Bus lane accident

[FROSTYBALLS]

Small Heath, Birmingham 14.03.24 - impatient car driver pulls into bus lane to overtake traffic and becomes a bus stop .... (three people with minor injuries only

[Big_D]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I have noticed that drivers are getting more impatient and always seem to be in a hurry to get everywhere. When I drive, I tend to stick to the speed limit and 9 times out of 10, I end up with someone behind me, glued to my rear bumper. 

There also seem so be a total lack of common courtesy on the road nowadays too. Drivers force their way in front of you from side streets, and when you do let someone through, there is no thank you.

Winge over

[Primus1]

Same here, people don’t really get to where they are going any quicker but must overtake and get in front, if you watch these dash cam vids there doesn’t seem to be any spatial awareness, consideration or observation any more and a lot is from the cammers themselves, driving seems to be a dying art…

[PCM]

... and bigger, wider SUV cars driven by people who cannot manage them and regard part of the opposite lane as for their use also...

[Roy124]

10 hours ago, Big_D said:

There also seem so be a total lack of common courtesy on the road nowadays too. Drivers force their way in front of you from side streets, and when you do let someone through, there is no thank you.

This was true of Grantham 6 years ago.  To many people's surprise,  I would read the road ahead, and see there was no movement.   I would wave a car out in front of me.

Now, this seems to have spread and this is almost the order if the day.

OTOH, the second car who thinks he is entitled to follow through ........

[Roy124]

There is a particular junction in Lincoln.  The entry road into a busy traffic lane is used by traffic exiting Tesco and also cross town traffic proceding South.  Zipping has been the order of the day.  A stranger, not aware of this, can cause chaos.

[Sooty]

It's getting more like driving in Italy now. Also years ago when I was in Saudi the taxi drivers would say we will get there if "Alah" wishes. Seems to be the same attitude here now.

[Cyker]

I had two SUVs just drive around me yesterday, as I'd stopped to let the person in front complete a parking manoeuvre.

This is why I don't like these increasingly intrusive ADAS systems - No matter how intrusive they make them, they will never make roads safer if they keep giving people like that licences.

Road safety will only improve if they address the real problem and start treating a driving license as a privilege, not a right. People that don't take the fact that they're driving a near-2 ton killing machine seriously just shouldn't be allowed to drive.

 

[Primus1]

Perhaps there should be compulsory refresher driving lessons/tests every five years or so..

 

 

 

 

[Big_D]

Similar to a MOT, but for Drivers..

the way things have changed, I probably wouldn’t pass the driving test today?

Rather than being taught how to drive, like I was, it seems as though driving instructors have to teach their students how to pass the test. 

[Gren]

My mum always said that any fool can drive fast, but it takes real skill to drive slow!

[Primus1]

Perhaps there could be a traffic light system on a refresher course, green, you meet the driving standards, amber, some things would need improvement, and red, you need to book a few lessons to address your failings, but, judging by the driving standards of todays roads, there would be a huge backlog in people awaiting lessons 🤔

[Roy124]

@Primus1 not to mention a shortage of examiners and refresher instructors. 

I followed a learner car in Grantham.   A 3-lane, moved centre to right, no signal.

At 3-lane lights, right only, but no signal to confirm the turn.   

Into the 2-lane, no signal to lane 1.

Lane 1 was left turn at lights.  No signal necessary but good practice.  No signal. 

I considered ringing the instructor and admonishing him. 

 

 

 

 

[Primus1]

It seems strange to me that we can pass our driving test at seventeen and never need to be checked again, I used to hold a gas qualification and had to have a refresher course every five years, I think there’s regular checks if you hold a firearms licence , but nothing for an equally lethal vehicle…

[Mjolinor]

26 minutes ago, Primus1 said:

It seems strange to me that we can pass our driving test at seventeen and never need to be checked again, I used to hold a gas qualification and had to have a refresher course every five years, I think there’s regular checks if you hold a firearms licence , but nothing for an equally lethal vehicle…

All about fund raising in both cases. Gas refresher course, hand money over, no course, no money. Driving refresher course also hand money over but not as much as prosecuting people for doing it wrong therefore no driving refresher courses necessary.

 

[Haliotis]

On 3/15/2024 at 11:56 PM, Big_D said:

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I have noticed that drivers are getting more impatient and always seem to be in a hurry to get everywhere. When I drive, I tend to stick to the speed limit and 9 times out of 10, I end up with someone behind me, glued to my rear bumper. 

There also seem so be a total lack of common courtesy on the road nowadays too. Drivers force their way in front of you from side streets, and when you do let someone through, there is no thank you.

Winge over

You’re not alone, Bob - most of us experience the faults you describe on a daily basis, along with a whole list of additional bad behaviour.

I deliberately keep a good distance behind traffic I am following. This allows me to slow gently, even if the vehicle in front suddenly brakes hard, and greatly reduces the risk of being in a “shunt”. Also, the narrowing of the ‘blind’ angle ahead gives me much more visibility of what’s ahead.

Why do supposedly intelligent people become clowns immediately they get behind the wheel?

[Primus1]

3 hours ago, Mjolinor said:

All about fund raising in both cases. Gas refresher course, hand money over, no course, no money. Driving refresher course also hand money over but not as much as prosecuting people for doing it wrong therefore no driving refresher courses necessary.

Of course there is that but when people get it wrong and a major crash ensues, then would the cost of the emergency services attending, and the cost of treatment of those affected, outweigh the cost of the fines and, indeed refresher courses, not to mention the cost of lower insurance..but I guess making money is priority nowadays..

[Roy124]

Following a link to the Bus Lane video. I came across Bus Lane traps.   One video shows a car getting all wheels spiked.  Apparently 60 cars on 5 years.

Another I have just seen is a trench.  Buses and Fire Engines can straddle,  cars fall in.

[Roy124]

Once came upon a traffic jam at a level crossing on the A52.  Nothing happening for some minutes.  On the other side was a car with the barrier resting on its bonnet.

No one was doing anything so I went and used the phone.  Apparently the barrier will not go Up until it has gone Down.

I got permission to 'fix' it.  I lifted the barrier sufficiently for the woman to back out (she had to be persuaded).  The barrier descended,  stopped, and rose again.

No idea how long the sheep would have waited.

[Bper]

2 hours ago, Haliotis said:

You’re not alone, Bob - most of us experience the faults you describe on a daily basis, along with a whole list of additional bad behaviour.

I deliberately keep a good distance behind traffic I am following. This allows me to slow gently, even if the vehicle in front suddenly brakes hard, and greatly reduces the risk of being in a “shunt”. Also, the narrowing of the ‘blind’ angle ahead gives me much more visibility of what’s ahead.

Why do supposedly intelligent people become clowns immediately they get behind the wheel?

There's a misconception that intelligence directly translates to safe driving. Regardless of intelligence, people might make poor choices on the road.

Overconfidence, people might feel their intelligence makes them better drivers, leading to riskier behavior.

Distraction, mobile phones regardless of the law on not using them when driving, eating, or even daydreaming can distract anyone,which can compromise judgment.

Urgency, feeling rushed can cloud judgment and tempt someone to speed or make dangerous maneuvers.

Anger/Frustration, bmotions can cloud rational thinking, leading to aggressive driving.

Habit formation, bad habits like not signaling or tailgating can become ingrained.

And one other they are just A***h****

[Mjolinor]

Five years compulsory motorcycle only driving would cure a lot of problems.

If you do not learn defensive driving then you do not make it to five years. No genes passed on, strengthening of the gene pool.

What's not to like.

 

[Cyker]

6 hours ago, Roy124 said:

@Primus1 not to mention a shortage of examiners and refresher instructors. 

I followed a learner car in Grantham.   A 3-lane, moved centre to right, no signal.

At 3-lane lights, right only, but no signal to confirm the turn.   

Into the 2-lane, no signal to lane 1.

Lane 1 was left turn at lights.  No signal necessary but good practice.  No signal. 

I considered ringing the instructor and admonishing him. 

Yeah I've got some astonishing Dashcam clips of learner cars demonstrating extremely poor driving, only to realize it wasn't being driven by a learner!

In all the cases I really hope it's just a relative or friend borrowing the car, because if the driver was the instructor then god help us all!

2 hours ago, Roy124 said:

Following a link to the Bus Lane video. I came across Bus Lane traps.   One video shows a car getting all wheels spiked.  Apparently 60 cars on 5 years.

Another I have just seen is a trench.  Buses and Fire Engines can straddle,  cars fall in.

 

2 hours ago, Roy124 said:

Once came upon a traffic jam at a level crossing on the A52.  Nothing happening for some minutes.  On the other side was a car with the barrier resting on its bonnet.

No one was doing anything so I went and used the phone.  Apparently the barrier will not go Up until it has gone Down.

I got permission to 'fix' it.  I lifted the barrier sufficiently for the woman to back out (she had to be persuaded).  The barrier descended,  stopped, and rose again.

No idea how long the sheep would have waited.

That reminds me of the bus service for Hertfordshire University - There is a bus-only road which is gated by pop-up bollards, and it's clearly marked as being bus-only, but there'd be at least one smeg pot every now and then who'd try and tailgate the bus through the bollards.

If you've ever seen those kind of bollard in action, you'd know not to try this, as they rise up quite quickly after the bus has passed - They'd shoot up and slam into the engine bay of the would-be shortcut seeker, often punching the engine off one of its mounts and putting a big dent into the underside of the bonnet.

You'd think the results would be more of a deterrent but apparently not...!

48 minutes ago, Mjolinor said:

Five years compulsory motorcycle only driving would cure a lot of problems.

If you do not learn defensive driving then you do not make it to five years. No genes passed on, strengthening of the gene pool.

What's not to like.

One thing I do think they should bring in from the bike license is a graduated license - Right now you can pass your driving test and immediately jump into a Bugatti Veyron or a Transit van.

With bikes, you can only ride a 125cc bike until you take the more advanced tests which eventually unlock a full bike license.

I think something like that would help, maybe based on weight and size of vehicles more than engine.

[Mjolinor]

5 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Yeah I've got some astonishing dashcam clips of learner cars demonstrating extremely poor driving, only to realize it wasn't being driven by a learner!

In all the cases I really hope it's just a relative or friend borrowing the car, because if the driver was the instructor then god help us all!

 

 

That reminds me of the bus service for Hertfordshire University - There is a bus-only road which is gated by pop-up bollards, and it's clearly marked as being bus-only, but there'd be at least one smeg pot every now and then who'd try and tailgate the bus through the bollards.

If you've ever seen those kind of bollard in action, you'd know not to try this, as they rise up quite quickly after the bus has passed - They'd shoot up and slam into the engine bay of the would-be shortcut seeker, often punching the engine off one of its mounts and putting a big dent into the underside of the bonnet.

You'd think the results would be more of a deterrent but apparently not...!

 

One thing I do think they should bring in from the bike license is a graduated license - Right now you can pass your driving test and immediately jump into a Bugatti Veyron or a Transit van.

With bikes, you can only ride a 125cc bike until you take the more advanced tests which eventually unlock a full bike license.

I think something like that would help, maybe based on weight and size of vehicles more than engine.

 

It doesn't even need to be another test. I reckon that limiting the first few years to the Aygo or similar would do a lot of good. It would probably also do good to limit the license to front seat passengers only so no "encouragement" from a car full of yobs.

[Roy124]

1 hour ago, Bper said:

Distraction, .... or even daydreaming can distract anyone,which can compromise judgment.

Like tooling along at a mere 10 yards a second or less as decreed in Wales or London.

Look up. Assess hazards up to a 100 yards ahead-    what shall we do for the next 9 seconds ......

[Cyker]

Or when driving along and the car starts beeping for no apparent reason and then you nearly crash into something because you reflexively looked down at the dash to try and see what the beeping was about...?