Losing it while driving….

I’m usually very calm behind the wheel, but tonight I got very, very angry indeed with another driver.

Proceeding at 60mph along a local ‘A’ road, and I become aware of a car overtaking the car behind me, a good 20mph at least faster than me. Totally fair enough…..but has he seen the motorcyclist approaching me? It doesn’t look like it.

I brace myself for carnage, but Stirling makes it by a baw-hair, but only because the m’cyclist gets right into the verge to let him pass.

I’m livid, totally livid. And this is the bit where I’m ashamed…..he pulls in to a street on the left half a mile in front, and I pull in behind him….and tell him what I think of him.

I’m a shouty incoherent wreck, and the guy seems to think that I’m angry because he somehow beat me, until I tell him that this is on behalf of the motorcyclist.

‘But I didn’t hit him!” was the defence.

So, I did some rough calcs, and there were no more than 60 yds between his bonnet and the bike when he pulled in.

I feel awful for kicking off, but you’ve seriously got to wonder- this was less than half a mile from his front door, whats the big rush?

I wouldn’t feel awful, if your description is accurate he sounds like a **** who could have killed someone do he could get home a short amount of time sooner.

You need to install a car dash cam …

Check out the review from Teachmoan[/url].

Chewkw- actually, I do.

piemonster- I rarely lose it in the car, this is the first time in months that I’ve even raised my voice behind the wheel. I don’t really care how fast someone drives, but this was just crackers.

And the guys attitude when I talked to him- you’re just annoyed because I overtook you in my much faster car- well.

And the guys attitude when I talked to him- you’re just annoyed because I overtook you in my much faster car- well.

It beggars belief. Way too many **** in this country who don’t think of anyone but themselves. They need culling.

I’m usually very calm behind the wheel

Jeez, I wish I was…

Not entirely relevant, but crossing the road at a set of traffic lights, a car stops and the driver is eating a pizza.
I should have taken a picture and made sure he saw me doing it but didn’t and am kicking myself for not.
And am far wronger than the OP and his ranting at an idiot

Prob with stuff like this, as per the video of the fat bloke falling over – is someone who has as little care for other people’s safety to drive like that in the first place is unlikely to have the character/maturity to say sorry or even acknowledge it. Otherwise they’d never have done it in the first place.
Walking today past a queue of about 8 cars stopped at a red light – 3 drivers messing with their phones. I thought of tapping on their windows and telling them to get off them but what’s the point? They knew it’s illegal when they got in their cars with their phones switched on. I’d have just got angry and they’d have just told me to sod off…
Until we have proper enforcement, it’s not going to stop. Personally I’m putting my hopes on self-driving cars, I don’t think anything else will solve the problem…

A sodding great big HERF gun might help in the meantime 😉 . I hear you can rustle them up out of scrap…

**** could have stabbed you. What were you thinking? You were totally in the right obviously but whats the best you could have achieved? And whats the worst that could have come of it?

codybrennan upload it to Youtube …

At that speed the motor biker would either be smashed into the wind screen of the car or hurl through the air spinning. Not good.

Your feelings were quite right and natural your choice of resolution perfectly understandable but puts you in a confrontation that may not end well and just have Mr ” the speed limit is just a number I was making progress if you view the limit as a maximum not a target you fail your driving test” rationalising your response as jealousy at his awesome skills. Best solution ring the police non emergency number get put through to the local road traffic team describe what you saw be understanding that they won’t be able to prosecute . they may well pay him a visit or at least mark his card so that future reports receive a more up tarif response.

Personally I’m putting my hopes on self-driving cars, I don’t think anything else will solve the problem…

I’ve been thinking about this. A few thoughts –

Self-driving cars will soon (presumably) be offered as an alternative to user-driven cars?

User-driven cars will still be allowed on public roads for the foreseeable?

You know that friend you have (we all have one) – drives aggressively, hates pedestrians, hates cyclists, always drives everywhere, overtakes everywhere, always ‘in the right’ etc?…Then you also know that he’s the last person to be told what he can and can’t do on the road.

And he would laugh at a car that drives itself. Self-driving cars would surely become mere sport for this spirited, independent, always-in-a-rush, rule-flouting LAD? How might he impress himself and others if he were in a self-driving car? He couldn’t! A lion in a cage with its teeth filed off? He’s not the kind of alpha who likes to recline in his auto-piloted Shaguar, he’s the ‘Alpha’s Alpha’ – the scallywag who pushes limits. The one who takes risks and scoffs at the suggestion of ‘risk’, the one who lives for adrenalin and would rather die than become a herbivore? Even if user-driven cars became obsolete there will be a manual override on self-driven cars? He will not be kept down! How can the wolf make progress if he’s forced to be a sheep? I see a rise in the sale of motorbikes…

The difference in the price of insurance might help change his mind.

Maybe.

Rise in sale of motorbikes not a bad thing sure you see badly ridden bikes but in general bikers have better control better discipline and a shed more situational awareness than car drivers.
Plus the bad ones get weeded out quickly.

I drive about as part of my job, and while it’s a pretty standard moan, the “standard” of driving these days can be pretty shocking.

witness to two blokes shoving each other about on the M42 last night (got out of their cars!! 😯 ) because one wouldn’t let the other filter in.

massive metal post missed me by literally inches as it fell from a skip lorry on the speed restricted section on the M1, called cops

The list of routine, “get out of my way” mad overtakes by the 5 series, A6, drivers is too long to even begin.

Madness out there, be careful peeps

better discipline

This I do not agree with at all. Living near lots of country roads, I continually see bikers riding like utter twunts. Just last week I was tailed by a biker cutting corners, putting his knee down, riding far too close to me etc. When he got to the end of the twisty section he pulled in, turned around and went back. I am sure he wasn’t nipping back home because he’d forgotten his sandwiches…

Rise in sale of motorbikes not a bad thing sure you see badly ridden

I see more badly ridden ones than those with discipline. Seems it’s Ok for motorbikes to speed at all times.

Self driving cars just being on the road should make us safer.

There are an awful lot of sensors, telemetry, video and gps data that’ll be stored in those things, i’m sure!

I’m not going to go all JHJ on you, but it’s a bit Orwellian if they’re all online…

‘Pulls into a road half a mile on’.

This annoys me- take risks, overtake just to stop alittle way on.

When I first past I’d drive swiftly on a NSL, there was a Volvo there behind me. I’d leave him, thrn at lights he’d calmly roll up and repeat for a couple more stops (give way junction etc).

Thats when it twigged- drive smoothly not grid-starts and harsh shifts.

Driving in New Forest yesterday car in front stops so kids can feed the horses, right in the middle of the road, no indication or anything 😆 driver behind me goes bonkers. I overtake and get the full f*** you from quite attractive lady driver. Wasnt even me who was leaning on the horn. 😆 I felt hard done by.

I see more badly ridden ones than those with discipline. Seems it’s Ok for motorbikes to speed at all times.

I reckon there’s an element of remembering the assholes rather than the decent riders. The A65 is the local racetrack near me, but, in honesty, the majority of riders are respectful and skilful, but those who try to wipe themselves out tend to stick in the mind.

Can totally understand where the OP is coming from though.

I think you were justified in getting a bit shouty. Sounds like you only narrowly avoided watching someones messy death

Have to say for every responsible and aware motorcyclist I see one who is on the edge. A couple of days ago one came towards me round a bend into the village going so fast he leaning so far over onto my side of the road that he must have had a very clear view of my wing mirror as it just missed his helmet.

The only thing that will deal with idiot drivers, bikers and cyclists is a consistent, high profile, zero tolerance enforcement campaign by the Police and the courts. And most drivers will agree with you, because they believe it isn’t them that is the problem.

Do everyone for every offence, fine them, and don’t allow mitigation to override the ban when they hit 12 points. Maybe make the bans shorter to just two weeks, but make people live without their cars for two weeks and they might begin to understand how important a license is to their lifestyles.

Of course, motorbikes and cars carry identification numbers to help trace the idiots, idiot cyclists may still be able to get away with it and give the rest of us a bad name.

Crankboy’s advice seems the sensible way to approach it. If you want to seem less of a winger wasting police time then you offer yourself as a witness in case the m/c lodges a complaint (with many m/c having helmet cams that is a possibility).

Confrontation is never going to be smart, has probably reinforced his belief that he has better skillz than you, and could result either in you getting badly injured or, Ironically, you being prosecuted, for assault, threatening behaviour etc.

Pigface near Macclesfield forest a car slammed on from 60-0 infront of me on a clear straight road, I went round them and as I did so I noted a small rabbit hoping out from infront of my car. I felt sad but I had to avoid them.

In the rear view mirror I saw their horrified faces. They were willing to risk being rear ended at high speed.

Was I too close? Far enough back at 60 but I wasnt expecting an emergency-stop where you couldnt see any livestock sheep etc (and no dips in the road or turns- clear, bright day, walls both sides). Yes I missed seeing the small bunny. What next? Swerve off into a tree or otherside to avoid? With hindsight maybe I should be 200m’s back and completely not put any inherent trust in any fellow drivers..

hora – I sympathise with that situation, but you know the answer……

Was I too close? Far enough back at 60

About a 54 metre gap?

but I wasnt expecting an emergency-stop where you couldnt see any livestock etc.

Next time it could be a rabbit with a child’s face!

the “bunny episode” sounds like a symptom of the fear so many drivers, including me, seem to have of “taking a foot of the damn gas!”

When I first past I’d drive swiftly on a NSL, there was a Volvo there behind me. I’d leave him, thrn at lights he’d calmly roll up and repeat for a couple more stops (give way junction etc).

Thats when it twigged- drive smoothly not grid-starts and harsh shifts

Am I stupid not to understand a word of this?

They were willing to risk being rear ended at high speed.

Thing is, if something runs out in front of you, you hit the brakes before thinking about it.

With hindsight it may have been safer to run over the bunny and avoid being rear ended by a tail-gater, but humans are slow. We don’t have the thought speed and reaction times of a Cray computer.

Lost my cool yesterday. Pulling onto the motorway, truck changes lane to allow cars to pull onto the first lane. I start to pull on only for a dick head in a BMW to undertake the truck. I was already on the motorway by then and had him hanging off my bumper. The car that was following me onto the motorway had to swerve back into the acceleration lane.
A few weeks ago I witnessed someone in an old Honda Civic using the hard shoulder to undertake everyone who was stuck in stationery traffic due to an accident ahead. To add to his stupidity he was actually racing down it flicking up all sorts of rubbish into the carriageways. I’ve seen the same car using filter lanes as short cuts then cutting people.
I really wonder how bad the roads are going to be in 10 years time as little is done to police them and they are becoming the domain of the brain dead morons.

I reckon there’s an element of remembering the assholes rather than the decent riders.

I actually find myself at remembering the ones that ARE good riders and ride in accordance with the majority of road users (for example, when they ride behind at a sensible distance in the middle of the carriageway rather than too close and riding on the outside of the carriageway in an apparent state of readiness to overtake).

I see lots of really polite power rangers who indicate thanks when I make space for them.

I’d say I am an average driver, not a good one.

I’m aware that I express my disapproval of really bad driving, using the horn, too frequently. Road rage is too frequent these days, and it doesn’t help.

Only stopped to remonstrate with drivers twice, both old ladies, one who I reported to the Police and offered to be a witness after I followed her driving the wrong side of the road for a mile or two… the other who I knew, and who took out my wing mirror by dangerous driving in a town. Contacted her relatives, who stopped her driving. So there can be a good outcome.

Slightly off topic, but I feel it deserves a mention.

Ten years ago to the week, I was driving along the motorway in moderate traffic, when I noticed a red VW Polo veering from the overtaking lane at an odd angle in my rear-view mirror. I looked to my left to see it invert, bounce and fly into a nearby field.

My passenger was a newly qualified doctor, so we turned off at the next junction and came round again to see if there was anything we could do. Turns out that the old fella driving had a blackout at the wheel and veered off the road, almost hitting a couple of cars along the way.

He had cuts and bruises, but his wife was in a bad way and had to be cut out of the car.

Had one of us set out on our journey a couple of seconds earlier or later, then I’d have been hit by the old bloke too. Makes you think…

It’s this kind of careless driving that needs tackling to make roads safer. No amount of rules or white paint will make it better.

When caught, these people have to lose their licence. Career impact or not. It doubtful that plod will ever have the resources to police, compulsory black box technology and CCTV in all cars, linked by secure connection to DVLA might be one way to sort it. Possibly wishful thinking though.

I’ve pulled up to a junction on a rural road before and the BMW behind has decided I wasn’t quick enough so overtook while I’m at the Give Way and pulled out onto the main road with hardly a glance. I’m considering in car CCTV as that footage would have gone straight to plod.

Same junction has regular accidents as it’s on a long straight road and the people pulling out to turn left don’t usually look left and then hit the overtaking car or bike they didn’t see.

Don’t be hard on yourself. I have a compelling urge to tell people they’re idiots when I see something like this, and if I get a chance without going out of my way, I generally will. I won’t get out of the car or anything overly agreessive, but I’ll point out that they drive like a ****.

(for example, when they ride behind at a sensible distance in the middle of the carriageway rather than too close and riding on the outside of the carriageway in an apparent state of readiness to overtake).

It’s road positioning. Directly behind gives you less chance of getting out of the way of the car in front if it makes an unexpected maneuver, and you get a better view of the road ahead.

compulsory black box technology and CCTV in all cars, linked by secure connection to DVLA might be one way to sort it. Possibly wishful thinking though.

Yeah just a bit 😆

Our local council has just put cameras on some of the bus lanes because drivers regularly ignore them.

It’s caused a massive outcry. The nerve of the council, trying to make people obey the law. How dare they!

When I first past I’d drive swiftly on a NSL, there was a Volvo there behind me. I’d leave him, thrn at lights he’d calmly roll up and repeat for a couple more stops (give way junction etc).

Thats when it twigged- drive smoothly not grid-starts and harsh shifts

Am I stupid not to understand a word of this?

wouldnmt say stupid – he’s describing what made him realise that smooth is best and driving like a cock will save a few minutes on the average journey at best.

I drove Wick – Inverness yesterday with a couple of colleagues on board. I was taking it steady – 55-60 where safe, less where not and passing the lorries/tourists/campervans as and when possible. there was some guy in his modded r-type up my arse for a bit so i let him passed where I could just before golspie. as we got to various bottlenecks, I could see him up the arse of the cars in front driving like he was on redbull – anyways, we got to the kessock bridge in the left lane and he was a whole 4 cars in front of me.

not worth the stress IMO.