving

Too true.

This thread is another sad indictment of how we are willing to depersonalise people and see them as something we ascribe negative values too. No different to the actions of some people who want to drive cyclists off the road because they have seen a couple of RLJ'ers or that we don't pay "road tax".

It's all balls. You can only judge each person in each situation as and when it happens. We may as well see all young black men as criminals, all Asian men as paedophiles and all blondes as dizzy. Stereotyping isn't just unhelpful and lazy. It often leads to a lot of negativity and excuses for excessive and bad behaviour.

There are measurable as well as anecdotal correlations between certain car types and people groups to act in one way or another, probably true for people on bikes too but no ones taken the time to measure it because just doest matter if your on a bike.

Its just a machine FFS and nothing to do with you, it just happens to be the thing your driving

There's no two ways about it; Audis are often bought by the sorts of people who take themselves too seriously. It's all here: https://yougov.co.uk/profiler#/Audi/demographics 😀