sgregory124
MB Enthusiast
Been to and from Birmingham and environs in the last 3 days, ferrying family from/to BHX and on days out.
Today I witnessed some of THE worst driving I have ever seen, on the A42 in the Kingsbury area. Lots of traffic, most of it in lane 2 due to trucks in lane 1, so lots of bottled up impatient people in big blocks of passing traffic. A fully liveried van decides he's going to undertake me and 3 other cars behind, prior to us passing a full size artic on the inside, which somehow he manages without crashing.
He's now barreling at some speed down lane 1, in front of said artic, catching a train of fast moving traffic in lane 2 and fast approaching two more trucks in lane 1.
From about a 1/2 mile back, I watch with heart firmly in mouth as he tries to muscle his way into lane 2 (unsuccessfully at first due to a plucky Vito driver), then succeeds on the second attempt, massively cutting up the Vito in lane 2 and driving he/she onto the central reservation, narrowly avoiding the barrier. Queue huge cloud of dust, stones and a metal bar kicked by the Vito rejoining lane 2.
Luckily I was far enough back to swerve into lane 1 to avoid anything nasty, I then move back into lane 2 because of a truck in lane 1. But things weren't over, some clown in a silver C200d wagon (if you're on this forum, you might want to make sure you have an up-to-date will written) who'd been tailgating me for miles decides today was also the day he would risk meeting his maker - he pulls out at the last minute and undertakes me, narrowly avoiding hitting both me and the rear of the truck as he swerved violently into lane 2.
Finally, on the way home this afternoon I was cut up by a liveried Transit pickup at a junction on the A444 in Nuneaton - who then proceeded to drive slowly alongside me down a duel carriageway (he'd seen me call him call him something less than complimentary as I passed him) before cutting up a huge line of traffic at the next island.
All in all, an eventful day for all the wrong reasons. The silver lining to the A42 incident however, was my wife calling the company who's van it was, speaking to the owner and suggesting he might want to 'have a word about the two accidents he nearly caused'. By the sounds of it, the owner had had a few calls already as once he knew what road we were on, he 'knew exactly who the driver was'......
I am beginning to think that maybe some of today's shenanigans were due to my car - probably the worst part of owning a performance car, are the people who think they are (inexplicably) 'getting one over on you' by passing/cutting you up and having a story to tell their mates etc etc
Don't think i'll ever understand it - but I know driving standards in this country and at rock bottom (and got even worse today!).
Today I witnessed some of THE worst driving I have ever seen, on the A42 in the Kingsbury area. Lots of traffic, most of it in lane 2 due to trucks in lane 1, so lots of bottled up impatient people in big blocks of passing traffic. A fully liveried van decides he's going to undertake me and 3 other cars behind, prior to us passing a full size artic on the inside, which somehow he manages without crashing.
He's now barreling at some speed down lane 1, in front of said artic, catching a train of fast moving traffic in lane 2 and fast approaching two more trucks in lane 1.
From about a 1/2 mile back, I watch with heart firmly in mouth as he tries to muscle his way into lane 2 (unsuccessfully at first due to a plucky Vito driver), then succeeds on the second attempt, massively cutting up the Vito in lane 2 and driving he/she onto the central reservation, narrowly avoiding the barrier. Queue huge cloud of dust, stones and a metal bar kicked by the Vito rejoining lane 2.
Luckily I was far enough back to swerve into lane 1 to avoid anything nasty, I then move back into lane 2 because of a truck in lane 1. But things weren't over, some clown in a silver C200d wagon (if you're on this forum, you might want to make sure you have an up-to-date will written) who'd been tailgating me for miles decides today was also the day he would risk meeting his maker - he pulls out at the last minute and undertakes me, narrowly avoiding hitting both me and the rear of the truck as he swerved violently into lane 2.
Finally, on the way home this afternoon I was cut up by a liveried Transit pickup at a junction on the A444 in Nuneaton - who then proceeded to drive slowly alongside me down a duel carriageway (he'd seen me call him call him something less than complimentary as I passed him) before cutting up a huge line of traffic at the next island.
All in all, an eventful day for all the wrong reasons. The silver lining to the A42 incident however, was my wife calling the company who's van it was, speaking to the owner and suggesting he might want to 'have a word about the two accidents he nearly caused'. By the sounds of it, the owner had had a few calls already as once he knew what road we were on, he 'knew exactly who the driver was'......
I am beginning to think that maybe some of today's shenanigans were due to my car - probably the worst part of owning a performance car, are the people who think they are (inexplicably) 'getting one over on you' by passing/cutting you up and having a story to tell their mates etc etc
Don't think i'll ever understand it - but I know driving standards in this country and at rock bottom (and got even worse today!).