MOST ANNOYING MOTORING HABITS
Posted by: BLT on 14 November 2003
Top 10 Most Annoying Motoring Habits - These are the things that other people on the road do that really bug me.
1. Driving with Foglights on when there is perfect visibility - The rear foglight thing is bad enough, (most people simply forget to turn them off after driving through fog), but there appears to be a trend for driving around with the front foglights on all of the time, perhaps people are unaware that using front foglights in non-foggy conditions is illegal?
2. People who indicate right when they are going straight on at roundabouts - Where the hell does this come from? Is there a secret driving school that teaches its pupils to do this? Most driving sins are understandable as they are generally sins of ommission, but this is one where the perpetrator actually performs an extra, unwarranted, action.
3. People who don't bother to indicate left at roundabouts - this one bugs me especially when I am driving the service barge with the rally car behind it, I come up to a roundabout and stop because a car is apparently about to go straight on, the car then pulls off to the left and I have brought 4 tonnes of vehicle to a halt because another driver was too lazy to move his left hand 4 inches.
4. People who will not return to the inside lane on motorways/dual carriageways - Again this is more of a problem when I am towing, as I am not allowed in the outer lane on 3 lane motorways. I have on occasion come across drivers who will not move from the middle lane, in these circumstances I have to break the law in order to pass them. Usually one finds that they are turning right 274 miles down the road and thought that they had better get in their lane nice and early.
5. One-Speed-Suits-All-Driving-Conditions drivers - you know the type, they crawl along a perfectly good A-class road at 45mph then come to a busy town and continue at 45mph right the way through.
6. People who park in "No Parking" areas in order to save walking 30 yards - I frequently have trouble manouvering my truck in car parks because of these gits, my proposal, rather than wheelclamps etc, is to wipe dogsh*t on their door handles. I have suggested this at work in order to curb the illegal parking that goes on here, but for some reason my employer has yet to adopt it as official policy.
7. People who come to a halt at roundabouts/junction when there is absolutely no need to do so.
8. People who accelerate when I am passing them - this is more of a problem when you own a "low status" or small car. When I owned a Skoda, other drivers would go berserk at the thought that they were being overtaken - I had much the same problem with my Smart Car.
9. People who stop to let one car out of a junction but bring the 15 cars behind them to a halt - there is always a bit of judgement required in these sorts of situations, unfortunately a very high percentage of drivers apparently have no judgement whatsoever.
10. People who throw litter and cigarette ends out of their cars as they drive along - Antisocial areseholes! Can be dangerous, too - I have driven cars that leaked fuel on occasion, adding a lit cigarette end to that situation could prove more than interesting.
Ah well, rant over, I'm glad I got that off my chest. I reckon that we really should look at forcing people to re-take their driving tests every 5 years.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
As for that Rover, drive closely behind it with your beams on. After a while they'll get the hint.
Chances are the driver is pissed.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by stevie d
quote:
Originally posted by Steven Toy:
As for that Rover, drive closely behind it with your beams on. After a while they'll get the hint.
Chances are the driver is pissed.
Regards,
Steve.
Hmmm interesting idea.
I'm not sure about the pissed bit. Apart from the speed everthing else is done by the book.
The guy walks as slow as he drives when walking as well. When the train stops at Cannon St and he gets off you can hear the rest of the platform sigh as they realise that they are stuck behind him (small fat man) until they are safely passed the electric barriers.
Stevie
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Jason Milner
Hmm, could go on for hours here...
I guess the top few would have to include...
1. Centre lane hogs, especially on the otherwise completely empty road (no, the left hand lane isn't just for lorries dear...), for which a reasonable "first timer" penalty would be... death by electrocution.
2. Next would be the "aren't I posh - I have a car with front fog lights, but just in case you hadn't noticed I'm going to leave them on all the time", brigade. Penalty = hang, draw, quarter (maybe eighth)
I guess basically it all boils down to pretty much anyone who has the temerity to actually be on the road at the same time as me (especially the guy I saw the other day intentionally driving a Vauxhall Nova in an offensive....
...colour (resprayed in glitter embedded purple
), also, anyone having a better car than me, having a worse car then me, not actually being me, female drivers, male drivers, car drivers, lorries...
Aah - feel better now. Glad I've got that off my chest.
J
[This message was edited by Jason Milner on FRIDAY 14 November 2003 at 13:27.]
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by BLT
A useful tip to stop somenone from following you way too close on a motorway is to veer towards the central reservation until you throw up the gravel and dust that lurks there. This genrerally scares the sh*t out of the guy 4 feet from your bumper as he thinks you are out of control and they then tend to back off.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
quote:
This genrerally scares the sh*t out of the guy 4 feet from your bumper as he thinks you are out of control and they then tend to back off.
Then he'll overtake you on the inside and you may run into the back of him.
If someone is up your backside in the outside lane, chances are you shouldn't even be there.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by stevie d
I have to say that reps on the road annoy the s**t out of me.
They drive with a blatant disrespect for everything else on the road. They have to drive faster than you, they cut you up, pull out in front of you....
Does this all stem from the fact that the car is not theirs and that the company will give them a new one when you write it off?
SD
p.s. I'd like to add that this is not all reps, just a small group of them
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by BLT
Steven, nobody has ever overtaken me up the inside on a Motorway, If I'm in the outside lane then I am overtaking a car and I pull in as soon as possible. I was referring to those annoying w*nkers who sit feet off your bumper while you are passing a car.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by TomK
quote:
Originally posted by BLT:
2. People who indicate right when they are going straight on at roundabouts - Where the hell does this come from? Is there a secret driving school that teaches its pupils to do this? Most driving sins are understandable as they are generally sins of ommission, but this is one where the perpetrator actually performs an extra, unwarranted, action.
When I was learning to drive in the early 70s this was recommended practice. Indicate right until you approach the exit you want then indicate left. My driving instructor insisted I do it and it was required in your driving test. It was the done thing then. You'll probably find folk doing that now are of a "certain age". There's actually a lot to be said for it as somebody doing this is giving you notice that he (or she) is unlikely to suddenly change lanes and cut you off to hit the next exit.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Derek Wright
RTFM re roundabouts
RTFMDerek
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Posted on: 14 November 2003 by John Channing
2. People who indicate right when they are going straight on at roundabouts - Where the hell does this come from? Is there a secret driving school that teaches its pupils to do this? Most driving sins are understandable as they are generally sins of ommission, but this is one where the perpetrator actually performs an extra, unwarranted, action.
When I was learning to drive I was told to indicate right if your exit was beyond the 12 o'clock position (if the roundabout were an imaginary clock face and you have entered at the 6 o'clock position). It is quite plausible following this rule therefore, that you would be correct to indicate right when going "straight on".
John
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by David Stewart
quote:
If someone is up your backside in the outside lane, chances are you shouldn't even be there.
An interesting statement Steven - perhaps you'd care to explain
David
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
David,
When I was driving through Belgium and Luxembourg through to Germany, on the odd occasion someone - usually driving a Five-Series BWM or Audi A4/A6 would get really close behind me. I'd move out of their way and they'd then fly past at what would appear to be about 140 mph.
This seemed to be the norm. If someone's slow in front of you having just overtaken, say, a lorry, you flash your lights, get closer and they (or I) move out of the way. There's no aggression in it at all.
Continental Audi/Beemer driver signals with his lights to say,
"I'm in a hurry, can you let me pass?"
The obvious response should be,
"No worries, I'm just getting past the lorry then the lane's ll yours,"
instead of,
"Bloody lunatic, if you get any closer I'm going to slam on my brakes, cause a multiple pile-up and put in a claim for whiplash."
The problem with many British drivers is driving slow is often a way of marking territory,
"You will not get past me and I will not get out of your way! And I'll sue you..."
This stubborn trait, seemingly perculiar to our shores, is really annoying.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Stephen Bennett
Driving
Stephen
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Derek Wright
Steven - agree with your description of driving in Europe as opposed to the UK
however in Europe if you wish to get out from behind the slow moving vehicle then the drivers in the fast lane do let you out because they appear to know that if they do not let you out then you will stay in the fast lane once you get in to the fast lane. In the UK, once in the slow lane you have little chance of overtaking the slow vehicle
In Germany especially, it is interesting to watch the car coming up behind you in the fast lane hold his speed to give you a chance to get out if you are about to be trapped behind a slow vehicle.
Derek
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Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Rasher
Just had to pop out luchtime to run some jobs over to the other side of town:
1) Car in front on inside lane slows down to crawl with me behind, I wait until the outside lane is clear and pull out to go around, the car pulls out in front of me and swings to the far right putting on its indicators to turn right!! Then I get a torrent of abuse from the woman inside for not letting her make a right turn!!
2) Car stopped in side street (parked with driver inside) right adjacent to a central island with bollards. Queue behind 'cos a transit can't get through the gap! We eventually crawl through. Woman sitting there on her mobile! Couldn't she have stopped just about ten yards forward???
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by David Stewart
Steven,
Consider this situation: you are driving on the M? it's rush hour, all three lanes are full and travelling at comparable speeds, you are in the outside lane travelling at the same speed as the traffic in front of you and allowing the recommended 2 second gap between it and yourself.
'Wally' comes up behind you in his FWD and takes up position 4 feet from your bootlid (not an uncommonn occurence) - who shouldn't be there in this instance, you or him???
David
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
The worst drivers do seem to be the French though - especially in Central and Southern France. They don't move over to the outside lane, not even on an empty motorway to let traffic join from a slip road. I was a passenger with such a French driver once and I asked her why she didn't move over to let the other car join. She mumbled something about having
la priorité and it being a question of different cultures.
I was driving around Saarbrucken on a very busy urban autobahn and I saw about six vehicles trying to join the motorway from my right. I looked in my mirror to establisgh that no-one was too close behind me, braked to let them join thus maintaining traffic flow. I got a wave of thanks from one driver as he joined, and felt proud of having UK number plates.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
David, in that instance it's obviously him. Switch on your rear fogs, he'll get the message.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Nigel Cavendish
Apologies if this has been said, but drivers who whilst parked at the roadside have their hazard warning lights on - particularly annoying when another vehicle is parked behind and you don't know whether the flashing light is an indication to pull out
cheers
Nigel
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
People who don't indicate just before their exit from a busy roundabout.
"I could have gone then!"
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by David Stewart
Steven,
quote:
Switch on your rear fogs, he'll get the message.
I find the hazard lights work quite well, but the trouble is 'Wally' pulls back a bit for around 5-10 seconds then creeps back up again, like he has a magnetic attraction to your bootlid - Aaaah!
David
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by Steve Toy
The hazard lights are too subtle for Wally to understand. The fogs tell him to FRO.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by matthewr
"A useful tip to stop somenone from following you way too close on a motorway is to veer towards the central reservation until you throw up the gravel and dust that lurks there"
Personally I've had a James Bond style device that drops an oil slick behind me. If that doesn't get rid of them I do a handbrake 180 and charge towards the fuckers flashing my lights and shouting "Die! Die! Die!".
Alternatively one can pull over and let the impatient motorist past and congratualte oneself on not killing anyone today.
Matthew
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by andy c
What with this thread and the 'big brother' thread things are getting quite 'legal' and culprit bashing aren't they?
Posted on: 14 November 2003 by David Stewart
quote:
"A useful tip to stop somenone from following you way too close on a motorway is to veer towards the central reservation until you throw up the gravel and dust that lurks there"
The other potential drawback of this method is you might just pick up a sharp object in your tyre, from amongst the debris, get a blowout and head off straight to the scene of the accident (yours that is!).
David