Worsening driving standards

[Welly]

This morning reminded me to post this but what's happening out there with drivers? I say I practice defensive driving and this morning whilst approaching parked cars on the opposite side of the road some chump headed straight towards me overtaking the parked cars so I had to stop to let him through; left me thinking "great I'll just wait for you then shall I" if the obstruction is in your lane then YOU have to wait until it's clear to pass

Add to this people pulling out on you, closing gaps in front of you, undertaking, late changing lanes, tailgating.....the list goes on.

Daughter_Welly has been driving for 10 months but doesn't actually enjoy the experience mostly due to the above.

I know this isn't anything new out there but it really is getting bad, your experiences welcomed......

steve_earwig need not reply

[rwb]

It's astonishing, when I'm behind a wagon with the cruise on at 56 -- a constant speed in a straight line -- just how many people try to crash into you.

I'd say that the gap I leave was a little on the small size -- I can stop much quicker than a wagon -- but apparently you can fit two BMWs into it.

What I really love is closing the gap and making the cnt miss their exit.

[PeterN]

I gave up using any lane on a motorway but the nearside many years ago, I'm quite happy to drive at 56 mph on a long journey, It doesn't take much longer and you arrived much less tired and have a considerably improved fuel consumption.

Peter

[GingerMagic]

Don't get me started on bad driving - I'm in the thick of it all day.
Imagine me in my 26tonne lorry navigating the narrow streets of Bournemouth along with tourists, dementia ridden pensioners, students and foreign drivers who still think they are in Delhi......
Bad parking is my bug bear, makes my job more difficult.

I must get a dash cam and upload it all....

[steve_earwig]

Ah, err, ok, I won't

[Welly]

Ah, err, ok, I won't

I meant the driving over your way has always been bad

Feel free to add your woes here mate

[Welly]

Don't get me started on bad driving - I'm in the thick of it all day.
Imagine me in my 26tonne lorry navigating the narrow streets of Bournemouth along with tourists, dementia ridden pensioners, students and foreign drivers who still think they are in Delhi......
Bad parking is my bug bear, makes my job more difficult.

I must get a dash cam and upload it all....

I always let lorries carry on if I can, always flash them through so they don't have to slow down etc and they're usually really grateful.

Do you get people pulling out in front of you because "you're a lorry so must be going slow".

[Doggy]

Sometimes, but most still have some inkling that it might not be a good idea.
Just back from a 9am delivery in Guildford, a truly joyous experience. The car park that is the M25 still hosts a thriving colony of Lemmings, their favourite manoeuvre being the HGV pincers where two cars over and undertake you at the same time, then both dive for the carefully husbanded gap in front of you.
Rarely ends well.

[steve_earwig]

I meant the driving over your way has always been bad

Feel free to add your woes here mate

Ok, ta. Although I'm worried I'll get boring... So yes, sh*t driving central, too many people have no idea what they're doing on the road, not just not bothering to indicate but indicating the wrong way and quite a few seem to think right-of-way belongs to whoever's going the fastest.

Today, short journey to collect t'wife (5 miles?), main back road parrallel with the high road, I'm going one way, there's another handbag special coming the other way. Idiot in Pisshat reverses straight out of a driveway opposite me across the road and in front of both of us, causing both to brake hard. He backs up in front of me and takes off down the road, trailing a big black cloud of Zyclon B. I could be charitable and think it may have been a matter of life or death but that would be pointless.

[Bailes1992]

Picture the scene...

5am this morning on the M4 between Pencoed and Llantrisant, sun is out, no traffic on the motorway at all. I'm making some reasonable progress as I come over the brow of a hill to find the motorway for the mile or so ahead that I can see completely empty except for one chap in a 57 Zafira sat in the outside lane doing 70ish.

I can not confirm whether or not some undertaking happened but I'd say it is very likely.

I'm also noticing more and more people on their phones driving every day. Often driving down the motorway staring into their laps.

[highlander]

The one that still grinds my gears is the "Oh, I'm doing 60 MPH in the left lane, and you're perfectly legally overtaking me in the right lane? I better speed up, so that you can't" crowd.

Oh, and the "I, being of at least 80 years old, will drive at exactly 40 MPH down these twisty B-roads at peak times so that you can't overtake me, but when we come to a town, I will continue to drive at 40 MPH even though the limit is 30, because I've forgotten how to drive properly or function as a reasonable adult human being" crowd.

[Welly]

I quite frequently seem to wind up drivers of better* cars when I torque past them in my 13 year old Grey Volvo.

This week has seen a ridiculous middle lane hogger doing 67mph for miles when lane 1 was clear

This morning saw TWO separate Woman driving SUV's trying to elbow me around. Oh and if you do drive an SUV or 4 x 4 can you at least try to keep the thing on your side of the road? thank you

[steve_earwig]

Certainly (does this stupid thing qualify?).

All the time mate, all the cars.

Just now I stopped short at the end of the road behind here to let a lorry/trailer combo turn into the road I was in as it's quite tight. When he was past I started to pull up to the junction, only for the idiot behind him (in a Honda handbag) to follow the line of his trailer and cut across the front of me. No your car isn't that effing big

[Welly]

Lol, there's also the drivers who are turning right but perform a little 'left' swing just before scares the crap out of me. How long do they think the car is?

Now then: Roundabouts!

I have a long running debate with Mrs_Welly, when I learnt to drive in 1987 the Highway Code clearly stated that if the roundabout was clear of traffic then you may take the easiest route through it (ignoring marked out lanes etc) now I still do this because I HATE the feeling of going 'around' the outside of the roundabout makes it feel like a bloody fairground ride so where possible I 'straight line' it. Mrs thinks this is wrong.

How does everyone do roundabouts on here?

Mustard mitt I have had a few cars begin to pull out when they see me well over in the roundabout possibly thinking I'm going right instead of straight on

[steve_earwig]

Lol, there's also the drivers who are turning right but perform a little 'left' swing just before scares the crap out of me. How long do they think the car is?

I call them the "stiff arm brigade", like their power steering has failed or something...

I only experience 3 roundabouts here, the locals have no idea whatsoever so I think the answer to the question is: very carefully.