The All-Purpose "Have a Rant and a Rave" Thread incorporating Pet Hates (merged)

mike65

I've decided its time to have a stickyfied thread for venting ones spleen at the rank incompetence and wilful stupidity of our fellow motorists.

So if you want to get it of our chest this is the place, any other threads that appear will be merged with this one.

So feel free to let fly.

Mike.

69 mustang

Cool
A guy in a golf today speed up to the car in front to stop me merging with traffic as my lane ended. and before you ask indicator was on for a while and was not under taking, gap was big enough for 2 cars before he floored it
But learned 4x4 beets golf in a game of chicken.:p

Related thing that bugs me people who stop a start or middle of merging lane to wait for gap in carriageway traffic then crawl out. instead of matching the speed as its the main cause of M50 phantom traffic jams.:mad:

BrianD3

Good idea for a sticky My rant is about the speed other drivers travel at. A lot of what they do isn't even an offence, just annoying. Eg "yo yo" drivers who can't maintain a steady speed. You're on an empty motorway doing a steady 120 km/h, you overtake someone going 20-30 km/h slower and continue on your way at 120. 5 minutes later he comes up behind you and overtakes and off into the distance with him. 5 minutes after that he's slowed down again and you catch him up and have to overtake him again. I think a lot of this yo yo'ing is due to idiots talking on their mobiles, eating food etc. while driving. They slow down for a bit and then speed up again after the distraction is gone.

Also, what the hell is up with people who slow down to a crawl when they go up a slight hill and then fly down the other side, is there something wrong with their car/foot that they're unable to maintain their speed by adjusting the throttle.

Then there's the opposite - drivers who drive at the same speed all the bloody time. Usually about 45 mph. Same speed on a M-way, boreen, past a school, in dense fog. They might overtake you when you're doing 50 km/h in a 50 then you catch up with them further up thd road dawdling along at 60 in a 100. Grrrr :mad:

Some of these same drivers decide to overtake you just as you're speeding up while exiting an urban area. They obviously haven't copped on to the fact that the speed limit is changing. So they go to overtake and you then have to stop accelerating otherwise it'll take them about 10 minutes to get by. So they get by and now they're probably dawdling along at a speed that is slower than you would have gone at :mad:

Similar problem as above but from another perspective. You come across a slower car on a clear main road. No transition from speed limt zone or anything. You go to overtake and the wanker floors it to make it as diffiuult as possible :mad:

Other ones include dozy idiots who pull out in front of you cutting you up and then proceed to crawl along at 5 mph. And drivers who try to merge onto a motorway at about 40 mph.

franksm

Guy in black Seat at 0650h at the roundabout where the N4 joins the M50 southbound. He was in the middle lane on the roundabout, I was on the right and turning right to join the M50. He cuts across me to turn right (I think the Gards were there in December to prevent people misusing the middle lane) causing me to brake - I honk the horn, then when we get to the lights and stop, *he* gets out and admonishes *me* for not signalling ?! even though I was signalling and was in the correct lane ! Tw@t

And just before Christmas on the M50 southbound, traffic was blessedly light at about 0730h in the morning. I actually managed to get to 120kph - and when coming to one of the sliproads onto the M50 (think it was from Tallaght), a late 90's Clio is joining, so I indicate and move into lane 2 to allow him room. What does he do ? Crosses the hatched lines, even though there's no traffic ahead of him, no indicating, and straight into lane 2 ! I have to jam the brakes on, and find myself at 80kph. Upon flashing and beeping him just in case he can't see me (bright red, freshly polished MX5 with headlghts on) he jams on the brakes briefly hard enough to lock his wheels - luckily for me, I have still maintained a gap ! we then go on to 100kph for about 90 seconds until meeting traffic again, and off he goes into lane 1 - not seeing the motorbike in his left rear corner. Lucky miss again. Of course, he beeps and gestures the bike...

Thank you for allowing me to rant. Just two episodes in my commuting history.

mike65

One thing that really gets me is drivers who brake or ease off the loud pedal every time car comes towards them resulting in an annoying yo-yo effect. Why do they do it? It road is wide enough 'dear'!

Tonight I had a faceful of foglights again :mad: Some dope in a 94 WD reg white Carina (I think - I was blinded by the glare!) ended up in front of me I flashed him 3 times he did'nt get the mesage so I just sliddled up to him and as soon as gap appeared blasted past and flashed by own fogs twice but somehow I doubt he understood what I was on about.

Oh how I would like one of these



but it would'nt say that very often!

Mike.

69 mustang

mike65 wrote:

Oh how I would like one of these



but it would'nt say that very often!
Mike.

Was tempted getting one of those in Maplin.
You can pre write texts and store them.
But I thought it may provoke road rage if my mates changed the nice words.

WizZard

I'm getting one!! :rolleyes:

I hate idiots (IMO) who drive around with their front (or back) foglights on all the time. Especially when you do a lot of night driving your eyes feel like they've been sluiced with acid when you finish a long journey.

And people who, when you flash them to let them know they're on full headlights even though you are approaching, think they should retaliate by flashing back!
Also I'm not a fan of people who can't make up their mind to stay or go, especially when approaching a bend/other car/imaginary obstacle...

Phew.. (I'm not angsty generally!)

freewing

well lets start with the speeding , after a few close calls in my early driving days I have learned to keep an eye on my speed although the total disregard of speed limits and the rules of the road in general causes me no end of frustration, moving on to tolls that new M4 is a disgrace if I was to use it every day it would cost me an additional €1300 a year which is my car taxed and insured with a couple of tanks of diesel thrown in needless to say I will be avoiding it.
I think there are a group of motorists who firmly believe that they acually own the stretch of road on which they are driving and the rest of us are in the way, oh and Ithink the penalty for drink driving should be much more severe and maybe that you get your car impounded on the night for about a month
I feel better now time for a cuppa

Alun

BrianD3 wrote:

Good idea for a sticky My rant is about the speed other drivers travel at. A lot of what they do isn't even an offence, just annoying.

<snip>

Amen to all that Brian!!! My favourites are the ones who drive at 60-70km/h through towns and villages where there's a 50km/h limit, and then when they get to the outskirts where the limit changes to 80 or 100km/h they do ... absolutely nothing and keep going at the same speed. You overtake, get to the next village, and they've caught up and are driving up your @arse. Get to next 100km/h zone and you leave them for dust again ...

Oh, and one that's just sprung to mind, and I think that this is uniquely Irish in my experience. You're driving along a totally empty road behind another driver, nothing behind you, nothing on the other side of the road, and driver in front stops (!!!) to let someone out of a side road. What's that all about? He'd only have to have waited another 5 seconds and he would have been able to get out without any 'assistance' and without slowing us down.

Big Nelly

Favorite driver and seen alot of D reg cars do this, maybe used to city driving but not on open road. Navan is the favorite spot. Coming into the town you could be behind a car doing about 70-80kmph on the 100kmph road. Get into Navan and they see traffic lights and so on. Next thing there is a mad burst of speed and flying from one lane to another, breaking lights, doing anything they possible can to get in front of the next car in the bypass(if you can call it that) but once they get outside Navan it is again going back to 70-80kmph on the road and holding up the whole traffic, minutes after nearly causing a crash to try and get through the lights as quick as possible.

I just put it down to city drivers. Why break the limit in a built up area and try and get out of town as quick as possible to go out onto the open road and then sit holding up traffic:rolleyes:

AMurphy

mike65 wrote:

....

Oh how I would like one of these



but it would'nt say that very often!

Mike.

You need one of these;

Item No; TE 349 Electronic Message Billboard
Price:$89.95

You could read him/her the highway code....

btw, I saw one of these as a mobile ad on a the back of a truck some time back.. very, very effective.

AMurphy

Favorite rant; someone who is drivng in the center of the lane(s) at 35 and when s/he notice a funeral behind, thinks it is an improvement to speed up to 45 mph.... when it may me more appropriate to pull over and turn the 12 gauge on themselves.
Is it OK to push them along....:D

69 mustang

AMurphy wrote:

Favorite rant; someone who is drivng in the center of the lane(s) at 35 and when s/he notice a funeral behind, thinks it is an improvement to speed up to 45 mph.... when it may me more appropriate to pull over and turn the 12 gauge on themselves.
Is it OK to push them along....:D

Ah if only we had middle lanes over here, some day some day:(

Gary ITR

I hate when Taxi Drivers drive half in the bus lane and half in the regular lane.. Crawling along looking for fares. They hold up the traffic and really get up my nose. Apparently the reason for driving in both lanes is to stop other taxis getting in front and 'stealing' their fare.

mike65

Yesterday I washed my car, today I need to wash my car. My next car will be in a shade of Winter Wet Mud Brown! :mad:

Mike.

blastman

That's a particular favourite of mine at the moment. And it doesn't need to be winter either. There's enough rain in summer to keep it going all year round. Do we actually have council workers employed painting mud on the road or something? If only the white lines were as evenly applied and long lasting...

koneko

Sometimes I wonder where the mud comes from. You could wash your car, drive down the road for 10 minutes, and it'll have muck all over it.

I'm a courteous driver. If I see someone stuck somewhere trying to pull out/in, I'll stop, flash/wave and let them out/in. I know what a pain in the hole it can be to be stuck waiting to get in/out somewhere so I make an effort to be nice. What grinds my gears is taxi drivers that pull out in front of you, make no eye contact, have their arm hanging out the window, you know that gesture that says "I'm pretending to wave at you and thank you for letting me out, but really I'm shoving in here regardless of what you want to do, I'm a taxi driver, I'm allowed, I can do whatever I want".

People that purposely park across two spaces, so their precious babies don't get touched by other people. If a car park is basically empty, whatever, don't care. On a busy day, at say a shopping centre carpark, those people... grrrrr! Driving around trying to find a space is all the worse when Mr La-Di-Da parks his new Landrover or BMW across two perfectly good spaces.

chalky

koneko wrote:

People that purposely park across two spaces, so their precious babies don't get touched by other people. If a car park is basically empty, whatever, don't care. On a busy day, at say a shopping centre carpark, those people... grrrrr! Driving around trying to find a space is all the worse when Mr La-Di-Da parks his new Landrover or BMW across two perfectly good spaces.

Was in the blanch shopping center just after christmas looking for a parking spot, came across an eircom van taking up FOUR parking spaces.

Gary ITR

mike65 wrote:

Yesterday I washed my car, today I need to wash my car. My next car will be in a shade of Winter Wet Mud Brown! :mad:

Mike.

I'm never getting a black car again.. All I've been doing since I've got it is wash it. I've put more mileage on my shammy than I have on the feckin car

mike65

Black is a killer is'nt it? Looks great when newly washed and waxed but they're hard work in winter weather no question.

Mike.

boardy

Nice thread Mike. Have the feeling that you will be a big contributor.

Feckin' Roundabouts. They are not complicated. Get in the correct lane 'before' you get to the roundabout. Lesson over. Rant over.

Smithers

boardy wrote:

Nice thread Mike. Have the feeling that you will be a big contributor.

Feckin' Roundabouts. They are not complicated. Get in the correct lane 'before' you get to the roundabout. Lesson over. Rant over.

Agree 100% , any roundabout i come to there is usually more then one driver in the wrong lane, not on purpose, they think they can be in any lane and take any exit!! edit, plus dont dont think they have to indicate!

Also you should have to take your driving test every 15-20 years!!

Big Nelly

koneko wrote:

I'm a courteous driver. If I see someone stuck somewhere trying to pull out/in, I'll stop, flash/wave and let them out/in. I know what a pain in the hole it can be to be stuck waiting to get in/out somewhere so I make an effort to be nice.

Im the same but the thing I have found is that most women for watever reason will never let you out. No matter if they it won't slow them down if they let you out.

Prime example of this is Blanch, beside the Fire station when you turn out onto the Clonsilla Rd and about 100 yards down road is traffic lights for road to train station. If your trying to pull out most men drivers will let one car on then drive on, same next car, then woman comes and she is sitting on the arse of the car in front of her for pure fearing of letting someone out. Or if trying to go straight across junction to go into estate most cars(including myself) will sit back and wave cars out when it is safe because you can see on coming traffic. Woman comes up, instead of holding back will fly over and block up road so car coming across can't get thru.

Pure f**king rudeness. Drives me nuts and don't get me started on them all blocking up the turn off the Clonsilla rd into Glenville so you are left sitting in road blocking up all the traffic while some woman sits in her car blocking up everything because she was too ignorant to stay out of the way of the turn in:mad:

Rovi

What about filling stations that either don't have the space, or actively discourage, large vehicles from entering the premises?
What happens?- Trucks/busses/etc park on the road, usually in the space between the two entrances/exits of the filling station.
Result?- It becomes extraordinarily dangerous trying to get your car out onto the road. The big vehicle is blocking the view of the road, and you have to creep out hoping that there's nothing coming to drive into the side of you.

In fairness to the truck drivers, they do have to stop somewhere to eat/buy the paper/take a leak/etc, and there are very few places with the space for them to get in and out reasonably easily.

While I'm having a go at filling stations, why do they have to put their f3cking signs out at the roadside, thereby doing a superb job of blocking the view of the road for vehicles trying to exit the premises? :mad:

.

mike65

Rovi wrote:

In fairness to the truck drivers, they do have to stop somewhere to eat/buy the paper/take a leak/etc, and there are very few places with the space for them to get in and out reasonably easily.

While I'm having a go at filling stations, why do they have to put their f3cking signs out at the roadside, thereby doing a superb job of blocking the view of the road for vehicles trying to exit the premises? :mad:

.

The lack of proper truck sized service stations in this country is a scandal and a danger to all everytime a truck enters and leaves a pokey forecourt (if they can get on, as mentioned) as for garages and thier flipping signage stuck exactly in the line of sight when pulling out - thats just idiotic but has anyone stopped to tell them?

Mike.
s

Maxwell

mike65 wrote:

Yesterday I washed my car, today I need to wash my car. My next car will be in a shade of Winter Wet Mud Brown! :mad:

Mike.

Oh god yes!

My last 2 cars were Black and Navy and my current one is Red and I can promise you that my next car will have to be silver! Black is definitely the hardest to keep clean, but the Navy and Red one's are hard to keep the colour(I mean they look faded with all the mud on them)
The one thing I always notice in the US, most of their cars are spotless and continously shining. Ireland is not the place if you want to keep your car gleaming all the time

When people ask me what car I would buy if I won the lottery, the answer is always the same: Porsche 911 but with a guy employed full time to clean the car constantly to ensure its always clean. I feel so pissed off with myself when I look outside work and see my car covered in mud and not looking its best. My car only looks its best at the weekends (in the winter) and once during the week and weekends in the summer (due to the dark nights)

Rant 1:
People lights.....i am constantly being blinded by people constantly using their spot lights, but just their full lights in general. I can't seem to drive properly at night anymore because of lights on new cars - especially recent Fiat cars for some reason, ther lights are a blueish colour noticed it with some new BMW's aswell

Rant 2:
People driving waaaay too slow! I am not into speeding, but please, please keep up with the traffic or pull over to let people by! It bleeding annoying seeing a 20 car tailback on a clear road due to 1 muppet doing 40/50

Rant 3:
Women (mainly) drivers that when driving up to a roundabout, virtually stop the car first before looking to their right to see if anything is coming. Why can't they use their common sense to have a look to their right well in advance in order to keep the traffic moving.

CJhaughey

Driving to work this morning down a windy country road with a lovely smooth surface, 80-100kph, I know the road so I was probably travelling a little faster than the conditions (damp) would merit.
Rounded a very gentle left hand bend and spot a faded red ford fiesta circa 1992 travelling towards me on the same side of the road.
Heart in mouth I emergency brake and manage to slow the Landcruiser down to round 60 kph and in the intervening time the fiesta driver has woken up to the headlights and started to pull across to the correct side of the road, I missed his rear quarter by 4 inches and the big stony ditch on the other side by the same.
/rant over

blastman

I was driving home last night and had come off the motorway and was on a section of reasonably good N-road. There were three of us together with me at the rear but the lead car was probably only doing 60km/h or so, and the middle car didn't seem to be too hurried either. There was a brow up ahead which I knew had a long straight bit after it and I was waiting to get over the brow to see if there was anything coming and if not, I was ready to pass.

Anyway, we got over the brow and I could see the road was clear, so I indicated and after a second or so began pulling out. However, so did the middle car in our little convoy, only without indicating and apparently without so much as a glance in the mirrors! As I had already begun my overtaking before he had started his, let alone indicating beforehand my intent, I was more than a little annoyed.

Most surprisingly, though, it wasn't a BMW!

toffeapple

Onkle51 wrote:

I'm never getting a black car again.. All I've been doing since I've got it is wash it. I've put more mileage on my shammy than I have on the feckin car

yeah pain in the gicker especially when you live in a new estate where they are still building...im getting amuck coloured car next time f**k washing it

Balfa

I'm stopped waiting to turn left across oncoming traffic into a side road. Traffic in the other direction is fairly nonstop, so I'm waiting patiently. Ah, looks like there'll be a gap after this grey car. No, wait, the gap behind the blue car is shrinking. Is he slowing down? Dammit, he's turning right into the same road I wanted to turn into! And if he had of indicated, I would have had plenty of time to turn in FRONT of him.

And then another one does the same thing, and another! Here comes the FOURTH non-indicating barstard, but I should have enough time to make it in behind her, so I do so, and she dawdles down the road towards a T-junction, not really in any specific lane or anything and definitely not indicating which way she wants to go at the T, so I inidcate right, nip up the inside and turn right as she gets to the junction. And as if to say "hey, I don't... think.. word, can't good.. drive" she beeps at me as I'm turning!

Fey!

People stopping in the middle of the yellow crosshatches; WTF???

And taxis stopping willy-nilly to pick up/drop off in the middle of the road!

And buses that stop where there's no bus stop without any warning (not too bad if they at least indicate first).

And people coming against you who force you to a standstill as they overtake an obstacle on their side of the road by driving on your side of the road, missing you by inches.

And, and, and....... (sounds like a band in the Commitments!)