How do YOU deal with Muppetry on the road?

kenmm

italodisco wrote: »

I'm not installing it to use regularly , just for those ocassions when tossers break lights or generally put my child at risk

I just found the timing brilliant - no offence!

I do think though that the more people use the horn, the less effect it has on the general stupidity/crassness/dont give a fu(k attitude a lot have.

pburns

IndigoStar wrote: »

I didn't know it was possible to do but I wore out the horn on my last car from over use. I do alot of mileage on country rds and you wouldn't believe half the stuff I've seen.

That probably says more about you than it does other road users to be fair...

kenmm

Kevin Irving wrote: »

They know they're dangerous, but only care about being caught.

And this - there is no where near enough policing to deal with a lot of issues.

Instead we deal with the effects (Insurance claims, stress, decline in attitudes etc etc)

italodisco

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Which actually annoys me even more. They know they're dangerous, but only care about being caught.

I don't mind bad drivers for the most part - we have the testing system to blame for that. But I have zero time for agressive drivers who endanger me.

As irresponsible as it sounds, if anyone starts that aggressive rear end carry on with me and im alone in the car i hit the breaks hard.

Works every time.

I'm both fortunate and unfortunate to look like a rather rough individual due to my biological parents background, hard men tend to back off when I put the window down :pac:

I avoid rows in traffic at all cost though, it's embarrassing and pathetic. People witnessing it don't know the full story and can easily think the victim is the perpetrator so always be the bigger man and let the other clown vent until his oestrogen levels settle

Cantona's Collars

One of my little pleasures on the road when seeing a Muppet fly past while driving as if they are in NASCAR is knowing that ahead there's going to be a bottleneck and pull up to see them sat there.

StonedRaider

punisher5112 wrote: »

Now I'm not a slow driver, I read the road better then most out there and will not pull out if there is someone going faster as I'll let them on, great to have someone ahead going that bit faster and let them get caught...

I thought I was the only one doing this. I know all the local hairdryer spots well. It must've happened about 4-5 times in the last 2 months. D and C reg cars mostly. I set my limiter at 1km/h below, and these guys come roaring past and jam the brakes as soon as the spot the van, too late then.

Saying that, just done 600+kms the past 2 days, didn't come across a single speed trap. They must really be on strike

italodisco

StonedRaider wrote: »

I thought I was the only one doing this. I know all the local hairdryer spots well. It must've happened about 4-5 times in the last 2 months. D and C reg cars mostly. I set my limiter at 1km/h below, and these guys come roaring past and jam the brakes as soon as the spot the van, too late then.

Saying that, just done 600+kms the past 2 days, didn't come across a single speed trap. They must really be on strike

Judgingby the dublin garda checkpoint page on Facebook they are all In finglas, clondalkin and tallaght lol

Dravokivich

Cantona's Collars wrote: »

One of my little pleasures on the road when seeing a Muppet fly past while driving as if they are in NASCAR is knowing that ahead there's going to be a bottleneck and pull up to see them sat there.

Whenever that happens I have to fight all urges to give'em a "Slow Clap."

Pineapple1

People who pull out from a minor road onto a VERY major road without using the two balls put in the centre of their skulls. Im seeing a lot of this the last while. And they are only going say from one field over to the next in their bog jeeps and because they only have such a short distance to travel they think they dont have to wait until its safe to cross over the road. Infuriating how dangerous they are being.

Pineapple1

mfceiling wrote:

It can but maybe just maybe it might trigger something in the other drivers mind going forward.

It never does unfortunately.

mfceiling

Dravokivich wrote: »

Whenever that happens I have to fight all urges to give'em a "Slow Clap."

My mate is brilliant at this. He just stares at them and shakes his head slowly with his face showing a "what a moron you are". Sends them crazy.

lawred2

italodisco wrote: »

This thread came at the right time, op i too am fed up. So much so that i ordered a train horn set for the car last wednesday lol
220 euro, when I have it installed I'll post a video.
This baby will definitely get the message across

That'll go great when you distract a whole host of drivers wondering where that sound came from!

Insect Overlord

Anyone familiar with Punch's Cross in Limerick will see all sorts of stupidity at the traffic lights there. Best one this weekend was a learner driver in an Aviva car speed through a red light there after the engine cut out when the lights were green. :pac:

All you can do is shake your head and wait till it's time to get moving again.

italodisco

lawred2 wrote: »

That'll go great when you distract a whole host of drivers wondering where that sound came from!

It will be used in exceptional circumstances, certainly not near pedestrians or cyclists.

I must be getting punished foe my purchase, just opened a strepsils throat spray that numbs, turned the nosil up and got a nice puff of it in both eyes.

Two nice numb eyes, won't be driving for an hour at least

kenmm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Anyone familiar with Punch's Cross in Limerick will see all sorts of stupidity at the traffic lights there. Best one this weekend was a learner driver in an Aviva car speed through a red light there after the engine cut out when the lights were green. :pac:

All you can do is shake your head and wait till it's time to get moving again.

Those muppets on L plates, whenever will they learn ffs

neris

Muppets who exit off the M50 at the last minute. Had a woman in a small car with kids in the back decide to try come off at the Blanchardstown exit right behind a car who decided to leave it too late aswell last week but she couldnt get in front of me. Got stopped at the lights at the top of the slip and the face on her making out that her dangerous driving was my fault.

lawred2

neris wrote: »

Muppets who exit off the M50 at the last minute. Had a woman in a small car with kids in the back decide to try come off at the Blanchardstown exit right behind a car who decided to leave it too late aswell last week but she couldnt get in front of me. Got stopped at the lights at the top of the slip and the face on her making out that her dangerous driving was my fault.

You must have cut her off if she couldn't make it in in front of you...

Sure you're under no moral obligation to facilitate such poor driving but I wouldn't take any chances with someone like that... Who knows that they are likely to do!? They could keep coming and verge into you or even come to a stop on the motorway waiting for you to clear.. wouldn't want them getting smashed by another vehicle on my conscience.

neris

wouldnt say id cut her off as id let the other late exiting muppet ahead of her in and she was in the chevrons by that stage aswell. It was the southbound exit which starts at Finglas so wasnt like the exit was suddenly upon her

lawred2 wrote: »

You must have cut her off if she couldn't make it in in front of you...

Sure you're under no moral obligation to facilitate such poor driving but I wouldn't take any chances with someone like that... Who knows that they are likely to do!? They could keep coming and verge into you or even come to a stop on the motorway waiting for you to clear.. wouldn't want them getting smashed by another vehicle on my conscience.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I generally use the horn in the car if someone is really taking the piss at lights, in yellow boxes, or dangerous driving. I've very occasionally rolled down the window and got into a silly shouting match if it's particularly dangerous and/or thoughtless.

If I'm on the motorbike, and I get seriously endangered, I've had a few instances of driving up to the car at lights, tapping on their window and informing them to varying degrees of how their dangerous driving has almost injured or killed me. I'm not a small guy, so I'd imagine it's given those drivers reason to rethink a repeat of their dangerous actions.

Insect Overlord

kenmm wrote: »

Those muppets on L plates, whenever will they learn ffs

Ah sure, I just found it funny that they compounded a fairly common fault with a far more dangerous one. Especially with an instructor in the car as well. Hopefully they'll learn from it!

More craic on O'Connell Street this after with people switching lanes and turning right with no indicators. Can't do much about it, only expect the unexpected.

Witcher

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I'm not a small guy, so I'd imagine it's given those drivers reason to rethink a repeat of their dangerous actions.

I'd say it has alright

'Would ye look, it's your man from the lights the other day I was telling ya about'

CalamariFritti

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Where do people go to find all these muppets? I have driven all over the country and I havn't seen that many of them

If you cant spot the sucker, you're it. SCNR

elvis83

biko wrote: »

I have a wooden spoon I wave at them

Awesome! Robbing this idea!

Strumms

bazz26 wrote: »

Your average Irish motorist these days has become a special type of asshole.

100%. The last five years has seen a big increase in rank absolute ****é and dangerous driving... I've noticed an upsurge in the following to almost daily...

Tailgating - my number one pet hate and I'm not nearly a slow driver.

Breaking red light - it's like whatever about going through on amber but the colours are more suggestive then instructive to many fùckwits nowadays.

Blocking Junctions - the yellow hatching and the traffic opposite blowing you up give you the heads up..looking out your window with a face like your poodle stole your lollipop doesnt want to make me punch you any less.

Tailgating is annoying to me. I also, like many here, am not a slow-motion driver. I'm rarely far under the limit, and I usually exceed it by a little to get around that bit faster (rarely too high above it though, as I drive a lot and don't want the points/insurance increase, but still need to keep the foot down to get around swiftly).

For people approaching me quickly from behind, i'll move in to let them by, by using a hard shoulder or whatever. But if it's a road where that's not possible, and they actually start tailgating me and driving really close, I just keep on dropping the cruise control until I'm barely moving.

I'm usually against the clock when I'm driving, so i am always in a hurry. Yet I never tailgate, and i often let people out from junctions etc. as it'll delay me by only seconds anyway. I don't understand aggressive driving at all. Nonsense.


Often women in SUVs. Presumably think they're some kinda Hollywood housewife from a film or something. I've noticed the women-in-SUVs thing a lot. Or women in premium brand cars thinking they're above other people or something. I dunno, i just can't get my head around the mentality.

Can anyone tell me; if i hammer the brakes and a tailgater goes into the back of me, is that a handy compensation claim? Or are there examples of people being done for stopping for no reason?

I was always under the impression that if you rear-end a car you're automatically at fault for not leaving enough space to react to someone having to stop suddenly. But I'm unsure if that's actually the case in reality or not.

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Can anyone tell me; if i hammer the brakes and a tailgater goes into the back of me, is that a handy compensation claim? Or are there examples of people being done for stopping for no reason?

I was always under the impression that if you rear-end a car you're automatically at fault for not leaving enough space to react to someone having to stop suddenly. But I'm unsure if that's actually the case in reality or not.

If they had a camera and prove you done it on purpose you could well be in trouble.

I've had 4 hit and runs that I can remember while driving a bus.

The best brake check I had it didn't end well for the Muppet as he for absolutely no reason started beeping and flashing his high beams at a set of lights.

They were red.
I moved off when green and continued on up in the bus lane, he came up alongside me beeping and screaming abuse out his now opened passenger window.

He put the foot to the floor and swerved in in front and as soon as this was done he hit the brakes full, the road was wet and I'm driving 12 tons at around 50km/h, of course the bus wasn't going to stop especially when the rear axle locked and the car ended up coming up through the windscreen, even with this he brakes again and therefore gets another huge shunt from lower down on the number and front....

Let's say his A5 was no longer that and more an A3...

whisky_galore

My old commute esp on dark evenings was like people playing Super Mario Kart.
Going on wrong lane in roundabout and cutting in, fog lights on for no reason, people on their mobiles, breaking red lights and sitting on yellow box junctions. Eegits driving way too fast in poor weather or the opposite extreme, overly cautious Driving Miss Daisy types going at the speed of a tractor.
No wonder there was at least one accident if not two per week and resulting tailbacks.
Rarely were any of the fuzz around until after the damage was done.

kirving

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Can anyone tell me; if i hammer the brakes and a tailgater goes into the back of me, is that a handy compensation claim? Or are there examples of people being done for stopping for no reason?

I was always under the impression that if you rear-end a car you're automatically at fault for not leaving enough space to react to someone having to stop suddenly. But I'm unsure if that's actually the case in reality or not.

Not always, and in particular now with the rise of dashcams you could find yourself in hot water for brake testing the car behind - even if they didn't leave enough time to stop.

In M50 traffic, there is no way that 99% of cars can stop in time should the car in front slam on. Was a story on here about someone's co-worker brake testing a Gard and ended up in court.

AndrewJRenko

Strumms wrote: »

100%. The last five years has seen a big increase in rank absolute ****é and dangerous driving... I've noticed an upsurge in the following to almost daily...

Tailgating - my number one pet hate and I'm not nearly a slow driver.

Breaking red light - it's like whatever about going through on amber but the colours are more suggestive then instructive to many fùckwits nowadays.

Blocking Junctions - the yellow hatching and the traffic opposite blowing you up give you the heads up..looking out your window with a face like your poodle stole your lollipop doesnt want to make me punch you any less.

When it comes to blocking junctions, it's amazing how many drivers are totally surprised that a green light turns amber and an amber light turns red, as if this has never happened before. Then they point to the car ahead of them and blame them for not being far enough ahead for them to clear the junction.



You forgot to mention the endemic levels of mobile phone abuse. I saw a guy on the M50 with YouTube vid playing on his dash mounted phone over the weekend. It's not unusual to find people with YouTube vids playing, and they say 'Ah sure I was only listening to it' though they went to the bother of angling their dash mounted phone right into the line of sight. It's not unusual to see people engaged in Facetime or other video chats now.

kirving

punisher5112 wrote: »

He put the foot to the floor and swerved in in front and as soon as this was done he hit the brakes full, the road was wet and I'm driving 12 tons at around 50km/h, of course the bus wasn't going to stop especially when the rear axle locked and the car ended up coming up through the windscreen, even with this he brakes again and therefore gets another huge shunt from lower down on the number and front....

Let's say his A5 was no longer that and more an A3...

Please tell me you had a camera and he was found at fault.

Strumms

Deleted User wrote: »

Can anyone tell me; if i hammer the brakes and a tailgater goes into the back of me, is that a handy compensation claim? Or are there examples of people being done for stopping for no reason?

I was always under the impression that if you rear-end a car you're automatically at fault for not leaving enough space to react to someone having to stop suddenly. But I'm unsure if that's actually the case in reality or not.

Don’t know the legal answers but I’d rather be sat safe at home with the remote in my hand then be trawling the Internet from my hospital bed looking for the answer.


I just looked the rsa and it doesn’t mention distance instead it mentions the ‘2 second rule’.

“Keeping your distance...
Always leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front to allow you to stop safely. In dry conditions, you should make sure that you are at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front. In bad weather, make sure you are four seconds behind.

A good way to see if you are four seconds behind the vehicle in front is to choose a point such as a lamp post or road sign. When the vehicle in front of you passes the post or sign, say the following rule twice – ‘only a fool breaks the two second rule’. Check where your vehicle is in relation to the chosen point. If you have moved past it before finishing the saying, you are driving too close to the vehicle in front.
If you are driving in slippery conditions such as ice and snow, slow down and allow up to 10 times the distance for braking.“

Strumms

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

When it comes to blocking junctions, it's amazing how many drivers are totally surprised that a green light turns amber and an amber light turns red, as if this has never happened before. Then they point to the car ahead of them and blame them for not being far enough ahead for them to clear the junction.



You forgot to mention the endemic levels of mobile phone abuse. I saw a guy on the M50 with YouTube vid playing on his dash mounted phone over the weekend. It's not unusual to find people with YouTube vids playing, and they say 'Ah sure I was only listening to it' though they went to the bother of angling their dash mounted phone right into the line of sight. It's not unusual to see people engaged in Facetime or other video chats now.

Totally, it will cost them nothing aside from ‘maybe’ one car getting out ahead of them.

I think I mentioned it recently elsewhere in the thread, with the access people now have to Bluetooth, hands free kits etc it’s not difficult to keep your phone away from your hand...if a call NEEDS to be made... it can be done in many cases from the steering wheel. Otherwise wait till you are stopped at the lights or pull over and initiate the call.

Philb76

bazz26 wrote: »

Your average Irish motorist these days has become a special type of asshole.

It's not just Irish motorists there is all kinds of nationallitys on the roads who are just as bad

Strumms

Philb76 wrote: »

It's not just Irish motorists there is all kinds of nationallitys on the roads who are just as bad

Motorists ‘in’ Ireland certainly. This country does have a serious number of selfish and downright crappy motorists. Only in Italy or Paris would I be more :eek::o at the state of some driving.

PukkaStukka

Have to agree here with the often poor standard of driving in this country, particularly after driving all over the UK and continental Europe.

IMO the standards here are so bad in part because of poor and misfocused enforcement, which in itself seems to be more about revenue from fines rather than ensuring people do the right thing. Someone driving at 80kmh in the middle of a three lane motorway here with nothing on their left would not be tolerated on an Autobahn.

punisher5112

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Please tell me you had a camera and he was found at fault.

Bus has at least 14 cameras so was well covered...

The Guards weren't interested though for some strange reason but the funny thing is I would say he was actually a gaurd or was well in with them ...

I never heard another thing about it but it was quite hilarious after....

kirving

punisher5112 wrote: »

Bus has at least 14 cameras so was well covered...

The Guards weren't interested though for some strange reason but the funny thing is I would say he was actually a gaurd or was well in with them ...

I never heard another thing about it but it was quite hilarious after....

That's pretty funny all the same.

I was driving a bright red Mini a while ago on the N4. Middleaged guy in X5 overtook me slowly, looked in my window, and I think was annoyed he didn't see a young girl. (That happened ALL the time in that car...)

Anyway, he cut in right in front of me and so I flashed quickly. Cue him standing on the brakes from 120kph down to 30kph.

I stayed well back, called TrafficWatch (useless) and then he waved his Garda badge out the window. Must be a tactic they're taught to screw people over for rear ending them.

In hindsight I should have called 999, I didn't know what he was going to do.

Continued for a few km with me well back, then slowed on the shoulder to make me pass, then tailgated me for a few km until next exit.

How can you counteract that muppetry? I call the Gards and he'll swear on the bible I was speeding or on the phone or something.

Cameras are the only way to go.

Dravokivich

Badge? They dont have badges as far as I recall. Its practically a wallet with some print inside.

punisher5112

Dravokivich wrote: »

Badge? They dont have badges as far as I recall. Its practically a wallet with some print inside.

Have a badge alright...

Has the crest like on the hat and I.D.

Well use to seeing them.,..

punisher5112

Kevin Irving wrote: »

That's pretty funny all the same.

I was driving a bright red Mini a while ago on the N4. Middleaged guy in X5 overtook me slowly, looked in my window, and I think was annoyed he didn't see a young girl. (That happened ALL the time in that car...)

Anyway, he cut in right in front of me and so I flashed quickly. Cue him standing on the brakes from 120kph down to 30kph.

I stayed well back, called TrafficWatch (useless) and then he waved his Garda badge out the window. Must be a tactic they're taught to screw people over for rear ending them.

In hindsight I should have called 999, I didn't know what he was going to do.

Continued for a few km with me well back, then slowed on the shoulder to make me pass, then tailgated me for a few km until next exit.

How can you counteract that muppetry? I call the Gards and he'll swear on the bible I was speeding or on the phone or something.

Cameras are the only way to go.

That's hilarious, I had that when I robbed my sister's for a few days...

If I were to do the same today I have a blonde wig I'd throw on for the laugh....

SuperGrover

I have learned to steer clear / keep my distance from any and all muppetry on the roads

Ciano35

What usually works for me with tailgaters is spray the windscreen washers continuously, the overspray goes onto their windscreen and they’ll usually back off after a while if they’re smart enough to realise what’s happening.

To make this method more effective, point one of the washer jets upwards so that it completely sprays over the roof of your car and back onto their car

amadangomor

kenmm wrote: »

Not really - if you jam on the breaks for no reason, knowing that someone is close to you (as you should because you are using the mirrors) then its a bit dangerous. Slow gradually when pricks like this are behind.

Doesn't matter whose fault it is if you are involved in a crash - you still have a damaged car (at least) to deal with.

Others are tempted to brake test, not pull over to the left most lane to allow them to pass etc, but winding up people who are already happy to drive in an aggressive manner isn't ideal either.

I used to brake test tail-gaters but had one near miss with an absolute nut job and have very rarely done it since.

Was driving in on the M4 and both lanes were full so no point pulling over as will just get boxed in behind very slow traffic on the left lane.

Numpty was a few feet behind me going at a good whack so I break test him lightly. He is obviously raging at this as he undertakes when there is a gap on the left. Pulls in in front of me and immediately jams on his brakes. Luckily I was awake and reacted in time.

Moral is some people have zero self awareness and you won't change their behaviour. What we need is more Guards out and about on the roads policing ****ty driving.

FDave

amadangomor wrote: »

I used to brake test tail-gaters but had one near miss with an absolute nut job and have very rarely done it since.

Was driving in on the M4 and both lanes were full so no point pulling over as will just get boxed in behind very slow traffic on the left lane.

Numpty was a few feet behind me going at a good whack so I break test him lightly. He is obviously raging at this as he undertakes when there is a gap on the left. Pulls in in front of me and immediately jams on his brakes. Luckily I was awake and reacted in time.

Moral is some people have zero self awareness and you won't change their behaviour. What we need is more Guards out and about on the roads policing ****ty driving.

Anybody who brake tests other people for any reason are the biggest muppets on the road and it should be an instant ban. People who react badly to other bad drivers in general show their driving isnt much better, but actively creating a situation where a crash can occur tops all other bad behaviour. The fact you and a few others admit doing it highlights the level of the average drivers cop on.

A wise man once said
"Moral is some people have zero self awareness and you won't change their behaviour"

kirving

FDave wrote: »

actively creating a situation where a crash can occur tops all other bad behaviour.

Which is the person behind in 90% of circumstances.

I'm absolutely not advocating brake testing whatsoever, but occasionally you do need to brake hard on the motorway for a genuine reason.

Look at my dashcam thread post - I was too close to the car in front, who in turn was too close to the next car.

FDave

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Which is the person behind in 90% of circumstances.

I'm absolutely not advocating brake testing whatsoever, but occasionally you do need to brake hard on the motorway for a genuine reason.

Look at my dashcam thread post - I was too close to the car in front, who in turn was too close to the next car.

I cant think of any reason a car driving behind you would cause you to brake hard or even softly.

Momento Mori

It starts with education. The way that we used to be able to pass the driving test in this country is really laughable at best.

The M50 would be a great source of income for revenue but what's with the lack of enforcement? The amount of people hogging the middle lane, tailgating, merging dangerously etc.

Always drive as far left as possible. It's not rocket science.

stoneill

If there is a bit of road rage that starts into a verbal I usually put on my best Donald Sutherland voice and say "stop with the negative vibes man, woof woof"

kirving

FDave wrote: »

I cant think of any reason a car driving behind you would cause you to brake hard or even softly.

Where did I say that?

That car in front may have to brake hard for another reason entirely.