I Despair

[Imurg]

The world is full of idiots.

This morning at 8, going to Tesco's to beat the crowds, I was driving along at 28mph in the dark,fog and cold. The road was a little slippy and I felt comfortable.

That is until a git in a GTI comes blasting up behind me with his lights on full, fog lights blazing and little blue neons on his washer ducts. Obviously wanting to go faster than me, but not able to, he started pushing me to go faster. I wasn't having any of it. At one stage, I estimate he was no more than 3 feet behind me. Eventually the road widened and he shot past at about 45mph.

A mile up the road is a roundabout. When I get there all I can see is a cloud of steam a scene of carnage as the peasent in the GTI had misjudged the corner, rolled his prized Golf and sideswiped another car.

Stopping to help (luckily nobody really hurt) I looked at the GTI driver and shook my head. He turned on me as if I had just called his mother something and threatened to engage my privates in a game of soccer!

I waited for the Police to arrive, gave my side of events and left. Eventually got to Tescos and then had to fight my way round in the melee of people.

All because some idiot wanted to drive too fast for the conditions.

 

[medwayjon]

Idiot, I have seen this sort of thing on more than one occassion.

I cannot stand people driving up my backside, particularly when Im dispalying my baby on board sign and a couple of times I have gone absolutely ape-[****] over it!

 

[Yidio]

Karma.

If you drive like a c**t,you get what you deserve In my opinion. Doubt he'll be doing it again in a hurry.

 

[vig]

Karma.

If you drive like a c**t,you get what you deserve In my opinion. Doubt he'll be doing it again in a hurry.

This isn't always the case, it's normally someone totally inocent minding their own business that gets hurt.
He'll get his car repaired, don a new baseball cap, new big speakers and carry on being a T*@£. They never learn.

I've seen them tailgating on motorways in thick fog and torrential rain. They wouldn't stand a chance.

I had someone so close to me that I couldn't see their grill. so I slowed down in the outside lane, just edging alongside a lorry in the middle lane, I had the tosser behind me for 6 miles flashing his lights, I eventually pulled over when I got to my junction and just shook my head at him whilst he was muttering something like "have a nice day"

 

[TonyN]

Thing is people like him are the ones that get away with it, its usually the people they hit that end up worse off.

Even if he had killed some one, the idiot would have probably only got about 5 yrs in prison, out after 2 and banned for 3.

I have had a few incidents with Saxo boys so close I cant see the lights, I just slow down to a crawl and get back upto speed. I did these 3 times on one particular occasion and the guy decided to applaud my efforts, I am ashamed to admit that I lost my tempo, stopped the car across both lanes and ran to his car, he shoved it into reverse and went backwards down the road. I went back to my car and waited, he came back up thinking I would leave it and I went after him again, he decided to do a 3 point turn and take a detour. If I had got hold of him, I would of cleaned his bonnet with his face. Not very big, and clever on my behalf but my mrs was in the car with me and I had enough.

I have a few other incidents that are alot worse but I wont type it on a public forum!

 

[vig]

I once pulled a bloke out through his open window. He ran into the back of me in a queue because he didn't want someone to pull in between us.

My son was in the car (2yrs old at the time) and if it hadn't been for him crying, I hate to think what I would have done.

All the bloke could say was "hit me then, and i will get you arrested". TBH i was that angry I forgot to get his details and ended up paying a mate to spray the back end of the car.

 

[flandango]

I slow down to a virtual stop. May piss em off but it slows them down and they soon get the picture.....or demand I pull over. I have done this once when I was on my own.

The second he got out of the car I started giving it the bigg'un telling him what I thought of him and his driving.

Half way through my rant I thought it nesessary to mention his size (he was a giant) told him he had two arms and two legs like any bloke. chins in the same place!!!

He called me a c@#t and got back in his car. (Thank christ!!)

On a more serious note. We have had two incidences where two children under 10 we killed when cars mounted cerbs through speed or drink. One got 3 bloody years...he'll be out in 18 months or less. Terrible

 

[HTL]

Have stopped a few times at lights and got out to tell people off in my best teacher voice, as for A holes driving too close it gets right on my tits I always slow right down and flick them the bird, road rage aint big or clever but it does relive stress.

Had a rude boy saxo doing it a few weeks ago to me so I got out and told him off with the 3 other blokes from rugby in the car, one of them is 6`8 and 25 stone (look at my facebook pic) he turned white and started to shake and apologise, very funny at the time.

 

[forefortheday]

HID dad once sparked a bloke through his window after a little incident a few years ago.

Bloke was tailgating the getting in front and at a set of lights he started reversing towards his car.

He got out ran to the drivers side and put his fist straight through the window knocking the bloke out, he got a round of appluase from a taxi driver behind them and two broken knuckles!

He's such a quiet bloke normally.

I once flashed my lights at a Range Rover after it cut me up.At the next set of lights I pulled up along side it to see 4 blokes the size of houses with no necks or hair, one of them leaned out of the window and said "I'll kill you you p****", I actually believed him

 

[theeaglehunter]

I suffer from road rage. Some people should just not be on the road, and the bloke you describe Imurg is definitely one of these. Getting cut up does my head in, as do bus drivers who can't control their vehicle and swing round halfway into the other lane when the more competent ones keep it tight to the curb no problem. I'm unlikely to get too annoyed though unless someone crashes into me or puts me in genuine danger because of being such a P****

 

[Herbie]

I have little doubt that in Imurgs case he did nothing wrong or to provoke, but in many many other cases the actions of those who feel agrieved at another motorists behavior often generates negative reactions.

'All should drive in a manner which does not constitute a hazard or inconvenience to others and should make good progress on or about the speed limit whenever it is safe to do so,and drive according to the conditions, all should be done in accordance with the highway code and law'

Most drivers have heard something like that but few remember or apply it to their driving. You always get people who drive the way THEY WANT TO and not the way they should, and that applies to many who think their action is not wrong or even a public self imposed policing role where some take inappropriate action against another road user.

Its all wrong, what does everyone learn in Imurgs situation or similar during driving lessons?(if its a good instructor that is)

Drive normally, neither speed up nor slow down, if you feel intimidated find a safe place to pull over and let them pass.(or instruction to that effect) No where does it say and no instructor will say any of the following....

Slow them down by holding them in a lane for 6 miles.
Slam your brakes on at the earliest oportunity.
Deliberately slow down.
Speed up when they attempt to overtake you.
Make jestures of any kind (including head shaking) to them.

If this happened to anyone on test and they did any of the above (and more Ive seen) they would fail their test. Why do drivers drive in a manner and seemingly try to be below the required standard (which is very basic in the first place)why not rise above it all, no one will thank you for personal intervention.

The idiots and nutters will always be there I can assure everyone of that and no individual motorists negative action will stop it, but more likely increase it, why not just let them have their stupidity shown up later where you can make a difference as a witness if required.

I was a driving instructor in the past on all licence groups except a road roller, I taught advanced on two licence groups, VIP driving course and been operational in that role, dabbled in racing, ralleying, off roading and used to travel over 100,000miles and more PA using 3 veh types,driven in 10 countries, lapsed member of ROSPA/IAM yet passing on my experience matters little to most people the moment they get that pass cert in their grubby little mit, all of a sudden they become experts, everyone else is wrong, they know better than me and some become members of the self important one man traffic policing squad.
Driving is easy, people make it hard.

 

[Cernunnos]

The world is full of idiots.

This morning at 8, going to Tesco's to beat the crowds, I was driving along at 28mph in the dark,fog and cold. The road was a little slippy and I felt comfortable.

That is until a git in a GTI comes blasting up behind me with his lights on full, fog lights blazing and little blue neons on his washer ducts. Obviously wanting to go faster than me, but not able to, he started pushing me to go faster. I wasn't having any of it. At one stage, I estimate he was no more than 3 feet behind me. Eventually the road widened and he shot past at about 45mph.

A mile up the road is a roundabout. When I get there all I can see is a cloud of steam a scene of carnage as the peasent in the GTI had misjudged the corner, rolled his prized Golf and sideswiped another car.

Stopping to help (luckily nobody really hurt) I looked at the GTI driver and shook my head. He turned on me as if I had just called his mother something and threatened to engage my privates in a game of soccer!

I waited for the Police to arrive, gave my side of events and left. Eventually got to Tescos and then had to fight my way round in the melee of people.

All because some idiot wanted to drive too fast for the conditions.

Ther world is full of idiots out on the road of one form or another.

It certainly is not comfortable driving with someone up your backside or in slippy dark conditions. Many people will either speed up to maintain a better distance. Others will slowdown to pee off the boy/girl-racer, until they go past. Others might simply find somewhere to pull over to let them past.

Letting them past to find a tree to wrap themselves round is perhaps the best option, though I pity the other motorist who they might involve in their blithe driving.

Some people tap the brakes or put on their hazards (another option) will only pee them off too & mean they are also being dangerous & this could potentially escalate.

btw I assume that when you were doing 28mph you were in a builtup area or driving down narrow country lanes in that fog?

Many people underestimate the conditions this time of year, especially when the roads start to get very greasy.

For instance, It almost makes me laugh in dispair when at the slightest sprinkle of snow seems to bring things to an almost complete standstill in my town where no-one seems to know how to handle snow, resulting in people either sliding all over the place or cralling along at an almost standstill because they don't trust their own driving skills.

One place I used to live suffered every year with extremely heavey fog & on the occasions it snowed it tended to drift, I think it would do the UK motorists some good to experience really bad conditions a few times every year to give them some respect for what nature can throw at us & to give them the confidence to cope with adverse conditions with safety.

P.S. I notice after my quote that herb (above) has made some excelent comments. :thumbsup:

 

[Imurg]

The biggest problem with the kids IMHO is that although they may get taught well there is an overiding problem.

How, as a race/species, do we learn??

Answer :- We copy. Simple as that.

The kids see their dads, taxi drivers, Jonny from down the road who passed his test a year ago and looks sooooo coool in his beaten up 205 GTI, all doing stupid things in the name of getting there quicker. So they copy them, thinking that if they can do it, why can't I?

The Police did a test a year or 2 ago. They took 2 identical cars and 2 of their best drivers on a route over various roads for about 40 miles. The first car was not allowed to break a speed limit at all and the other was - as long as he was not endangering life(?). Anyway, they left at the same time.

How much quicker did the speeding car cover the 40 miles?


97 seconds is the answer. Ok its not a truly scientific test but it gives a picture. The second car was at times going 25 mph over the limit. All that risk and all that petrol for 97 seconds on an hours journey.

Trouble is, as Herb says, once they get their ticket they know it all.

Only way to combat this is to introduce some form of asessment or test. They have the perfect opertunity now. The new photocard licences are begining to run out and need to be replaced (every 10 years). Bring in this assessment so that you need to send confirmation of your ability to DVLA in order to continue to hold a licence.

I put this personally to the CEO of the DRiving Standards Agency 3 months ago. The answer was a definite no. "It would impact on too many lives" was the answer.

So if the DSA (or Double Standards Agency as we like to call them!) don't want to get involved then I ask myself why I'm bothering?

Quite depressing at times - good job I play Golf!!

 

[Parmo]

Sounds a nightmare fella, the Taxi driver this morning nearly killed us driving to fast grr

 

[madandra]

I remember when I passed my test my dad told me that ANYONE can drive fast but good drivers can stop and that my car will only ever go where 'I' put it and if that is under a lorry, down a ditch or off a cliff it is because my inability as a driver put it there.

On the 12th of June 2000 I was dorking as a delivery driver down in the Scottish borders (Newton St Boswells) when a ... T1T for want of a better word flew past our lorry in a VW van at about 65 mph on a country road. I had only got the words 'Theres never a Polis when you want one' out my mouth that we cam round a corner to a road full of debris. The kn0b in the van had lost it and the van was in the middle of the road with no sign of the driver. I got out and my second man stopped the lorry in the middle of the road to keep us safe. The van driver was unconcious in the passenger side footwell. I broke the window and managed to get the locked door open and see if he was alive or dead. I was glad to see that even 4rseholes have pulses.


TCALSS

He had come round the corner texting, caught the corner of a bend which forced him into such a violent 360 that he was sucked from his seat and dumped in the passenger side footwell. He eventually came round and told me, Officer Dibble and an ambulance man he was bombing home to see Englands game against Portugal to which tha ambulance man said in getting him into the vehicvle OFF FIGO (OF WE GO).... that boy is so lucky.

 

[medwayjon]

We sold a car to a kiddie last week, a corsa it was.

He was a right knob-head and we were taking bets on when he would crash it.

He picked the car up on saturday, tuesday morning on the way to work we saw it abandoned at the roadside with the front end smashed back to the a-pillar.

 

[Cernunnos]

The biggest problem with the kids IMHO is that although they may get taught well there is an overiding problem.

How, as a race/species, do we learn??

Answer :- We copy. Simple as that.

The kids see their dads, taxi drivers, Jonny from down the road who passed his test a year ago and looks sooooo coool in his beaten up 205 GTI, all doing stupid things in the name of getting there quicker. So they copy them, thinking that if they can do it, why can't I?

The Police did a test a year or 2 ago. They took 2 identical cars and 2 of their best drivers on a route over various roads for about 40 miles. The first car was not allowed to break a speed limit at all and the other was - as long as he was not endangering life(?). Anyway, they left at the same time.

How much quicker did the speeding car cover the 40 miles?


97 seconds is the answer. Ok its not a truly scientific test but it gives a picture. The second car was at times going 25 mph over the limit. All that risk and all that petrol for 97 seconds on an hours journey.

Trouble is, as Herb says, once they get their ticket they know it all.

Only way to combat this is to introduce some form of asessment or test. They have the perfect opertunity now. The new photocard licences are begining to run out and need to be replaced (every 10 years). Bring in this assessment so that you need to send confirmation of your ability to DVLA in order to continue to hold a licence.

I put this personally to the CEO of the DRiving Standards Agency 3 months ago. The answer was a definite no. "It would impact on too many lives" was the answer.

So if the DSA (or Double Standards Agency as we like to call them!) don't want to get involved then I ask myself why I'm bothering?

Quite depressing at times - good job I play Golf!!

Post. (speach) :Thumbsup:

tbh the best way to save time on a journey with todays busy & clogged up roads is not to speed but to leave home or wherever at the right time so as not to get caught in any of the usual rush hour melee. Or at least try not to..lol.

a difference of leaving home of 5 minutes early on an evening here can mean the difference of getting to work in 20 minutes instead of 45, or even 55 minutes or more some days.

And its not just speed that is dangerous on our roads but the impatience some people have when stuck in traffic, which tbh actually compounds the problems.

I was quite interested at that 97 seconds buisiness, though not really suprized, especially as if I had a pound for every time someone has divven up my arse & then flown past me at speed, only to find them stuck in traffic latter on infront of me & I mean directly infront of me, if I had a pound for every time that has happened, I'd be driveing a much nicer car than I am, or have a better house closser to work...lol.

Driving at one time used to be fun & an enjoyable experience, but these days its a chore at best. I wonder how much we'd all save in fuel if we could all live closser to work & not need to drive, I know I walk into town whenever I can, as it takes about as long to get through traffic & park up as it does to walk into town.

This brings me to my biggest bug bear, but I'll start another thread for this.

 

[tincup]

T
I have had a few incidents with Saxo boys

I dont think it is fair to stereotype certain car drivers, as I myself drive a saxo vtr. I admit that there are a lot of k*******s who do drive them like idiots but there are also other cars aswell, and it is not always young drivers, I am 24 and there is a few times I have given choice hand gestures to older drivers. It took me four times to pass my test so I know how hard it is, I have now been driving for 6 years accident free, and I have no intention of endangering someone elses life for the sake of been a couple of minutes late. I also know how uncomfortable I feel when someone is right up my a**e, so I wouldnt want to put someone in the same position.
sorry, rant over now

 

[Herbie]

The world is full of idiots.

This morning at 8, going to Tesco's to beat the crowds, I was driving along at 28mph in the dark,fog and cold. The road was a little slippy and I felt comfortable.

That is until a git in a GTI comes blasting up behind me with his lights on full, fog lights blazing and little blue neons on his washer ducts. Obviously wanting to go faster than me, but not able to, he started pushing me to go faster. I wasn't having any of it. At one stage, I estimate he was no more than 3 feet behind me. Eventually the road widened and he shot past at about 45mph.

A mile up the road is a roundabout. When I get there all I can see is a cloud of steam a scene of carnage as the peasent in the GTI had misjudged the corner, rolled his prized Golf and sideswiped another car.

Stopping to help (luckily nobody really hurt) I looked at the GTI driver and shook my head. He turned on me as if I had just called his mother something and threatened to engage my privates in a game of soccer!

I waited for the Police to arrive, gave my side of events and left. Eventually got to Tescos and then had to fight my way round in the melee of people.

All because some idiot wanted to drive too fast for the conditions.

Ther world is full of idiots out on the road of one form or another.

It certainly is not comfortable driving with someone up your backside or in slippy dark conditions. Many people will either speed up to maintain a better distance. Others will slowdown to pee off the boy/girl-racer, until they go past. Others might simply find somewhere to pull over to let them past.

Letting them past to find a tree to wrap themselves round is perhaps the best option, though I pity the other motorist who they might involve in their blithe driving.

Some people tap the brakes or put on their hazards (another option) will only pee them off too & mean they are also being dangerous & this could potentially escalate.

btw I assume that when you were doing 28mph you were in a builtup area or driving down narrow country lanes in that fog?

Many people underestimate the conditions this time of year, especially when the roads start to get very greasy.

For instance, It almost makes me laugh in dispair when at the slightest sprinkle of snow seems to bring things to an almost complete standstill in my town where no-one seems to know how to handle snow, resulting in people either sliding all over the place or cralling along at an almost standstill because they don't trust their own driving skills.

One place I used to live suffered every year with extremely heavey fog & on the occasions it snowed it tended to drift, I think it would do the UK motorists some good to experience really bad conditions a few times every year to give them some respect for what nature can throw at us & to give them the confidence to cope with adverse conditions with safety.

P.S. I notice after my quote that herb (above) has made some excelent comments. :thumbsup:

Thats a good point, I wish part of training here included the kind of training drivers do in Finland where they almost teach people to become novis ralley drivers as part of test training.

 

[Imurg]

That scares me almost as much. Over there, they are much more laid back about life in general. We're much too intense, far too arrogant and impatient. Teach to drive like rally drivers and they'll only kill themselves quicker.