People are driving too SLOW slopes/hills/on ramps/off ramps, etc...

murphyebass

First off dont get me wrong there is definately a time and a place to be doing sub 50kph but that time is not when going up a hill.

I was going out of Finglas and on my way up to the M50 or so I thought until this woman in front of me saw the hill and decided to slow down from an already slow speed of 50kph.

She struggled and swerved on the slope and eventually got up but in doing so everyone else behind her having the same problems.
(before you say why didnt you give her more space, I did as did the other drivers, we were a few cars distance behind her until she slowed down!!)

Seriously people absolutely drive slow as the conditions at the moment are not good to say the least but when you see a slope/hill/on ramp/off ramp for christ sake use your common sense and move at a speed that will allow you to make it up in the first place and keep moving.

Up the gears to keep moving, down the gears to reduce speed. The simple things make all the difference. Consideration for other road users!

Sids Not

Irish people cant even handle the rain never mind the snow....:rolleyes:

It really shows the level of driving "skills" in this country.....

Just remember people ,when you go to the shop to get your bread/milk and it hasnt been delivered and you get all annoyed.....just remember the time that van was up your arse and you deliberately held him up....some people are actually still working in these conditions....;)

murphyebass

I forgot on the same journey I was drivin in the left lane on the N3 back towards blanch and woman in a car decided to drive beside me in the other lane and do the exact same speed.

The guy behind her was flashing her like mad. I eventually blew the horn and got her attention, ushered her into the slow lane.

She had no clue. I had to slow down to let her pass, she then moved into the slow lane, then I had to pass her as she slowed down even more.

I just dont get some drivers just no idea whats going on around them.

Now I'm not saying I'm the worlds best driver, I'm not, but I do try to have some sort of idea what the hells going on around me!!

second rant over...

wonder what goin home today will throw up.

MarkoC

Sids Not wrote: »

Irish people cant even handle the rain never mind the snow....

Very true but they know exactly how to wave with theyr middle finger

Owen

Had a guy last night in a Merc doing 10mph on a road which was clearly gritted/salted to death. Only for the fact that it was a city road, I'd have just shot past him. This country is ridiculous how it grinds to a halt over 3 inches of snow.

Herself went all the way to Dublin Airport yesterday, and had to come home again due to snow. The Airport she was flying to in Poland had a foot or two of snow, and thanks to their home made snow clearers (One's a snow plough, the other's a jet engine on the back of a low pickup truck - not kidding), it was business as normal. Her parents couldn't believe that a tiny amount of snow could cause such panic.

T-Maxx

Aye, old farts putting along at 20mph when you can safely go twice as fast.:mad:

Cookie_Monster

I had to stop on Sallynoggin hill tonite cos some numpty was going really slow and got stuck :mad:

Just about got going again having waited 5 mins for them to slide their way to the top :rolleyes:

challengemaster

Is it really a wonder the place grinds to a halt when every time we get snow/ice, the message given is not how to drive safely but simply NOT to drive at all.

adamshred

Wrecks my head - the country may as well go into hibernation the way people react to the snow.

A lot of people seem to be just afraid to drive in this weather all together and I thank them for not driving as it gives me a chance to actually get places!

The more people who bottle driving the merrier as far as I'm concerned because I wouldn't let a bit of snow stop me from doing anything :cool::cool:

Stheno

To be fair winter driving is never covered in driving lessons, especially not in conditions like this.

I think what really freaks people out is the thought of losing control/skidding/stopping in these conditions, but most of them don't realise that a really slow speed will add further to that.

What I cannot abide with the current driving conditions are people tail gating, take into account that the person in front of you might just brake and/or stop suddenly!

Tea drinker

T-Maxx wrote: »

Aye, old farts putting along at 20mph when you can safely go twice as fast.:mad:

if you are such a great driver in such a great car surely you can find the time to overtake :-)

On topic it is silly to drastically lose speed going up a hill, it's much easier tostop as gravity helps. Having said that, obviously the less speed you carry OVER the hill the less you are potentially trying to scrub off at the bottom of said hill if needing to stop.

Savman

adamshred wrote: »

The more people who bottle driving the merrier as far as I'm concerned because I wouldn't let a bit of snow stop me from doing anything :cool::cool:

Have to agree, the best time to go anywhere now is straight after a snow shower then the masses are too freaked out to leave the house. Then you can just plod along and get where you are going.

Sure there are some bad spots but I cant understand why, rather than trying to grit an entire City/Province, the councils don't just close roads that have bad inclines or divert traffic around them. They do it every day of the year for roadworks or the bi-monthly M50 upgrade works, all it takes is some cones and signage and save the grit for main routes.

And don't get me started on the geniuses decelerating while going uphill :mad:

Baffling.

Dr_Phil

I don't have a problem with people driving slowly at a constant speed, the morons that piss me off most are the ones who accelerate to brake after 20m. Then accelerate again - and braking again. Pure stupidity.

Stheno

Tea drinker wrote: »

Having said that, obviously the less speed you carry OVER the hill the less you are potentially trying to scrub off at the bottom of said hill if needing to stop.

I was just thinking this, going down a mild hill today people were pissing along, then chaos when the lights at the end of the hill went red

jaffa20

4x4's=:mad:

That is all

Tea drinker

Dr_Phil wrote: »

I don't have a problem with people driving slowly at a constant speed, the morons that piss me off most are the ones who accelerate to brake after 20m. Then accelerate again - and braking again. Pure stupidity.

Inconsistent driving.. a crash waiting to happen even with no ice on the road.

Blitzkrieger

ARGH!!! MOVE THE **** OVER!

If you want to drive slowly that's fine. If you've made a decision that the condidtions are too bad and want to slow down, that's up to you. Even if the road is salted, well traveled and clearly does not have a bit of ice on it, but you still want to drive at 81kmph on a 120kmph stretch of road, take it handy if you want to. But, FFS, get out of the ****ing overtaking lane :mad:

Was late for work this morning (not that big a deal) because of twats holding up the traffic travelling at 81kmph in the outside lane while traffic in the inside lane did 80kmph. If i had an actual emergency I'd be ****ed.

E39MSport

jaffa20 wrote: »

4x4's=:mad:

That is all

4x4=:D for me. Is your's broken down ?

Mister men

T-Maxx wrote: »

Aye, old farts putting along at 20mph when you can safely go twice as fast.:mad:

Your right he should be doing twice that, in the snow :rolleyes:. Grow up it's letal out there.

corktina

Mister men wrote: »

Your right he should be doing twice that, in the snow :rolleyes:. Grow up it's letal out there.

he said " when you could SAFELY do twice that"

limklad

Stheno wrote: »

To be fair winter driving is never covered in driving lessons, especially not in conditions like this.

I think what really freaks people out is the thought of losing control/skidding/stopping in these conditions, but most of them don't realise that a really slow speed will add further to that.

What I cannot abide with the current driving conditions are people tail gating, take into account that the person in front of you might just brake and/or stop suddenly!

It not fair on other drivers who make an effort to listen and behave correctly on how to drive their vehicle in poor conditions who only make urgent journeys. People who cannot handle driving in poor conditions and unable/not confident to safely drive and control their vehicle are caught driving in those conditions should be prosecuted for dangerous driving!!!

This is a message to all poor drivers:
If you cannot drive on poor roads conditions then DON'T DRIVE. You are a health and safety risk to injure/kills everybody around you including to yourself and your passengers. The onus is on you to drive you vehicle safely on the roads, if you cannot drive safely then do not drive.

Tea 1000

Some people think they're fantastic drivers too, and obviously have walked every inch of the journey to test the surface conditions before driving, because they seem to have full knowledge of the road ahead! Same people who probably crib and cry at people who drive too slowly.
Drive to the conditions, and bear in mind that conditions change from place to place and from hour to hour. On my trip this morning I had one section of light uncompacted snow that was about 20mph safe speed, another section where 35-40 was fine, another section where it was mostly like normal wet weather, so I proceeded at 50 - 55mph where safe, being cautious in corners and looking out for shaded ares, and another estate where 5mph was about all you could do safely as it was like an ice rink.
But there was the usual spread of tail-gaters who knew better than anyone, and overly slow people who were out of their depth.
It's the know-all's who bug me the most.

jezko

Everyone Keep your Distance.. .listen to the Reports on Radios (I am surprised to see some reports are correct this Morning for a change... ) And Take your time! Even if you are an experienced Artic Driver ...One Sure thing .. The Guy Behind you and Guy in Front of you is Not.... So Double your Caution Speed Distance and Stay ALERT... And Maybe we'll all survive this SH!TE

Maj Malfunction

I always laugh when people insist on revv'ing the bollocks out of the engine on a hill... A sure fire way to lose traction in icy conditions.

cuculainn

limklad wrote: »

This is a message to all poor drivers:
If you cannot drive on poor roads conditions then DON'T DRIVE. You are a health and safety risk to injure/kills everybody around you including to yourself and your passengers. The onus is on you to drive you vehicle safely on the roads, if you cannot drive safely then do not drive.

I assume you mean those drivers who cannot drive safely and drive faster than they or the conditions are able for........because I have yet to see people killed by someone driving too slow

UnkieKev

The most, shall we say dimwitted, thing i've seen in this weather so far is a front wheel drive 1996 Honda Civic driving into my estate (at least 1 foot of snow all over the roads) and it had slick racing tires, it took 5 people an hour to dig him out!

limklad

cuculainn wrote: »

I assume you mean those drivers who cannot drive safely and drive faster than they or the conditions are able for

Last Sunday evening coming down from Galway to Limerick. There was heavy fog in places and the idiot KY female driver had her full beams on. Reducing the visibility to see an oncoming car and that oncoming car drivers visibility. She was driving very erratic and slowly and was veering onto the opposite oncoming lane on both broken and continuous white lines on bends and straight stretch and cause huge tailbacks behind her. I kept well back from her, due to her erratic inconsiderate driving as I expected her to have an accident with an oncoming vehicle. Road surface was far better than other roads on that night and was well salted and there was no snow on the road. There was no black ice and the car did not slip/skid once. She finally pull in after Clarinbridge when she panic after a near miss on the Galway end of the village.

There is a big difference between slow consistent drivers and brutal erratic dangerous slow drivers with poor judgement to drive their vehicles properly despite the speed and road conditions. Building up huge traffic behind you is as equally dangerous as speed and is punishable in Irish Law as proven by this court case.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/road-ban-for-tractor-traffic-jam-farmer-1635180.html
Section 51a of the Road Traffic Act which stipulates that due care and consideration for others must be exercised while driving.

cuculainn wrote: »

........because I have yet to see people killed by someone driving too slow

You may not, but I have because slow drivers can not pay attention to the road too with donkey blinkers attitude. I have come on to situations where pedestrians (young and old) were killed by slow drivers on rural and mainly urban areas. It is easy to kill by not controlling you vehicle no matter what speed you drive at, and not been aware of everything around your vehicle. The onus is on you to control your vehicle no matter what the road conditions are.
Look at the RSA collisions for pedestrians and their locations, you will see speed was not a factor. It is lack of awareness/vision or improper control of their vehicle.
http://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Ireland-Road-Collisions/

Just like speeders, Slow Drivers does not equal to good drivers.

limklad

Maj Malfunction wrote: »

I always laugh when people insist on revv'ing the bollocks out of the engine on a hill... A sure fire way to lose traction in icy conditions.

While I don't laugh at them, I roar out to everybody else to keep away from that dangerous idiot who revving the hell out of their engine going up on an icy hill, then slipping and sliding which makes the surface more slippery for the next driver behind them. I see far too many of these brutal incidents to laugh.

Sids Not

I dont know if any of you guys have noticed...Women/girls dont seem to be able to handle driving at anything faster than walking pace..BUT..it doesnt stop them from texting while driving....still dangerous, worse in these conditions....i'v lost count...

spank_inferno

Having been on the road a lot in the last week, every tale of over-caution, dangerously slow driving, random acts of blindness has began with "Wait till I tell ya...I seen some bird..... etc etc"

must be coincidence!

jaffa20

E39MSport wrote: »

4x4=:D for me. Is your's broken down ?

No, my little rwd hopes the 4x4's up my arse understand that my boot is not wagging it's tail at them because it wants to roll in the hay:D.

opinion guy

Got stuck behind some first gear numpty doing 10 kph on the flat today. GAH!!!!! It wasn't even icy on the road it had all melted:mad:

bongi69

There's a bit of numptyness that goes on in my estate every time it snows/ices over.

There are 2 entrances/exits to the estate. One is up a steep enough hill, and the other, which climbs the same height, is more winding and has much less of a gradient, but takes about 3 mins longer to drive in normal conditions.

But you're guaranteed to see loads of cars stuck on the steep hill trying to get up it, and there will be hardly any traffic on the other road. All this week I haven't slipped or slided once using the other way. And its not like this other way is a secret; if you live in the estate, you'll know about it!

Bull76

What gets my goat and has happened a good few times this week. Is that some numpty pulls out in front of you, doesn't look but nothing new in that. Then slows down, Your expected to brake and avoid hitting them. try that with loads of ice on the road. Use your mirrors you see the vehicle going slightly faster than you, don't just pull out.....
If the roads like today are in good condition then drive on..no need to crawl along.

Tea drinker

Bull76 wrote: »

some numpty pulls out in front of you, doesn't look but nothing new in that. Then slows down, Your expected to brake and avoid hitting them.

This manouever, it's called "Pull out 'n Park"
Guess who else freakin hates it?

Wertz

To hear the complaints on radio 1 during the week from people being over (under)taken by lorries on a limiter doing 80km/h just underlines the stupidity of a whole swathe of the motoring population.
If a truck is going faster than you (in the overtaking lane) then you're driving too f*ckin' slowly...it's nothing to do with foreign truck drivers or ignorance of the conditions....those guys have a license to drive a vehicle that weighs many multiples of your hatchback. If they're doing the limit then it's a good bet that it's safe for a car to be doing at least that too.
Maybe if these people aren't willing to do the damn limit they'd pull in 10m behind said HGVs and do the ~80km/h they feel safer at, and let other riad users make progress....

Some commentators on the radio were talking about ice driving techniques; use of clutch, engine braking and high gears for instance...a few moments later there was loads of texts asking what the difference beteween high and low gears is, and/or which was a high and which was a low gear :rolleyes: ....that for me underlines the fact that there are far too many people on the roads without even the basics of how their car functions...

Cookie_Monster

Wertz wrote: »

To hear the complaints on radio 1 during the week from people being over (under)taken by lorries on a limiter doing 80km/h just underlines the stupidity of a whole swathe of the motoring population.
If a truck is going faster than you (in the overtaking lane) then you're driving too f*ckin' slowly...it's nothing to do with foreign truck drivers or ignorance of the conditions....those guys have a license to drive a vehicle that weighs many multiples of your hatchback. If they're doing the limit then it's a good bet that it's safe for a car to be doing at least that too.
Maybe if these people aren't willing to do the damn limit they'd pull in 10m behind said HGVs and do the ~80km/h they feel safer at, and let other riad users make progress....

Some commentators on the radio were talking about ice driving techniques; use of clutch, engine braking and high gears for instance...a few moments later there was loads of texts asking what the difference beteween high and low gears is, and/or which was a high and which was a low gear :rolleyes: ....that for me underlines the fact that there are far too many people on the roads without even the basics of how their car functions...

I wish I could thank that post a thousand times. The amount of morons I've heard on the radio say the above is unbelievable

Tea drinker

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I wish I could thank that post a thousand times. The amount of morons I've heard on the radio say the above is unbelievable

Anecdotally, plenty of trucks crash too given their lesser numbers on the roads. I wouldn't always say someone is going too slow because a truck is up their rump, but it's more likely you are driving too slow.
If you feel you are driving too slow, when safe make an opportunity to pull in and let others pass. I do this myself especially on holidays (here and abroad), no use frustrating people, just because you are all relaxed, or don't want to drive briskly on a road you don't know. Same applies if you have very bad low grip skills, or confidence issues.

I would also say to guys and gals to manage themselves, manage your anger, that is something else you are in control of apart from your car.
As Bill Murray said: Don't drive angry!

dr.fuzzenstein

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I had to stop on Sallynoggin hill tonite cos some numpty was going really slow and got stuck :mad:

Just about got going again having waited 5 mins for them to slide their way to the top :rolleyes:

And I can guarantee you that that same numpty will now think "Oh dear, was sliding all over the place, better go even slower in future" since these people simply think fast=unsafe and slow=safe, so 120 km/h on a motorway=certain death but 30 km/h=100% safety.

guil

Wertz wrote: »

To hear the complaints on radio 1 during the week from people being over (under)taken by lorries on a limiter doing 80km/h just underlines the stupidity of a whole swathe of the motoring population.
If a truck is going faster than you (in the overtaking lane) then you're driving too f*ckin' slowly...it's nothing to do with foreign truck drivers or ignorance of the conditions....those guys have a license to drive a vehicle that weighs many multiples of your hatchback. If they're doing the limit then it's a good bet that it's safe for a car to be doing at least that too.
Maybe if these people aren't willing to do the damn limit they'd pull in 10m behind said HGVs and do the ~80km/h they feel safer at, and let other riad users make progress....

Some commentators on the radio were talking about ice driving techniques; use of clutch, engine braking and high gears for instance...a few moments later there was loads of texts asking what the difference beteween high and low gears is, and/or which was a high and which was a low gear :rolleyes: ....that for me underlines the fact that there are far too many people on the roads without even the basics of how their car functions...

i drive a truck, its much easier to drive faster in the truck because the slush doesnt throw ya about like it does in a car

today i was on the m7 northbound and taking the johnstown exit, some spanner in a bmw slows to 10kph at the ff ramp cos there was a smalll bit of slush in the middle of the road, was completley clear around the wheels
anyway he crawls up to the roundabout and turns down towards the garden centre and speeds up on compacted snow and ice

margarite

Wertz wrote: »

To hear the complaints on radio 1 during the week from people being over (under)taken by lorries on a limiter doing 80km/h just underlines the stupidity of a whole swathe of the motoring population.
If a truck is going faster than you (in the overtaking lane) then you're driving too f*ckin' slowly...it's nothing to do with foreign truck drivers or ignorance of the conditions....those guys have a license to drive a vehicle that weighs many multiples of your hatchback. If they're doing the limit then it's a good bet that it's safe for a car to be doing at least that too.
Maybe if these people aren't willing to do the damn limit they'd pull in 10m behind said HGVs and do the ~80km/h they feel safer at, and let other riad users make progress....

Some commentators on the radio were talking about ice driving techniques; use of clutch, engine braking and high gears for instance...a few moments later there was loads of texts asking what the difference beteween high and low gears is, and/or which was a high and which was a low gear :rolleyes: ....that for me underlines the fact that there are far too many people on the roads without even the basics of how their car functions...

Did you ever hear of the gypsy drivers? I took my test and at the same time there was a post strike, I did my test around a very built up area in Dublin, while doing the test a child ran across the road, the examiner did not see the child and I had to do an emergency stop. Two weeks later because those that have the stupid powers gave anyone who had so many (I can remember) prov. licenses a full driving license , I worked in an car insurance insurance company at the time and remembering thinking some of these people had failed their test up to 13 times some more and they were given full licenses, maybe some of these that are causing all the problems now. What do you think?

mfceiling

I overtook a 10kph yaris pensioner on my road yesterday.
Oul lad clearing his drive shaking his fist at me.
RWD car and at that speed the wheels were slipping for grip - wide tyres
Passed safely and was able to continue at a steady 30-40 in a higher gear
Missus giving out to me til she looks in the mirror and sees about 4 other cars doing the same
A small bit of speed in 3rd 4th gear keeps you moving.......not 1st and hanging on to the steering wheel for grim death!!

opinion guy

guil wrote: »

i drive a truck, its much easier to drive faster in the truck because the slush doesnt throw ya about like it does in a car

today i was on the m7 northbound and taking the johnstown exit, some spanner in a bmw slows to 10kph at the ff ramp cos there was a smalll bit of slush in the middle of the road, was completley clear around the wheels
anyway he crawls up to the roundabout and turns down towards the garden centre and speeds up on compacted snow and ice

No doubt the truck is less thrown about by the slush. But....erm....how's your stopping distance ?

dr.fuzzenstein

margarite wrote: »

... some of these people had failed their test up to 13 times some more and they were given full licenses, maybe some of these that are causing all the problems now. What do you think?

100% agree.
First there should be an IQ test. If you don't score at least 60, no licence for you.
Psychiatric examination. If you found to be barking mad, no licence.
Medical exam, got approx. 6 months to live? Can't have you die at the wheel, sorry pal...
Theory test, so far so good, but you got to pass this before being allowed near a car.
Drug testing. Goes without saying also for prescription drugs such as tranquillisers, anti-depressants as well as all illegal drugs.
Basic car knowledge. Where does oil, water and petrol/diesel go?
Minimum 20 lessons.
You've made it this far, you now have a maximum of 5 goes to pass your test, good luck!
After that, retest every 5 years.
This kind of assessment is commonplace when it comes to obtaining licences to be a pilot, bus driver, train driver, etc...
But when it comes to cars we all assume that we have a God-given birthright to Be On The Road and that to me is the most dangerous attitude today.
You should be on the road if the authorities are satisfied that you are not a complete moron, a lunatic, about to die behind the wheel, on several kinds of drugs, can look after your car, know your stop sign from a giant lollipop and have been taught to a certain standard and passed a test before being let loose in a ton and a half of metal capable of doing 200 km/h.
And that people know it's not a right, it's a privilege.

Tea drinker

a few good points there regarding eligibility for the licence.
Gonna go wildly off topic and risk the mods ire.... to say we should surely have much the same criteria for voting?
lots of ire in Ireland wrt politics now!

Fiesta

mfceiling wrote: »

I overtook a 10kph yaris pensioner on my road yesterday.
Oul lad clearing his drive shaking his fist at me.
RWD car and at that speed the wheels were slipping for grip - wide tyres
Passed safely and was able to continue at a steady 30-40 in a higher gear
Missus giving out to me til she looks in the mirror and sees about 4 other cars doing the same
A small bit of speed in 3rd 4th gear keeps you moving.......not 1st and hanging on to the steering wheel for grim death!!

Hmmm, would you have been able to stop if the need arose? I've a picture in my head of this, and it's not too good. "on my road", is that a housing estate?

What do you drive by the way?


From RTE News...

Inappropriate driving is more dangerous today that during heavy snowfalls last week, the Severe Weather Co-ordination Committee said.

It warned ice is now causing a major hazard and people are 'driving way too fast'.

limklad

cuculainn wrote: »

I assume you mean those drivers who cannot drive safely and drive faster than they or the conditions are able for........because I have yet to see people killed by someone driving too slow

There is a big difference on people who are aware of the roads conditions and drive appropriately and those who are obnoxious to the hazard and slowly drive inconsistently and panic when they hit a bad patch and hit hard on the brake on ice/snow and skid on to oncoming traffic or slowly pull out in front of traffic causing other to swerve or crash into them. Those are the people I am complaining about who are causing traffic chaos and are a endangerment to the rest of the driving community. Just like fast dangerous drivers they are lots of Terrible slow drivers who are as dangerous to the rest of us, so much so that many other countries have minimum speed limits and punish very slow drivers for causing traffic chaos. Here in Ireland we also have a law that is not enforced on the roads by the gardai and is only punished on driving tests, that is "failing to progress in traffic".

These same terrible slow drivers make the same bad decisions on bad road conditions in every other aspect of their poor driving skills. These are also the same slow irradic drivers who drive in yo-yo speed between 30kph to 80kph on National wide good roads and then entering Towns and villages at speed ~80kph in 60kph and 50kph zones until traffic forces them to slow down through the towns and villages and they drive through without looking for pedestrians at zebra crossings. Those are the Dangerous driver that I am complaining about who foolishly believe that they are great drivers because they drive slow. Are you one of those dangerous drivers?

Tea 1000

mfceiling wrote: »

I overtook a 10kph yaris pensioner on my road yesterday.
Oul lad clearing his drive shaking his fist at me.
RWD car and at that speed the wheels were slipping for grip - wide tyres
Passed safely and was able to continue at a steady 30-40 in a higher gear
Missus giving out to me til she looks in the mirror and sees about 4 other cars doing the same
A small bit of speed in 3rd 4th gear keeps you moving.......not 1st and hanging on to the steering wheel for grim death!!

So despite the fact that you had no grip to the point where your wheels were slipping while moving forward, you still deemed it safe to overtake other people? Yet it was the slow driver that was at fault here?
Based on that information, I disagree with your assesment of the situation. What if you had to stop in an emergency?

paddyland

Tea 1000 wrote: »

So despite the fact that you had no grip to the point where your wheels were slipping while moving forward, you still deemed it safe to overtake other people? Yet it was the slow driver that was at fault here?
Based on that information, I disagree with your assesment of the situation. What if you had to stop in an emergency?

Only bad drivers have to stop in emergency. Good drivers read the road well ahead, and I mean WELL ahead, and have their options covered. If you regularly have to make emergency stops, it draws a question over your road observation.

Paparazzo

The slow drivers are really wrecking my head. Driving are 20kph cost a road is wet, or stopping are a yield sign cos someone is 1km up the road. Thursday was the best day to drive even though it was the worst conditions (in dublin) because all the incompetent drivers stayed at home

paddyland

I overtook a slow woman driver in my estate the other morning. She was driving SO slow, gripping the wheel, with her nose stuck to the windscreen, that she must have been riding the clutch pedal the whole way, burning it out. Even in first gear, there is no way I could have followed her without burning out my clutch too.

The road surface was thick, packed snow, but straight, and I sailed past her at about 40kph, in third gear, steady and smooth, reading the rest of the road well ahead. I'm sorry for her, but I made an effort to learn to drive properly over the years, and never stopped reading and practicing and learning, to try to understand everything in as much as I could. I pay attention to everyone and everything, and give due courtesy to those who deserve it.

But I will NOT be reduced to the lowest common denominator, to the level of the most terrified, incompetent, drooling wreck on the road who has never had an ounce of proper driving education, and who convince themselves they can self-learn, while bringing the rest of the world to a complete standstill. I'm sorry, but I have a day's work to do, and I am going to make my own judgements and press on.