Standard of driving

[larmen]

Last week on the way back from golf I twice nearly got bumped into on a roundabout. 2 lanes, I am in the right lane, and the idiots in the left lane don’t follow the lane layout but going straight and therefore into the space I would have been if I didn’t look out for those. Add to that the other dude going straight in a left turn lane and I was fairly agitated when arriving back home.
Driving the same stretch in about an hour again.

 

[jim8flog]

Then there's not knowing whose right of way it is, this one really grinds my gears... drivers who speed up and pull out around parked cars on their side of the road to avoid giving me priority which is rightfully mine. I've decided in this case that i'm going and if they clip my car then it's their fault.

?

When I first started driving the thing about parked cars and whose right of way I investigated with a professional. The answer I was given is that there has to be a line in the middle of road denoting which side is which and in the instance of there not being any line neither party has the right to consider either side of the road as being 'theirs'

 

[PJ87]

Not so much on the standard of driving but road layouts annoy me

Most roads around the areas I drive at lights both lanes go straight on

However go to another area and sure enough you queue in the right hand lane in an equal queue to see last min an arrow for right hand turn.......

Ffs..

 

[2blue]

People who are clueless what to do on a mini roundabout, had one the other day where three women sat looking at each other for about 30 seconds before one of them eventually decided to go after a long horn blast. Absolutely useless %*&£!s

Does anyone actually know what the rule is here? & how blame would be apportioned if there was a incident?
I've asked around in several quarters but have never heard anything conclusive, so it's not surprising that diffident drivers are over cautious. I tend to insistent on my 'rights' as I understand them & have a Dash-cam to back them up, if needed.

Not looking good for me to become a lot wiser on this one!!!

 

[2blue]

When I first started driving the thing about parked cars and whose right of way I investigated with a professional. The answer I was given is that there has to be a line in the middle of road denoting which side is which and in the instance of there not being any line neither party has the right to consider either side of the road as being 'theirs'

Aaah!!.... well that clears up that one.... thanks.

 

[Wolf]

To be honest I don't think the standard has goy worse. There's always been knobs on the road, problem is nowadays there's a lot more of those knobs on the road through sheer number of increased drivers the ratios just changed.

 

[JollyRedDevil]

The school near my house went through the trouble of having 2 very visible camera cars either side of the crossing for a whole week. Guess what, back to square one after the cameras were removed.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

To be honest I don't think the standard has goy worse. There's always been knobs on the road, problem is nowadays there's a lot more of those knobs on the road through sheer number of increased drivers the ratios just changed.

Not sure I agree, I think greater congestion leads to more impatience and less consideration for other road users. It's endemic of the 'me me me' society we live in.

 

[Jamesbrown]

Standards are shocking. So many who drive lacking confidence.
Biggest irritations are those that break randomly. Those that brake going downhill. Those that don’t give the throttle pedal more than an inch of travel when the lights go green. People who needlessly travel well under the limit. Not because “it’s a limit not a target”. But because they are crap at driving.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Standards are shocking. So many who drive lacking confidence.
Biggest irritations are those that break randomly. Those that brake going downhill. Those that don’t give the throttle pedal more than an inch of travel when the lights go green. People who needlessly travel well under the limit. Not because “it’s a limit not a target”. But because they are crap at driving.

Sounds like your impatience is a bigger problem.

 

[User62651]

One minor annoyance is you're waiting at a t junction to turn right, driver you're waiting on approaching from the right waits until the last second to indicate left into your road, by that time cars are coming from the left, just indicate a bit earlier, it's not difficult.

Last Sat evening on M6 north, road pretty quiet, sunny, still getting the odd middle lane hogger sitting there in an empty road, room everywhere but will not budge. Don't get it, I much prefer the left lane to the middle lane, less chance of any trouble with other traffic being just on one side of you.

 

[Wolf]

Not sure I agree, I think greater congestion leads to more impatience and less consideration for other road users. It's endemic of the 'me me me' society we live in.

Agreed, so that's my premise for my opinion more people greater ratio of idiots in the road, that encompasses the selfish, incompetent and downright oblivious.

 

[USER1999]

With regard to accidents, your insurance is based on no claims, not no blames. You really do not need an accident on your record, even if you are 'in the right'. Your premium will go up.

 

[fundy]

Cant believe how bad it is round here since we moved down. The average age of the population is high and the amount of crashes there are on a daily basis is quite unbelievable! Theres plenty still driving who really shouldnt be (including the 80 something who parked in Mountain Warehouse on the high street the other week!) Roads seems to be snarled for accidents almost every time we try and go anywhere (road infrastructure which cant handle the volume of traffic doesnt help which means any small accident cause bigger problems than they should)!

 

[IanM]

Middle lane hoggers on motorways!

Middle lane texters on motorways!

Still see lots of them

 

[anotherdouble]

When I first started driving the thing about parked cars and whose right of way I investigated with a professional. The answer I was given is that there has to be a line in the middle of road denoting which side is which and in the instance of there not being any line neither party has the right to consider either side of the road as being 'theirs'

What sort of line may I ask

 

[MegaSteve]

As I've now become a fully paid up member of team pedestrian...
I am coming around to the thought of lining up all motorists, against a wall, and machine gunning them as the safest way forward...

 

[SaintHacker]

People (particularly in London) who don't seem to grasp a whacking great 14m coach doesn't bend in the middle and needs a bit more room to get round a corner, who then try to squeeze up the (now narrowing) gap to get past, then get irate when said coach has to stop mid bend to avoid a collision and blocks the road as the numpty is now stuck!

 

[Imurg]

Bad driving is caused by arrogance, ignorance and impatience in any combination.
When I passed my test in '83 I couldn't believe I wouldnt be tested or assessed again until I reach the ripe old age of 70 ( apologies to those already there)
That there isn't some form of mandatory reassessment at regular intervals is , in my view, beyond belief.
Rules have changed, signs have changed, there are double the number of cars on the road from when I passed. People are in a hurry and find they can save a bit of time by not following the rules. The trouble is that the new drivers see it and realise they can save a bit too......and the cycle continues
The new test, bought in 18 months ago, doesn't, again in my view, produce better drivers. It's easier to pass.
A few years ago the DSA introduced Independent Driving into the test. The kids had to drive for 10 minutes following signs to a destination or a series of directions (1st left, 2nd right, 2nd exit off the roundabout etc)
With the new test the kids have to follow SatNav directions for 20 minutes.
Sounds better doesn't it.
But the SatNav is, effectively, replacing the examiner for 20 minutes.
Examiner says - at the roundabout take the 1st exit left
SatNav says - at the roundabout take the 1st exit left.
No different.
Before, the examiner would say - follow signs to "X"...
The kids had to look for the signs, work out where they had to go and then do it.
Much harder.
They've replaced some relatively tricky manoeuvres (3 point turn, reverse around the corner) with relatively easy ones ( front first bay park and pulling up on the rhs of the road)
These require less car control skills.
With the test being, in my view, easier to pass the end result is more drivers on the road with weaker skills.
I try to only put the kids up for test when I think they're good enough to pass the old test or better but I know plenty of instructors that will put pupils in for test in the "hope" that they'll pass...many do and I just don't think many of them are ready.
I'm as frustrated as everyone else

 

[jim8flog]

What sort of line may I ask

The lines one usually get in the in the 'middle' of a road broken continuous or otherwise to denote lanes or right and left hand side of the road. Where I live lots of roads do not have any such lines on them.