Driving standards are dire

[David Bird]

Is it just me or are driving standards at lowest point possible . Every day whilst out driving i pull out what is left off my thinning thatch as an almost endless number of clowns come to my attention .Ignorant beyhond belief barging from lane to lane in effect pushing in /jumping the queue - dawdling whilst phone stuck to ear - failure to move off when required (messing with their hair /on phone etc) i would put it as low as 1 in 10 that are competent and courteous, Strange thing is the bigger finer cars appear to have the most competent drivers - rarely have i noticed a problem with a mercedes /Jag type driver more often its the small car and people carrier brigade .Would love to be a driving standards marshall and take the incompetent off the road .

 

[Mercator]

I agree, all these people in poxy little cars keep getting in my way as well.

 

[bpsorrel]

I agree, standards here are worse then they used to be...but, spend some time in Russia and you'll come back here and think, wow, don't we all drive well!

 

[Carrsey]

People just seem to be in a world of their own these days instead of concentrating on whats going on..

 

[V12]

We're just starting to drive like the rest of the world.

 

[David Bird]

Cairo needs to be experienced - absolute mayhem ,Use there cars as dodgems ,a 5 lane highway out of town had 6 lanes of traffic and drivers hardly ever dont have hand on horn .

 

[finisterre]

It is probably a city/southern? thing. I haven't noticed much change here in deepest Derbyshire.

 

[SandradMrsp]

The one that bugs me the most is people right up my back end. Absolutely no need for it whatsoever. I just slow right down.

We were coming home after a day at Alton Towers in October, it was cold and dark and I was on unfamiliar back roads. There was somebody right up my back end, and he/she was flashing lights and honking the horn at us. I was driving slowly, but It was pitch dark, the road was hilly and very bendy and I'd never driven along it before.

And I wasn't driving stupidly slowly, I was driving at the correct speed for the kind of road I was on.

 

[mattc]

the knob jockey who drives the C63 KY62 HYM disproves your theory around Brum....that said we have a few tunnels so perhaps a DIANA moment awaits....joking apart I find there are ignorant people in all size/makes of vehicle....its not type specific.. the scary part is most of them are unaware what they are doing

 

[Rashman]

Couldn't agree more.

Standards are shocking.

I'm so glad I have another car for general use.

On the occasions I drive the AMG in heavy traffic, I absolutely hate it

Funnily enough, there was a programme on early about dangerous drivers, or something like that. Instructors were going out in a car with various drivers to help them improve. There was a woman that was beyond words.

She didn't know how to pull away from a standstill, didn't even know why y should change gear and didn't know what gear she was selecting - and openly admitted this!!

The instructor had to step in and brake on numerous occasions.

How the hell did these people get a license?!?!

 

[SandradMrsp]

Maybe force new drivers to ride a moped/motorbike for a year or two before taking driving lessons? I was on a 125 for 4 years before taking a car test and my driving instructor said I had much better road sense than most of his students.

All three of my teenagers are on two wheels now and I think it will really help them when they start driving. One of my girls is having driving lessons and has been told she's doing very well and that she should pass her test first time. She's 17 and has had a moped since she was 16.

 

[seven]

The one that bugs me the most is people right up my back end. Absolutely no need for it whatsoever. I just slow right down.

I find it incredible how close some people can get to you sometimes. Slowing down is not the answer though - you never know what someone might do if you annoy them enough. Leave a larger space to the car in front and let them by. This way they will arrive at their destination 0.3 seconds earlier than you. And, most importantly, you will arrive home safely.

 

[David Bird]

Problem gets far worse (hardly possible) once a little snow arrives .How do many of these drivers manage to obtain a driving licence.

 

[moff]

The one that bugs me the most is people right up my back end. Absolutely no need for it whatsoever. I just slow right down.

We were coming home after a day at Alton Towers in October, it was cold and dark and I was on unfamiliar back roads. There was somebody right up my back end, and he/she was flashing lights and honking the horn at us. I was driving slowly, but It was pitch dark, the road was hilly and very bendy and I'd never driven along it before.

And I wasn't driving stupidly slowly, I was driving at the correct speed for the kind of road I was on.

Why didn't you just pull over and let them past?

They shouldn't have drove so close, but it does irritate when you get stuck behind a slow vehicle when it's dangerous to overtake and they refuse to give way. Tractors usually pull over.

 

[Dieselman]

Why didn't you just pull over and let them past?

They shouldn't have drove so close, but it does irritate when you get stuck behind a slow vehicle when it's dangerous to overtake and they refuse to give way. Tractors usually pull over.

What is really irritating (and typically a Womans trait), is to drive slowly round bends and where overtaking is impossible, but then speed up on straits.

 

[Colin_b]

What is really irritating (and typically a Womans trait), is to drive slowly round bends and where overtaking is impossible, but then speed up on straits.

Actually, it is an indication you car has insufficient performance

 

[RhysC63?]

One of the most valuable lessons I have ever learnt as a driver is to take negative emotions out of the equation when driving - I don't always succeed, but I try to view other road users as a hazzard that needs to be evaluated and appropriate action taken to keep myself out of danger - I try to surpress the urge to judge the person driving, opting to just deal with the sittuation at hand rather than get angry ot annoyed. It doesn't always work but I find driving a lot more pleasurable since started keeping my emotions in check (I used to be terrible, a prime candidate for being beaten up in a road rage incident - plenty of anger and adrenalin with little or no ability to back it up with physical acion! )

 

[Londonscottish]

One of the most valuable lessons I have ever learnt as a driver is to take negative emotions out of the equation when driving - I don't always succeed, but I try to view other road users as a hazzard that needs to be evaluated and appropriate action taken to keep myself out of danger - I try to surpress the urge to judge the person driving, opting to just deal with the sittuation at hand rather than get angry ot annoyed. It doesn't always work but I find driving a lot more pleasurable since started keeping my emotions in check (I used to be terrible, a prime candidate for being beaten up in a road rage incident - plenty of anger and adrenalin with little or no ability to back it up with physical acion! )

I try to adopt the same attitude but cracked the other day coming into London. Some kn*b jockey in a Vectra did that signal-right-and-barge-straight-into-my-lane thing on the A40. Normally I'd have sighed, backed off and let him do his thing. But this time I didn't - just carried on as normal and slammed on the anchors at the last minute as he carried out his idiotic manouevre just to show how close he'd come to causing an accident (there was no one behind me).

Cue lots of of bouncing around from him, brake testing, etc.

He turned off at the next junction.

Why? I mean why?

 

[Conquistador]

Try driving in Jakarta, Indonesia. If you think drivers here are bad, Indonesia and the Philippines will give you an aneurysm.

After being side swiped in my last car by such a driver, I've learned to give drivers with green P-plates a very wide berth. It seems Their standard of driving is often lower than a learner driver!

Also learned to avoid A-classes driven by middle aged women sitting about 6 inches from the windscreen. We've all seen them.

 

[Dieselman]

After being side swiped in my last car by such a driver, I've learned to give drivers with green P-plates a very wide berth. It seems Their standard of driving is often lower than a learner driver!

I suspect people put P plates on their cars because they know they are incompetent drivers, so try to warn others to steer clear.