Getting off the motorway

[Charles Morgan]

Very sorry but unsurprised to hear this. The way so many people drive in the outer lane is utterly reprehensible - right up your rear, with absolutely no time to react. Nowadays I just pull over asap or accelerate a distance ahead and then pull over (if I can) if someone tailgates me. I make better progress in the inner and middle lanes anyway.

 

[corned]

Reminds me of an incident about 15 years ago when I was trapping up the M5 in my trusty old E-Type.

I was in the outside (not fast!) lane, getting a move on and was passing the usual two lanes of HGVs battling for pole position when the throttle linkage under the bonnet came apart. The engine immediately slowed and the pedal went completely slack.

I was lucky in that I could immediately drop the clutch (to stop the engine slowing me down) and I had sufficient forward momentum to pass the HGVs and thread myself through to the hard shoulder without causing any inconvenience to anyone. Had it happened a few yards earlier I would have been well and truly in the guano.

 

[verytalldave]

It seems most people now drive very aggressively and the roads have become an arena for competitive driving. There is very little give and take and its not often anyone gives way for anything. Even ambulances with their blues and 2's on sometimes get blocked in by inconsiderate drivers.
I have been driving since 1967 and the general manners of road users has got measurably worse in that time.
Unfortunately, what the lady driver experienced is commonplace and I cant see how things can improve much.
In my opinion, one of the factors in this behavioural decline is how much faster cars are now. Back in 1967 it was very, very rare to see a car than could beat 10 seconds to 60mph or have a top speed over 100mph.
Speed and its ease of availability is a factor IMHO. If we all drove around in cars that had top speeds of 90 maybe the pace of travel and its attendant perils would diminish.
And there speaks a man who drives a car that can almost top 150mph.

 

[Burger]

I don't think the performance of cars affects road manners at all. I think the biggest factor beyond all others is the sheer volume of traffic brought about by a steady increase in comparative wealth. The roads are now shared by people from all walks of life and a much wider age range than at any time before. Family's typically have 2 or even 3 or 4 cars and many of these are families to whom good manners and common decency is meaningless.

Like ALL other problems we all suffer it can be traced back to selfishness. Blow you jack, I'm alright.

Regards,

 

[PXW]

The roads are now shared by people from all walks of life

...now, all we have to do is work out a way to get those low-lifes back where they should be, walking in the dust at the side of the road and doffing their caps as we merc drivers swish by. One might have hoped that the global recession might do it - seemed to work last time. Bring back the 1930's!!