Whats the craic with lads driving so fast?

Makaveli

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

How may times have you been walking down the highstreet or around a store and have been pissed off by someone walking slow that you can get past?? And how many time have you gone to walk around them and nearly bumped into someone else..

But you're not going to kill someone by bumping into them while walking.

Fletch has a point, a lot of people really are oblivious to others while driving. I don't drive but I can see it as a ped or a passenger.

People are nitpicking over the fact that he used a 5mph difference in his arguement. Granted the speed limit is the max permitted speed on that road and no you don't have to drive at that speed, but you should have consideration for those that do want to. That doesn't mean swerving your car into a ditch to let them pass you as some of you are making it out to be.

An example of stupidty on the roads I came across tonight. I was in my friends jeep and we had just left my house, my sisters friend left just after us. It was about 9pm or so, and obviously dark at this stage. There's two ways out of the estate that lead to the same exit, we went one way and she went the other. We got to the exit ahead of her, had pulled out onto the main road, and saw she was driving with no lights on. So we flashed the hazards to get her attention but she was off in lala land.
Anyway, we must have traveled another 300m or so, including going round a roundabout. Still no lights, I had to ring my sister to ring her friend to tell her she was driving with no lights on. Pure stupidty.

People need to cop on to themselves big time.

ChipZilla

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

The same applies to Chipzilla.. You are right, the laws of the road agrees with you.. Shame they are not practical in real life.. Oddly enough, an elderly woman was prosecuted in Scotland a few months ago for holding up traffic.. What is the point of spending millions on roads if some muppet holds up peole trying to take advantage of them.

Yeah, I know about that case. I was the one that originally posted the link to that BBC News article the last time there was a discussion on speeding here.

The old woman in that case was doing 15mph or something like that on a 60mph road. That's world of difference from doing 55mph on a 60mph road like we were discussing. Do you want to pick a more relevant example?

BTW, which rules of the road are not practical in real life? And don't say 'driving on the hard shoulder' - as I said before the hard shoulder is not a crawler lane or any other kind of lane.

And please, no bullsh*t about 'unwritten rules of the road' or I'll scream. :rolleyes:

lisa.c

hey i have no problem with any one over takin where its safe or doin the extra few mile on a good road in fact i wont argue with any one as long as there bein considerate to other drivers. the thing that has piss.ed me off in this thread is the arrogance and ignorance of some people. why should you make someone do 60 in a 60 zone??? cant you just respect the fact that they are more comfortable doin 55. if you force them to go faster will you put your hands up and take responsibility if they panic and crash

yes if someone is going under 40 then they should pull in and let you pass but they should only pull in if they feel safe. if they dont feel safe then respect that, and have some patience as you eventually will get around them.

and yes it well known that women are crappier drivers but come on at this day and age why go on about it its sad and pathetic.

what pisses me off most is those riduculous boy racers who think they own the road and travel in convoys of what ever amount in there ridiculous suped up 1ltr granny cars. the way they drive is shamefull at least women have the cop on not to go on like this.

so yes i dont drive and i am young , but i do have a good knowledge about the road and i see much stupidity that it really pisse.es me off. just seeing people driving carelessly to save a few mins makes me laugh cause they are in fact just a few cars ahead at the end of it.

just take it easy on the roads. i keep hearing ye say that people should pull over to let ye pass and go faster cause ye cant over take etc. etc. and that they should use common sense but common sense on the roads is to be considerate of other drivers wether you are infront of them or behind them. just cause you feel you can go faster dont rush other people your the one in a hurry not them...

seamus

lisa.c wrote:

why should you make someone do 60 in a 60 zone??? cant you just respect the fact that they are more comfortable doin 55. if you force them to go faster will you put your hands up and take responsibility if they panic and crash

No-one's talking about making them go faster, just wishing that they had the consideration to acknowledge that others wish to go faster, and courteously make the effort to allow them to pass.

what pisses me off most is those riduculous boy racers who think they own the road and travel in convoys of what ever amount in there ridiculous suped up 1ltr granny cars. the way they drive is shamefull at least women have the cop on not to go on like this.

No they don't. I'm seeing increasingly more women driving gaudier and louder cars than the men.

just take it easy on the roads. i keep hearing ye say that people should pull over to let ye pass and go faster cause ye cant over take etc. etc. and that they should use common sense but common sense on the roads is to be considerate of other drivers wether you are infront of them or behind them. just cause you feel you can go faster dont rush other people your the one in a hurry not them...

Many people aren't comfortable driving behind other vehicles, full stop. I personally am not comfortable driving behind someone who doesn't seem confident on the road, usually they are the ones driving well below the speed limit (say 45 in a 60 zone) and varying their speed constantly. I'll try to pass them at the earliest opportunity, for my own safety. It's not a matter of being in a hurry. I'd say the majority of people who overtake dangerously and speed aren't in a hurry, they're just aggressive drivers.

Paladin

Apparently the Australian model for speed control works well, although their roads are of a vastly superior quality to ours.

There, speeding is just not tolerated. And its enforced incredibly strictly, with speed cameras and by police, who can detect your speed even if they are driving towards you. The result is not everyone going slower (like some gob****es here in Ireland), but EVERYONE complying with the exact limit. EVERYONE goes pretty much on the limit, and if they dont they get overtaken very very slowly, with the irate overtaker having plenty of time to give them an angry glance.

Of course this isnt viable on Irish roads because too many people feel "uncomfortable" at 45+ mph. Australian roads are wider, straighter and therefore safer.

I rekon if you dont feel "comfortable" going close to the limit when 90% of other drivers do, then you need to go on a driving course to improve your skill untill you are more comfortable. Actually I dont think it would do any good, buy it sounds more PC than saying "get them off the goddamn road!".

fletch

lisa.c wrote:

the thing that has piss.ed me off in this thread is the arrogance and ignorance of some people. why should you make someone do 60 in a 60 zone???

I don't recall anywhere in this thread, somebody saying that another road user should force another road user to do 60mph. Please quote this because upon thorough investigation I have failed to find a post stating same.
What was being asked was a bit of consideration that other road users may not wish to travel at the same speed as yourself and if so, where safe to do so, do not hog the whole lane and move over slightly aiding the whole overtaking manouvre.

KevCarina

Some people just dont get the idea of bieng polite to other road users. The law laid down by the department of transport is, as with all laws, a generalisation of acceptable terms of behaviour which, thru no fault of its creation, cannot compensate for every individual situation ie. the umwritten rules of the road which have come about by way of common road users developing a universal system of communicating to other road users that potential hazzards lie ahead.
Over taking should only be executed when it is safe to do so. The person being overtaken can aid matters of safety by moving over very slightly (you might not even have to enter the hard shoulder). It is just ignorance to stay rooted to the centre of the lane when some one wishes to pass you if you are travelling slower than they wish. Its just manners and its dangerous to ignore the car behind. It amazing how much of a difference a few inches can make.
As for poeple speeding it is both a phsycological and physical rush that you get. Humans by nature of their physyology are addicted to danger due to adrenelin. Some more than others but it is a very mature and well considered argument. Fletch at no time said that these were the reasons that he speeds(which he expressly appears not to), but was merely providing an incite as to why other motorists may feel the need to speed).
The unwritten rule exists and those who say otherwise have very little experience driving outside of the city. I am no angel on the road but I do know how to spot these rules, read and understand them as they alert you to danger. It is people who dismiss these rules who to me pose the danger because they are not looking at what the road is telling them so how can they be aware as to its contents.
The road is comparable to a book if you cant read it you certainly wont understand it.

Dun

There were a spate of road deaths here in Inishowen (Donegal) a couple of months ago. The first car, three were killed, they were speeding. Male driver, 25ish. Second incident, the passenger in the car was killed when the car crashed into the back of a lorry doing 30 mph on a 30mph road. The male driver was about 21, and survived. A week or so later, a car carrying three passengers crashed into a bridge and hit a tree, killing the driver and two passengers. The driver was male, aged about 19. Incidentally, the only surviving passenger was the only one wearing a seatbelt. A couple of weeks later, a car with two males in their 20s knocked down and killed a pedestrian on a straight road. Do I see a pattern?

A friend of mine's brother-in-law got a puncture going home one night, and pulled into the hard shoulder. A car pulled up behind him when they saw what was happened to give him a bit of light to change the tyre. A male driver who pulled into the hard shoulder to let vehicles pass crashed into the back of the guy shining his lights (who had his hazard lights on too), sending him flying forward and killing my friend's brother-in-law.

I've been in two car crashes and both have been the fault of male drivers. It's grand that guys can go criticising women drivers, but I believe that men are by far the more dangerous drivers.

mycroft

Have you never heard of the unwritten rules of the road.

Is anyone else entertained by the image of a judge ripping up Fletch/KevCarina's licence as they screams "BUT ITS THE UNWRITTEN RULE OF THE ROAD"

fletch

mycroft wrote:

Is anyone else entertained by the image of a judge ripping up Fletch/KevCarina's licence as they screams "BUT ITS THE UNWRITTEN RULE OF THE ROAD"

I, myself am entertained by the image. However, first of all, the likelyhood of such an occurence is improbable.
And second of all, I am not that brainless and dimwitted to try use an unrespected(in the eyes of the law) and illegitimate law in my defence.
We are just asking people to use their common sense and courtesy on the road where applicable and safe to do so. You people seem to have a real problem with being passed out, possibly seeing yourself as inferior and in some strange way, the lesser driver.
However if I wish to travel within the speed limits, that is my prerogative and I am not going to be influenced by another driver just as I respect it everyone else's decision to do so. Should another driver come racing up behind me, I would rather let them by me at the next available opportunity than forcing them to take an unnecessary risk and cause an accident.
Take, by way of example!, a father rushing his pregnant wife to hospital. Would you seriously condone holding this road user up in traffic and bluntly holding your position on the road, refusing to help his progress. I accept that this is an extraordinary example and an exception to the rule, so if you people can comprehend that there, ARE actually exceptions to every rule can you not accept that the highway code has by its very nature, it's exceptions.

lisa.c, I am still anxiously awaiting your reply as to where I state that you should force other road users to do 60mph in a 60zone

sceptre

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

If someone is doing 55 in a 60 mile zone there must be a reason for it.. If the speed limit is 60, it is designated safe to do 60 and to do 55 must mean there is something wrong.. If there is not a valid reason for driving slowly, then one can only assume that person is not confident to drive at the speed limit, thus should not be driving...

And yet again, it's a limit, not a target.

seamus

sceptre wrote:

And yet again, it's a limit, not a target.

It's a maximum speed at which it is deemed safe to drive on this road, a speed limit should not be taken as the speed to drive at, or necessarily always safe to drive at, as users should adjust their speed to suit the condition of the road, their vehicle, the traffic and the weather.

Speed limits are essentially there to protect us from inexperienced and stupid drivers and protect them from themselves. If we were all sensible drivers, there would be no need for speed limits, as we would all drive at a reasonable speed for the conditions.

60 is not a target, but it's a reasonable speed for the road conditions in many cases. People should be willing to accept that others wish to get from A to B in as short a time as is safely possible, and give them way.

jesus_thats_gre

This has all become too much for my little mind.. I am out!!

Sleipnir

KevCarina wrote:

It is just ignorance to stay rooted to the centre of the lane when some one wishes to pass you if you are travelling slower than they wish.

That sentence is the epitome of the ignorant irish driver
"they're not going as fast as I want them to"

so they should either risk life & limb to let me blaze past or I am permitted to drive 3 feet from their bumper.

That attitude is exactly why so many people are dying on our roads.

GreeBo

seamus wrote:

I personally am not comfortable driving behind someone who doesn't seem confident on the road, usually they are the ones driving well below the speed limit (say 45 in a 60 zone) and varying their speed constantly. I'll try to pass them at the earliest opportunity, for my own safety

To me that says that you are too close to them. You should be far enough back to give yourself time to react to anything they might do...

seamus

GreeBo wrote:

To me that says that you are too close to them. You should be far enough back to give yourself time to react to anything they might do...

That to me says you didn't even read my post. Do you even drive? Driving behind someone who is obviously nervous, unpredictable and who varies their speed a lot, is irritating and disconcerting, regardless of how far or close you drive behind them. Particularly when you're on a bike. Who wants to constantly have to change gear when there's no need, brake when there's no need, and particularly brake heavily when there's no need.

When you drive at the correct distance, you have enough time to react, but you still have to mimic their ridiculous actions.

sceptre

seamus wrote:

Driving behind someone who is obviously nervous, unpredictable and who varies their speed a lot, is irritating and disconcerting, regardless of how far or close you drive behind them.

Of course it is. As you say, particularly when you're on a bike (I've never (really, never) been on one of those motorised bike things). And it's bad enough when you're in a car as well, regardless of whether you're too close or not. I like to leave a good space between me and the guy in front as you never know either how dumb they are or how they're going to react the one time you get a fox running across the road, a big puddle or a descending cow after doing the jumping over the moon trick. And those people still make me nervous enough that I try to get in front of them at the earliest safe opportunity - you're better off in front of these guys than behind. And that's before even considering the guy who slams on the brakes and drops 20mph every time he sees a car coming towards him on the other side of the road (particularly at night).

And while I take the point that people could give way if they're travelling at 40mph on a main road and you're going at 55 (or 60, or 80), there's no compunction on them to do so. I'm not a fan of travelling behind a guy doing 40 when I could travel closer to the speed limit if he wasn't there but I don't have the right to demand that he move over. If he does, he'll get a cheery thanks and either a wave or an indicator flash when I go by but I'm not going to blame that guy for making me late if I didn't leave enough time to get there at my desired time (as I usually don't, bad habit but people are pretty forgiving of my lateness). Funnily enough I always make way for bikers where I can in either city or country traffic, I'm a little less tolerant of the guy in a car who's taken too many tips from Days of Thunder and tailgates everyone he passes (partly because it's a very inefficient way to overtake from their point of view but that's their problem)

lisa.c

fletch i totally agree with alot of what you say.
your post just came across as you bein a very pushy driver.
i do agree that people should pull over but i dont think they should do it unless they feel safe doing so what is so wrong with that???

the reason i can be so against this over taking crack is because my partner was rammed off the road by someone over taking and that someone happened to be a boy racer who wrecked my boyfriends car and wrote off his own. this left my partner very shook and nervous for a while(he ok now)

so this is why i have no tolerance for these pathetic boy racers.