Bad Drivers

Chong

Starting this thread due to my infuriation driving home this evening.

I am driving home after work this evening, when a car with complete disregard pulls out in front of me with them looking, I blew my horn as it angered me. Anyways I come up to roundabout behind this woman, she moves in to the right lane indicating to turn right off the roundabout, I move in to the left lane as I was going straight on. So as I am going round the roundabout in my lane, what happens, she suddenly indicates in to my lane just as I am about to turn in , again I blow my horn, infuriated at this stage. On two occasions in the space of 3 minutes she nearly crashed in to me.

So we are going straight after the roundabout, and she put her hand out the window giving me the finger. We encounter a round about again, after this one she pulls in to the hard shoulder, slowing me down in the process, opens her window again gesturing with her finger, I just drove payed no more attention.

She was completley in the wrong , yet she had the cheek to flip me off repeatedly, I blew my horn on both occasions as she was inches from smashing in to me,.

Anyways ppl what you reckon, does this stuff annoy the hell outta ya.

Steve

I feel your pain.

There are times I wish I had a machine gun on the front of the car.

Kavinsky

I guess it used to annoy me when I started driving (2 years ago) but these days I just let it pass. Getting angry and frustrated is dangerous (For yourself) when driving. Ignore the stupid bitch.

stratos

Have a Hamlet moment in your mind, I drive pretty much all day. If I got annoyed everytime something happened I would be mad by now (madder?). Ya got just realise some days some people have bad days, some people just don't care. A wave lets you get away with almost anything.

I know it's not easy, but generally it's not personal. Some people just don't drive much. I got the insulting finger gesture from a girl crossing the road in front of my van stopped in traffic. It happened because I blew the horn at her. Luckily she stopped just long enought to gesture at me, that the speeding motorcycle coming up the inside that I was warning her about just about missed her.

I try to blow a kiss at most people who gesture at me( hey I drive a van I'm not always in the right lane:D). Generally it gets a laugh

Alanstrainor

stratos wrote: »

I try to blow a kiss at most people who gesture at me( hey I drive a van I'm not always in the right lane:D). Generally it gets a laugh

Must try that one, it sounds funny as ****

Sam Kade

The same happened me yesterday morning. I was driving past a national school when all of a sudden this woman drove across the road with out looking in front of my car she then decided to park at the left. I went to overtake her car when she decides to pull out in front of me again only to park her car 10 yards further up the road. As I drove past her car I slowed down just to see if she looked as stupid as she was acting but she kept her head turned away from me in shame. Half an hour later I was passing back the school her car was still there so I reckon she was a teacher.

Holsten

Saw a dude pulling a big feck off boat on a trailer today on the M4 inbound.

Funny thing was, he was driving for some reason on the hardshoulder.... line. Yep, straddling both the hardshoulder and the driving lane, right on the line.. I was like wtf are you doing.

KirstyAnn

Used to be a fast driving, finger flipping, screaming and cursing regular road rage bitch.

Now I enjoy sitting in the slow lane behind the slowest driver letting all the fast driving, finger flipping, screaming and cursing regular road ragers in because in the end I realised, I'm not doing myself any favours. Oh, and I take Valium before I get in the car.

Anan1

Stratos is right, you know. Getting all worked up only makes you dangerous. Easier said than done, but true all the same.

Lord Nikon

It's more gratifying to piss them off by doing something just as bad, ha ha ha ha ha.


Once a woman in a Carina E was behind me with her full beams on, so i put on my rear fogs for a second, and she still had them on. So I put them on for a little bit longer, and nothing from her, so I put them on for about a mile, and still no change.

Anyway, I turned them off and slowed down and she overtook me, big mistake, and I put mine on, ha ha ha ha ha I laughed, thinking f*** you.
As you can imagine she wasnt happy, and put on her hazards and pulled in. I pulled in behind her, and walked up to the front of her car and she still had them on, and asked her what its like to be blinded, and had nothing to say and sunk into her seat. Dumbass.

Chong

Stratos is right, you know. Getting all worked up only makes you dangerous. Easier said than done, but true all the same.

But to be fair, I was close to being crashed into in fact inches away twice in the space of 3-4 minutes.

Lord Nikon

i wouldnt let her away with it, and go up and tell that you will be making a formal complaint to the Gardai, also report the abuse she gave ie. flipping the bird.

Anan1

Cruijff wrote: »

But to be fair, I was close to being crashed into in fact inches away twice in the space of 3-4 minutes.

That's why I said it was easier said than done.:)

neuromancer wrote: »

It's more gratifying to piss them off by doing something just as bad, ha ha ha ha ha.


Once a woman in a Carina E was behind me with her full beams on, so i put on my rear fogs for a second, and she still had them on. So I put them on for a little bit longer, and nothing from her, so I put them on for about a mile, and still no change.

Anyway, I turned them off and slowed down and she overtook me, big mistake, and I put mine on, ha ha ha ha ha I laughed, thinking f*** you.
As you can imagine she wasnt happy, and put on her hazards and pulled in. I pulled in behind her, and walked up to the front of her car and she still had them on, and asked her what its like to be blinded, and had nothing to say and sunk into her seat. Dumbass.

Have a read of a book called Roadcraft, they have a name for that. It's called the red mist.;)

Chong

neuromancer wrote: »

i wouldnt let her away with it, and go up and tell that you will be making a formal complaint to the Gardai, also report the abuse she gave ie. flipping the bird.

Not that I am reporting but can you actually report being "flipped off"?

Lord Nikon

I'm intrigued now Anan...

Anan1

Sure, if you have lots of spare time and don't mind being laughed at.

Anan1

neuromancer wrote: »

I'm intrigued now Anan...

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/3560738/Roadcraft/Product.html - There ya go, well worth a read.:)

barryfitz

Similar thing happened to me about a month ago. Coming up to a roundabout with two lanes on entry and exit. Me in left lane heading straight through woman in right lane with right indicator on and as im beside her just before the roundabout she starts moving into the left lane. I wasnt in her blind spot as I was infornt of her (i know this because when she nearly hit me the nose of her car was just at my shoulder) so I blow the horn warning her that she is about to hit me. After negotiating the roundabout I pulled into a small layby as i was a bit shakey and she passes me and gives me the finger.

anyway there are loads of assholes out there and she was just one of them. dont worry youll meet many more.

Boom_Bap

I feel your pain Cruijff.

I turn into an angry angry man when people do ridiculous stuff in thier cars. It seems to happen nearly every day now. The anger only lasts a moment or 2 though.

But, I love the reaction of people when they haven't got a clue why you are beeping at them and that normally calms me, you know that confused/angry/horrified/bewildered/retarded/blank look they give you because they know they must have done something idiotic but they just cant figure out that the lines on the road are to distinguish lanes and not just something to weave over while going around roundabouts, or that they think the safe 2 cars lengths that you leave between you and the car in front of you is space that they can whip into and then slam on thier brakes because they have completely misjudged the speed of the traffic, or because the think that because they know that they are turning, that the person in the car behind them will know too by telekenisis and that by reaching turning on the indicator is a waste of thier time and energy and a waste of the time of my time because my mental powers have predicted this...it's then that I realise that I am a superior driver and probably superior in intelligence and superior in everything I do compared to them.
Poor souls.

But what irritates me the most is taxi drivers. "Oh, there's somebody on the roundabout hailing me, i'll stop on this roundabout and put on my hazard lights, the caring drivers approaching the roundabout will understand, i have my hazards on!"
And what about the fact that on most roads they have this grand big lane dedicated to them and buses, but when they are driving in them and god forbid a bus in front of them is stopped at a bus stop, sure putting on that good ol' indicator will cause a moses like gap to open up in the lane of traffic beside them for them to glide into without looking.
So the taxi driver formula that i ahve come up with is:

Flashing Orange light to taxi drivers = Kind citizens will understand

Another thing that gripes me about the kings of the hazard lights, their work is in thier car, thier car should be road worthy in every respect...but the amount of cabbies out there with blown bulbs is ridiculous, and they have the mentality that if one of thier headlights is gone, well helll, i'll just whack on the full beams, again the kind citizens will completely understand, in thier blinding rear view, they will see through the heavenly beams of my full beams the yellow sign on the roof of my car, if not, i'll give an flash of those good ol hazards and the blinding light will no longer be a problem.

I take them time to stock my car with a set of replacement bulbs and replace immediately when i find one has gone, i think the least a taxi driver who's livelyhood is in thier car should adopt the same courtesy, not only because the safety of thier passangers and other motorists and pedestirans is in thier, but for common courtesy to other drivers. Myabe i'm a bit harsh...it should extend to everyone becuase its the darn tooting law!

Biro

Overtake her, then handbrake turn to a halt in front of her. Leap out of your car, pull her out of hers. If she resists a bit, kick her in the face first. Then take out your baseball bat and whack the crap out of her on the side of the road. When she's dead, steal her money, her car, and then leg it to a pay & spray to loose your wanted level with the cops!!

Lord Nikon

Biro doesn't get out too often.

Biro

neuromancer wrote: »

Biro doesn't get out too often.

Hmmmm... re-reading my post makes me wonder if I should play Mario Kart a bit more often and Gran Theft Auto a bit less often...

ART6

Tempting as it is, I'm not an enthusiast for horn blowing at someone who has irritated me, although it happens quite often on our congested roads. It's fine to warn someone of something they might not have seen, but too often people give a blast when something has already happened - got cut up on etc etc. Then it's more a case of a "YOU STUPID F****R" signal than a warning. My view of that is:

(a) In a long driving career I can recall a few occasions when I simply didn't see someone or I misjudged the situation or I was distracted by something else. I'n not perfect either-- only nearly so:D
(b) The other driver might be inexperienced or nervous, and a sudden blast of a horn in their ear might put the sh--s up 'em and make the situation worse.
(c) It can affect other drivers nearby and distract them, causing another situation.

An example of how it can go pear shaped -- some years ago I pulled up at a pedestrian crosssing behind another car, while a guy crossed over. It was a hot day and I had my window down. A fly came in and landed in the middle of my steering wheel, and without thinking I swatted at it. My car had a very effective horn, and the blast caused the guy on the crossing to leap a good two feet off the ground. He landed back on his feet, waving his arms like a windmill and swearing for the olympics. He pounded a fist on the bonnet of the car in front, whose driver started shaking his head and desperately trying to make the guy understand it wasn't him that blasted. Bravely, I sat there with the most innocent expression I could manage.......

Leprechaun77

Is there a common theme appearing here? (roundabouts)....Do Irish people not know how to go about negotiating roundabouts? My personal opinion is that a certain "people" cannot comprehend the concept of a roundabout and what lane you should be in relative to what exit you are taking. This is bad enough on a two lane roundabout, but Jesus you have to keep your wits about you on a three laner. In my experience, you can nearly always spot the "tool" on such roundabouts and can just keep your distance. Blowing the horn makes no difference and will just infuriate you. The person who has done this has done so because they do not know the rules of the road .....oh and if you are on a roundabout and some idiots are beeping at you for no particular reason at random, you my friend are the "tool" I referred to previously;)

bman

ART6 wrote: »

An example of how it can go pear shaped -- some years ago I pulled up at a pedestrian crosssing behind another car, while a guy crossed over. It was a hot day and I had my window down. A fly came in and landed in the middle of my steering wheel, and without thinking I swatted at it. My car had a very effective horn, and the blast caused the guy on the crossing to leap a good two feet off the ground. He landed back on his feet, waving his arms like a windmill and swearing for the olympics. He pounded a fist on the bonnet of the car in front, whose driver started shaking his head and desperately trying to make the guy understand it wasn't him that blasted. Bravely, I sat there with the most innocent expression I could manage.......

Haha. This sounds like a great passtime. I must go out some evening and give it a go for a while!! Hours of fun.

Steve

ART6 wrote: »

An example of how it can go pear shaped...

I love it :D

Cionád

Almost crashed into some dozy girl going about 70km/h merging onto a 120km/h dual carriageway. I was going 120km/h and being overtaken (slowly) at the time when she pulled across my path over the crossed hatchings.

Slammed on the brake and swerved to avoid her, she was lucky I was aware of my surroundings even though she wasn't.

She probably didn't even notice.

ART6 that story is hilarious btw.

_Kaiser_

I'm on the road a lot as part of my job and, I have to admit, I'm very quick to lean on the horn or flash the headlights if someone does something stupid/dangerous.

Like the idiot in the silver 99 LH Alfa last night overtaking on corners and weaving in and out between traffic.

Or the silly bitch in a Polo/Golf this morning who decided to overtake in front of me after I'd already indicated and started to move out, then hadn't enough power in the car to complete the manouever quickly enough and gazed with the open-mouthed blank look when I passed her after she moved back in.

Or the sunday driving oul dears/fellas dawdling along at 70/80 on a nice wide, clear 100 km/h road. Although the inevitable convoy that forms behind them and refuses to overtake are worse! Strangely this phenomenon is more common since I moved out of Dublin. Didn't see it as much coming from the city as I do when travelling in the opposite direction.

Then there's the "let's drive in the dark with no/minimal/just the fog lights" brigade - this one is more common in Dublin. They must think it's a fashion statement I suppose, but it's just stupidity. Lights are to be seen - not just to see.

Not forgetting the people who - when you slow and flash them to let them cross the road in front of you - sit there looking vacantly at you. If you want to be let in/out, be ready to move! (especially on busy roads)

People who don't acknowledge when you do let them out. I guess they skipped the section on "courtesy on the roads". This seems to be mostly women I've noticed

Tailgaters - but driving a big car with a tow bar tends to dissuade them when you tap the brakes/slow down in front of them.

Dare I forget the idiots who don't know how to use a roundabout (although I personally think roundabouts themselves are just a lazy substitute for a proper junction - case in point: the Walkinstown roundabout - total free for all!)

Right that's enough for now.. time for a takeaway and relax and watch the footie

Wertz

Cionád wrote: »

Almost crashed into some dozy girl going about 70km/h merging onto a 120km/h dual carriageway. I was going 120km/h and being overtaken (slowly) at the time when she pulled across my path over the crossed hatchings.

Slammed on the brake and swerved to avoid her, she was lucky I was aware of my surroundings even though she wasn't.

She probably didn't even notice.

ART6 that story is hilarious btw.

I've been doing the M1 run from Dundalk to Drogheda and back the last few weeks....the absolute muppetry that goes on every day on that 20 mile stretch is enough to drive a guy crazy....apart from the usual overtaking lane hoggers, trucks overtaking trucks, no indicators etc, my complete contempt is reserved for people on the slip lanes/on-ramps and their chosen approach speed; Why oh why do people insist on doing 70-80kmph when trying to join a road where almost every vehicle is doing 120km?
It's even worse on the on-ramp for the northbound lane either at Drogheda north or monasterboice, since both of these lanes and the road they're joining have an uphill gradient, meaning you need some extra oomph to get up to merging speed...every single bloody day I manage somehow to wind up behind a driver that seemingly has no concept of merging...hell I've even seen people braking to reduce speed to go in behind a passing lorry, instead of sinking the boot and getting out in front of it. No lorries can leave you a merging space because of the outside lane hoggers.

Then there was the idiiot in a white berlingo this monring wh decides to merge from the Dundalk South on-ramp by crossing the centre hatchings (anyone that knows the road will know there are 2 separate lanes on the on-ramp) and nearly blindsiding me....when I gestured in a "WTF???" type of way, I was met with the fingers.

I'm so glad I don't have to do the whole M1 to Dublin these days...I don't think my sanity could stand any more that the 20 minutes I spend on that road either way...

Mr. Presentable

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Dare I forget the idiots who don't know how to use a roundabout (although I personally think roundabouts themselves are just a lazy substitute for a proper junction - case in point: the Walkinstown roundabout - total free for all!)

Right that's enough for now.. time for a takeaway and relax and watch the footie

I like that roundabout. Only the evolved can use it, the meek and the weak sit at the entrances like startled rabbits

DublinWriter

Anan1 wrote: »

Stratos is right, you know. Getting all worked up only makes you dangerous. Easier said than done, but true all the same.

Patience comes with age. I was an angry little driver when I was 21, but these days I give anyone in front of me with 'L' plates approaching a roundabout a wide, wide berth.

It's astonishing the amount of people I see tail-gating at 120kph everyday on the N2/M50. Remember - only a fool ignores the 2 second rule.

Basic driving experience teaches you to spot the numpties on the road, but only wisdom teaches you to avoid them.