I am starting to notice drivers turning right onto a main road nudging out and blocking their near lane until someone in their intended lane stops to let them out, and those turning left simply driving out where no gap exists.
Have I missed an update to the Highway Code?
That's London driving style init ,push push force a move.
I was shocked at a newly qualified friend who only used her mirrors at roundabouts. Apparently, that the way she was taught?? Bloody terrifying!
rachel
It's like the proliferation of motorway joiners pulling out into Lane 1 assuming those on the motorway can/will move into lane 2 or adjust their speed. They seem to forget that if you're joining the motorway, you need to give way to motorway traffic. I think is a dangerous mentality.
Ive seen its been heavily pioneered in India and Vietnam too, where right of way belongs to everyone and no one all at the same time
I was shocked at a newly qualified friend
You need to take a test to be your friend?
That's harsh.
The Rachel friend test,hardest test eva 😉
I do this sometimes. You can either wait 15 mins with every bastard ignoring you, or nudge your way out and essentially ask to be let out by reminding the selfish bastards that there is actually another human being needing a couple of seconds of your precious time.
I've noticed that too although sometimes you need to else you'll be sat there all day, I think it's people in general just thinking they are more important than everyone else on the road.
A couple more to add to the list, indicating just after changing lane on the motorway, and people thinking that when approaching an obstruction on their side of the road they have the right of way over oncoming traffic!
My favourites are:
People cutting the apex on roundabouts (e.g. not staying in the left lane if going straight across)
People doing 30mph on motorway on-slips, wtf it's more dangerous joining doing less than 50mph you muppet
People queuing on roundabouts and blocking you from entering it (even though your way off would be clear), I don't even know why they bother painting yellow hatch markings if they're not enforced with cameras.
Most of these fall under the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" banner don't they?
You’ve just highlighted all my faults.
I’m off to cry, I feel ashamed.
I am starting to notice drivers turning right onto a main road nudging out and blocking their near lane until someone in their intended lane stops to let them out, and those turning left simply driving out where no gap exists.
See my comment about the A9 a couple of weeks ago and a car that just pulled out across southbound lane and had to stop - cue me doing full on emergency stop and hitchiker passenger sh*tt*ng themselves and screaming...
I do this sometimes. You can either wait 15 mins with every bastard ignoring you, or nudge your way out and essentially ask to be let out by reminding the selfish bastards that there is actually another human being needing a couple of seconds of your precious time.
100% this - I do it, not through selfishness or bad driving, but it's getting to the point where it is necessary. Especially in Harrogate, which is filled with self-important Leisure Wives in their Range Rovers dashing from the hairdressers to the Pilates lessons.
Just spend some time in China, you'll stop worrying about trivial stuff like edging into traffic.
Yes the pulling out really bugs me; I'm only too happy to slow and allow somebody out especially a truck, bus or van if I can see lots of traffic behind me meaning they've little chance. But when drivers race up to a junction and brake late assuming I will stop for them I cover the horn, high beam and brakes and keep on driving at the same speed on the same trajectory.
It’s like the proliferation of motorway joiners pulling out into Lane 1 assuming those on the motorway can/will move into lane 2 or adjust their speed. They seem to forget that if you’re joining the motorway, you need to give way to motorway traffic. I think is a dangerous mentality.
I dunno, I've spent a lot of time driving up and down the motorways this summer, I think the number of dickish "no you [s]shall not pass[/s] will give way to me" 1st lane drivers has definitely gone up. There is a circle of hell shaped like the m25 waiting for people who suddenly realise they're doing 60 and accelerate to cut you off despite having two clear lanes on their right (or could just have sat dawdling at 60 like they were).
its the "its not my fault" mentality of people today.
Most of these fall under the “better to ask forgiveness than permission” banner don’t they
No that's called best phone your insurers mate
its the “its not my fault” mentality of people today.
It's never their fault. I beeped at a bloke who was quite openly texting whilst driving. The stream of abuse that came out of him was shocking. Of course he's doing nothing wrong. How dare I say he is?
I was shocked at a newly qualified friend who only used her mirrors at roundabouts.
They should defnly encourage use of indicators too.
On motorways is does seem to be fashionable for people driving in the 2nd lane to ignore someone in the 1st lane indicating to overtake a slower vehicle and to just slowly rollover the top, particularly when there's no one at all in the 3rd lane.
On Monday coming back along the 303 I got some old gammon in a Focus in the 1st lane, take the 4th exit on a roundabout, without indicating - he very, very nearly got 2.5 tonnes of T5.1 through his driver's window.
Not necessarily new.. It's been happening the 4 years since we moved offices and I started using a particular ped crossing. Essentially a box T junction with lights (no painted yellow hatching though) and people block it as traffic backs up and then casually just start driving again when they can, when they're on red and I'm on a %^&$$%^&%&^ ing green man!! Drives me potty. Anyway because I'm a sad bastard I started taking photos every time it happens. I've managed to get one most days but yesterday's was an absolute belta:
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/929/30093230028_e2e82ca396_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/929/30093230028_e2e82ca396_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/MReERA ]InkedIMG_9622_LI[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/158768321@N04/ ]Nick Ewen[/url],
Car is moving BTW not statically blocking
I think a lot of drivers are too scared to drive properly on motorways. They sit blindly in the middle lane, unable to muster the courage to change lanes no matter what's happening around them. They have no awareness of other vehicles as demonstrated by the people who will drive up to the back of another vehicle in lane 2. They slow down and match speed until it moves out of the way. Then they accelerate back up to whatever speed they were doing before. All whilst lane 3 is perfectly clear and available for an overtake.
I do this sometimes. You can either wait 15 mins with every bastard ignoring you, or nudge your way out and essentially ask to be let out by reminding the selfish bastards that there is actually another human being needing a couple of seconds of your precious time.
Key point here is, when the shoe is on the other foot, do you 'let people out' yourself?
Similar to Nickewen, but from the opposite perspective, is it just me or have the amber flashing phase of pelican crossings grown exponentially?
There's one in Staines (5 pines roundabout) that is amber for so long that yesterday the car in front went through (all the pedestrians were clear of the crossing) then someone walked up and I stopped to let them through and they crossed before it had finished!
@matt_outandabout, A9 is pretty nasty for that though, I arrived about 5-10 mins after that had happened at the Ballinluig junction, either the central bit was already full or - possibly - foreign / unfamiliar driver. It was a pretty horrible sight to be honest. Not the only time I've arrived a short time after fatal crash on the A9 either..
I get that molgrips, some junctions are difficult/delaying, but not to the extent that I've felt the need to do this (the junctions where this happens are familiar to me).
The main thing about the 2nd one is that the drivers only get there by a rat run and jumping the queue of traffic. They know they are ****s tho as they ignore any horn-tooting.
Key point here is, when the shoe is on the other foot, do you ‘let people out’ yourself?
What do you think?
On motorways is does seem to be fashionable for people driving in the 2nd lane to ignore someone in the 1st lane indicating to overtake a slower vehicle and to just slowly rollover the top, particularly when there’s no one at all in the 3rd lane.
Most of them seem to have no clue what is going on around them to be fair. At the opposite end of the spectrum though, are those who gave way to people joining or changing lanes by just about stopping dead in the middle of the road, resulting in a tailback a mile long. Usually after they've accelerated up to the traffic they can see a mile away coming off the slip road, etc.
Driving on motorways really makes you question the intelligence of humankind.
i hate it when the lane 2 driver is about to get slowed down and moves into lane 3 and makes me slow down to his speed so he doesnt have to slow down, and then once he overtakes the vehicle in lane 2 he speeds up so i cant overtake and get back in lane 2.
and i hate it when people join from a left filter and i move into lane 2 and then they speed up so i cant get back into lane 1 where i want to turn left shortly
Key point here is, when the shoe is on the other foot, do you ‘let people out’ yourself?
In general, yes, i try to be fair. However, just arrived at a junction with free moving traffic doesn't constitute waiting to be let out into a queue, have some patience and a gap will arrive naturally.
Equally, don't gesture at me for not letting you out when a quick glance in my mirror has already told me that there's no-one behind me and once I'm past you have plenty of space.... why do i need to slow down to let you out, using extra brakes and fuel when your eyes would save you a bit of anger.
And the best one recently. I stopped and waved someone out from a side road into traffic on the approach to a roundabout where both RH lanes are clearly painted to turn right. After executing the right turn, onto the slip road to the dual carriageway, the two lane slip narrows to one before joining the main carriageway. Most of the time, the traffic just zippers together one by one, but there's occasionally one **** who is determined to drive 10mm behind the car in front so the other lane can't merge. And on this occasion, it's only Mrs Important in her beige Mini who I've just let in not 2 minutes earlier who's determined that i can't merge. Right up to angry shouting at me and flipping me the finger where moments ago she was all smiles and thank you for letting me in!
<p>
</p><p>Oh jesus not this again.</p><p>Waiting for triggered "I'll drive at 40 mph if I please!/ it's not a drag strip you know!" driver any moment.</p>People doing 30mph on motorway on-slips, wtf it’s more dangerous joining doing less than 50mph you muppet
Driving on motorways really makes you question the intelligence of humankind.
My commute from Reading to Staines is on the M4 and M25, 32 miles and typically takes 55min if there isn't really bad traffic (i.e. I'm barely averaging half the speed limit most days). If I cut through Windsor / Old Windsor it typically takes an hour but is far less likely to involve sitting at a complete standstill for another 30min (and saves about 5 miles which probably saves some petrol too)
I can cycle door to door in 90min (16mph ish, so not even going that fast).
I must have about double the average commute distance in this country, have motorways practically door to door (I live right at junction 11) and I can still beat the car on a bad day and only takes 30min longer on average days?
My point is, most of the people you see on the motorway have already failed in picking an expensive and inefficient mode of transport, expecting them to actually be any good at it is a stretch!
What do you think?
No idea :-)? Unfortunately I'm pretty sure the 'selfish bastards' you describe are quite happy to demand to be let out, but don't have the level of self awareness to even think of doing the same thing for others. What is your level of self awareness like?
Coming up to a road works controlled by traffic lights. The light turns red and the car in front stops. I stop. The van behind accelerates, overtakes us both and shoots through on red.
Ive seen its been heavily pioneered in India and Vietnam too, where right of way belongs to everyone and no one all at the same time
I heard something recently - a quote from somebody from India who drives in Britain who said that driving in Britain was far more difficult because there are so many rules. By contrast I'd imagine those of us who started driving in Britain would find India a nightmare because of the lack of rules. The M25 currently falls between the two.
Most people couldn't drive a greasy stick up a pigs a**e. So no surprises there!
PS, that policecar ^^^ blocking the pedestrian crossing, just jump up and walk (or even better, cycle if your DannyMac) over his bonnet when the light goes green!
if i am in a queue of traffic, especially if we have been queuing for ages i dont think its up to me to let someone out of a side turning and get in front of the person behind me, I kind of think my duty is to the person behind me, so i dont.
its up to him if he does.
I don`t expect people to let me out either
not sure what happened with the formatting above, sorry
think someone was trying to push in
On motorway sliproads I always follow Alan Clark's advice.
I think a lot of drivers are too scared to drive properly on motorways.
I think there's some truth in this. Plus the "if I pull in I'll never get out again" factor. Some legitimacy there.
The A9 is being dualled, not before time too.
Many many years ago my brother, who lived in Germany at the time, drove over to join me in Scotland for a few days of climbing with a pal in a German-registered Golf GTI. They arrived late at night tired out and very excited because they had done most of the A9 at massively illegal speeds. I was not impressed.
My point is, most of the people you see on the motorway have already failed in picking an expensive and inefficient mode of transport, expecting them to actually be any good at it is a stretch!
Getting a bit off-topic here but there's a railway station five minutes away from my house, and another one five minutes from work, so you might think the train is an inexpensive and efficient alternative to driving the fifteen miles (just me in a petrol car). In fact the journey time is fairly similar (if I arrive at the station bang on time), but the cost is double on the train, and thats with a gas-guzzling car. I like going by train, but not when there are disruptions to the service etc. Cycling just takes too long for a slow rider like me and I hate cycling on roads. Off-road takes forever.
