Driving standards

[boxbrownie]

10 hours ago, ianwales said:

Saw an interesting one today, There is a roundabout near me where 2 main roads join which is approached over a bridge, it has a set of traffic lights beyond it when heading west so it can become quite congested at certain times of the day especially so when the schools are finishing, the road is an average street width with a pavement either side, so I am sitting in the queue waiting for the cars in front to move when I become aware of a vehicle on my left, someone behind had decided he or she no longer wished to wait and was driving down the pavement to jump the queue and push his/her way in on the roundabout!

 

Ian

Yes, but Love Island starts in five minutes.......

[ejstubbs]

14 hours ago, ianwales said:

I am sitting in the queue waiting for the cars in front to move when I become aware of a vehicle on my left, someone behind had decided he or she no longer wished to wait and was driving down the pavement to jump the queue and push his/her way in on the roundabout!

 

I saw something similar, but worse, a while back on my drive to work.  There is a traffic-light controlled T-junction which has two lanes for no more than 50m on the approach; before that it's a single lane and the road is only two lanes wide in total.  With side roads and entrances to commercial premises on both sides there's not realistically room for folks to "tuck in " to make another "lane".  The lights have a left-turn filter which comes on about 15s before the main green and it's not uncommon for traffic wishing to turn right to tail back in to the single lane, so left-turning traffic just has to wait.  Critically, you can't actually see the traffic light from the end of the single lane section because of a bend in the road.  You also, therefore, cannot see whether there are any pedestrians on the footway to the left ahead of you.  On this particular occasion there had been a serious incident on the right-turn road from the junction and traffic was tailed back a loooong way.  As I was waiting in the single lane section to turn right, I saw several vehicles (including vans) driving up on to the footway to squeeze past on the left regardless of the fact that (a) they couldn't actually see whether the left turn filter was lit, (b) they couldn't see whether there were any pedestrians using the footway around the blind bend ahead, and (c ) driving on the footway is completely, 100% illegal (as well as being selfish, stupid, and displaying complete contempt for the wellbeing of road users requiring extra care).

 

I have noticed that, since that incident, railings have been installed along the edge of the footway.  I don't know whether that was as a result of complaints, or someone actually being hurt, but it strikes me as another example of an unnecessary drain on the public purse due to a few selfish, antisocial idiots being unable to behave according to society's perfectly reasonable expectations.  (I suppose that actually prosecuting the offenders would have been regarded as "criminalising innocent motorists" or some such nonsense.)

[Coldgunner]

Relatively hate free commute today, and next week I'm on late starts so will miss the commuter traffic.

 

Discussion with my mum the other night came to an interesting conclusion, school run and the immediate post school run traffic is the worse, but once you get to 6pm onwards it seems to mellow out. We think thats the guys who do longer commutes who are still on the road, and probably know the score far better and are generally better, calmer drivers.

[Compound2632]

4 hours ago, Coldgunner said:

once you get to 6pm onwards it seems to mellow out. We think thats the guys who do longer commutes who are still on the road, and probably know the score far better and are generally better, calmer drivers.

 

That was me, back in the day. 

[Trainshed Terry]

I was coming back from "Heathrow Airport" last Saturday at 07:00 ish on the M25, and I could not belive the number of speeding motorist that where passing me in speeds of in excessive of the national speed limit. Includeing the numpty in white Range Rover that decided to blind me whith his main beams and tail gate me for over a mile.

 

Terry.

[Compound2632]

13 minutes ago, Trainshed Terry said:

I was coming back from "Heathrow Airport" last Saturday at 07:00 ish on the M25, and I could not belive the number of speeding motorist that where passing me in speeds of in excessive of the national speed limit. Includeing the numpty in white Range Rover that decided to blind me whith his main beams and tail gate me for over a mile.

 

Terry.

 

You were driving in the left-most lane appropriate for your destination, except when moving to the right to overtake lorries etc., I presume?

[Trainshed Terry]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

You were driving in the left-most lane appropriate for your destination, except when moving to the right to overtake lorries etc., I presume?

 

I was in lane 2 of the variable speed limit between junctions 15 and 18 at the time. As after Junction 17 there was a speed limit of 60MPH imposed. 

 

Terry.

[Titan]

4 minutes ago, Trainshed Terry said:

 

I was in lane 2 of the variable speed limit between junctions 15 and 18 at the time. As after Junction 17 there was a speed limit of 60MPH imposed. 

 

Terry.

 

You might need to be more specific to avoid accusations of being in the MOC (Middle Lane Owners Club)

[chris p bacon]

I was told it ws CLOD,  Centre Lane Owner Driver.

[Compound2632]

8 hours ago, Trainshed Terry said:

 

I was in lane 2 of the variable speed limit between junctions 15 and 18 at the time. As after Junction 17 there was a speed limit of 60MPH imposed. 

 

Terry.

 

That's a four lane section where, under any conditions I've driven in there, you don't want to be in the inside lane which at any moment can turn into an exit only lane and you'll find yourself pointing in the direction of Birmingham or some other such far more interesting place than your intended destination. Your friend with the headlights had plenty of space in which to overtake and satisfy their speedlust deathwish. If you were able to do 70 mph then 60 mph in lane 2 on this stretch then you were in M25 heaven anyway (as opposed to the usual purgatory) - even by 7am this has to be one of the busiest stretches of road in the country.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Compound2632
Replaced "his speedlust deathwish" with gender-neutral "their".

[Joseph_Pestell]

18 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That's a four lane section where, under any conditions I've driven in there, you don't want to be in the inside lane which at any moment can turn into an exit only lane and you'll find yourself pointing in the direction of Birmingham or some other such far more interesting place than your intended destination. Your friend with the headlights had plenty of space in which to overtake and satisfy their speedlust deathwish. If you were able to do 70 mph then 60 mph in lane 2 on this stretch then you were in M25 heaven anyway (as opposed to the usual purgatory) - even by 7am this has to be one of the busiest stretches of road in the country.

 

I was on a stretch like that last weekend where an HGV pushed out into my lane as he realised that he was about to take such a diversion. 

 

This design of motorway, effectively a prolonged junction, can work well but only with adequate signage.

[chris p bacon]

13 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

This design of motorway, effectively a prolonged junction, can work well but only with adequate signage. When drivers pay attention.

 

Fixed it for you...

[Trainshed Terry]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

If you were able to do 70 mph then 60 mph in lane 2 on this stretch then you were in M25 heaven anyway (as opposed to the usual purgatory) - even by 7am this has to be one of the busiest stretches of road in the country.

 

It was bliss, the traffic was flowing nicely, until the numbty in the Range Rover.

 

Terry  

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

 

 

This design of motorway, effectively a prolonged junction, can work well but only with adequate signage.

And the drivers paying attention.

[kevinlms]

One from Australia - drunken a***hole.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/four-children-riding-bicycles-killed-one-critical-in-sydney-crash-police-20200201-p53wwf.html

[johnofwessex]

There is quite a strong safery case for prohibition of unnecessary 4x4 vehicles, as they are significantly more likley to cause fatalities in the event of a collision,  this sad case from Australia being a case to point

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, johnofwessex said:

There is quite a strong safery case for prohibition of unnecessary 4x4 vehicles, as they are significantly more likley to cause fatalities in the event of a collision,  this sad case from Australia being a case to point

The 'unnecessary' argument on 4x4 vehicles has long been lost, sadly.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Just had a beauty in Southern Beds: two track country road approaching a crossroad and I could see a vehicle roof above the hedge of the crossing route. White van man (for it was he) came straight on out and then stopped slap across both lanes and the driver disappeared from sight. I stopped OK (already covering brake pedal) the driver coming the other way resorted to the very rough verge and avoided. And immediately off white van man went, continuing on the crossing route into the heart of darkest Bedfordshire. I reckon he had dropped his mobile phone.

 

I feel the siren call of the dash cam ever more loudly...

 

 

 

 

[ejstubbs]

3 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

There is quite a strong safery case for prohibition of unnecessary 4x4 vehicles, as they are significantly more likley to cause fatalities in the event of a collision

 

It should be sufficient to say unnecessarily large vehicles are significantly more likely to cause fatalities.  The Fiat Panda 4x4, for example, is a dinky wee thing in comparison to some "SUVs" that aren't even available in other than front wheel drive form.

 

But then who gets to decide whether someone else's vehicle is "unnecessarily large", and what would be an acceptable size for that person's use case?

 

One of the problems with private cars is that most people don't have access to a fleet of vehicles so that they can pick and choose the one that's right for a particular task.  So, for example, someone who enjoys caravanning may spend all their weekday journeys driving around in an "unnecessarily large" car with a 2 litre or bigger engine, when they only really need a car like that for the once or twice a month when they want to tow the van.

 

Now, I would agree that choosing to drive a 7-seater SUV just for the school run and popping to the shops is way OTT, though regrettably far from uncommon, but I ask again: who is going to police that?  And perhaps more to the point: how many people are going to vote for someone who says that they intend to put such regulations in place?  So long as private cars are widely regarded as a symbol of social standing, that's not realistically going to happen IMO.

[boxbrownie]

3 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

There is quite a strong safery case for prohibition of unnecessary 4x4 vehicles, as they are significantly more likley to cause fatalities in the event of a collision,  this sad case from Australia being a case to point

Not too unnecessarily large for your scale of allowance I hope?

 

And yes the one on the left is full size! 

 

[Trainshed Terry]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

Not too unnecessarily large for your scale of allowance I hope?

 

And yes the one on the left is full size! 

 

 

 The one on trhe right had to much fertilizer.

 

Terry.

[kevinlms]

11 hours ago, kevinlms said:

One from Australia - drunken a***hole.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/four-children-riding-bicycles-killed-one-critical-in-sydney-crash-police-20200201-p53wwf.html

An update on this, apparently 3 times the legal limit.

 

The score is 4 dead & 3 others injured. 4 from the same family & were all walking on the footpath.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/four-children-killed-one-injured-in-sydney-crash-police-say-20200201-p53wwf.html

[Sidecar Racer]

 

Whoops .

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-51383435

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Yesterday morning, 8am ish, I'm travelling from Shrewsbury to Birmingham airport, and coming to the end of the M6 Toll am informed by Google maps I am 12 minutes away from my destination.

Oh good thinks I, not long to go then. Anyway, 25 minutes later I'm 20 minutes away, and all without the assistance of Dr Who, due to the horrendous congestion where the motorways meet!

Anyone who suffers this every morning has my sympathy.

The thrust of this post though is the observation of the number of twots who seem to think that swerving around barging into lanes where there aren't gaps is a sensible way to negotiate this part of their journey.

I actively took notice of the brands and types of vehicles carrying out this slaloming game, and regrettably, needless to say, stereotyping was adequately confirmed.

 

Mike.

[Titan]

42 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

Whoops .

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-51383435

 

I expect it was an automatic, and the old lady was confused and pushing  the wrong pedal.  It is stories like these that mean my mum in her 70's refuses point blank to get an automatic.  But then her driving is still of a reasonable standard at the moment - even to the point of avoiding one of those deliberate crash for cash scams that can target single old lady drivers, so she seems to still have good reactions!

Edited February 5, 2020 by Titan