Driving standards

[JDW]

I simply don't understand how people can not recognise they are on a motorway.  OK, there are maybe a few exceptions, dual carriageways where the 2 carriageways are separated by a short distance, trees, whatever, but even that is generally only for a short distance.  And when tall the other traffic is coming towards you, the signs are all backwards, there's a hard shoulder on the far side not next to you,... How can they not recognise this?  And how can a sane human being keep going?  Even allowing for, say, a badly marked entrance slip or traffic light junction on a dual carraigeway, why on earth would you keep going???  Mistakes happen, and even what one person might see as a well signed, well laid out junction might not be immediately obvious to another, but how someone can not realise after the first few yards, and then consciously keep going, its beyond me, and should incur an immediate loss of licence - they obviously do not understand how to use a road, which is a pretty fundamental requirement to pass your test in the first place...

[Allegheny1600]

I have an (ahem) amusing tale about this kind of thing, . . .

Back when I was a cyclist not a motorist, I took turns living in the UK and France. One day in France, riding over to see my mate in a nearby village, I had to climb a particularly steep hill with lots of hairpin bends on it. At some point a lady motorist nearly took me out as she went downhill, I turned around and gesticulated wildly (I was in France, after all!), thinking "Stupid woman, driving on the wrong side of the road", then it slowly occurred to me that it was actually me who was in the wrong!

I'd somehow become confused either at the junction or on a hairpin bend, I don't know but somewhere, somehow I'd ended up on the British side of the road!!!

Thank goodness, it was a very quiet road. Although a busy road would have alerted me sooner I'm sure (or, I wouldn't be here!).

 

I'm not excusing any driver of a motor vehicle for going the wrong way, as JDW says, you're on the wrong side, signs are backwards, all other vehicles are oncoming etc.

It's certainly not a laughing matter on a high speed road, that's for sure.

John.

[JDW]

I've actually had that done to me too John, on a narrow (wide enough for a bus and car but no more) road heading towards a student hall of residence (clicky for piccy below).  There's a cycle lane marked on the uphill side, with direction arrows, but not the downhill side.  As I headed uphill, around a blind left bend - not that sharp, but with a high brick wall right up to the kerb, and so no pavement - a cyclist came down the hill on my side of the road towards me, we met right on the apex of the bend.  Unfortunately for her, I was heading towards her with a double decker bus.  Fortunately for her, there was nothing else coming the other way and I swerved around her.  I suspect she was one of the many foreign students living in the halls.  I also suspect she didn't do it again...

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.1732248,-2.0954845,3a,75y,349.89h,91.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp_MTvX9mKQV2NKDJdnaGtQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[SM42]

Had a close one the other day.

 

I was third back in a line of traffic moving at a reasonable speed and had noticed the driver behind was not paying full attention. What they were doing I don't know but I think driving was about number 3 or 4  on the list of priorities.

 

When  the car at the  front of the line stops to turn right, for some unconscious reason I stop in the queue with about a three car length gap ahead of me. I glance in the mirror to see the car behind still accelerating and then the front bumper suddenly dipped quite  alarmingly.  I moved up to make some room and braced for impact. Fortunately they stopped at about the spot where I had stopped originally.

 

For some reason I was then the subject of much shouting and arm waving from behind. I think they may have spilled their morning coffee.  

 

It seems that no-one has time for anything these days and driving is considered a dead time when you could be doing something more important like shaving, eating breakfast or getting dressed.   What's wrong with getting up 10 minutes earlier?

 

On a slightly different note, has anyone else noticed how distracting the modern car has become?

 

I had a courtesy car the other day when mine was in for service. This had a collision warning system.

 

Now as I was making my way through the school run traffic to take it back and dodging around the numerous  parked cars, it suddenly beeped at me and a big orange symbol flashed up on the dashboard. Now being of a certain age (old enough to remember manual chokes) my first thought was what's gone wrong now and what the hell does that symbol mean?

 

It seems it was telling me I was about to hit a parked car, the avoidance of which I had just been distracted from by the car warning me about what I could see out of the windscreen.

 

I miss the old days.

 

Andy

[alastairq]

We have reached the stage of motoring life where drivers now expect to be 'told' of large objects ahead.

 

Rather than, motorists expecting to have to observe properly.

 

Hence, in broad daylight, when I'm driving along, without headlights [or even sidelights], with visibility actually being literally, as far as it is physically possible to see [ie, measured in miles, not yards]......the occasional oncoming car flashes their headlights at me....simply because I am now one of the very few who does not have their lights on!

 

Drivers now expect to be told I am there....rather than simply observing correctly, and seeing me!

 

I now don't actually care whether I'm seen, or not.  I'll deal with them,  comfortably, since I no longer expect them to be able to deal with me.

 

[No-one has ever made a successful claim against me for the past half century!]

[duncan]

DDL  = dangerous driving lights   designed to distract, dazzle & blind  

 

I run a classic car & now wonder if I should be driving with full beam on, just to be "seen" among these DDLs 

[Allegheny1600]

How's this for an 'interesting' drive home?

Most Friday evenings I go over to see my mate in Sale for an operating session (playing trains!). My return journey is often between 23.30 until midnight sort of time and involves the M60 and A580 (east Lancs road). Last time, as I approached my junction to come off the M60, I had to slow down as a taxi in the middle lane was driving unusually slowly, this on a 50Mph average speed check section so he's doing maybe 30-35!

I'm close to my junction so I wait for him, indicate, take my slip road etc. Before I get fully off the motorway proper, the taxi suddenly cuts across from lane two and also tries to take the slip road! I give him the horn as I have little option of stopping and he slams on and stops in the hatched area, following traffic has time to react to his incredible action and let him proceed.

Somewhat shook up, I make my way to the roundabout at the top of the slip road, where from some distance I can see a man slowly (drunkenly) making his way across the road but does he go straight? Oh no! He's veering and staggering all over and as I get closer, I can see he is more interested in his mobile than where he is walking.

Now, I have to slow again for the roundabout but I'm going even slower, aware that an idiot is approaching from my rear so I give the drunk a very small beep just to make him aware he is on the road and there are cars about.

Maybe he drops his phone, I certainly now faced a torrent of abuse but, tough! He's off the road now and relatively safe!?

So, I continue my journey and make my way along the east Lancs without incident - until I have to wait at the lights on my filter turn off!

The car behind me was also waiting apparently patiently until we get the green.

As I make my way along the road that leads to my street, this car want's to get in my boot! I tolerate this to an indicated 32 in a 30Mph limit (I know my speedo's limitations) but this is clearly not fast enough for this guy.

I now stick rigidly to 30 so he drops back a bit. I think "OK, he now realises what the limit is" WRONG!!! He buries his accelerator in the floorboards and races up to me!

Now, it may be small(ish) but I'm in a sturdy 4x4 so I don't alter anything in my driving, just brace for impact - which doesn't come, thankfully.

He drops back again and tries again, now going for an overtaking move - only now there is an oncoming car so he fails at that which makes me chuckle to myself. I can now call him such a complete muppet.

Thankfully, my junction is approaching and I pray for him not to follow me, he doesn't - just carries on. If he had followed me, I would have driven round and round or gone to the local Police station, no way was I going to go straight home with him around.

When I got home, I needed a stiff drink, I can tell you!

 

This was an exceptionally bad trip - 3 morons in c.20 miles over a 40 minute journey! Now, it was probably just bad luck but the last one was quite scary, anyone else come across this kind of bullying tactic, please?

Cheers,

John.

[trisonic]

Your local Police Station would probably be closed and unmanned..........

 

Best, Pete.

[Allegheny1600]

Good point,

Thanks Pete. If it ever happens again (I hope not) I'll remember to drive towards my nearby larger town where the Police would be in residence! I'd be surprised if anyone would want to follow anyone so far but these days, who knows?

[trisonic]

Luckily I have a part time job at the local Police Dept.

I was driving along Interstate 78 home from Manhattan when some jerk started waving a pistol at me from his car. I got on the blower and within minutes  4 squad cars appeared in the traffic and pulled him over - Illegal possession (he was a felon) and threatening behavior, he was also on parole...

 

Good luck, Pete.

[Butler Henderson]

I complained to NotYourCleverCouncil regarding a new set of traffic lights that they had installed at a T junction. traffic from the turn left or right road had previously been controlled by a solitary set of traffic lights but now have separate left and right turn signals. The left turn one facing from the far side of the junction being to the right of the left turning queue; the result of this was right turners proceeding when only the left turn signal was green with the result of a few near misses with vehicles turning right into the road. Anyway NYCC decided the lights were correctly sited but it has made me wonder why the red and ambers are not arrowed, only the greens.

[PhilJ W]

Back in 1976 I had a Bedford Dormobile. I was driving into Romford when I saw a mate waiting for a bus outside North Street bus garage so I offered him a lift. Only a few yards further on I found myself behind a learner driver who was getting a bit flustered, even stalling the car on one occasion, there was no way to pass the learner so I had to wait patiently until they got moving. A few seconds later the driver behind me started sounding his horn and flashing his lights. After a few minutes the leaner was able to pull away and we were able to proceed. As soon as the road opened up the driver who was behind me pulled past in front of me forcing me into the kerb then turned round and started gesticulating. My mate who was with me was a police officer who was on his way to work, he had taken off his 'civvy' jacket and donned his tunic and cap. He just stepped out of the Dormobile and the other drivers face was a sight to behold, my mate then spent a couple of minutes pointing out to him the error of his ways.

[newbryford]

I complained to NotYourCleverCouncil regarding a new set of traffic lights that they had installed at a T junction. traffic from the turn left or right road had previously been controlled by a solitary set of traffic lights but now have separate left and right turn signals. The left turn one facing from the far side of the junction being to the right of the left turning queue; the result of this was right turners proceeding when only the left turn signal was green with the result of a few near misses with vehicles turning right into the road. Anyway NYCC decided the lights were correctly sited but it has made me wonder why the red and ambers are not arrowed, only the greens.

 

Amber arrows are starting to appear at lights around my way. Red traffic light arrows would just confuse the heck out of people even more. They could be mistaken for a green arrow for those with colour-blindness issues - and yes, I know that reds are always at the top for those same colour blind reasons

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited March 12, 2016 by newbryford

[alastairq]

I always jump red lights!

 

I mean, why wait around for some numpty to rear-end you?

 

[peanuts]

I always jump red lights!

 

I mean, why wait around for some numpty to rear-end you?

 

bloody cyclists 

[railsquid]

I have an (ahem) amusing tale about this kind of thing, . . .

Back when I was a cyclist not a motorist, I took turns living in the UK and France. One day in France, riding over to see my mate in a nearby village, I had to climb a particularly steep hill with lots of hairpin bends on it. At some point a lady motorist nearly took me out as she went downhill, I turned around and gesticulated wildly (I was in France, after all!), thinking "Stupid woman, driving on the wrong side of the road", then it slowly occurred to me that it was actually me who was in the wrong!

I'd somehow become confused either at the junction or on a hairpin bend, I don't know but somewhere, somehow I'd ended up on the British side of the road!!!

Thank goodness, it was a very quiet road. Although a busy road would have alerted me sooner I'm sure (or, I wouldn't be here!).

 

That happened to me while cycling in Austria on a small road through a wood while on an exchange trip... Oncoming car, I automatically veered to the left... cue dirty stare from driver... Mind you in the UK I thoroughly confused the exchange partner, who was following me, by cycling down the right-hand side of what appeared to be a normal two-lane road - unbeknown to him it was a one-way anomaly caused by gyratory small-town pseudo-ringroad.

 

I always jump red lights!

 

I mean, why wait around for some numpty to rear-end you?

 

 

bloody cyclists 

 

 

I did that once, mind you both parties were cyclists.

[Sidecar Racer]

I always jump red lights!

 

I mean, why wait around for some numpty to rear-end you?

 

 

 

bloody cyclists 

 

 They do it all the time .

 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

I simply don't understand how people can not recognise they are on a motorway.  OK, there are maybe a few exceptions, dual carriageways where the 2 carriageways are separated by a short distance, trees, whatever, but even that is generally only for a short distance.  And when all the other traffic is coming towards you, the signs are all backwards, there's a hard shoulder on the far side not next to you,... How can they not recognise this?  And how can a sane human being keep going?  ...

We have reached the stage of motoring life where drivers now expect to be 'told' of large objects ahead. Rather than, motorists expecting to have to observe properly...

 

I understand that it has been seriously proposed that on the rear of motorway signs at all access points - everywhere an incorrect direction attempt might be made in other words - to actually explicitly sign 'Wrong Way, stop immediately on hard shoulder'. The objection to this idea is that it would almost certainly be ineffective, so much other roadsign information having already to be ignored to get to the point of actually seeing the 'wrong way' sign, indicating that the driver ain't really observing anything. My conclusion too: one wrong way job on the motorway, lifetime deprivation of driving licence on grounds of demonstrated incapability.

[Guest]

bloody cyclists 

Seems nobody likes cyclists

[alastairq]

This stuff about going the 'wrong' way down motorways and things.......may I suggest folk actually take a good look at many of our less well known slip roads?  Especially paying attention to the 'visibility' things like, the 'no entry' signs?

 

Highways Authorities seem to be quite tardy in correcting signage which has sustained damage, or simply, been vandalised.

 

Often, I get the feeling the Highways People rather take it for granted everyone will be able to see, and understand, signage, in the position they place it.

 

Often, such attitudes fall back on the old cherry of 'common sense', etc.

 

Well, ''common sense'', as we call it, really is a falsehood in extremis, in my view. It presumes we all are in possession of the rules & parameters, within which we exercise ''common sense''.

 

[in my own work, it is unwise to make the assumption the person behind the steering wheel understands those rules & parameters.]

 

But, what if a driver isn't fully au fait with stuff like the highway code, for example?

 

Before we try and ban errant drivers willy nilly, try going around those one knows, who drive, and ask basic Highway Code questions.....?  Of course, the correct and full answer is needed...not some half-baked vague ideas!

 

For I guarantee, most drivers will fall into the latter category of knowledge.

 

Do we banish them all from the roads?  [Most get away with the lack of knowledge....a lot simply don't care....all are potentially capable of lethal actions]

 

The issue of wrong way on a motorway is one I have seen nearly occur, on more than one occasion.....and from apparently competent, skilled drivers too.  Especially when there is a distraction to the task of driving. Such as, receiving,  or trying to find, directions or routes? [the distraction occurring on the several occasions when i have had to take action to prevent the driver making the wrong move.]

 

It can happen oh so easily.....especially if the local circumstances are ''right.''   

 

IE, making the turn at a roundabout, failing to see the misplaced 'no entry' signs [clouted by unknown vehicles]...no other traffic around, at that time, to offer any clues as to the error being committed....then the  realisation of the error, and the 'magnitude' of it...leading to panic [freezing?]....[unless one is driving a Volvo?..Then, everybody else is going the wrong way!]

 

How many on this forum have actually gone the 'wrong' way up a one way street at any time in their motoring lives?  I know I have in the past.......and got away with it. [ ie,neither being 'caught', nor being involved in collisions].  Nobody gone up a 'buses only' street? Not even the excuse of 'sorry occifer, I'm a bus driver...I forgot what I was driving''.....

 

How often in a year does a 'wrong way on a motorway' actually happen?

 

Is it often enough to create a worry?

 

How much would signage cost?  [Relatively speaking....in the overall scheme of things?]

[Baby Deltic]

Seems nobody likes cyclistshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kotWv4MCxNI

Looks like they were being ostri-cised from the area.

[alastairq]

Probably why cyclists refuse to use dedicated cycle tracks? {'Cause of the ostriches?}   

[kevinlms]

 

 They do it all the time .

 

In Australia, the car driver would normally be considered as illegally parked. I.e. the ticket would be written out as wheels too far out from the (LH) edge of the road! Exceptions are on one way roads or most unusually where signed. Definitely not something to encourage learner drivers to do!

[Butler Henderson]

As both a motorist and cyclist I see things from both points of view. Far too much cycling infrastructure is in poor state, with junctions with roads formed by kerbs that have become unflush, result that anyone with a thin tyred road bike is going to avoid them. Or it could be a case of poor signposting; NYCC in their typical incompetance put up a stack of signs on a local road actually directing cyclists along the road rather than the adjacent cycle track. Did complain but nothings happened, only been a year. Some cycle tracks are simply pointless, one classic I came across was an ultra short cycle track whose sole purpose was to get cyclists out of the way of motorists at what would otherwise be a pinch point caused by a pedestrian refuge in the centre of the road and if you choose to use it it expects you give way to road traffic at the end, on a steepish uphill road, who are they kidding. Red lights are obeyed but I cetainly have sympathy with cyclists opting to use pavements, which have not been marked as for use by cyclists, in some circumstances like going uphill on a busy A road.

[kevinlms]

This footage has been sent to the bus operator

 

 

Article

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-14/cyclist's-near-miss-with-bus-in-canberra/7245444

 

 

It would seem that the bus wanted to beat the lights, before they went red.