wait till someone is killed?! 830am this morning

Esel

Didn't read the thread.... but:

You get one penalty point for driving the wrong way around a roundabout.

Believe it or not!

Esel

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

...Two Taxi drivers managed to wedge him in and grab the keys from the ignition. ....The individual in question was not Irish.....

Ah, taxi drivers - the last true patriots.

_Kaiser_

Chief--- wrote: »

Whats all the fuss about. If the OP was watching where he was going (which he was) all he had to do was brake and let the woman past.

Oh dear.. Sorry Chief but looks like you and I are going for Round 2 in the "casual attutude of the Gardai to their duties" debate

She obviously got confused.

Or didn't know the correct way to enter the roundabout in the first place? Which is the possibility the OP is raising

In the end its a minor penalty point offence.

Believe it or not, the penalty point guide is FAR from what Gardai should be using when judging traffic behaviour. By your logic, doing a few km over the limit on a nice wide empty motorway is FAR more serious and dangerous than coming round the wrong way of a roundabout at traffic??

Roundabouts should be taken very slowly and anything is to be expected on them.

That I'll agree with you on. I'll even go so far as to agree it's good advice for driving in general.

Irish people are the biggest offenders when it comes to bad driving around roundabouts.

Links? Stats to back this up? While I certainly agree that a lot of Irish people don't know how to use a roundabout properly, I think that MOST of them know what side to enter it from.

Storm in a teacup,

Sure.. worst that could have happened is this other driver hit the OP, possibly killing herself, him and others! :rolleyes:

time for this thread to be locked.

Lucky for us you're not a mod here then really if that's your attitude to this sorta thing.

Sorry, I'm REALLY not trying to troll, but this post is just unbelievable to me.. especially from a representative of the Gardai - who not only SHOULD know better, but should be setting the standard!

Run_to_da_hills

esel wrote: »

Ah, taxi drivers - the last true patriots.

And fair play to them, they were the only ones that did anything to stop this guy.

ShadowHearth

emmm just idea: stop letting people to drive on roads withouth practical test? Like the rest of the world....


When i heard first time about people able to drive withouth practical exam i was like:

The-Game

ART6 wrote: »

I had a similar experience to the OP a year ago in Waterford. Going round a roundabout I met an elderly man coming the other way and obviously totally bemused. I avoided him with a lot of brake application and he then, evidently realising his mistake, tried to turn round in the roundabout. To my shame I didn't get out and stop the traffic to help him. Point is, am I being ageist by saying he was an elderly driver? Any advice from the PC brigade?

Oh, and by the way, I am past retirement age myself!

Not at all, its simply a fact of the story in question. If you based the assumption by the car he was driving then I would say that is ageist.

langdang

On topic: Yes, our system of licencing people to drive is way too lax.
And the penalties for complete disregard for other road users, also way too lax. The offence of driving without insurance or a licence- punishable with a driving ban or a fine less than the cost of a years insurance? Don't make me laugh, they've already proved they have no regard for the law.

Someone caught driving wrong way round a roundabout should have their licence shredded on the spot. They are not fit to drive, end of story.
Same person then caught driving un-licenced?
Towed by the nipples, 10 laps round the nearest town centre. I was going to say towed by the liathroidi, but that would be discrimination...


Off-topic:
Quite obviously, the OP committed a fatal PC error by indicating to anyone including the guards that the offending "entity" in this case had any characteristics at all.

If I'm in the same situation, should I
1)Report that he/she/it was a white, middle class, irish male (they're always wrong) (Are you sure you weren't going the wrong way round OP?)
or
2)rather than involve any particular shade/nationality/religion/sex, should I jumble them up them randomly? ie it was a transgender albino, with maori tattoos wearing lederhosen, reeking of garlic and cheese, etc etc?
Should I change the county reg aswell when I report it to the guards, in case I'd be suggesting that a particular counties drivers were less able than others? Should I change the car description aswell, in case I'd be suggesting that all Mazda Demio drivers got their licences from Kellogs?

Traumadoc

I see far more accidents caused by irish drivers who have no idea how to drive, who for years could drive without any training or without having passed any form of testing.

Many of whom availed of an amnesty that allowed them a full license without sitting a test.

These irish drivers need to be taken off the road now.

AugustusMaximus

Something similar happened to me outside of Watergrasshill a few weeks ago.

To shorten his trip around a roundabout (he was taking the 3rd exit), the guy drove the wrong way around the roundabout. He looked like a boy racer. I honestly couldn't believe what I saw.

AugustusMaximus

Traumadoc wrote: »

I see far more accidents caused by irish drivers who have no idea how to drive, who for years could drive without any training or without having passed any form of testing.

Many of whom availed of an amnesty that allowed them a full license without sitting a test.

These irish drivers need to be taken off the road now.

Its not just an amnesty that's a problem. Drivers over say 55 years of age are very unlikely to have ever sat a driving test.


Gay Byrne was driving for years without having taken a driving test and yet had the audacity a few years ago of saying how L drivers shouldn't be left drive without an accompanied driver.

The hypocracy of the man in that instance was simply staggering.

I dunno if Gay Byrne has passed the test since in some sort of effort to justify his position in the RSA, but he was driving for years without taking one.

Capt'n Midnight

cascade35 wrote: »

I agree on your first comment but on the second one she did not see a stop sign as she was driving on the wrong side and would of only saw the back of the sign.

STOP signs are Octagonal

TheNog

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Oh dear.. Sorry Chief but looks like you and I are going for Round 2 in the "casual attutude of the Gardai to their duties" debate

Casual attitude? Explain please.

Or didn't know the correct way to enter the roundabout in the first place? Which is the possibility the OP is raising

Yes it is a possibility and so it is possible the lady was unfamiliar with the road layout.

Believe it or not, the penalty point guide is FAR from what Gardai should be using when judging traffic behaviour. By your logic, doing a few km over the limit on a nice wide empty motorway is FAR more serious and dangerous than coming round the wrong way of a roundabout at traffic??

Eh the penalty point system was not created by Gardai.

Also in judging traffic behaviour one must have intimate knowledge of other legal avenues to explore where certain proofs must be met in order for a successful prosecution.

Links? Stats to back this up? While I certainly agree that a lot of Irish people don't know how to use a roundabout properly, I think that MOST of them know what side to enter it from.

I tend to agree with Chief on this but I suppose it could be argued most people do know how to use a roundabout but just couldnt be arsed using them correctly

Sure.. worst that could have happened is this other driver hit the OP, possibly killing herself, him and others! :rolleyes:

I think you are confusing complacency with experience here. Everyone here has seen some of the worst driving when travelling to and from work. We could take the majority of people travel lets say about 2 hrs each day, maybe a little less, maybe a little more.

However a Garda on duty could be driving for possibly 6-7 hrs each day in one shift for 5-6 days straight. My point is we have seen it all before. My point is if I was to be dramatic about it, I could have been killed several times over this year alone and I usually drive a marked patrol car. Thats why we dont get excited or dramatic about dangerous driving. Thats not to take away from the seriousness of dangerous driving. It is serious and I treat it very seriously.

Sorry, I'm REALLY not trying to troll, but this post is just unbelievable to me.. especially from a representative of the Gardai - who not only SHOULD know better, but should be setting the standard!

What standard do you want? You want him jumping up and down in an irrational manner or would you want him doing his job.


OP

In no way am I trying to lessen the seriousness of this incident nor am I saying you are being dramatic. I do congratulate you on your observation and driving skills to prevent a collision.

JamesM

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Drivers over say 55 years of age are very unlikely to have ever sat a driving test.

That's a completely rubish statement. I'm not exactly sure of exact dates, but everyone from the late 1960s has done the driving test - except for a number in the late 1970s who were put through to cut numbers on the waiting list.
The older drivers have far more experience and far less accidents than the younger cocky drivers who recently passed their test. Like the silly young driver who came down the road towards me this morning, much too fast, and tried to turn right, and slid into a parked car. There is no way an older driver, experienced in driving in frosty weather, would have crashed in the circumstances.
Jim.

WestWicklow1

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Drivers over say 55 years of age are very unlikely to have ever sat a driving test.

Bullsh1t

Got a warning for saying bullsh1t (inappropriate language) :eek::D so I'll change it to Balderdash.

_Kaiser_

TheNog wrote: »

Casual attitude? Explain please.

There was a recent thread on Motors wherein several AGS members tried to defend another member casually using his access to the Pulse system for his own personal gain - in this case doing checks on the OP of that thread that he was buying a car from (as a private citizen), a 3rd party the OP of that thread had been in an accident with and the garda in question had gone so far as to contact that 3rd party.

Chief and others saw nothing wrong with the casual invasion of privacy or misuse of confidential data for personal gain - suffice is to say the majority of posters disagreed.

Yes it is a possibility and so it is possible the lady was unfamiliar with the road layout.

Well if she wasn't aware of the correct way to enter a roundabout then there's a little more wrong than confusion, which was my (and the OP's) point.

Eh the penalty point system was not created by Gardai.

Irrelevant. Chief seemed to be basing his argument on the fact that entering a roundabout the wrong way is a "minor" penalty point offence, and therefore ultimately this entire thread is "a storm in a teacup" and "should be locked".
I'd respectfully disagree - regardless of the number of penalty points this particular offence carries, it's potentially a lot more dangerous than a "storm in a teacup".

Also in judging traffic behaviour one must have intimate knowledge of other legal avenues to explore where certain proofs must be met in order for a successful prosecution.

Fair enough.. Would be nice certainly if Gardai were required to produce proofs of road traffic offences (say for example video footage as in those UK Police Stop shows on Sky) rather than just standing up in court and saying "I saw him do it" and his mate/colleague bacjking him up.

I tend to agree with Chief on this but I suppose it could be argued most people do know how to use a roundabout but just couldnt be arsed using them correctly

While I'd agree that people's use of roundabouts in this country leaves a lot to be desired, there's a bit of a difference between "not being arsed" indicating on a roundabout to driving around it the wrong way. I can't imagine ANYONE deliberately doing this, unless they were either drunk/drugged or unfamiliar with the correct rules regarding same.

What standard do you want? You want him jumping up and down in an irrational manner or would you want him doing his job.

I'd prefer if he displayed the same attitude to dangerous driving as you state you have/do rather than flippantly dismissing the entire incident which is what he did here (and in the thread mentioned above).

As I said then, if AGS posters are going to contribute, it would surely make sense for them to try to portray themselves and the force in the best light possible. Attitudes such as his only serve to damage that repututation - and it's not like AGS couldn't do with some good PR.

AugustusMaximus

JamesM wrote: »

That's a completely rubish statement. I'm not exactly sure of exact dates, but everyone from the late 1960s has done the driving test - except for a number in the late 1970s who were put through to cut numbers on the waiting list.
The older drivers have far more experience and far less accidents than the younger cocky drivers who recently passed their test. Like the silly young driver who came down the road towards me this morning, much too fast, and tried to turn right, and slid into a parked car. There is no way an older driver, experienced in driving in frosty weather, would have crashed in the circumstances.
Jim.

If indeed, the driving test was introduced in say 1968 (just for instance), it would mean that anyone aged 17 or more in 1968 (born 1951) which would be aged 58 today could be driving around without having taken any driving test.

While I am not saying that these drivers are bad drivers in anyway, I'm merely pointing out that a significant amount of drivers with full licences have never taken the driving test. This is an indisputable fact. Both of my parents got their driving licences under this setup (IE, never sat the test). My mother for instance is qualified to drive an articulated lorry, having never actually driven one.

If anyone knows exactly when the driving test was brought in, it would be a help. I feel it might have been brought in before Ireland joined the EEC in 1973.

AugustusMaximus

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

Bullsh1t

Why is what I said "bullsh1t" ?

At least explain your reasoning.

The Express

Dear OP,
Glad you escaped this inexcusable traffic offence.

Sorry to see that, right from the off, the thread was highjacked by people taking offence on behalf of others.

TheNog

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

There was a recent thread on Motors wherein several AGS members tried to defend another member casually using his access to the Pulse system for his own personal gain - in this case doing checks on the OP of that thread that he was buying a car from (as a private citizen), a 3rd party the OP of that thread had been in an accident with and the garda in question had gone so far as to contact that 3rd party.

Chief and others saw nothing wrong with the casual invasion of privacy or misuse of confidential data for personal gain - suffice is to say the majority of posters disagreed.

Yeah I remember reading that thread.

Well if she wasn't aware of the correct way to enter a roundabout then there's a little more wrong than confusion, which was my (and the OP's) point.

See you are assuming this lady wasnt aware of the rules of the road. I was merely proposing this lady may have gotten confused and entered the roundabout the wrong way.

Granted I will acknowledge it could have been either but I entered another possibility.

Irrelevant. Chief seemed to be basing his argument on the fact that entering a roundabout the wrong way is a "minor" penalty point offence, and therefore ultimately this entire thread is "a storm in a teacup" and "should be locked".

Yes Chief did and he is correct. It is a minor offence unless it can proven she did it intentionally which taking into consideration she also drove the wrong way onto the M50 which would be doubtful.

I'd respectfully disagree - regardless of the number of penalty points this particular offence carries, it's potentially a lot more dangerous than a "storm in a teacup".

Yes it could have been dangerous but they key here "intention". Did the woman knowingly intend to drive the wrong way on a roundabout and enter a motorway also against the flow of traffic?

If the answer is Yes then more serious charges can be used, if the answer is No then FCPS is the way to go.

Fair enough.. Would be nice certainly if Gardai were required to produce proofs of road traffic offences (say for example video footage as in those UK Police Stop shows on Sky) rather than just standing up in court and saying "I saw him do it" and his mate/colleague bacjking him up.

And what did any Police force do before cameras were installed in patrol cars? Bearing in mind that not all UK Police cars are fitted with cameras.

Anyways this is a moot point because a Garda's verbal evidence is sufficient for a prosecution for traffic offences.

While I'd agree that people's use of roundabouts in this country leaves a lot to be desired, there's a bit of a difference between "not being arsed" indicating on a roundabout to driving around it the wrong way. I can't imagine ANYONE deliberately doing this, unless they were either drunk/drugged or unfamiliar with the correct rules regarding same.

Or confused or unfamiliar with the road. I think you will agree with me that certain parts of Irish roads are poorly signed. I have been victim of poorly signed junctions myself some years ago.

I'd prefer if he displayed the same attitude to dangerous driving as you state you have/do rather than flippantly dismissing the entire incident which is what he did here (and in the thread mentioned above).

Again dont mistake complacency for experience as I explained in my previous post.

As I said then, if AGS posters are going to contribute, it would surely make sense for them to try to portray themselves and the force in the best light possible. Attitudes such as his only serve to damage that repututation - and it's not like AGS couldn't do with some good PR.

Do you not read the news much? Almost every day there is at least 3-4 news items of seizures, arrests, successful or commenced prosecutions for serious crimes. If you attend your local district court you each day/week or every second week you would see up to 100 people being prosecuted for various offences. What more do you want?

Of course there are bad apples in AGS but show me even one organisation where there is none.

Capt'n Midnight

esel wrote: »

Didn't read the thread.... but:

You get one penalty point for driving the wrong way around a roundabout.

Believe it or not!

has anyone ever got a penalty point for driving on hatched lines on the road ?
actually has anyone ever seen a car not driving on them ?

and yet IIRC there are no points for failing to indicate correctly on a roundabout :mad:

AugustusMaximus

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

has anyone ever got a penalty point for driving on hatched lines on the road ?
actually has anyone ever seen a car not driving on them ?

and yet IIRC there are no points for failing to indicate correctly on a roundabout :mad:

You are far more likely to get done for being 10mph over the limit, rather than driving the wrong way around a roundabout.

This is a result of where the Gardai are focusing their attention in regards to road traffic law. Far too narrow a scope. I seriously doubt many Gardai would stop a person for driving on hatched markings.

Capt'n Midnight

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

it would mean that anyone aged 17 or more in 1968 (born 1951) which would be aged 58 today could be driving around without having taken any driving test.

Don't forget the amnesty in 1979 when tens of thousands of people on provisionals were handed full licenses without a test.

AugustusMaximus

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Don't forget the amnesty in 1979 when tens of thousands of people on provisionals were handed full licenses without a test.

Not ignoring that fact at all.

Would just like to confirm the year in which the driving test came in, in the first place. I would imagine that there are far more drivers currently driving who never had to take the test due to it not existing in comparison to those who gained their licence during the amnesty.

That amnesty must have kicked up a right stink with the other EEC member countries at the time.

macplaxton

(I'm not native) but as far as my research goes driving tests were introduced on 18th March 1964. I am assuming that driving tests were introduced on the day the regulations below came into force.

ROAD TRAFFIC (LICENSING OF DRIVERS) REGULATIONS, 1964

1979 driving test "amnesty" involved 32,085 second provisional licences according to official figures. 2nd provisional licences held before 11th October 1979 were eligible.

(Then there was the more recent anecdotal allegation of the non-RSA test licence give-away.)

galwaytt

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Something similar happened to me outside of Watergrasshill a few weeks ago.

To shorten his trip around a roundabout (he was taking the 3rd exit), the guy drove the wrong way around the roundabout. He looked like a boy racer. I honestly couldn't believe what I saw.

What's 'boy racer' got to do with it, apart from stereotyping ? I've seen taxi's do it in the early hours of the a.m. on the roundabout at Corrib Park in Galway. Cue a taxi-driver bashing... ?

TheNog wrote: »

See you are assuming this lady wasnt aware of the rules of the road. I was merely proposing this lady may have gotten confused and entered the roundabout the wrong way.

Yes Chief did and he is correct. It is a minor offence unless it can proven she did it intentionally which taking into consideration she also drove the wrong way onto the M50 which would be doubtful.

Yes it could have been dangerous but they key here "intention". Did the woman knowingly intend to drive the wrong way on a roundabout and enter a motorway also against the flow of traffic?

If the answer is Yes then more serious charges can be used, if the answer is No then FCPS is the way to go.

mmmm, last I heard, ignorance (of the Act/Regulation/etc) was no defence. Which makes the intention/accidental nature of it all..........moot. If the OP hadn't his wits about him, and accident would have ensued: what value then, whether the offending driver did it deliberately or not ? Are we saying that a 'near miss' somehow mitigates the offence ?

If so, then I, to speed at 140 on the new M6, should enjoy the same latitude. Heck, make it 180kph. But you and I know that won't wash. The law must not only be just, it must be seen to be just. Otherwise it just gets into disrepute.........

The OP's incident, btw, is not trivial. It's a fundamental, dangerous situtation, and must be evaluated as such. How it ended up at the OP's front bumper is merely the end of the chain, but how about all the links that led to it ? Did she come up another off-ramp, having driven contra-flow the motorway, already, etc etc

Now, this isn't a GTC bashing - they can't be everywhere - but something is awry where this level of .....ineptitude.....is allowed to exercise itself on the road. And, rightly or wrongly as they say, there is a need for such displays to be nipped in the bud. Period.

There is no shortage of information, announcements, literature on our system(s) in, say Polish, for example, but I don't see anyone harping on about that implying being racist......but there was obviously a pressing (safety) need for those measures....based on road traffic experience(s)........

TheNog

galwaytt wrote: »

mmmm, last I heard, ignorance (of the Act/Regulation/etc) was no defence. Which makes the intention/accidental nature of it all..........moot.

Thats very true ignorance of Act/Regulation is not a defence but thats not at all what I said.

What Im saying if there was intention by the driver then the charge would be more serious up to careless driving or dangerous driving.

If it was accidental the FCPN is the way to go.

Do we think this was intentional?

If so, then I, to speed at 140 on the new M6, should enjoy the same latitude. Heck, make it 180kph. But you and I know that won't wash. The law must not only be just, it must be seen to be just. Otherwise it just gets into disrepute.........

But if you travel at 140-180kph, isnt there intention there? I.E. knowingly travelling at that speed would attract the more serious charge.

The OP's incident, btw, is not trivial. It's a fundamental, dangerous situtation, and must be evaluated as such. How it ended up at the OP's front bumper is merely the end of the chain, but how about all the links that led to it ? Did she come up another off-ramp, having driven contra-flow the motorway, already, etc etc

Yeah it should be evaluated as such. Id imagine it was a mistake by that lady driver and so dealt with by way of FCPN.

Now, this isn't a GTC bashing - they can't be everywhere - but something is awry where this level of .....ineptitude.....is allowed to exercise itself on the road. And, rightly or wrongly as they say, there is a need for such displays to be nipped in the bud. Period.

Hang on a minute, how exactly did GTC allow this and other incidents on the roads to happen?

There is no shortage of information, announcements, literature on our system(s) in, say Polish, for example, but I don't see anyone harping on about that implying being racist......but there was obviously a pressing (safety) need for those measures....based on road traffic experience(s)........

The racist thing being discussed here on this thread has been blown out of all proportion if you ask me so Im not gonna say anything on it.

Gonzales

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

How do you know she was a foreign national?

did you miss the elephant in the room? She was driving ccw on the roundabout.

Capt'n Midnight

macplaxton wrote: »

(Then there was the more recent anecdotal allegation of the non-RSA test licence give-away.)

CBA looking it up but the pass rates on the private centres were signifigantly higher than for the state ones. Unless there was a special selection mechanism , the large numbers of people involved would have make it unlikely to be by chance.

T-Square

fryup wrote: »

a case of Drink Driving maybe??

nope,

they just can't drive for toffee

AugustusMaximus

galwaytt wrote: »

What's 'boy racer' got to do with it, apart from stereotyping ? I've seen taxi's do it in the early hours of the a.m. on the roundabout at Corrib Park in Galway. Cue a taxi-driver bashing... ?

What wrong with me identifying this driver as a boy racer (considering he was driving a Glanza he obviously was)

I identified the driver as being male. You seem to have no problem with that descriptor ?

eth0_

Ah it's not just foreign nationals you have to look out for - the standard of driving in this country is frighteningly bad. I moved back to Ireland from the UK in October and I can hand on heart say I have been very close to being involved in an accident (through no fault of my own) TWICE in the space of two months.

The only place I have ever seen traffic cops is in Dublin. Why are there so few traffic police in this country?

My current bugbear - it is staggering how many cars in Ireland are on the roads on a dark winters evening with no lights on, broken lights, their full beams on. If you did this in a UK town/city you would get pulled over by the police sooner or later. Obviously as there is almost zero chance of getting pulled over in Ireland, people/imbeciles can't be bothered fixing their headlights, not realising the danger it puts themselves in, as well as others.

AugustusMaximus

eth0_ wrote: »

Ah it's not just foreign nationals you have to look out for - the standard of driving in this country is frighteningly bad. I moved back to Ireland from the UK in October and I can hand on heart say I have been very close to being involved in an accident (through no fault of my own) TWICE in the space of two months.

I've driven in Italy and France where I've seen far worse driving. Italy in particular had some of the most wreckless overtaking I've ever seen. People overtaking on corners and such.

eth0_ wrote: »

The only place I have ever seen traffic cops is in Dublin. Why are there so few traffic police in this country?

Plenty of traffic cops, except that all they do is basically speed checks or breath testing. I had a driver behind me with his full beams on yesterday for about 20 miles. I kept turning my rear fogs on and off to try to indicated to him to turn his full beams off. He was obviously in his own merry world.

Esel

macplaxton wrote: »

(I'm not native) but as far as my research goes driving tests were introduced on 18th March 1964

So, assuming minimum age to get a licence as 17, anyone with a 'no-test' licence (apart from the late '70s amnesty) would now be 62 years old at least.

eth0_

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Plenty of traffic cops, except that all they do is basically speed checks or breath testing.

Not *dedicated* traffic cops, though. I've only seen them in Dublin.

I'm sure that statistically there are far more serious accidents caused through poor driving skills than drink driving (i'm not excusing drink driving!).

AugustusMaximus

eth0_ wrote: »

Not *dedicated* traffic cops, though. I've only seen them in Dublin.

I'm sure that statistically there are far more serious accidents caused through poor driving skills than drink driving (i'm not excusing drink driving!).

I have no problem with random breath testing etc (I personally think its the single easiest way to reduce road fatalities) but I just can't stand the way that other driving fundamentals are almost completely ignored by both the RSA (an utterly useless organisation) and the Gardai at large.

I'd love for instance for a squad car to park on a roundabout and then note all cars who are not indicating properly. Indication is a vital part of driving but is largely ignored from a policing point of view. I dunno how many times I've seen the Gardai themselves (Traffic units included) not indicating.

Geri Boyle

Had a similar experience on the ballyogan rd a few years back. I was heading from that m50 roundabout and a car came at me on the wrong side of the road at speed. I had to slam on my brakes and beep for dear life til he eventually swerved and missed me by about a meter. It was a foreign reg'd car. Im not pointing that out to say that all foreign drivers are this that and the other just that maybe people who are used to driving on the other side of the road arent given enough warning or something, but I totally understand where you are coming from OP. It is a very frightening experience. Its not a racist issue at all, its a safety one. Lack of knowledge to new drivers no our roads is a very real danger, even if its only one of many dangers.

NLane

had a similar experience myself once but not quite as scary.... met an old lady in an old fiesta (not sure which was older!!) driving the wrong way around a roundabout during my driving test! of all times for this to happen eh? examiner and myself just had to laugh (once we saw she had moved off safely of course) !!!

the_syco

JamesM wrote: »

The older drivers have far more experience and far less accidents than the younger cocky drivers who recently passed their test.

You don't get to be old, by crashing when you're young...