Aggressive drivers

[Wooster]

2 hours ago, trashman1965 said:

I definitely feel driving standards dropped during lockdowns, higher speeds, less consideration, impatience, cutting corners, ignoring road signs/traffic lights/speed limits/give ways. 

I'd have to add the lack of any police presence. Remember the days when police cars just 'cruised' around looking for anything that caught their attention?  Nowadays... what are the chances of being caught using a mobile phone whilst driving? Or, if there's no camera - being caught running a red traffic light? (Etc, etc)

[YarisHybrid2016]

My wife has noticed that when I drive, all the crazies appear.

It's not the car - it happens whether I'm driving hers or mine.

Driving standards are getting worse by the day. I was nearly hit last week by an idiot jumping out of the left lane into the 4th lane of a big roundabout. I was in the 3rd lane. He also ran a red light during the maneuver. 🤬

My wife wouldn't believe it if she didn't see it. It's not a one-off, either.

Before you ask, I don't drive like an a££ or do things to annoy others besides existing and driving to the condition of the road.

[Cyker]

12 minutes ago, Wooster said:

I'd have to add the lack of any police presence. Remember the days when police cars just 'cruised' around looking for anything that caught their attention?  Nowadays... what are the chances of being caught using a mobile phone whilst driving? Or, if there's no camera - being caught running a red traffic light? (Etc, etc)

Funnily enough, we were just saying there's been an uptick in Police estate cars cruising around lately down here; A lot of Corolla Tourers and a few what I keep thinking are Mondeo estates but probably aren't.

I was just in Harlow getting new tyres (Went with the Primacy4s in the end - Not noticed much improvment in NVH but wow they grip so much better!!  ) and there were loads dotted around (Unless it was the same one following me...    )

 

7 hours ago, Mjolinor said:

Hmmm, in my experience BMW + courtesy = insurance fraud.

One of my pet hates is people stopping to let you through when you are already stopped to let them through. Very suspicious and I will usually turn off or refuse to move. There is no defense in law if they drive into you when they have right of way.

That's why having a Dashcam is essential - If it shows them signaling you to proceed and then they drive into you, you have a very strong case.

I tend to treat it like the old Double-Dare gameshow; I flash them, but if they don't go and flash me back I launch   One of the greatest things about the Mk4 is there is no lag when you tell it to go so the chance of someone thinking you're not going to go is much reduced.

I often have that situation where I've flashed someone through and they've taken so long to move that I thought they weren't going to, and started moving, only for them to start moving at the same time!

Actually we were talking about this and my colleague suspects it may be foreign drivers, as in Euro land, flashing someone means the OPPOSITE of what it does here (i.e. here it means "After you sir/madam" whereas over there it means "I'M COMING THROUGH YOU BETTER STOP!"  

I'll have to test this by winding down the window and waving them through to see if that makes a difference, or whether it is just that certain cars are really slow to get into gear  

 

3 hours ago, hind said:

Defensive driving helps 😉 

Or, like one of the motorcycle instructors once said, assume everyone on the road are the hitmen hired to take you out 😉 

Definitely the size of the car matters. Brand does that as well - some people just assume that driving Toyota makes you an old grandpa or a woman who struggles to drive the thing and to avoid being stuck behind you, do their best to overtake and at least be in front of you.

2 hours ago, MC1216 said:

I agree it's got worse but i was always taught to drive defensively and having ridden motorcycles i know how dangerous it can be.

However lets put this in to context...yesterday i was out in my other car a Golf R which normally attracts idiots in small cars to race me and stick to my rear bumper which i never take on or get road rage.

The woman in front of me was in a Yaris Cross and i followed her for nearly 15 miles along the A59 and at nearly every roundabout she was in the wrong lane,stopped at the line when it clearly was safe to proceed,obviously didn't tick the options when ordering her car of indicators as never once used them and then decided the car couldn't get anywhere near the speed limit and drove at least 20 mph below it.

I could at any point have passed safely but i honestly thought she was having a medical episode but it turned out she probably should have given up driving years ago.

So yes it's mainly BMW or Audi or as i have found more recently Tossler drivers(sorry Tesla) that cause the problems but don't forget it can be Toyota or any driver.

2 hours ago, BlueMike1972 said:

Yeah, my mantra is to trust NO ONE on the road around me, then I'm never disappointed!

Yeah my driving instructor said similar things, something along the lines of Assume all other road users are blind deaf inbred idiots who are out to get you, and make your decisions accordingly.  and this has proven to be a wise default state to drive to  

[AndyN01]

This is a huge topic with, IMHO, a vast number of variables.

As a biker I'll always remember the advice that it's irrelevant who is legally/technically or whatever right - it's you lying on the floor if it all goes wrong.

Standards are low - I've posted elsewhere about the lack of this in general.

"Me First. I'm important, I'm better than you, I'm a "go-getter, I can treat you as some sort of underling" is an often seen and praised attribute in many spheres of life - why not when on the road??????

Whatever happens and however it unfolds drive carefully and arrive safely.

 

[Mjolinor]

I never flash anyone for any reason whatsoever. IMHO it just causes confusion. I only use the horn if I need to to stop someone who does not know I am there.

 

Still waking up breathing after 50 years of motorbike riding says I do it right I think. 🙂

My only significant injury was while stopped at a stop sign and two cars at right angles decided to mate and one spun round and hit me.

 

 

[Cyker]

Yeah it can be aggravating, but I just imagine the offending driver's car upside-down and wrapped around a tree and I feel better  

 

[coreye9090]

2 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Yeah it can be aggravating, but I just imagine the offending driver's car upside-down and wrapped around a tree and I feel better  

 

I was thinking out loud the other day, totally forgetting that I had a passenger... Was something similar to your scenario😅 For the rest of the journey I had a weird side eye on me!😂

[Eddie G]

The last few years it is like they are filming the remake of Mad Max up north 😆 or has every other driver just been told their wife is giving birth! the speed and lack of consideration is breathtaking, be it when i was in my Hybrid Yaris or in my current 1.5 Yaris some driver's even if you went 100mph would think that's a Toyota they are all slow!!! we MUST GET PAST IT!!!! Audi driver's still get the gold star for Max style driving past and present.

[TonyHSD]

And the thing is that no matter how fast you drive there will be always  someone that will need and want to drive faster and you even at lightning speeds still gonna look as a slow driver in their eyes. 
 

[Wooster]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

...in Euro land, flashing someone means the OPPOSITE of what it does here (i.e. here it means "After you sir/madam" whereas over there it means "I'M COMING THROUGH YOU BETTER STOP!"

I haven't looked at a Highway code for a L O N G time, but I'm sure flashing your lights (used to?) mean "I'm here".  Same as using your horn. 

[Cyker]

The best thing my instructor taught me is if someone is riding your posterior, just gently slow slightly to allow a gap to build in front of you so if you the car in front stops you can slow more gently to avoid being crashed into. This also forces them to back off or in some cases overtake you.

That said it doesn't always work - I once had a Kia something-or-other nailed to the back of me, and even when we got to a dual-carriage way they still stayed there, even when I sped up or slowed down to see what they would do, they stayed right there. It was like I was towing them!  

Was wondering if maybe they thought they knew me, but wasn't anyone I knew and they weren't waving or anything. Was super bizarre and just continued until we went in different directions.

To this day I still can't think of any explanation for this behaviour!    

[hind]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

over there it means "I'M COMING THROUGH YOU BETTER STOP!"  

I can deny, this means exactly the same over here, in this context of course as it might have other meanings like "police ahead" or "you forgot to switch on your lights" (if they are required in this situation). 

[Cyker]

Just now, Wooster said:

I haven't looked at a Highway code for a L O N G time, but I'm sure flashing your lights (used to?) mean "I'm here".  Same as using your horn. 

Yes this is the absolutely correct official use of them, but like flashing the hazards as a thank you, there are lots of unofficial but general recognised uses of the lights that you pick up.

I had a german friend asking about the flashing hazards as it apparently really confused them over there as it's not a thing, but now they have mostly cottened on to the fact it's a british driver saying thanks, esp. if it has british plates  

I think technically all these 'alternative uses' are illegal (I'm sure there is a SHOULD NOT, of not a MUST NOT line regarding them...) but convention is convention...

 

[Cyker]

1 minute ago, hind said:

I can deny, this means exactly the same over here, in this context of course as it might have other meanings like "police ahead" or "you forgot to switch on your lights" (if they are required in this situation). 

Oh that's interesting, where's "here" in your case? I'm not sure about all EU countries but I'm told in France, Germany and especially Italy, flashing your mains does NOT mean they are letting you through!

[hind]

I'm describing what I can see in Poland but this is very similar in Germany as well, check the German wiki page for the usage examples https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernlicht

[Cyker]

Huh, those lying gits!!!  

I've very glad you made me aware of that though - I thought that was a euro-wide convention!

Now in the (admittedly unlikely...) event I drive in europe I'll know to not assume what the flash means!

[Eddie G]

40 minutes ago, Cyker said:

The best thing my instructor taught me is if someone is riding your posterior, just gently slow slightly to allow a gap to build in front of you so if you the car in front stops you can slow more gently to avoid being crashed into. This also forces them to back off or in some cases overtake you.

That said it doesn't always work - I once had a Kia something-or-other nailed to the back of me, and even when we got to a dual-carriage way they still stayed there, even when I sped up or slowed down to see what they would do, they stayed right there. It was like I was towing them!  

Was wondering if maybe they thought they knew me, but wasn't anyone I knew and they weren't waving or anything. Was super bizarre and just continued until we went in different directions.

To this day I still can't think of any explanation for this behaviour!    

Same thing happened to me once with a Ford Fiesta on my rear, thought is it A) Someone thinking they can get a aerodynamic advantage 😆 B) Someone in a rush but not enough of a rush to overtake 😆 C) An Ex girlfriend  😆😱 D) All three! 😂

[hind]

I tried to drive on the wrong / right side of the road with a simulator (Euro Truck 2) and after a few "whoopsie" moments (mainly on the intersection turns where I instinctively tried to land on the right side of the road) my brain "clicked" as everything is basically the same, just flipped. But what freaks me out the most in RHD is the position of the gear lever 😄 while everything else is in the same place. I'm not sure if I ever risk driving RHD car, regardless on which side of the road is the right one 😉

[Cyker]

What got me was steering with my 'wrong' hand - I'm definitely right-hand dominant and really struggled to steer accurately with my left hand only!

Wouldn't be so bad in an auto, but shifting gears with my right hand while trying to steer with my left really hurt my brain until I got used to it   It's so ingrained the other way around that it just happens 'automatically' and I don't even think about it, don't even need to think about how I need to move the gear stick or how much force and distance to move the wheel, but when doing it the other way round it's like being a learner again   

Thankfully driving a left-hand drive car isn't something I have to do very often!!

Weirdly my friend and my brother can switch between the two, no dramas.  I'm pretty sure they're aliens or mutants or something.  

[Jules88]

I've not noticed anything too differently, only been driving regularly since 2021 though. Feel like it could be another case of a post-Covid (well, I guess it's still around) world gone mad.

I don't know if my area is just nice, but most drivers are very courteous here.

I have noticed some people make out like they want to race or show off how faster their car is. I guess the MK4 looks more "sportier" than the MK3, then they must realise what kind of car it is and give up that idea 😆

I'm more than happy being overtaken and being at the back of traffic, lets me ease off the accelerator and just glide along in electric mode. That and you want any potential idiots in front of you.

[MikeB2]

I have had so many instances of cars literally sitting on my bumper while driving at 50+ mph I can even see the whites of the eyes of the driver. I have been tempted at times just to take my foot off the accelerator but don't want my Cross damaged. What is wrong with these impatient/inconsiderate drivers?

[AndyN01]

43 minutes ago, Cyker said:

What got me was steering with my 'wrong' hand - I'm definitely right-hand dominant and really struggled to steer accurately with my left hand only!

Wouldn't be so bad in an auto, but shifting gears with my right hand while trying to steer with my left really hurt my brain until I got used to it   It's so ingrained the other way around that it just happens 'automatically' and I don't even think about it, don't even need to think about how I need to move the gear stick or how much force and distance to move the wheel, but when doing it the other way round it's like being a learner again   

Thankfully driving a left-hand drive car isn't something I have to do very often!!

Weirdly my friend and my brother can switch between the two, no dramas.  I'm pretty sure they're aliens or mutants or something.  

This may not be up to date with current thinking but....

It used to be generally accepted that it takes about 10,000 hours for something to be so ingrained in muscle memory and mental process that it'll just "happen, perfectly" without any real "thought" taking place.

You may hear about sports people bing in the "flow" - this is when they are operating sub consciously and can produce an (almost) flawless performance. In this "state" conscious thought actually "gets in the way" of the quality of the performance. Watching the Olympics gives us an opportunity to see this in action. It's remarkably easy to see the athletes that are in the "flow" and those that aren't (freezing/choking etc.).

So, how you (we) move the steering wheel, change gear etc. as been honed over thousands of hours of "learning" (by feedback to the brain) and is now completely automatic. Your "other" hand needs to learn what to do and how to do it to be as proficient as the one that's been doing it for years.

I think it's in Nigel Mansell's book where he describes setting several record laps one after the other on the way to British GP and then World Championship victory while picking out people in the crowd. Sub conscious functions can be incredibly effective 😀.

 

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

3 hours ago, Cyker said:

Assume all other road users are blind deaf inbred idiots who are out to get you

No need to assume around here.

[ColinB]

As someone who also rides motorcycles what is obvious to me is that many car drivers are totally unaware of what's going on around them, unlike on bikes where you are on constant lookout for someone trying to kill you. It also certainly helps having a larger car, comparing being out in my previous RAV4 and my wife's IQ with the YC being somewhere in between 

[Mjolinor]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest where the gear lever / brake is on a bike or in a car, right or left hand.

Having said that I was flummoxed this week. I was given a 2009 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, non runner. Took me a few minutes to figure why and got it going, no problem. Unfortunately I could not set off in it because I could not find the throttle pedal. Had to get out of the car to see the problem. There was indeed no throttle pedal.

Much grovelling later and it was on the left of the brake pedal (automatic). I had seen two throttles a few times but never one like this where if you dropped the left throttle the right throttle went up and vice versa. You could only have one throttle pedal working at once.

I presume that some previous owner only had a left leg or something. 🙂