A bit of a Christmas Driving rant!

Souperfreak

Ok, 7:30am no cars on the road, Legend my 1 hour commute cut down to 15 minutes and then there is a learner driver in a micra doing (I kid you not) 20 miles an hour in front of me. 7:30 in the morning, tehre are no other drivers on the road. How did I get behind a f***ing learner drive in a micra doing 20 miles an hour and of course there is no safe place to overtake them my beautiful 15 minute commute regains time and becomes a 30 minute commute stuck behind a micra doing 20.

Sorry about the rant but needed to get that out.

Idleater

Souperfreak wrote:

Ok, 7:30am no cars on the road, Legend my 1 hour commute cut down to 15 minutes and then there is a learner driver in a micra doing (I kid you not) 20 miles an hour in front of me. 7:30 in the morning, tehre are no other drivers on the road. How did I get behind a f***ing learner drive in a micra doing 20 miles an hour and of course there is no safe place to overtake them my beautiful 15 minute commute regains time and becomes a 30 minute commute stuck behind a micra doing 20.

Sorry about the rant but needed to get that out.

07:30 in the morning, very few other cars on the road, sounds like the perfect time to get in some practice to me. Did you never learn to drive?

Give the learners a bit of slack. It is the Christmas break, many people are off the road and it can give some learners the perfect opportunity of learning how to deal with roads that they would not normally be learning on (like industrial estates/ carparks).

L.

TempestSabre

Time to pull in and get a coffee and a bun. Take 10mins to chill then get back in car and get to work all zoned out.

stratos

Hey Soup the best way to regard these things is that maybe his slowing up saved you from being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Think positive man !!:)

pontovic

seriously though there is no excuse for going at 20 miles an hour. a learner doing that speed might be driving on their own, which definitely is not a good idea with lack of driving experience

Big Nelly

Actually had this problem this morning. Coming into work around 7.30 and 2 different learner drivers on road doing practise. I didnt get too upset about it, it Xmas after all but they had L plates all over car(both of them) and where by themselves. This is what drives me mental, first guy seemed ok but was doing about 20 but was pulled in so you could pass easy.

next car was a small white Micra, was all over the road, came up to roundabout and there was 2 lanes. Sat in the middle of the 2 lanes flicking on every indicator. I ended up just stopping and sitting and waiting for them to figure out where they wanted to go.

I dont mind Learner drivers and think that around that time if grand to go for a lesson but FFS bring a driver with you to tell you what to do. Now if that was a usual morning I would have beeped them because I normally dont have the time to sit in the middle of the road waiting for someone to figure out how to use a roundabout and there indicators.....oh yeah when finally decided where to go on roundabout still used wrong indicator:rolleyes:

pontovic

yeah thats fair enough give learners some time and patience but they really should be with someone in the car who has some driving experience

ambro25

Just shut up & under/over/sidetake

Dilbert75

Thur pm, driving south on the N11, raining and windy, 2 kids tired, other 1 sick and tired, spent 15 or 20 mins trying to get through Gorey. Great, out on the open road. Until I got onto the back of a 8-car train doing between 40 and 57 km/h (in a 100). Nobody overtaking, except for one or two from way back going kamikaze. When they eventually pulled in (far side of Ferns, 5 or 6 miles later), there must have been at least a half mile of traffic behind them. A frigging Morris Minor with ribbons on the front. Why didn't they pull over earlier, if they really had to travel at that slow speed. I know it was their wedding day and all that but their ears must have been burning and I'm sure ill-luck was wished upon them.

SouperComputer

20Mph, learner, full or feckin superlicence (depending on the conditions of course) is inconsiderate driving IMO.

If you need to drive that slowly, fine, but make an effort to let other drivers make progress, even if you still end up right behind them at the next traffic light!

elexes

SouperComputer wrote:

20Mph, learner, full or feckin superlicence (depending on the conditions of course) is inconsiderate driving IMO.

If you need to drive that slowly, fine, but make an effort to let other drivers make progress, even if you still end up right behind them at the next traffic light!

i rember sitting in a car with a instructor . the car infront of me was doing no more then 25 mph and he said they were a hazzard started fn and blinding about them thought it was the funniest thing i saw in years .

Nuttzz

we were all learners once, how easy some forget that. At least they had their plates up unlike countless others...

Litcagral

Nuttzz wrote:

we were all learners once, how easy some forget that. At least they had their plates up unlike countless others...

Well said. And there was me thinking that all the anti-learner brigade on this and other threads were born with their full licences. How silly of me!

TempestSabre

Its just bad manners, not to pull over and let people past.

_Kaiser_

Just to add that it's not just (some, not all) learners that hold up traffic like this.

What about truck drivers moving at 60-70kph (in a 100 zone) that refuse to pull in to let you past, idiots waffling on the phone, people weaving left and right in the lane, not indicating, who don't know how to use roundabouts etc.

Of course then there's the flip-side of speeding, tailgating, dangerous overtaking, driving with foglights/full headlights on and blinding oncoming traffic (or only one headlight working - very common too) and so on.

A full license means nothing in this country. In my experience some of these drivers can be worse than the learners they're whining about! :mad:

TempestSabre

The problem is lack of enforcement, not the quality of licences.

Lump Basher

Souperfreak wrote:

Ok, 7:30am no cars on the road, Legend my 1 hour commute cut down to 15 minutes and then there is a learner driver in a micra doing (I kid you not) 20 miles an hour in front of me. 7:30 in the morning, tehre are no other drivers on the road. How did I get behind a f***ing learner drive in a micra doing 20 miles an hour and of course there is no safe place to overtake them my beautiful 15 minute commute regains time and becomes a 30 minute commute stuck behind a micra doing 20.

Sorry about the rant but needed to get that out.

I bet I would have found somewhere to overtake - it's your own fault for not being assertive.

Litcagral

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Just to add that it's not just (some, not all) learners that hold up traffic like this.

What about truck drivers moving at 60-70kph (in a 100 zone) that refuse to pull in to let you past, idiots waffling on the phone, people weaving left and right in the lane, not indicating, who don't know how to use roundabouts etc.

Of course then there's the flip-side of speeding, tailgating, dangerous overtaking, driving with foglights/full headlights on and blinding oncoming traffic (or only one headlight working - very common too) and so on.

A full license means nothing in this country. In my experience some of these drivers can be worse than the learners they're whining about! :mad:

I agree with most of what you say but would like to clarify a few things.

Most trucks over 3500kgs are legally required to have a speed limiter fitted (unless exempted) which limits the maximum speed to 85kph. Therefore any truck travelling in a 100kph zone cannot legally utilise the limit available. (I realise many do but they are acting unlawfully unless exempt).

There are several reasons why a truck may be travelling at 60kph and refuse to allow traffic to pass:

(a) there are no lower limits on roads that are not motorways therefore they have no legal obligation to allow traffic to pass.

(b) the truck driver will have a better field of vision than the car driver and may spot a hazard ahead which the car driver may not be aware of.

(c) the truck may intend to make a right turn shortly and it would be dangerous to allow a convoy of cars to begin an overtaking manoeuvre. Following cars may not be aware of the trucks indicator as they will be concentrating on the road ahead for their overtaking opportunity.

(d) in a very busy road , if one moves over to the hard shoulder/margin it can be difficult to move back again. This is particularly dangerous when approaching a bend, pedestrians, cyclists etc.

(e) the truck may be fully laden and not be physically capable of travelling any faster.

(f) it frequently may be due to bad manners. There are bad apples in every walk of life.

I have varied experience of driving large, heavy, slow, long, and wide vehicles in the greater Dublin area. I find that many car drivers do not appreciate the dynamics and difficulties of driving large vehicles on busy roads. Tractors are particularly difficult especially on dual carriageways. e.g. I am approaching a roundabout in a tractor with a long trailer or machinery on the rear, and I wish to take the third exit. I must be in the right hand lane. It's virtually impossible to change lane as no one will let a tractor in front of them. Many car drivers don't seem to understand these difficulties and drive with a "me,me,me" attitude. This results in having to take a long circuitous route, often in the opposite direction to the one intended, unless I meet a car driver with some rationale and understanding. Another difficult problem - if I exit from a minor road onto a dual carriageway and wish to turn right. I cannot cross one carriageway and wait in the centre median like a car, as the vehicle is too long to fit there without causing an obstruction. I either wait until both carriageways are clear (nearly impossible) and causing the vehicles behind me to 'go bananas' or again I am forced to take a circuitous route in the opposit direction.

I find most drivers of large vehicles quite mannerly on the roads and will oblige if they can. On the other hand, many car drivers show little respect for the difficulties experienced by drivers of large vehicles and many do not give a simple acknowledgment when you have gone out of your way to allow them to pass.

Panda Moanium

A good post Litcagral, certainly in my experience drivers of heavy vehicles are the most courteous on the road, and typically go out of their way to accomodate other road users. Of course there are exceptions, but if every car driver was as aware as your average trucker there would be far fewer accidents happening.

My personal pet hate is the situation where a truck holding up a convoy of vehicles moves over to the hard shoulder to let traffic past; the car behind refuses to overtake, but continues to hog the middle of the road thus preventing other cars from overtaking. Ignorant or just unaware I don't know, but in my opinion these kind of drivers should have points on their licences just as much as the speeders....

Litcagral

Panda Moanium wrote:

My personal pet hate is the situation where a truck holding up a convoy of vehicles moves over to the hard shoulder to let traffic past; the car behind refuses to overtake, but continues to hog the middle of the road thus preventing other cars from overtaking. Ignorant or just unaware I don't know, but in my opinion these kind of drivers should have points on their licences just as much as the speeders....

Thanks. My own pet hate. I am driving at the limit and a car behind me is making strenuous efforts to pass. When safe I move over to allow it overtake. Car then passes and procedes at a slower pace than I have originally been travelling, thereby holding me up and then refuses to allow me to pass.

TempestSabre

I find the majority of truck drivers are pretty decent about pulling over. You get the odd git, but thats the same with every group. But I do wish more of them would buy a hands free kit for driving in cities.

cregser

Been learner driving recently. Just put up my L plates (a bit late though). Although it is nice to have a warning sign on your car, I've definitely noticed more under/over taking and horn beeping, despite the fact I am getting better and stick at about 50km/h on open roads. With L plates on you see the other side of drivers' personalities on the roads, and it's actually made it more dangerous for me (with more cars appearing from my blind spots in order to get passed).

I don't get nervous when other drivers get testy (I get pissed off), but I'm sure there's a lot of people that'd loose their bottle with this kinda stuff. Give me a chance and I'll pull over and let you pass, beep your horn at a junction and I think I'll intentionally stall the car.

TempestSabre

You find some people have no patience. I drive a lot of difference cars and people do treat you differently depending on what car your in. Its weird.

Litcagral

TempestSabre wrote:

You find some people have no patience. I drive a lot of difference cars and people do treat you differently depending on what car your in. Its weird.

Yes. I used to drive a van and had no bother being let out at junctions - now that I drive a Merc I have to wait a lot longer.

Litcagral

cregser wrote:

Been learner driving recently. Just put up my L plates (a bit late though). Although it is nice to have a warning sign on your car, I've definitely noticed more under/over taking and horn beeping, despite the fact I am getting better and stick at about 50km/h on open roads. With L plates on you see the other side of drivers' personalities on the roads, and it's actually made it more dangerous for me (with more cars appearing from my blind spots in order to get passed).

I don't get nervous when other drivers get testy (I get pissed off), but I'm sure there's a lot of people that'd loose their bottle with this kinda stuff. Give me a chance and I'll pull over and let you pass, beep your horn at a junction and I think I'll intentionally stall the car.

Don't mind those morons. I have a full driving licence in all categories but still respect learner drivers.

BrianD3

I have varied experience of driving large, heavy, slow, long, and wide vehicles in the greater Dublin area. I find that many car drivers do not appreciate the dynamics and difficulties of driving large vehicles on busy roads. Tractors are particularly difficult especially on dual carriageways. e.g. I am approaching a roundabout in a tractor with a long trailer or machinery on the rear, and I wish to take the third exit. I must be in the right hand lane. It's virtually impossible to change lane as no one will let a tractor in front of them. Many car drivers don't seem to understand these difficulties and drive with a "me,me,me" attitude.

Don't start me on tractors. I personally wouldn't let a tractor go in front of me as I am constantly being held up by them travelling at ~20 mph especially on twisty national secondary roads like the N52 and N55. There's an awful lot of these things on the road these days due to builders, digger contractors etc. using them in place of lorries. The majority are also not properly lit at night.

Souperfreak

Lump Basher wrote:

I bet I would have found somewhere to overtake - it's your own fault for not being assertive.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. There was NO SAFE PLACE TO OVERTAKE!
I got passed the vehicle eventually but not before it added 15 minutes to my commute.

I could have pulled a pig headed move to overtake them but 1 there were other cars on the road and 2 it is precisely what I said pig headed. Why risk my life and everyone around me? I am a 'assertive' driver, but there was honestly no where to be 'assertive'.

I was merely having a rant.

I generally lack patience for anyone inconsiderate driving. Especially at 7:30 in the morning.

I did not tailgate them, beep at them, flash my headlights. I hated them in peace and quiet.

As for truck drivers, what I hate is on a dual carriage way when they spend 3 miles side by side with another truck holding up all the traffic. That is irritating.