What's your driving style?

I drive a kia Cee’d – and I drive it boringly as you’d guess, invariably with children in the back … the roads are too full of other users and speed cameras to ‘make progress’

a term that describes people who invariably drive inappropriately fast into situations, tailgait and make the roads less safe for other users

Also a +1 to mirrors. I don’t know why it is not an 3 point offence to drive along with you mirrors folded in. People must just pull of blindly.

Smooth and sedate..

4 years permanently carrying a cargo of either pregnant lady, newborn baby or precarious expensive wedding cakes taught me not to drive like a moron

Monospeeders, I don’t know what goes through their mind.

Ahh, you should have stayed with singlespeeders 😉

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

As a sometimes cyclist on ‘nice flowing B roads’ this statement was ambiguous enough to (rightly or wrongly) make me momentarily wince.

Pleased to say though after reading all these responses my developing bias is thankfully reversing. Not least because I’m biased towards people displaying excessive confirmation bias. They tend to be total cocks. ie ‘ah, you’re a CYCLIST!’ I remember first getting the Beemer (bangernomics) and a certain family member upon learning this snorted himself into a nodding/smirking apoplexy.

I religiously stick to speed limits in built up areas and I think 17 years of cycle commuting has given me pretty decent situational awareness/anticipation. You still get caught out sometimes mind so I always try to leave a decent gap.

On the open road, the gloves are off and I drive as fast as conditions and machinery permit.

I am an atypical Audi driver in that I use my indicators, flash people out/through, give space and I can often be found in lanes 1 and 2 of motorways provided lane 3 isn’t a big long queue sitting behind some spanner doing 75mph with clear lanes 1 and 2.

I do tailgait people on motorways while ‘making progress’, but only as a last resort. I tend to leave a 2 second gap in the dry and 4 seconds or more in the wet. ****s consistently cut into the gap, and if they don’t move back over when they get chance, my experience is that they will never get out of your way unless you tailgait them as considerate driving is an entirely alien concept to them. New black Landrover Discos in particular.

As a rally co-driver, I’m pretty well aware of my limitations as a driver – I’ve sat with some guys that really make it look effortless.

I drive a Honda Civic Vtec. My driving style has been described as “fast” “efficient” and “really something quite special” – I’ve been compared to Jenson Button; quick, smooth and completely in control.

For example; on the day, I set a lap record at Alton Park on my second attempt.

Passed my test first time with only two minors; I took the examiner to task over both of these at the end of the test, and he agreed that one of them shouldn’t have been counted.

On the road; I’ve never been caught speeding and I don’t get over taken, unless I’m out for a slow recovery drive. I’ve over taken cars upto and including Audi R8s, Porsche 911s & Ferrari F355s i.e. real supercars.

I’m with the OP on this; far too many people driving “skill compensators” like high powered Audis, BMWs etc. You don’t even need to plan an overtaking move in one! Way too many cases of “all the gear, no idea!”

It’s very similar to the mountainbiking scene; people with large amounts of disposable income trying to buy skill and speed. These are the same sort of people who don’t even have the basic coordination/motor skills to be able to do a bunnyhop or manual. Would I trust them in a 300+bhp car? Would I hell.

Astra

I drive as if everyone around me is an idiot (edit: especially Civic Vtech drivers) TBH. I’m with the 40/45 annoyance though, WTF is that all about?

As a sometimes cyclist on ‘nice flowing B roads’ this statement was ambiguous enough to (rightly or wrongly) make me momentarily wince.

One of my major hates as a road cyclist and audaxer is cars driving round blind bends on the very limit. It means discovering a bike mid corner leads to some pretty hairy situations. I used to rant about motorists using public roads as a playground.

Since learning to drive, one of my favorite things ever is to drive like and absolute asshat on the open road 😳

I drive MrsSalmon’s Rover 214 a handful of times a year, and when I do I stick religiously to speed limits in built up areas and generally take it very cautiously. I basically never overtake anyone unless it’s on the motorway, and that’s pretty rare!

I’ve never owned a car so I don’t think I’ve really invested in driving and become desensitised to the fact that I’m steering a ton of metal around the streets.

The less I do it though the less I like it. Lately it tends to be short-ish (30 minutes) around the city and I’m getting to really hate it and wonder why anyone would want to do it.

A tricky one this as I split my time between a 3.2 V6 TT and a T5 van. The van is, without a doubt, a more relaxing and laid back drive than the TT and I find myself being a lot more mellow than I would normally be on commutes and long journeys, maybe to try and reverse people’s opinions on white van drivers.

The TT is a more urgent, sharper drive, but that doe snot mean that I’m a stereotypical Audi driver. I still let people in when queued, I still use my indicators and I still give people plenty of space when driving in traffic. But… I do find myself dropping gears to overtake because I love the sound the engine makes.

The worst I have ever been was when I was driving my Mk2 Golf GTi. I had a sub, alloys, loud music and I did drive it a lot like the sort of person you normally see in a pimped Mk2 GTi. It was still a lovely drive though.

My car is a Panda I try to drive within or under the speed limit rely on anticipation and experience rather than brakes or acceleration. I can be a total arse to people who tailgate or try to force their way into my lane . Otherwise try to be courteous and give ground but I will not let people out unless I can check my near side rear for cyclists.
I only ever really rag the car on single track roads I know well, it is really funny to stick behind the so called sporty cars in a low powered Panda but you have to keep a certain distance as while most of the drivers can’t out pace me in my Panda they can certainty decelerate faster when they panic break.

I drive a Honda Civic Vtec. My driving style has been described as “fast” “efficient” and “really something quite special” – I’ve been compared to Jenson Button; quick, smooth and completely in control.

For example; on the day, I set a lap record at Alton Park on my second attempt.

Passed my test first time with only two minors; I took the examiner to task over both of these at the end of the test, and he agreed that one of them shouldn’t have been counted.

On the road; I’ve never been caught speeding and I don’t get over taken, unless I’m out for a slow recovery drive. I’ve over taken cars upto and including Audi R8s, Porsche 911s & Ferrari F355s i.e. real supercars.

I’m with the OP on this; far too many people driving “skill compensators” like high powered Audis, BMWs etc. You don’t even need to plan an overtaking move in one! Way too many cases of “all the gear, no idea!”

It’s very similar to the mountainbiking scene; people with large amounts of disposable income trying to buy skill and speed. These are the same sort of people who don’t even have the basic coordination/motor skills to be able to do a bunnyhop or manual. Would I trust them in a 300+bhp car? Would I hell.

Poes law?

crankboy – Member

My car is a Panda

The silver 4×4 with the aluminium chequer plate on the sills?

Poes law?

= davidtaylforth 😉

People are often complaining about arsehole Elite riders on race courses barging people out of the way – that’s accepted as bad behaviour because it pisses people off and indimitates us.

When you’re ‘making progress’ on public roads, overtaking, barging in queues and generally resenting those of us who are driving at the speed limit, this is the same thing. Regardless of how safe you think you are, it’s arseholery.

Most of em don’t even know they’re doing it.

Faster than most (comparing overtakes) but within the speed limits. Will always indicate, look over my shoulders when possible, happy to see other folk “make progress” so will ease up to let them by where sensible.

I tend to allow plenty of time for journeys so that I’m not pressured into going faster.

Driving a van has made me more relaxed.

Also find that driving professionally has made me even more aware on the roads, especially when carrying passengers.

I did an advanced driving course a few years back and was assessed as generally being smooth. Still picked up a few tips about fast driving though so I often take a different line through corners than most folk.

I try to stay observant when I drive, back when I rode a bike I used to be amazed how many 4 wheel car users are staring off in to the distance, thinking about their tea or something – I don’t notice it as much when I’m driving as your usually just following the car in front, but on a bike you move through traffic and see it more.

I was a bit of a boy racer when I first passed my test, my first car was a Golf GTI, and every now and again if I find myself driving alone on a twisty road I live out my Lewis Hamilton fantasies, but mostly I’ll have one of the kids in the car with me, or I’m sat in traffic going to work.

I try to be thoughtful and look far ahead enough to anticipate other users, quite a lot of junctions near me are ‘non standard’ left lanes that turn right, right hand lanes that go straight on – they’re marked with arrows but when there’s traffic you can’t always see them and people get it wrong – they’re usually the ones waving their arms around and beeping their horns, I’ve had a few screaming at me over the years, it amazing what a difference it makes if you wind down your window and look at them, it’s breaks the illusion of isolation for them.

One type of driver who winds me right up though are the **** who’ll use the wrong lane and try to cut in, the one who force themselves into and out of junctions and roundabouts and just treat the whole thing like a massive fight, it really brings out the worst in me, I know I shouldn’t be I’ll never let a queue jumper cut in on me, they can drive into me for all I care, I didn’t pay for it, it’s well insured and has a million air bags and crumple zones.

Car: Seat Exeo Estate

Style: Hip-Hop funk.

I get wound up and shout-y, until something happens to calm me down. Then, I can be genuinely relaxed behind the wheel.

Fancy I’m not a terrible driver after almost 30 years.

I drive a 53-reg VW Polo, and an 03-reg Peugeot Boxer.

Yep. You read that right.

“crankboy – Member

My car is a Panda
The silver 4×4 with the aluminium chequer plate on the sills?

Posted 36 minutes ago # Report-Post”

No a black one two wheel drive the one with the really cheap VED.

Nothing in the way and I’m wanting to get somewhere fast? I obviously put my foot down but try to account for mistakes that may happen by me or others.

I have found big cars (or at least those that look like big cars from the front/headlights) don’t get pulled out on as often as smaller cars. When I drove a metro and a micra it happened all the time – and I was younger when driving those so probably if anything drove faster past potential hazards like side roads.

Sounds like a little more anticipation required.. if you assume everyone will do something stupid then you’ll find it much less surprising and much less stressful.

I need to be clearer – the twunt in the Disco was entirely without warning, us single carriageway, him bolting acroos into slip lane, no indicating as in a slow queue his side, he just made a mad lunge right into our path as he saw a road opposite. I was fully prepared as I was slowing on the island approach and saw him make his move – hence braking in time and saving collision. He just missed the grille so if I hadn’t braked sharply…well…we don’t have side-bags, (excepting my manhandles)

Only time I’ve ever had a collision was an old timer pulling out from a side road hitting my passenger door. He ‘didn’t see me’. No way I can see to to anticipate that either, unless I’d gunned it past the junction just on the off-chance that he was going to drive through me, although I admit was watching my speed/the car in front somewhat more as approaching a village with crossing peds. Believe me I have eyes on stalks driving in these parts. I normally watch their freaking eyeeeees! as their driving believes their actual intentions! You get forced into defensive/aggressive (choose applicable) driving as dictated by those who either live in la-la land or those who want you out of the way. Both seem to lack working indicators. Graaargh! Do not enjoy driving tbh, not here at least.

molgrips
those of us who are driving at the speed limit

I’m sorry, but anyone who uses the, entirely arbitrary, speed limit as anything more than a guide as to an appropriate speed is an idiot too………

Simply driving at 60mph exactly or whatever because a small metal painted sign says so is pretty much an absolute indicator of a driver who is unable to properly arbitrate there own speed.

This is the place. Say I’m the car approaching camera directly (40mph slowing thru 30 as approaching junction and queue for island, clocking road on my left anticipating car exiting, glancing to my right ahead, see the turning lane – empty)

Imagine the Disco is that black estate (yet in the far left/thru lane nearer the hatching, then bolted across the turning lane no indicators, accelerating mad fast. Serious question what could I have done differently?

I’m sorry, but anyone who uses the, entirely arbitrary, speed limit as anything more than a guide as to an appropriate speed is an idiot too………

I’ll give you £5 if you say that in court 😀

Malvern Rider – Member

And what car do you drive?

Original spec (I mean really) 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.6 automatic (old fashion automatic gear). 😮

(am thinking of an Auris automatic upgrade but car is still running perfectly so … hmmm)

In UK I don’t drive fast due to unfamiliar bending roads so I tend to stick to the speed limit by driving like the “Romans” … enter “Rome” all that.

If I were in my part of the world all you BMW drivers will know the horsepower of Toyota and if you have road rage against me there you better know where to hide.

In UK I cannot even stiffer the car suspension coils without having my blood suck dry by the insurance ZM parasites … 😡

Oh ya … I can’t drive fast too because the car might not be able to handle it. This is meant to be a donkey car or workhorse so not mean to be a speed monster.

Simply driving at 60mph exactly or whatever because a small metal painted sign says so is pretty much an absolute indicator of a driver who is unable to properly arbitrate there own speed.

and probably a member of the same ‘club’ who drive at 40 mph everywhere, irrelevant of the speed limit/weather/conditions etc

I’m sorry, but anyone who uses the, entirely arbitrary, speed limit as anything more than a guide as to an appropriate speed is an idiot too………

I’ll give you £5 if you say that in court

Well, if you’re going down anyway, you may as well tell it like it is.

Sounds like a little more anticipation required.. if you assume everyone will do something stupid then you’ll find it much less surprising and much less stressful.

Woo! This thread needs more “I’m a much better driver than you” posts.

I’m sorry, but anyone who uses the, entirely arbitrary, speed limit as anything more than a guide as to an appropriate speed is an idiot too………

It’s not a guide to appropriate speed, it’s a maximum speed. The clue is in the words “speed limit”.

Woo! This thread needs more “I’m a much better driver than you” posts.

Well, I’ve still got the same paper-only license I got 20 years ago, with no points on it, so I can’t be too bad.

davidtaylforth – Member

I drive a Honda Civic Vtec. My driving style has been described as “fast” “efficient” and “really something quite special” – I’ve been compared to Jenson Button; quick, smooth and completely in control.

For example; on the day, I set a lap record at Alton Park on my second attempt.

Passed my test first time with only two minors; I took the examiner to task over both of these at the end of the test, and he agreed that one of them shouldn’t have been counted.

On the road; I’ve never been caught speeding and I don’t get over taken, unless I’m out for a slow recovery drive. I’ve over taken cars upto and including Audi R8s, Porsche 911s & Ferrari F355s i.e. real supercars.

I’m with the OP on this; far too many people driving “skill compensators” like high powered Audis, BMWs etc. You don’t even need to plan an overtaking move in one! Way too many cases of “all the gear, no idea!”

It’s very similar to the mountainbiking scene; people with large amounts of disposable income trying to buy skill and speed. These are the same sort of people who don’t even have the basic coordination/motor skills to be able to do a bunnyhop or manual. Would I trust them in a 300+bhp car? Would I hell.

I’m looking for the tongue-in-cheek humour in this post, but I’m not seeing it.

You’re Simon the I.T. guy and I claim my £5

“Passed my test first time”

Sigh if we are going that way…

I passed my test in ten lessons and whilst I was looking for a suitable car my driving instructor lent me a six month old Mini Cooper on HIS company insurance policy. In the end I bought another Cooper off him (he ran a fleet/employed other instructors).

God like

Simply driving at 60mph exactly or whatever because a small metal painted sign says so is pretty much an absolute indicator of a driver who is unable to properly arbitrate there own speed.

and probably a member of the same ‘club’ who drive at 40 mph everywhere, irrelevant of the speed limit/weather/conditions etc

What about those who travel at 60mph *or less as conditions dictate* because the metal sign says so?

For example; on the day, I set a lap record at Alton Park on my second attempt.

*Oulton. Set the lap record, you should know how to spell it.

(Tell me this is a windup, surely?)

Fast and Furious 10 will be pretty much based on me.
They were making Fast and Furious 9, but once they saw what I could make a Panda do, it just seemed pointless.

*Oulton. Set the lap record, you should know how to spell it.

(Tell me this is a windup, surely?)

Nope, I’ve seen him in action, he really is that good.

I usually drive pretty relaxed to be honest at 43 I’ve had my mad fast days and in this day in age it seems no one knows how to use indicators any more so I always travel a bit slower to take this into consideration. 🙄

But when I go to visit friends and take a run down the A49 on a summer evening with a quiet road (I’ve been traveling for over 20 years now) , the tunes on loud I have been know to give the turbo a bit of a push and watch the fuel gauge drop 😀

Car Mitsubishi Shogun Sport

Work

Home

They were making Fast and Furious 9, but once they saw what I could make a Panda do, it just seemed pointless.

I was in the same position, until the RSPCA got involved.

I reckon there is an ever growing number of myopic drivers out there judging by how close they need to drive to the vehicle in front. If you need to repeatedly touch the brakes when the vehicle in front doesn’t then perhaps you are too close.