What's your driving style?

Smooth, considerate and anticipatory.

Still have masses to learn after over 20 years as a qualified driver and would like to be more tolerant.

Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Quattro.

I don’t get frustrated by people pootling along at 40/50, when there’s ample opportunity to safely overtake them. I just do it.

How much time do you save (which is the common question) ? That’s the dilemma.

Result A: You overtake, and 1 mile up the road, you end up stuck in more traffic. You’ve made a little progress.

Result B: You overtake and it’s a long time until you see more traffic. You’ve made considerable progress.

Either way, the outcome is some progress 😉

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever not used my indicator. A real pet hate is people not using them – even as a pedestrian, crossing a road and then having a car which wasn’t indicating swing in on you is an almost daily occurrence.

MartinHutch.

Good point, I’ve always wondered how important it was to gain that extra 10 sec reduction in journey time or that cars length ahead in the que?

Some folk appear to risk your safety and theirs for little ‘gain’. I let them fly by “be gone!” I say.

The amount times, recently, I’ve been passed by someone who’s pubic hair must be spontaneously combusting. Only to see them moments later at the lights! Muppets.
😆

Smooth, safe and always looking for idiots.

I increasingly find myself frustrated by people who insist on driving at 40, or 50 in a national zone

Actually it’s those that drive at 40/45 everywhere that worry me most – through the national zone and then carry on exactly the same through the 30 zone. My mother is joining these ranks – I think it might be an age thing.

Car Driving/overtaking thread?….

You know who’s missing, don’t you?

Result A: You overtake, and 1 mile up the road, you end up stuck in more traffic. You’ve made a little progress.

Result B: You overtake and it’s a long time until you see more traffic. You’ve made considerable progress.

When you actually look at the figures though, it starts to seem trivial, even if you’ve had the sensation of making stunning progress.

Take a 20 mile section of A-road. If you average 60 vs 50, I think you will arrive four minutes earlier, so eight minutes vs 40. But that’s the absolute best case scenario where you overtake someone right at the beginning and it’s clear right to the end.

TBH I’ll still slip by someone going 40 unless I can already see the next slow driver up ahead, but increasingly I can see that this idea of progress is a bit of an illusion. Certainly if I’m behind someone going 50 on the A65 these days I’ll just kick back and happily cruise.

Looking back, I had a lot stressful drives up the A5 to North Wales when I was younger where I spent the entire time brimming with frustration, and hunting for ways to get past folk, and probably gained a handful of minutes at best.

Car Driving/overtaking thread?….

You know who’s missing, don’t you?

He’s probably stuck behind a tractor, unable to get past. Give him time 🙂

There are other cars on the road?

Car: whatever the hire company give me.

Rachel

I drive an invisible car aka POS, people always pull out on me from side roads or going around a round-a-bout, despite having my indicator on. I drive with the thought of, no one can see me. If one a bicycle or bike, then its a case of everyone is trying to kill me.

I used to be a fast driver, didn’t we all when we were young? I have calmed down over the years, mainly after getting banned when I was 21 and keep the fast driving on the race track.

Actually it’s those that drive at 40/45 everywhere that worry me most – through the national zone and then carry on exactly the same through the 30 zone. My mother is joining these ranks – I think it might be an age thing.

It is definitely an age thing, most of my ‘friends mothers’ drive through 30 zones at 40-50 and dual carriageways the same speed. Quite often I’ve had them glued to my rear bumper when going through a 30 zone at 30.

I drive an invisible car aka POS, people always pull out on me from side roads or going around a round-a-bout

I’ve never had that but I know a bloke who also complained of that and he drove round with his foglights on all the time to counter it. I bet its your driving style, hesitation etc- why? because as I said I’ve never had that and I’ve only heard of it once.

In central London its more marked- when its busy you can spot the hesitators, the ones who drive at a different speed or are ‘unsure’.

Somewhere from pootle to hooning, depending on my mood and many other factors. I do enjoy driving, not necessarily fast, but not in traffic or sitting on the motorway either.

Like a blast along a nice flowing A or B road. Although tend not to overtake that much on single carriageway roads, unless (a) car in front is significantly slower than my unhindered speed, (b) there is a very good opportunity, and (c) general traffic volume is low such that I’m unlikely just end up behind another car after 100 yards anyway.

Bike licence holder, which even though I don’t ride at the moment certainly helped my observation, awareness and anticipation skills.

Currently driving a T5.

Car history includes a number of Land Rovers, sensilble estates, vans, mild hot hatches, and an underpowered 1.1 Pug 106 that was an absolute hoot to drive.

Fast and always ‘making progress’.

Reminds me of the cock on the driving course I did – “I’ve got 2 speeds, fast and stopped. Huhhuh”. Cock.

Yak – Member
T5 kombi van. No mods.
I just drive from A-B. I don’t ‘make progress’, nor do I intentionally pootle. Usually about the speed limit or lower pending road conditions.

As a vehicle, it doesn’t encourage knob-end driving. The opposite I think. You are higher, better view of everything, so can make decisions earlier.

hold on, this is stw. I AM Ken Block and my Hoonivan destroys the roads. Makes them come alive in-fact

This is me! Were we twins separated at birth I wonder, are you incredibly short but quite hansome in a smaller unit kind of way?

Er come to think of it maybe not, just noticed the lack of mods on the T5, no chrome Roadie/Bull bar then and side bars?
Really loud horn conversion?
Pre recorded sound through forward speaker with “Bitch get out of the way bitch” booming loudly?

No?

You’re probably quite tall then.. 😉

Edit: totally missed my style, I’m much better since my speed camera imposed anger management course, 30 in third all the time there’s a limit I could not survive another of those without taking a warm bath with razor wrist management.

lol it’s not my driving style, I did think it might be at one point, but there are now 2 others that drive my car, one of which is a “under the speed limit at all times” and what I would class as a hesitator, all of which also had people pull out and say “oh I didn’t see you” it now has a dashcam installed. 😉

It really has to do with the roads I drive on as it happens to others that drive the same roads. Bristol Subarbs road rules: Pull out of a junction and look what is coming as your bonnet hits the road you are joining, put foot down if there is someone there.

I’ve noticed one thing- driving fast/quick/speeding only feels ‘good’ to the person doing it. For everyone else they look like a dick.

Can you remember the last time you saw someone driving fast (no not competition/professionals) and thought ‘wow he/she looks ace’?

It just doesn’t look/nor is it cool.

On a track or karting though- speed is AWESOME and fun.

I’ve said this countless times Pistonheads forum member Tenpence short posted up his experience and his subsequent jail time when he got his car squiffy and hit an oncoming motorbiker.

Reading that REALLY slows you down.

Ok! The Blockmiester has been mentioned.

Who’s going to post the vid?

Give us something to watch while we await the arrival of our very own, in-house overtaking expert.

I drive everywhere flat out. I’m actually on my 3rd ban from driving, so unlicensed, no insurance, car isn’t even mine. All the authorities will do is give me another ban on top of this one……..

None of that is true.
I actually drive quite sedately most of the time, and only get 20mpg while doing it. Jag XJR. But know that when the mood takes, which it does occasionally, I can play with saxos and have my fun

I mean you can’t stay high the same way forever. So when the 455 came out with the Mach IV Ram-Air with tunnel-port heads, beefed lower end and a Holley high-riser setup, I was
on line — 390 h.p. and 500 foot-pounds of torque, whatever that is. It’s in the folder in the glove compartment. But she’s a Road King, all right.
Got a Doblo now though. Much more practical.

Who’s going to post the vid?

Which one, they’re all the same.

On my way to work yesterday:

😉

Style:
I once took a set of front tyres back to national and complained they’d melted.

And achieved ‘significant’ airtime over a hump backed bridge.

Drive:
Ford C-max 1.6 petrol, the non Ti-VCT, bog standard one, in that ‘blue so boring it would be beige but then it would stand out against the sky’.

It really has to do with the roads I drive on as it happens to others that drive the same roads. Bristol Subarbs road rules: Pull out of a junction and look what is coming as your bonnet hits the road you are joining, put foot down if there is someone there.

Ha, i’ve spent the last 6 yrs living in Easton & St Pauls. It’s like a comedy hazard perception video most of the time 😆

Personally i drive like i cycle – allow lots of room, never assume that others will necessarily follow the rules, etc etc. Makes me a much more relaxed driver than my wife who is always alarmed and angry when she gets cut up.

i am quite liable to be one of those people doing 50 (but not 40) on a NSL in snowdonia, mind. Get some tunes on, enjoy the scenery, relax a bit. That’s the reason i’m in snowdonia in the first place!

I will start with the car, Audi A4 estate 2.0t, Its big enough for kayaks and bikes. Its comfertble as i do 25’000 miles a year. And most impotantlyits reliable. its got 80,000 miles on the clock and only had the tyres brake pads and usual services done.

It avarages 36mpg round town 48 on the motorway.

I have 9 years ncd and never had points. I’ve been driving 9 years.

I drive to make progress but do the speed limit, i leave space and dont tail gate i indicate when moving lanes and turning at junctions, i will happily sit behind cyclists untill i can see a fair distance to over take them.

I will use my horn when cut up i will slow down and be a pain in the arse when tail gated and i will get out my car and tell cyclist who use it as a prop to get the hell off it. (this does happen)

I didnt buy an Audi to have one i bought it as it was the best car in my budget with the least miles and the best service history. I payed £3500.

Maxtorque – I can almost believe that…. If it was an Ibiza. 😉

You had to ask?

There used to be a teenager named MatthewT from Rhyl who posted a lot on Cycle Chat. He used a helmet cam and used to rant about car drivers and even filmed himself several times stopping drivers and ticking them off for minor traffic offences.

Silly young Matthew was no more than a source of irritated amusement on the forum, but then he got his first car and began posting videos of himself ragging his car on Youtube. As you can imagine this caused a lot of indignation on CC and in the end even Matt gave up posting, so heavy was the criticism. I wonder whether he’s still alive.

usually irritated by everyone else on the road

“Ere’ luv, I fand a spayce”

How many wheels ar we talking
on 4 – Audi A4, speed limit + a bit on the open road, making progress, looking ahead and keeping an eye on mirrors. Been rear ended twice whilst stopped in traffic, no other accidents in 30 odd years
on 2 – like a knob, surprised i’m still here to be honest

Hi folks!

The driving style I aspire to is smooth and relaxed. On a windy road I do enjoy the flow but that doesn’t need to be dangerously fast. I give myself loads of headroom because I want to stay alive.

If everyone did the same, I think the roads would be far less stressful and we’d all be happier, tbh.

I save the thrills and spills for the bike.

Or is that your confirmation bias kicking in?

I’ve said this before and yes, it may well be confirmation bias, but I’ve noticed a definite shift in attitudes in certain quarters depending what you’re driving.

I drove an E-class Merc for a while, and found that people treat you like you’re a stereotypical Merc / BMW etc driver. You indicate and some people will actively close ranks to block you in. Sometimes the only way you could manoeuvre was to not indicate and tip them off, and hey presto it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy and I’ve become one of them.

I’ve had small cars too, most recently as hire cars whilst mine’s in for a service or what have you. Ka, Fiesta, Hyundai i20, that sort of thing. I’ve noticed that people will be quicker to bully you if you’re driving a roller skate. Approaching a pinch point due to double parking, oncoming traffic will give way to you much more rarely, to a point of almost running you off the road. And heaven forbid you ever drive at the speed limit, you’ll almost certainly end up towing someone.

it’s those that drive at 40/45 everywhere that worry me most

Monospeeders, I don’t know what goes through their mind. A light breeze maybe. I see this daily on my commute to work, I’ll blat past someone doing 40 in a 60, then five minutes later they’re inches from my back bumper in the 30 zone. Back up to a 50 zone and they disappear behind me. Weird.

Bike licence holder, which even though I don’t ride at the moment certainly helped my observation, awareness and anticipation skills.

+1 to this. I’m certain that my driving improved considerably in learning to ride. Definitely improved my observation, I’d recommend it to anyone.

T4 campervan – I drives leisurely
1988 Landrover – I drives noisily. And slowly.
700cc motorbike – I rides like someone who wants to make it home to his boys.

Rarely do I have a deadline to meet when driving, and if I do, I leave such a silly amount of time I could be held up in traffic and still arrive early enough for a spot of lunch first. I think it’s the height of bad manners to speed just because you’re running late.

I find a lot of people around these parts drive like this guy:

without that guy who played Robin navigating..

Me, making progress in a safe and observant way (AIM). Seriously, people need to learn to use their mirrors more. My wife once drove for about 40 miles before realising here NS mirror was still folded in 😯

molgrips – Member

Hi folks!

Yay!
😀

Smart ForFour – the old version, we’re not posh.

Style? I was taught to drive by my uncle on a frozen lake in Maine – first proper driving lesson I had here, tried cornering the way I was taught by using the handbrake to get the back end out. I’ve improved since then.

Spot on Stoner. I’m with you in the bad manors to speed when late, I’ve turned into my dad a leave massive margins for errors on trip if I have deadline, but hen if I’m early I just listen to the radio and have kip. bloke at work is consistantly 5 min late and complains that he get in trouble for being 5 min late. Get up 5 min earlier then!

I vary a lot. At or below speed limit in built up areas and areas with drive ways, entrences, junctions on main roads but frequently @ or slightly above speed limit on clear stretches with no junctions e.t.c. Fiat Sucudo SWB.