Driving standards

[AndyID]

When driving in Italy is it still necessary to keep your left arm out the window?

[petethemole]

Not just Italy; the driver and/or passenger has to keep an arm out of the window and grasp the gutter/edge of the roof, otherwise the roof will fly off.

[PhilJ W]

Our local multi, mini, magic roundabout (Sadlers Farm) was converted back to a conventional shape but with light controlled access from most of the roads joining. However to remove the traffic turning right heading south there is a short cut across the middle of the roundabout.

Confusing for non locals.

Not helped by the fact that to continue towards Southend or Canvey where the road splits you take the left fork. If you want to take the A130 which is to the left you take the right fork.

[PhilJ W]

When driving in Italy is it still necessary to keep your left arm out the window?

A bit awkward in a right hand drive car.

[Tony_S]

Not helped by the fact that to continue towards Southend or Canvey where the road splits you take the left fork. If you want to take the A130 which is to the left you take the right fork.

And even more confusing, for those who think the way to Southend is to continue along the A13 (as per Billy Bragg, A13, Trunk Road to the Sea) the signage indicated the route to Southend as being via the A130 and the A127.

[PhilJ W]

And even more confusing, for those who think the way to Southend is to continue along the A13 (as per Billy Bragg, A13, Trunk Road to the Sea) the signage indicated the route to Southend as being via the A130 and the A127.

That causes traffic jams galore during the rush hours as it is almost impossible to get onto the A13 from the A130 due to the constant stream of traffic using the roundabout between Sadlers Farm and the A127.

[Enterprisingwestern]

A bit awkward in a right hand drive car.

 

Awkward, but not impossible!

 

Mike.

[luckymucklebackit]

How do you tell if someone is a Driving Instructor, in the Summertime - His left arm is the only one that is sun tanned  (One of many witty observations from "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" by David Nobbs)

[coachmann]

I was heading around the large roundabout under the Abergele bye-pass at 20.10hrs last night on the way to hospital when I was confronted by a car coming towards me. I braked, selected reverse, checked mirror and was about to reverse to avoid a collision or at least cushion the impact.........All this in a split-second. The driver was in no hurry to brake until he saw a car speed past me on the roundabout. He braked and I stabbed at my emergency flashers and waited for him to do his 3-point turn while stationary motorists coming on from the slip roads looked on in amazement. At least everyone else had the sense to stop until it was sorted. Carrying on, I tried to figure out where he went wrong. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by coachmann

[johnarcher]

Not just Italy; the driver and/or passenger has to keep an arm out of the window and grasp the gutter/edge of the roof, otherwise the roof will fly off.

Perhaps you should be able to buy, along with the dipped headlight re-aligning sticker things, a dummy arm to clip in place if driving a right-hand drive car there?

 

On the motorway heading for Rome some years ago, spot on the speed limit, I was passed at high speed, on the wrong (in-) side by a hearse. It wasn't until some time later I realised I had been under-taken by an undertaker.

[johnlambert]

I've just got back from Rome, I'm not sure I can complan about UK driving standards anymore.  It's crazy over there, and yet it seems to work.

 

I even had a go at riding a scooter around Rome (following a local guide).  At one point we went up the centre of a city street between the traffic, with other motorbikes and scooters filtering towards us there didn't always look like there was room for everyone but somehow I always found a gap when I needed one.

 

I probably ought to gloss over the things done by the professional drivers who picked me up from, and took me back to, the airport.

[ejstubbs]

I was heading around the large roundabout under the Abergele bye-pass at 20.10hrs last night on the way to hospital when I was confronted by a car coming towards me.

 

I once encountered someone driving the wrong way down an exit slip road off the Edinburgh City Bypass.  It's a long, two-lane slip road that people often join at 70mph before slowing for the roundabout at the top.  Fortunately everyone - including the driver who'd made the mistake - stopped in time.

 

What I couldn't understand was how they'd managed to convince themselves that the slip road was a good place to go.  The turn off the roundabout (clearly shown on Google Maps here) is pretty sharp and fairly obviously designed solely for entering the roundabout.  Unless they had managed to go round the roundabout the wrong way as well which, given the layout of the roads at that point, is an even more scary thought...

 

Many years ago I witnessed someone get it very badly wrong heading northbound at the Swiss Cottage gyratory on the Finchley Road.  I could only imagine the look on the driver's face when they found themselves facing four lanes of traffic pointing towards them them, and about to get a green light!  Fortunately everyone was very sensible and waited while the confused driver sorted themselves out; the consequences otherwise don't really bear thinking about.

Edited May 15, 2018 by ejstubbs

[Horsetan]

.....Many years ago I witnessed someone get it very badly wrong heading northbound at the Swiss Cottage gyratory on the Finchley Road.  I could only imagine the look on the driver's face when they found themselves facing four lanes of traffic pointing towards them them, and about to get a green light!  Fortunately everyone was very sensible and waited while the confused driver sorted themselves out; the consequences otherwise don't really bear thinking about.

 

I did that once at North Watford one night, when turning right out of St. Albans Road onto the A405 Eastboundat this junction. I mistook the A405 Westbound right-turn exit for the Eastbound and wondered why there was a car facing me.

[TheQ]

This used to be a favourite for going the wrong way, you're quite happy on holiday, trundeling along the road admiring the girls on the beach and suddenly the road you are in turns into a roundabout and you're going the wrong way...

 they've much improved the road markings since I used to live nearby..

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Weston-super-Mare/@51.3449495,-2.98164,196m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4871f6e01d7c53ef:0xa2312ff8fdad9426!8m2!3d51.347405!4d-2.977255

 

the leg on the left going upwards used to be two way as well...

Zoom out a little for the full implications of the confusion..

Edited May 15, 2018 by TheQ

[Andrew F]

Yes, we all make mistakes. I can remember driving a large rigid lorry down the wrong slip road somewhere in North Yorkshire/Teeside only noticing my error halfway down. It took about a thirty point turn to get it the right way. Unbelievably nothing came up the slip road. Another time I put an artic on that access bridge over Bescot yard and had to blind side reverse it back onto the dual carriageway but luckily that was in the middle of the night.

[kevinlms]

One mistake I made years ago, was a right hand turn in a part of Melbourne I rarely visit. I got about 80% of the way around the turn and STOP!

 

I was heading for a tram track and this section was a reserved track, which has conventional rails and ballast! No thanks.

 

So I beat a hasty retreat & went further left to my side of the road.

[62613]

One mistake I made years ago, was a right hand turn in a part of Melbourne I rarely visit. I got about 80% of the way around the turn and STOP!

 

I was heading for a tram track and this section was a reserved track, which has conventional rails and ballast! No thanks.

 

So I beat a hasty retreat & went further left to my side of the road.

For some reason, that seems to happen a lot on the Metrolink lines in Ashton-under-Lyne

[polybear]

When learning to drive, my ex-next door neighbour was told by the driving instructor to "turn right at the next roundabout".  Which happened to be the A10/North Circular roundabout, before they put the underpass in.  So she turned right.....anticlockwise around the roundabout....

Couldn't have happened to a sillier cow

[PhilJ W]

There is a short one way stretch by Basildon Market. I was crossing that road and looked right as that was where the traffic was supposed to come from. I was almost instantly greeted by a blast on the horn and a squeal of brakes on my left. The driver got out of the car and started lambasting me about jaywalking! His shouting attracted the attention of a couple of police officers and he complained to them about my 'jaywalking' at which point one of the officers pointed to a one way sign with the arrow pointing to where he had just come from, as he wrote out the penalty ticket.

[DaveF]

This afternoon I went to get Mum her tea, as I am a carer for her.  As usual I parked on the very quiet road outside her flat at 4.30pm

 

I got back to the car at 6.45pm to find a large dent in the driver's door. and no note with a name and address.

 

When I got home I took photos and rang the police to report it.  

 

They were able to tell me that the driver of the car which hit mine has reported it to them, and has admitted liablity to them.

 

The police will contact me in due course so it can be dealt with.

 

My insurance company are happy to wait until the police get in touch for me to report the damage, so they can pursue a claim against the other person.

 

It is nice that someone is honest enough to go to the police, but how do you manage to drive into a parked car - especially a bright red one?  I think he was probably leaving a parking space on the other side of the road.

 

Needless to say I will now find somewhere else to park.

 

David

[Enterprisingwestern]

This afternoon I went to get Mum her tea, as I am a carer for her.  As usual I parked on the very quiet road outside her flat at 4.30pm

 

I got back to the car at 6.45pm to find a large dent in the driver's door. and no note with a name and address.

 

When I got home I took photos and rang the police to report it.  

 

They were able to tell me that the driver of the car which hit mine has reported it to them, and has admitted liablity to them.

 

The police will contact me in due course so it can be dealt with.

 

My insurance company are happy to wait until the police get in touch for me to report the damage, so they can pursue a claim against the other person.

 

It is nice that someone is honest enough to go to the police, but how do you manage to drive into a parked car - especially a bright red one?  I think he was probably leaving a parking space on the other side of the road.

 

Needless to say I will now find somewhere else to park.

 

David

 

I had a similar scenario once, but the other cretin drove off and left no forwarding address with anybody.

All I knew was that it was a blue Citroen C3 as the bumper inset panel was laid at the side of my car, and that had a part number on it.

Protected no claim, but lost my excess.

 

Mike.

[PatB]

How do you tell if someone is a Driving Instructor, in the Summertime - His left arm is the only one that is sun tanned  (One of many witty observations from "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" by David Nobbs)

 

In Australia it's known as Pommy Rash .

[polybear]

 

Protected no claim, but lost my excess.

 

Mike.

 

What many don't realise (I didn't) is that "Protected No Claims" doesn't stop your premium going up.  All it does is protect the percentage discount you get.  So if the basic policy premium pre-accident is £500 and you have 50% no claims discount then the premium payable will be £250 (I knew my O-level maths would be useful one day...).  But if Mr. Insurance jacks up the basic premium to a grand because of an accident then you end up paying five hundred notes, even though you have protected no-claims.  Swindle....

p.s. And they can still increase your premium even though an accident wasn't your fault.  Work that one out.

[Enterprisingwestern]

What many don't realise (I didn't) is that "Protected No Claims" doesn't stop your premium going up.  All it does is protect the percentage discount you get.  So if the basic policy premium pre-accident is £500 and you have 50% no claims discount then the premium payable will be £250 (I knew my O-level maths would be useful one day...).  But if Mr. Insurance jacks up the basic premium to a grand because of an accident then you end up paying five hundred notes, even though you have protected no-claims.  Swindle....

p.s. And they can still increase your premium even though an accident wasn't your fault.  Work that one out.

 

You're obviously not insured with LV. My next renewal premium only went up in line with inflation.

 

Mike.

[chris p bacon]

What many don't realise (I didn't) is that "Protected No Claims" doesn't stop your premium going up.  All it does is protect the percentage discount you get.  So if the basic policy premium pre-accident is £500 and you have 50% no claims discount then the premium payable will be £250 (I knew my O-level maths would be useful one day...).  But if Mr. Insurance jacks up the basic premium to a grand because of an accident then you end up paying five hundred notes, even though you have protected no-claims.  Swindle....

p.s. And they can still increase your premium even though an accident wasn't your fault.  Work that one out.

 

 

You're obviously not insured with LV. My next renewal premium only went up in line with inflation.

 

Mike.

 

Truck got totalled last year when parked, the claim was settled with the other insured picking up the tab and no cost to me. My renewal came a month ago and had gone from £300 to £867 even though I had maximum NCD and protected.  As Polybear says the Full premium had gone from £750 to £2200. 

 

Changed insurer and paid £300 again.