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Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 15 Apr 2019, 3:22pm
by Cugel
hemo wrote:Some drivers of over large SUV's come 4 x 4 seem to think they are better protected and try to bully other road uses, in fact they are a menace to society and some driving skills are very poor.
One such vehicle followed me last night (I was driving a company 3.5t sprinter) from Betchworth to 40mph sign out of Leigh village he was glued to my backdoor not able to get pass as I adhered to the 30 & 40mph speed limits. On entering the Leigh Road another vehicle travelling at 30mph was about 3 secs ahead of me so this probably angered the driver behind me more. Eventually the guy behind had enough and passed in the 30 zone rapidly and misjudged the car distance in front so decided to career past that with a rh bend looming, his actions were careless and dangerous to say the least. He narrowly missed a vehicle coming around the bend and had to swerve quickly in front of the vehicle I was behind.

The bit I can't understand is why these cretins do it without being able to clearly see the road ahead is suitable or clear to pass, if he had waited another 200 - 300 yds he would have been along a straight with clearer vision.


There's a very queer driving habit prevalent in West Wales, where the roads are mostly narrow, bendy and hilly. Tailgaiting. Virtually everyone seems to do it, apart from the one at the head of the little caravanserais of tailgaiters, that is (often me).

These tailgaiters aren't aggresive in the way the chap you describe was. When an (admittedly rare) safe passing stretch of road reveals itself ahead, they don't overtake, no matter if I give them a wave to do so, slow down a bit or whatever. It's like they want to be all close and together, as though we were sat chatting in the pub.

My own theory is that driving habits, like much other human behaviour, develops local habits wherein everyone copies everyone else. Some behaviours become highly popular or fashionable, for reasons I can't often fathom.

Anyroadup, the tailgaiter that always seems present does force one to be even more careful in anticipating what's ahead. It's almost as though you have to drive for them; or demonstrate when to brake and when to speed up.

Cugel

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 15 Apr 2019, 8:16pm
by The utility cyclist
Worst drivers, those like the old fart who thought it was better to be not actually looking at the road/to his right at the roundabout instead turning his head to chat to his passengers thus sail on through cutting me up. Luckily I'd seen he was clearly not going to stop/wasn't looking, another day and that's someone getting wiped out with serious injuries :twisted:

best drivers. Well recently I had the perfect/copybook overtake by a local authority 'enforcement' labelled SUV (A big Mitsubushi with the open back so a proper SUV). 100% of the time when overtaking me on that road which leads from the town centre to the industrial estate straddles the centre line )at best) and it's either just adequate or just a load of @@@@!
This time, slowed behind, stayed well back, no engine revving, waited for the gap and overtook again without caning the engine and used the opposite lane fully. I messaged the council to specifically give him props and I also used the overtaking diagram to explain why what he did was not just best practise but actually the ONLY way to overtake vulnerable road users safely and indeed with respect to other oncoming road users too and a reminder about not overtaking at junctions.
Reply was that they'd passed on the message directly to the person.
The sad bit is that this type of driving is like rocking horse poop!

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 20 Apr 2019, 9:37am
by scotsmanincumbria
at about 10pm last night I was out teaching my son to drive. as we approached a village where there was a 30mph sign we slowed down to about 25mph. there was a vehicle about 1/2 mile behind. as we exited the village and the speed limit signs changed to 40mph the vehicle behind was no more than 5ft behind us. He stayed at this distance behind until we were approaching a petrol station which we pulled into. the vehicle in question was a Land Rover.
After we pulled into the petrol I noticed a police vehicle parked up with 2 officers inside. I approached them and informed them that it had scared my son who was driving.
I am pleased to say that the officers had noticed the Land rover, and after talking to them they put the blue lights on and went to find the car and driver.
so in my opinion SUV and Taxi Drivers are the worst around this area.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 20 Apr 2019, 11:39am
by Oldjohnw
IMV it isn't the type of vehicle or the job of the driver per se but the character of the driver. Are they inherently selfish?

Whether selfishness or some sense of superiority can be found with the owners of some types of vehicle compared with others is a moot point, but ultimately beyond solution.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 23 Apr 2019, 3:14pm
by pwa
On Sunday I was driving along this 30mph road. https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5920789 ... 6?hl=en-GB
I was overtaken by five motorcycles doing what seemed to me to be more than 70mph. This happens in Wales on every sunny Bank Holiday weekend. As someone who got a ticket for accidentally doing 24mph in a 20 zone I find it particularly galling that some folk seem to be able to get away with doing more than double the limit. Later the same day I saw some other motorcyclists sticking rigorously to the 30 limit in my own village, so I'm not saying all motorcyclists are irresponsible, but there is a type of motorcyclist for whom speed limits are a joke.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 23 Apr 2019, 4:58pm
by Lance Dopestrong
We call such riders "organ doners".

Some bikes are fast almost beyond comprehension, but that doesn't mean they can't be ridden responsibly. My slowest motorbike is an 11 second machine, and my V-Max is capable of warping time at full chat, but I don't feel the need to hoon like Kevin Schwantz on acid.

Like cyclists who misbheave and tar us all with the same brush in the eyes Daily Mail reading car pilots, its boils my wee wee when motorcyclists ride like that because it reflects badly on sensible riders in some quarters, and it gives the government an excuse for ever punitive regulation. They ain't going to have half so much fun when speed limiters become mandatory in a few years, and it'll serve them right.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 23 Apr 2019, 7:19pm
by The utility cyclist
pwa wrote:On Sunday I was driving along this 30mph road. https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5920789 ... 6?hl=en-GB
I was overtaken by five motorcycles doing what seemed to me to be more than 70mph. This happens in Wales on every sunny Bank Holiday weekend. As someone who got a ticket for accidentally doing 24mph in a 20 zone I find it particularly galling that some folk seem to be able to get away with doing more than double the limit. Later the same day I saw some other motorcyclists sticking rigorously to the 30 limit in my own village, so I'm not saying all motorcyclists are irresponsible, but there is a type of motorcyclist for whom speed limits are a joke.


Oh yeah, I got the full 90mph blast within a 4 or 5 feet on Sunday and in the past I've had morons on motorbikes cutting the bend coming towards, literally half across the lane at ridiculous speeds, it really shook my lady friend up, it didn't stop her going on rides out but it made her a lot more nervous when out on open roads. I'd happily see these types dead on the next bend having hit a brick wall or back end of an HGV :twisted:

At least near me on average car drivers are getting better, it's a start but it's still never going to encourage people to get onto bikes because it's only 'ok' for those of us with a lot of experience of riding on the roads and experiencing all the garbage that are prepared to run the gauntlet.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 10:17am
by De Sisti
robing wrote:Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

The ones with no consideration for other road users.

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 7:12pm
by Cyril Haearn
Those in air-conditioned vehicles are particularly bad because they keep their windows closed and are less able to perceive what is going on outside

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 8:59pm
by The utility cyclist
Cyril Haearn wrote:Those in air-conditioned vehicles are particularly bad because they keep their windows closed and are less able to perceive what is going on outside

I've had climate control since 2005, never stopped me from being able to perceive/understand what's going on outside, I don't see windows up as making any difference whatsoever, you're hardly going to have your windows down for better part of half the year anyways, it's a mindset. It's simply lazy, feckless, don't give a crud selfish attitude that ends up being dangerous to people and feels threatening very often.

The size of the box and how high up you are I think changes things because they feel more protected, however just like the light wars with motors that has been unlawfully allowed to enter the fray, manufacturers have been racing to produce every bigger standard sized vehicles.
The external dimensions especially in the girth have got ridiculous, a Nissan Leaf which is a medium car IMO, is 5cm wider than my 2001 Passat estate and only 20cm shorter but is between 180-240kg heavier not to mention half the boot capacity :roll: Compared to my old Vx Astra MkII it's 15cm taller, 13cm wider a whopping 48cm longer, almost 800kg heavier :shock: :x but does have an extra 50L in the boot with seats up.
We've not gone forwards with car design we've gone backwards. Just think how much further EVs could go if they lost almost a ton of weight and how much safer they'd be for people outside of the box if they were smaller and the driver felt more fragile

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 9:49pm
by Lance Dopestrong
I know its verging off topic, but it's an observation worth making. You get these plums who buy a Leaf out of some misguided environmental desire, and then utterly negate the whole point by driving around with 4 empty seats almost all the time.

Towing around over twice as much mass as you require is just ridiculous.

And bringing it neatly back to topic, how long before an electric car model becomes the favoured steed of the worst drivers on the road?

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 10:23pm
by De Sisti
Lance Dopestrong wrote:You get these plums who buy a Leaf out of some misguided environmental desire, and then utterly negate the whole point by driving around with 4 empty seats almost all the time.

They obviously can't get people to change work/life schedules to suit theirs. :wink:

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 25 Apr 2019, 4:07am
by Cyril Haearn
Electric motors are very heavy

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 25 Apr 2019, 8:06am
by Lance Dopestrong
They are indeed, all the more reason to not buy one and drive it round half empty.

My old Smart is stubbornly refusing to die. If/when it ever does, and if I still have a use for a car, then it'll be an electric Smart. I would get a Twizy, but the battery lease is a put-off.

Indeed, a recent study from (I think) The States measured emissions from 'whole life' car use, extraction of the rare earth metals, assembly, use, and dismantling and recycling, and it turned out that small, sub 800kg petrol engined cars were responsible for less emissions over their life cycle. I felt very smug with my 720kg tiny petrol engined wee car, and frown at those horribly polluting Leaf's being driven around with 4 empty seats.

All this talk of the Leaf..has anyone come across a Leaf being driven badly yet?

Re: Who are the best/worst drivers on the road?

Posted: 25 Apr 2019, 8:20am
by Wanlock Dod
Lance Dopestrong wrote:...how long before an electric car model becomes the favoured steed of the worst drivers on the road?

Since the end of the War on Motorists petrol and diesel have been too heavily subsidised for there to be much of an advantage in running an electric car in Little Britain. The decision to use an electric car has to be based on factors other than economics, especially given that lots of petrol and diesel cars are exempt from pollution charges which are starting to become more common in urban areas.