Your top three driving pet hates...

[SpoonJar]

Maybe they've heard of the flash for cash scam. You apparently haven't.

Actually, know all, I have heard of this scam but seeing as I'm not a stani, I don't go around crashing cars into others to rip off insurance company's.

 

[John]

I would venture that flash for cash is not a well known issue amongst the majority of drivers and that most who ignore the flash signal are just dumbasses.

 

[geraldrobins]

I would venture that flash for cash is not a well known issue amongst the majority of drivers and that most who ignore the flash signal are just dumbasses.

That's a very sweeping generalisation. The flash symbol is not a give way signal in my opinion, but if you wish to be rude to those that ignore it then carry on.

 

[geraldrobins]

Actually, know all, I have heard of this scam but seeing as I'm not a stani, I don't go around crashing cars into others to rip off insurance company's.

Whats a stani? please enlighten me

 

[John]

That's a very sweeping generalisation. The flash symbol is not a give way signal in my opinion, but if you wish to be rude to those that ignore it then carry on.

It's certainly a challenging issue for some...

 

[renault12ts]

I would venture that flash for cash is not a well known issue amongst the majority of drivers and that most who ignore the flash signal are just dumbasses.

I would venture that most people flashing their lights do a quick flick of the stalk...which has virtually no effect on the lights.

The best way to flash headlamps is to A, make sure the other driver is actually looking in your direction, and B, hold them on for about 1 second.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Whats a stani? please enlighten me

I'm guessing that it refers to an occupant of one of the countries that end in stan, there's loads of them.

Were you hoping to make it some kind of racist slur?

 

[geraldrobins]

Whereas its very courteous of many to let other people out when you flash your lights for instance you cant expect them to immediately drive forward. The driver has to ensure its safe. I and Im sure others have experience of someone giving way to the to pull out but at the same time there is another car or cyclist or motorcyclist coming up on the inside or thinking they have stopped and overtaken. Today for instance someone signalled for me to pull out and turn right into the main road. They had stopped whilst approaching from the left but as I was about to go there was still traffic coming from my right.

So please the courtesy but please have a little patience as well.

 

[geraldrobins]

I'm guessing that it refers to an occupant of one of the countries that end in stan, there's loads of them.

Were you hoping to make it some kind of racist slur?

Not at all but I think blaming them for flash for cash scams might be.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

What about this one?

I'm approaching a mini roundabout and can only go straight on or turn right, I intend to turn right and indicate so. Straight ahead is clear but the road leading off to the right is temporarily blocked by a lorry delivering to a shop.

I wait at the broken line until my exit is clear, woman behind me is going mental because I am in her way. She is not indicating and, as it transpired, wanted to go straight ahead.

I heard some horn blowing and look in the mirror to see her banging her forehead on the steering wheel in frustration while making hand signals at me, I sensed that she was upset at my lack of movement but I didn't want to block the roundabout for oncoming traffic and those turning right off the road I wanted to use.

Did I do something wrong?

 

[geraldrobins]

What about this one?

I'm approaching a mini roundabout and can only go straight on or turn right, I intend to turn right and indicate so. Straight ahead is clear but the road leading off to the right is temporarily blocked by a lorry delivering to a shop.

I wait at the broken line until my exit is clear, woman behind me is going mental because I am in her way. She is not indicating and, as it transpired, wanted to go straight ahead.

I heard some horn blowing and look in the mirror to see her banging her forehead on the steering wheel in frustration while making hand signals at me, I sensed that she was upset at my lack of movement but I didn't want to block the roundabout for oncoming traffic and those turning right off the road I wanted to use.

Did I do something wrong?

I don't think so. Seems you had no where to go and had to wait and had an intolerant woman behind you.

 

[John]

I would venture that most people flashing their lights do a quick flick of the stalk...which has virtually no effect on the lights.

The best way to flash headlamps is to A, make sure the other driver is actually looking in your direction, and B, hold them on for about 1 second.

Indeed and agreed.

I actually don't flash my lights at all, I do one long flash which is as long as I have time so there can be no doubt.

Whereas its very courteous of many to let other people out when you flash your lights for instance you cant expect them to immediately drive forward.

We're not talking about an instant lurch on command here. What we are talking about it people who have been flashed, more than once, who still are oblivious to what planet they are on.

What about this one?

I'm approaching a mini roundabout and can only go straight on or turn right, I intend to turn right and indicate so. Straight ahead is clear but the road leading off to the right is temporarily blocked by a lorry delivering to a shop.

I wait at the broken line until my exit is clear, woman behind me is going mental because I am in her way. She is not indicating and, as it transpired, wanted to go straight ahead.

I heard some horn blowing and look in the mirror to see her banging her forehead on the steering wheel in frustration while making hand signals at me, I sensed that she was upset at my lack of movement but I didn't want to block the roundabout for oncoming traffic and those turning right off the road I wanted to use.

Did I do something wrong?

No.

Sounds like you offended her patience.

Next time you get blocked in in the sort of situation you described that you would be causing - just check out the driver. I do and I'm never normally surprised.

Those extra feet of room they've blocked means they get there so much quicker it seems.

 

[219]

When you flash your lights to let someone out of a side road and they sit there for 5 seconds looking at you. Flash lights again, still sit there staring at you. FFS.

While extending courtesy and inviting someone out of a side road onto a main road is all very well when the main road is at a virtual standstill with queuing traffic , such that the person in the side road might otherwise wait an eternity to get out ; it is one of my pet hates when well-meaning chumps stop without warning on a busy and free flowing main road to invite people out of side roads , possibly causing a concertina effect behind and even a crash due to following traffic not expecting the one in front to stop ( this is one of the few occasions where the driver in front can be held responsible for a rear end collision , because they did not have a valid reason to stop , did so without warning , and with a little forethought might have foreseen that following traffic might not have been expecting them to stop ) .

It is different , of course , particularly with larger vehicles , if a vehicle waiting in a narrow side road prevents or makes it more difficult for you to turn off into that road , and letting them go first makes it easier for you to make the turn - but then you would have been signalling your intention to turn off anyway so following traffic would have expected you to slow down anyway .

The people I object to are the ones who ( for example on my local village bypass ) just stop suddenly to let a lorry out of a side road , risking a rear end smash , then carrying on , when the lorry would have got out anyway a few seconds later when the half dozen vehicles on the main road had passed .

'Flashers' should also remember that , in inviting someone out of a side road in front of you , you assume a degree of responsibility for ensuring it is safe for them to emerge - remember you may be blocking their view - and coukd be held in part responsible if they pull out on your invitation to be hit by an overtaking vehicle who thought you had 'just stopped' and might not have seen the side road or the vehicle emerging .

While I never invite people out onto free flowing roads , I might do so on near static congested ones , but only by a hand gesture and never a headlamp flash , and also after making very sure there are no cyclists or motorcyists filtering down either side .

More often , I will just leave a gap , without signalling any invitation , and leave it for the driver in the side road to make their own decision to emerge or not .

Oh , and if I am in the side road , waiting to emerge onto a free flowing main road , and someone takes it upon themself to change the established rules of priority , I will quite often decline to come out in front of them , either by making eye contact and shaking my head or by a hand gesture indicating that I am waiting for them to pass first .

 

[Deleted member 65149]

While extending courtesy and inviting someone out of a side road onto a main road is all very well when the main road is at a virtual standstill with queuing traffic , such that the person in the side road might otherwise wait an eternity to get out ; it is one of my pet hates when well-meaning chumps stop without warning on a busy and free flowing main road to invite people out of side roads , possibly causing a concertina effect behind and even a crash due to following traffic not expecting the one in front to stop ( this is one of the few occasions where the driver in front can be held responsible for a rear end collision , because they did not have a valid reason to stop , did so without warning , and with a little forethought might have foreseen that following traffic might not have been expecting them to stop ) .

It is different , of course , particularly with larger vehicles , if a vehicle waiting in a narrow side road prevents or makes it more difficult for you to turn off into that road , and letting them go first makes it easier for you to make the turn - but then you would have been signalling your intention to turn off anyway so following traffic would have expected you to slow down anyway .

The people I object to are the ones who ( for example on my local village bypass ) just stop suddenly to let a lorry out of a side road , risking a rear end smash , then carrying on , when the lorry would have got out anyway a few seconds later when the half dozen vehicles on the main road had passed .

'Flashers' should also remember that , in inviting someone out of a side road in front of you , you assume a degree of responsibility for ensuring it is safe for them to emerge - remember you may be blocking their view - and coukd be held in part responsible if they pull out on your invitation to be hit by an overtaking vehicle who thought you had 'just stopped' and might not have seen the side road or the vehicle emerging .

While I never invite people out onto free flowing roads , I might do so on near static congested ones , but only by a hand gesture and never a headlamp flash , and also after making very sure there are no cyclists or motorcyists filtering down either side .

More often , I will just leave a gap , without signalling any invitation , and leave it for the driver in the side road to make their own decision to emerge or not .

Oh , and if I am in the side road , waiting to emerge onto a free flowing main road , and someone takes it upon themself to change the established rules of priority , I will quite often decline to come out in front of them , either by making eye contact and shaking my head or by a hand gesture indicating that I am waiting for them to pass first .

Good opinions on driving as usual. I particularly share your dislike of those who stop to let someone out from a side road when there are only a couple of following vehicles that would otherwise have passed by in a few seconds. Their other trick is be totally oblivious of oncoming traffic which, if heavy and less courteous, leads to a long wait when the person being let out wants to turn right.

But I don't fully share your complaint that their actions are "possibly causing a concertina effect behind and even a crash due to following traffic not expecting the one in front to stop". I agree that this is something that could happen, but surely the major fault would be with those drivers in the line of traffic who concertina up and crash. Should any of us really be driving in the assumption that nobody ahead is going to stop unexpectedly, just because we can't see a reason for it to happen? Of course there would be no need for the "courteous" driver at the front to stop, but those behind shouldn't be so close that they can't all stop safely behind. What if instead of the front driver stopping to let someone out from a side road, he braked sharply because a child or an animal ran into the road? Would it still be his fault that a crash happened a few vehicles behind him due to the concertina effect? Perhaps it's something we all need to think about and leave increasingly greater gaps the further back we are in a line of moving traffic.

Back to the original complaint about no reaction when letting someone out of a side road, they only get one chance with me. If they're not bothered to look out for someone helping them, I'm not bothering to wait for them. Similarly, when the angle of their wheels and position on the side road makes it obvious that they want to turn right, if they're not bothering to use their indicator I'm not going to bother even offering them the opportunity to come out.

 

[Dryce]

but surely the major fault would be with those drivers in the line of traffic who concertina up and crash.

The safer driver presumably drives with a view that the likely faults of others are risks to be appreciated and thereby avoided where possible.

 

[219]

Good opinions on driving as usual. I particularly share your dislike of those who stop to let someone out from a side road when there are only a couple of following vehicles that would otherwise have passed by in a few seconds. Their other trick is be totally oblivious of oncoming traffic which, if heavy and less courteous, leads to a long wait when the person being let out wants to turn right.

But I don't fully share your complaint that their actions are "possibly causing a concertina effect behind and even a crash due to following traffic not expecting the one in front to stop". I agree that this is something that could happen, but surely the major fault would be with those drivers in the line of traffic who concertina up and crash. Should any of us really be driving in the assumption that nobody ahead is going to stop unexpectedly, just because we can't see a reason for it to happen? Of course there would be no need for the "courteous" driver at the front to stop, but those behind shouldn't be so close that they can't all stop safely behind. What if instead of the front driver stopping to let someone out from a side road, he braked sharply because a child or an animal ran into the road? Would it still be his fault that a crash happened a few vehicles behind him due to the concertina effect? Perhaps it's something we all need to think about and leave increasingly greater gaps the further back we are in a line of moving traffic.

Back to the original complaint about no reaction when letting someone out of a side road, they only get one chance with me. If they're not bothered to look out for someone helping them, I'm not bothering to wait for them. Similarly, when the angle of their wheels and position on the side road makes it obvious that they want to turn right, if they're not bothering to use their indicator I'm not going to bother even offering them the opportunity to come out.

I , of course , fully agree that everyone should always leave a safe stopping distance such that they can avoid the vehicle in front should it stop suddenly .

However , the difference between someone who stops without warning to let someone out of a side road and the driver who brakes to avoid a child running out , or some other similar eventuality , is that the former is unnecessary and entirely avoidable while the latter is not , besides that following drivers paying attention might see the child running out at the same moment as the front driver thus all ought to brake simultaneously .

I'm pretty certain it is now held by insurers that if you just stop without warning , and without good reason ( which letting someone out of a side road is not ) then this action is the principal cause of any crash behind and the stopper is held liable .

 

[markjay]

Accidents are statistical occurrences.

Driving is made of several layers of safety.

Single layers are requently breached, and with no ill effect, this is what we call a near-miss or a close shave.

When all layers are breached, an accident occurs.

When both the driver in front and the one at the back are fully alert, we have two layers of safety.

If the driver at the front is not alert (to the fact that the car behind him is too close and too fast) and brakes, one layer of safety has been removed, leaving only one layer which is the driver at the rear.

If the driver ar the back is also not alert (does not keep proper distance or is distracted and reacts too slow) then the last remaining safety layer has been removed....

We get lucky every day. Once in a blue moon the statistics pile-up against us. But good drivers will always ensure that they have as many safety layers as possible at their disposal, thus statistically reducing the risk of being involved in an accident.

 

[gl boy]

Fog light uses when no fog etc !!!!!
Outside lane hoggers !!! Over take and comeback over ffs !!!!!
People whom you go yo overtake then accelerate !!!!!!! Why ohhh whyyyyy do it !!!!!!
Dammmmm only 3 !!! I have loads lol

 

[John]

People whom you go yo overtake then accelerate !!!!!!! Why ohhh whyyyyy do it !!!!!!

I had a newish wide Ford Fucus with central exhaust pipes try this with me recently.

Promptly dispatched to the tune of a loud V8.

 

[meeeb]

I'm pretty certain it is now held by insurers that if you just stop without warning , and without good reason ( which letting someone out of a side road is not ) then this action is the principal cause of any crash behind and the stopper is held liable .

And by courts. It has long been the case that there are circumstances whereby the driver in the 'front' vehicle shares liability with the rear-end shunter.

Rear end shunt - a change of judicial direction? John O?Neill v Ashley Monkman (Nottingham CC, 14 August 2013) - Insurance Litigation - Horwich Farrelly