The 100 Greatest Annoyances in Motoring

lway

People in their cars parked up (usually outside shop or chipper) on the other side of the road (facing oncoming traffic) with their headlights on. :mad:

blackwhite

kerry4sam wrote: »

#134 : Kamikaze Crows; Birds in general risking vital seconds on the road to eat what they want off it before I reach the point where they are eating.

Fooking boxtards!!

On the M9 earlier this year, on one of the long straight stretches, I spotted that there was a flock of crows in the driving lane up ahead. To try and minimise the risk of hitting them I moved into the overtaking lane well in advance of getting to them, and ease off the speed a little bit (no other cars around me, in front or behind).

Just as I reached them they all flew off to the left, except for one, clearly retarded, crow, who decided it would be better to fly across the front of the car.
Hear a bang, and see a now-deceased crow bounce up into the air and over the barrier onto the carriageway the other side.

When I arrived in Waterford I got out to check the car, and my headlight was smashed to bits, with a good chunk of the feathery wanker embedded in what was left of it.

I took mild satisfaction the following morning when I passed the remains of the crow on the motorway as I headed back to Dublin.

H3llR4iser

Jesus. wrote: »

Man I don't know how you can say that having complained about lane discipline in Ireland. Its non-existent in America!

In all fairness, many US states allow to overtake on the left and right alike on highways.

First Up

blackwhite wrote: »

Fooking boxtards!!

On the M9 earlier this year, on one of the long straight stretches, I spotted that there was a flock of crows in the driving lane up ahead. To try and minimise the risk of hitting them I moved into the overtaking lane well in advance of getting to them, and ease off the speed a little bit (no other cars around me, in front or behind).

Just as I reached them they all flew off to the left, except for one, clearly retarded, crow, who decided it would be better to fly across the front of the car.
Hear a bang, and see a now-deceased crow bounce up into the air and over the barrier onto the carriageway the other side.

When I arrived in Waterford I got out to check the car, and my headlight was smashed to bits, with a good chunk of the feathery wanker embedded in what was left of it.

I took mild satisfaction the following morning when I passed the remains of the crow on the motorway as I headed back to Dublin.

How long before you fixed the headlight?

blackwhite

First Up wrote: »

How long before you fixed the headlight?

It was broken on a Wednesday and fixed on the Friday. Height of summer so I wasn't driving after dark at any stage. Needed to be brought into garage to get done - thank fook it's a company car.

BTW, do you really think there's going to be anyone on a motoring forum stupid enough to drive around knowingly missing a headlight for any longer than necessary?

jca

blackwhite wrote: »

It was broken on a Wednesday and fixed on the Friday. Height of summer so I wasn't driving after dark at any stage. Needed to be brought into garage to get done - thank fook it's a company car.

BTW, do you really think there's going to be anyone on a motoring forum stupid enough to drive around knowingly missing a headlight for any longer than necessary?

None of his business really.

First Up

blackwhite wrote: »

It was broken on a Wednesday and fixed on the Friday. Height of summer so I wasn't driving after dark at any stage. Needed to be brought into garage to get done - thank fook it's a company car.

BTW, do you really think there's going to be anyone on a motoring forum stupid enough to drive around knowingly missing a headlight for any longer than necessary?

Next time you are in the garage get them to check your sense of humour as well.:)

Jesus.

Slicemeister wrote: »

Drivers who won't pull into overtaking lane if it's empty to let traffic merge from the left on a Motorway slip road.

Cleveland admitted he doesn't do that

First Up

People who don't - or don't know how to - indicate at roundabouts.

blackwhite

First Up wrote: »

People who don't - or don't know how to - indicate at roundabouts.

I can (just about) get over people who exit without indicating. It's ignorant and it impedes fluid traffic flow, but not as dangerous as the f*ckers below:
- the c*nts who are going around 3/4 exits and couldn't bother their holes to indicate right are the ones that really get the blood boiling.

klairondavis

People driving around at 4:30 pm in the murky darkness while it's pissing rain with no lights on whatsoever.

AndyBoBandy

klairondavis wrote: »

People driving around at 4:30 pm in the murky darkness while it's pissing rain with no lights on whatsoever.

Lights should be mandatory, 24 hours a day

Viper_JB

blackwhite wrote: »

I can (just about) get over people who exit without indicating. It's ignorant and it impedes fluid traffic flow, but not as dangerous as the f*ckers below:
- the c*nts who are going around 3/4 exits and couldn't bother their holes to indicate right are the ones that really get the blood boiling.

I had one recently where the driver was indicating left coming up to the round about, passed 2 exits, indicated right then took the third exit, the perfect opposite of how you're supposed to indicate, it made me laugh though more then anything.

Odyssey 2005

klairondavis wrote: »

People driving around at 4:30 pm in the murky darkness while it's pissing rain with no lights on whatsoever.

Shower of ****. They think they're saving electricity :-(

punisher5112

Odyssey 2005 wrote: »

Shower of ****. They think they're saving electricity :-(

They think it uses all their fuel and don't want to spend €5 or €6 on a headlight bulb.

Car's should be designed and made to think of stupid.

Stupid buys a car then stupid drives off not knowing what the orange light means(demister is on or rear fog)
Stupid leaves house early but because it was bright last week they don't need lights now surely.

Stupid drives along with not a care in the world in pi88ing of rain and dark with no lights or 1 working 5watt side light.

Car's flash but what does stupid do only flash back and may even give a gesture.

What does this stalk do that has turn symbols(arrows) on it?

What is that smell oh the handbrake is an air freshner as when I drop it it smells nice again.

Etc etc.....:D

Hachiko

klairondavis wrote: »

People driving around at 4:30 pm in the murky darkness while it's pissing rain with no lights on whatsoever.

saving the aul petrol/daysul joe, who cares if i cant see where i am going.

Volvoair

drivers who cut corners on country roads....WTF is that all about? do these people think, they will never meet anyone driving in the opposite direction.

Jesus.

Andybobandy wrote: »

Lights should be mandatory, 24 hours a day

That's right. More rules from the Nanny State...

punisher5112

Volvoair wrote: »

drivers who cut corners on country roads....WTF is that all about? do these people think, they will never meet anyone driving in the opposite direction.

That is correct they don't think they beleive they are the only ones on the road.

First Up

Jesus. wrote: »

That's right. More rules from the Nanny State...

I'd settle for lights on (and all working) when it is getting dark.
Or is that too Nanny State for you as well?

Leonard Hofstadter

The RSA and the "speed kills" and "slow down" nonsense, and anyone that believes all their propaganda.

Samphire

Idiots waiting at red traffic lights who feel the need to leave the full length of a carspace between themselves and the car in front. If you could move up a bit, I might be able to squeeze into my desired left or right filter lane....

MarkAnthony

There is a requirement to have lights on when driving in the city - it was a question on my driving test. Where this is laid down in legislation is beyond me, but I haven't looked so...

e92335i

Paying €906 on any car larger than 2.0L pre 08 - Horrific.

Jesus.

First Up wrote: »

I'd settle for lights on (and all working) when it is getting dark. Or is that too Nanny State for you as well?

Lights on when its dark, now there's an idea.

During a bright Sunny day? Hmmm, slight difference....

Jesus.

captainspeed wrote: »

The RSA and the "speed kills" and "slow down" nonsense, and anyone that believes all their propaganda.

It seems that everything written into a rule book by one of our all-knowing expert civil servants is infallible on here

blackbox

These people who can't hold on until the end of the bus lane.

They give in to a compulsion to turn left early and then seem to be upset when someone wants to enter the left turning lane at the correct position - i.e. the broken white line at the end of the bus lane.

Sad gits.

MarkAnthony

People who don't the ambiguous and high-brow concept of STOP signs and sit there up your chuff or beeping at you because you actually stopped and spent 0.5 seconds checking the road was clear.

masculinist

Taxi drivers

Meangadh

Don't think this has been said yet surprisingly: Drivers in front of you who constantly brake every time a vehicle, which is on the other side of the road, is coming towards them. Just keep driving, they're not going to go onto your side of the road!!

Also: People who drive big off-road vehicles, or jeep type things when they really don't need to. I know next to nothing about cars but I do know that there are a lot of people driving things that are totally unsuitable for their necessities.

And finally: I don't give a flip if you modify your car, I'll probably hate it but it's your money and your car and in fairness you could be spending it on worse. But if you've modified it to give it a ridiculously loud roar when you take off driving, then I'm in my car calling you an idiot. There's just no need for it.

Into The Blue

Stopping at yield signs..
A driver got out upset because I beeped at her, shouted at me 'do you not know you've to stop at those signs'

jca

masculinist wrote: »

Taxi drivers

It took longer than I thought....

Cathalog

People driving with parking lights on. Seems like every second car does this nowadays.

People that take up two spaces in a parking lot.

masculinist

jca wrote: »

It took longer than I thought....

LOL you're not a Taxi Driver are you ?

gammygils

Cupid stunts who dally at traffic lights. Taking 15 - 20 seconds to take off

and then craaaaawl through in 1st gear. This to me is totally fukkin ignorant

and inconsiderate to other drivers. The light is green. Just Go FFS!

And ignoramuses who shoot out in front of me from a side street or side road

and the crawl out the fukkin road! Jeeeeeeesus!!!!

allybhoy

gammygils wrote: »

Cupid stunts who dally at traffic lights. Taking 15 - 20 seconds to take off

and then craaaaawl through in 1st gear. This to me is totally fukkin ignorant

and inconsiderate to other drivers. The light is green. Just Go FFS!

And ignoramuses who shoot out in front of me from a side street or side road

and the crawl out the fukkin road! Jeeeeeeesus!!!!

This really annoys me aswell, why dont we have the same traffic light sequence as the uk and north. IE:- Red light goes from red to red+amber before transitioning to green. Meaning you get notification that the lights are going to go green shortly before they do.

AndyBoBandy

allybhoy wrote: »

why dont we have the same traffic light sequence as the uk and north. IE:- Red light goes from red to red+amber before transitioning to green. Meaning you get notification that the lights are going to go green shortly before they do.

This is Ireland, and that suggestion makes sense. So, it will never happen.

Alun

Into The Blue wrote: »

Stopping at yield signs..

To be fair, many junctions that have yield signs should have stop signs, and vice versa, there seems to be little thought put in to which is chosen. Personally I treat them both equally, stopping if I need to, and not stopping if I don't.

jca

allybhoy wrote: »

This really annoys me aswell, why dont we have the same traffic light sequence as the uk and north. IE:- Red light goes from red to red+amber before transitioning to green. Meaning you get notification that the lights are going to go green shortly before they do.

And flashing Amber from 2am like the Dutch have. Nothing as bad as sitting at an empty junction while the lights go through a predetermined sequence at 3 in the morning.

obriendj

allybhoy wrote: »

This really annoys me aswell, why dont we have the same traffic light sequence as the uk and north. IE:- Red light goes from red to red+amber before transitioning to green. Meaning you get notification that the lights are going to go green shortly before they do.

This would make sense but because it is used in the UK it wont be used here.

Also if you are first in line at the lights you should be in first gear ready to go and look at the opposite lights and see if when they are turning red so that you are prepared to take off as soon as it turns green.

jca

obriendj wrote: »

This would make sense but because it is used in the UK it wont be used here.

Also if you are first in line at the lights you should be in first gear ready to go and look at the opposite lights and see if when they are turning red so that you are prepared to take off as soon as it turns green.

Waaay too much observation for most drivers there.

doolox

I used to see cop cars, taxis etc go through reds at the dead of night when there was no traffic around during my 2 yr stint as a milkman at 4 in the morning. It seems to be the done thing with people who drive for a living but you would always spot the odd, probably drunk, driver who would stop at the red even when the junction was completely devoid of traffic and would not go until green. In my mind they were begging to be pulled over for quick chat with the police as they stood out like sore thumbs as being suspicious because they were being overcautious and playing to the letter of the law. Same with overslow drivers who attract attention to themselves at night by being too slow to not have some suspicious reason for the slowness, driving drunk or with some illegal item in the car etc etc. Acqaintances of mine used to be always ubercareful drivers when their tax was out of date or some other thing was wrong with their car or licence out of date etc because they did not wqant to risk being caught.....

I loved the "part time "lights in the US where the main drag had a flashing green and the side road had a flashing amber and you treated the flashing amber like a stop sign or yield sign. The difference between a STOP sign and yield sign is not observed here as strictly as it is in the States where you literally have to bring the car to a complete halt at a stop sign before you can then proceed if the way is clear. Pulling out and slowing down traffic on the main road or failing to stop at a stop sign are offences readily punished by the everpresent cops of all types, local, city and State which are much more plentiful and vigilant there than here. Speed limits are also much more strictly enforced in the States than here.

limklad

The Royal Scam wrote: »

People who drive at 70kmh on the N road with a tailback behind them, then get to a 50kmh speed limit in a village but continue at 70....

I see this quite common, even on very wide roads, especially on the N21 between Adare and Abbeyfeale where there is a good hard shoulder and wide lane, with no excuse for slow driving on good road with great environment conditions and yet break the speed limits approaching villages and Towns.

Last year, I did a count of the number of slow drivers who break the 60kph and 50 kph in Newcastle west (East side). Approx, 90% of slow drivers in front of me, break both speed limits on that section. Yet I never see a Garda car or speed van to catch these poor drivers.

H3llR4iser

allybhoy wrote: »

This really annoys me aswell, why dont we have the same traffic light sequence as the uk and north. IE:- Red light goes from red to red+amber before transitioning to green. Meaning you get notification that the lights are going to go green shortly before they do.

Changing the light sequence would do absolutely nothing; People would simply look at the amber, wait for the green and then leisurely move, it's a matter of habit and culture: ever noticed how, for example, on top of the first car needing centuries to take off all the following drivers wait until the car ahead of them is 30 meters away before even thinking about moving?

Furthermore, in some EU countries (e.g. Italy and Spain), the lights sequence is exactly the same - yet most drivers take off like rockets as soon as the green appears. The problem is definitely not with the lights.

First Up

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Changing the light sequence would do absolutely nothing; People would simply look at the amber, wait for the green and then leisurely move, it's a matter of habit and culture: ever noticed how, for example, on top of the first car needing centuries to take off all the following drivers wait until the car ahead of them is 30 meters away before even thinking about moving?

Furthermore, in some EU countries (e.g. Italy and Spain), the lights sequence is exactly the same - yet most drivers take off like rockets as soon as the green appears. The problem is definitely not with the lights.

The problem with taking off like a rocket is you might meet the guy who came though from the other side five seconds after he got red.

masculinist

I have noticed huge increases in cars , vans and even buses going blatantly through red lights in the last month or so. My lady in the passenger seat noticed this too. Is there a full moon or what ?

H3llR4iser

First Up wrote: »

The problem with taking off like a rocket is you might meet the guy who came though from the other side five seconds after he got red.

One always needs to be specific here

By "take off like a rocket" means they don't dawdle around, wait for the car ahead to disappear into the distance and all the shenanigans you see on Irish roads, proving the light sequence is not the problem, the "feck everyone, I am not in a rush and I'll take my time!" attitude is.

allybhoy

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Changing the light sequence would do absolutely nothing; People would simply look at the amber, wait for the green and then leisurely move, it's a matter of habit and culture: ever noticed how, for example, on top of the first car needing centuries to take off all the following drivers wait until the car ahead of them is 30 meters away before even thinking about moving?

Furthermore, in some EU countries (e.g. Italy and Spain), the lights sequence is exactly the same - yet most drivers take off like rockets as soon as the green appears. The problem is definitely not with the lights.

I think it would help. If motorists are slow to react to changing lights, then notifying them 3-5seconds earlier of the impending change has to help

MarkAnthony

Alun wrote: »

To be fair, many junctions that have yield signs should have stop signs, and vice versa, there seems to be little thought put in to which is chosen. Personally I treat them both equally, stopping if I need to, and not stopping if I don't.

You don't get the option at a stop sign. Frankly as long as you aren't the eejit up my chuff or beeping at me when I stop at them more power too you. All I'll say is woe betide you if you have an accident at one.

First Up wrote: »

The problem with taking off like a rocket is you might meet the guy who came though from the other side five seconds after he got red.

To be fair it's not the difficult to make sure the junction isd clear before proceeding and not take 15 seconds to take off. That said some people expect you to take off the nanosecond it goes green which was probably your point. What gets me is people in the first three cars with the hand brakes on and the car in neutral. I was always taught that the first three cars stayed in gear with the footbrake applied. I think people apply the handbrake so they can fart about at the lights which is why they then take so long to take off.

Someone made the point ref people too far from each other - while you can over do it you should be able to see the wheels of the car in front incase you get a shunt.

Clearlier

People who dawdle up to the end of the entry lane for a motorway then stop and wait for a gap in the traffic.