Its not just cyclists that annoy motorists...

[jan19]

There are a lot of threads on this forum discussing how cars behave when "held up" by cyclists....

well, its not just us. My daughter passed her driving test in November, and at her request we put "P" plates on the car. The idea is that she indicates to other motorists that she's a new and somewhat cautious driver. However, I am getting VERY fed up with these plates. It took me about three journeys in the car before I realised that the reason I was constantly being cut up and overtaken in silly places was that other motorists didn't like the idea that they were going to be held up by a rather slow driver.

My daughter is unfazed by this - she says its giving her practice in watching for cars coming up behind her, but its annoying me no end. The other cars don't behave like this when I drive our other car (mercifully without the wretched "P" plates) so why do they do this? Its making me adapt my driving style to preventing (as much as I can) these people overtaking me in poor places and consequently putting me at risk. I thought "P" plates would make other drivers more considerate - not desperate to get past! I do admit however that when Jenny has been a bit slow getting out of a turning there have been no impatient beeps so maybe there is some benefit.

All in all a rather sobering experience on how consideration to other road users is absent in a frightening number of drivers.

Jan

[adinigel]

'P' plates. Like marmite. Some hate them and some love them.

If your daughter prefers to use them, then that is entirely up to her. If she is unfazed by the behaviour of others, then that can be a good thing - it shows she has the confidence to deal with these inconsiderate bar stewards (sp?). It is great that she is learning to keep an eye on the following traffic after passing. So many drivers let their observations lapse once they pass. She will decide when she no longer needs the support of the 'P' plates.

In the meantime, why not get some magnetic 'P' plates so that you can remove them when you drive and, easily, replace them when your daughter drives?

Nigel

[cjchambers]

She's a new and somewhat cautious driver.

I'm an not-so-new and cautious driver . . . I take the safety responsibility very seriously but just as importantly feel I have a responsibility to limit the impact of what is a very unpleasant and antisocial activity. I can often be found driving slower than the speed limit. I start to slow down well before the start of a new limit . . . and then I wait until the limit has ended before I begin to accelerate . . . I slow down before turning into a side road . . . I don't treat general purpose dual carriageways as motorways . . . I always try to leave gaps and let people out in busy traffic, and where it is safe, I let pedestrians cross too. All of these things make me feel like public enemy number two. I only become public enemy number one when I hop on my bicycle. Hurrah.

Of course, all the self righteous self-congratulation I've written above is the same sort of "I'm a good driver" stuff other people use to justify their antisocial and inconsiderate antics. Maybe I'm just as bad as them

[mw3230]

She's a new and somewhat cautious driver.

I'm an not-so-new and cautious driver . . . I take the safety responsibility very seriously but just as importantly feel I have a responsibility to limit the impact of what is a very unpleasant and antisocial activity. I can often be found driving slower than the speed limit. I start to slow down well before the start of a new limit . . . and then I wait until the limit has ended before I begin to accelerate . . . I slow down before turning into a side road . . . I don't treat general purpose dual carriageways as motorways . . . I always try to leave gaps and let people out in busy traffic, and where it is safe, I let pedestrians cross too. All of these things make me feel like public enemy number two. I only become public enemy number one when I hop on my bicycle. Hurrah.

Of course, all the self righteous self-congratulation I've written above is the same sort of "I'm a good driver" stuff other people use to justify their antisocial and inconsiderate antics. Maybe I'm just as bad as them

Glad you live in Wiltshire!!

[reohn2]

Simples,an element of drivers are bullies.
I posted on this section about mine and MrsR2's experience when driving her Nissan Micra, other drivers try to bully us because the car is(to them) small=insignificant(possibly).
Its a sad part of UK culture but with no police about and less and less moral fibre in society I can't see things changing anytime soon.

[mw3230]

Simples,an element of drivers are bullies.I posted on this section about mine and MrsR2's experience when driving her Nissan Micra other drivers try to bully us because the car is small=insignificant.Its a sad part of UK culture but with no police about and less and less ,moral fibre I can't see things changing any time soon.

You are right. I notice a big difference if I'm driving my daughter's Fiat Panda rather than my big estate. My wife reports that when she's driving the big car other male drivers respond to her differently than I experience.

Anyone noticed that as a genre BMW drivers tend to be the 'white van men' of the car world!

[kwackers]

Best vehicle in my experience is a large motorcycle. Don't know why but people give it space and keep out of your way. On the other hand, once when I took it for a service they lent me a scooter and that was terrifying, far worse than a bicycle...

[meic]

Any vehicle with a large P sign gets treated with great respect, so long as the P is followed by olice.

[sungod]

Any vehicle with a large P sign gets treated with great respect, so long as the P is followed by olice.

absolutely!

yesterday i was riding along a fairly busy road, at some point i felt that cars were overtaking more slowly and with much more clearance, 1m+ instead of the 0.5 more usual in london

at the next set of lights i realised why, there was a policeman on a bike behind me

[jan19]

'P' plates. Like marmite. Some hate them and some love them.

If your daughter prefers to use them, then that is entirely up to her. If she is unfazed by the behaviour of others, then that can be a good thing - it shows she has the confidence to deal with these inconsiderate bar stewards (sp?). It is great that she is learning to keep an eye on the following traffic after passing.

Mmmm, don't like marmite either...

Its actually brushing up my watching behind too - not saying I'm usually lax (or at least I hope not!) We had a couple out today - one (a chavmobile-type car) shot up on our right on a roundabout and hared off into the distance. Jenny hadn't seen him coming, but I told her he was the type who overtakes anything. Regardless.

We did accurately predict one BMW who did much the same manoevre. I would probably have moved out and blocked him but Jenny just let him come by.

I'm in agreement that the type of car you drive has something to do with the way other motorists behave towards you. This car is a Fiesta and generally, I don't have this type of problem when driving it, and never in our other car which is a Focus. Some years ago my Mum had a spell of ill-health and I was regularly using her car as at that time she couldn't drive and she wanted it to be run. It was a silver Rover 100, a real old-person car, and as I'm blonde it would be easy for the person behind to think my hair was white (not just yet, but in time no doubt). Other drivers were absolutely desperate to get past it, which was a bit ironic as around town it was a nippy little thing, well able to hold its own.

Jan

[thirdcrank]

Any vehicle with a large P sign gets treated with great respect, so long as the P is followed by olice.

I've mentioned on here before about police priorities - both national and local. For a few years now there have been nominally independent police authorities setting local priorities. In the early part of the decade (I'm reluctant to say 'noughties' ) around here they decided on a wishy-washy thing about road safety (reducing the level of specialist traffic patrolling while dressing it up as something else.) It went on to say that it had to be recognised that police action could not really be expected to improve driving standards (or some waffle on those lines.) My response that anybody daft enough to believe that had never been on a motorway with a police patrol car cruising at 65mph, went unanswered.

[Colin63]

Maybe I'm just as bad as them

No you're not. r2 has said on a couple of threads that there are a lot of bullies out there, and he's right. This country is a shockingly aggressive place, and that is so sad. Being considerate and having the audacity to think that with the privilege of driving comes responsibility is a fine stance and you should be congratulated. How to live with that when the roads are full of self obsessed maniacs is a problem though!

Cars dehumanise and to many a 'P' sticker isn't a warning that the PERSON in the car is inexperienced, just that the CAR is going to cause them delay, and we all know that being delayed in your car is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. Cars are safer than they've ever been and I think that masks the fact that drivers are probably worse than they've ever been. It's often only by being a cyclist that you become fully alert to just how true that is.

[Ain't no monkey]

You are right. I notice a big difference if I'm driving my daughter's Fiat Panda rather than my big estate.

Perhaps it's you feeling (and driving?) differently in the Panda than in your big macho estate

[hoikey]

ive been out on my bike only a few times but ive always noticed people are quite good in cars, they wait behind me and only overtake when they can, as i driver im fine with cyclists, apart from the ones who ride side by side, who i WILL then drive aggresively towards them aswell as express my annoyance by winding down the window and also the cyclists who decide to ride nowhere near the kerb. i know im new to cycling but as i said, ive not had a problem, apart from people who use their main beam thinking "hes only a cyclist" and then i just aim my lights at the driver and they soon turn main beam off

[meic]

"apart from the ones who ride side by side, who i WILL then drive aggresively towards them aswell as express my annoyance by winding down the window"

You had better not let the Police catch you as this is VERY illegal.*
Unlike the cyclists behaviour which is TOTALLY legal.

*You can wind the window up and down as much as you like, thats OK.