Stupid things a learner driver does!

Rket4000

Many years ago I was driving on a straight stretch of road and the driver of the car in front of me was acting the whack, driving really slowly (in good weather, daylight, good road conditions) when there was oncoming traffic then speeding up when the other side of the road was clear. We were driving on a fairly steep hill and I didn't have a very powerful car so I just stayed behind them, knowing we were heading for a stretch of dual carriageway at the top of the hill where I knew I could overtake. They were just acting so weird I wanted to get away from them. When we got to the dual carriageway, I indicated, pulled out, overtook them and went on my way. Then they accelerated and screamed past me at high speed and kept going. I was just thinking I was glad to be rid of them when another car shot past me...... the Gardaí - who duly caught up with them and pulled their car over. I am prepared to admit I smiled to myself at this turn of events.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118031746#Comment_118031746

How was he being an aggressive prick? He was not going over the speed limit. Have you never overtaken a **** car???

cavan_man2021

The driver in front of me gave no indication of being a dick til I was nearly past him, then he started matching my speed.

Since then I'm wary of L drivers

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118031990#Comment_118031990

Has the speed limit been raised in Ireland?

" I was bombing it on the right side of the road doing 75mph"

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118031739#Comment_118031739

So just to be clear, you were totally surprised to find that another driver increased speed when coming out of a bend onto a straight section of road?

And how exactly do you know that he changed down a gear?

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118032111#Comment_118032111

He was going a fair speed and then the lunatic beside him sped up. The cars behind him were looking to overtake too, so pulling out of the manoeuvre wasn’t safe. He needed to speed up to overtake.

Ten of Swords

Op what about the car behind you? Did they actually overtake the L driver as well? Were they even more at risk of the oncoming vehicle than you were or did they change their mind about overtaking at the last minute?

wexandproud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118025569#Comment_118025569

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118026774#Comment_118026774

well according to your own post thats what happened . ANY competent driver would be extra careful around a learner driver.

yes the learner may well have speeded up and that was wrong/mistake but the driver blaming the learner totally for the situation had no business , by his own admission , pulling out to overtake when there was an oncoming car . anybody defending the so called experienced driver should question their own standard of driving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118027076#Comment_118027076

been driving for the last 40 yrs and never yet found myself driving at motorway speeds on the wrong side of a national/local road facing an on coming car

magicbastarder

i'd love to have seen the insurance claim form for this had the OP ploughed into oncoming traffic.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118033013#Comment_118033013

Congrats to you that it has never happened in your 40 Years of driving. Well done.

wexandproud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118033059#Comment_118033059

gee thanks , i must be doing something right . i must also be lucky never to have come across ass h.les who drive like some of the drivers posting on here

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118033073#Comment_118033073

Ya man - you have it good! Nice one!

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118027033#Comment_118027033

Its been happening for years-a lot of it on surburban roads not to mind motorway.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118031820#Comment_118031820

holy shite

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118034169#Comment_118034169

Exactly - but alas, the heroes in this thread are going to town on the OP as if he was some scumbag here

martingriff

Things seen today and I nearly everyday.

Going through red light (you have an orange before).

Stopping in a yellow hatched box or in the middle of an intersection as the otherside is full.

Thinking you have the right to go on a red once traffic moves as you could not move during a green.

Going around someone who stopped as there was no room for the turn and then that person stopping traffic as stuck in the intersection.

NONE WERE LEARNERS (NO PLATE UP)

Edit: The everyday stuff no indicators, flooring through a roundabout without looking and pulling straight out in front on traffic

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118034241#Comment_118034241

I would much rather drive around learner's then a lot "experienced driver"

My matra all drivers do not know how to drive and I drive Iike I do as a result

wotzgoingon

It's a common thing. Never used to bother me as I was driving a powerful enough car but I now drive a small engined car so the same has happened me a few times recently. Driving along behind a slow driver and you decide to overtake them and they speed up a lot on purpose as I said it's dangerous for me now since my car only has 100hp and weighs more than my old car.

FunLover18

One learner driver did it (and we don't even know that it was a learner, just that the car had L plates) and it's now a stupid thing that all learners do. It's a bit of an overreaction from the OP, as others have posted it's a stupid thing done by more experienced drivers too.

GreeBo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4Oo__D8X4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118032260#Comment_118032260

Pulling out of something that is going wrong is always safer than a head on collision, worst case scenario the oncoming car hits a stationary OP, best case the oncoming car stops before hitting the OP.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118038636#Comment_118038636

OP said the cars behind him were on brink of overtaking too, so he wasn’t able to step back

buried

Everybody being stupid in this scenario but at least the f**king L driver has an excuse because they are learning. Everybody has to learn and need the space to do so. Expert drivers will always give a L plated driver space, time and a most importantly, a bit of patience. If some of you don't do that well then here's the news for ya - you are one of the hundreds of thousands of really bad fully licensed drivers out there right now

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118032413#Comment_118032413

Of the drivers in this scenario the one/s who decided to follow the op directly in the overtake

is/are the worst offenders here.

Op hasn't said how this part panned out.

knucklehead6

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039600#Comment_118039600

Probably cos the creative writing course he's on hasn't come to the bit about follow on actions

a previous car I owned many years ago had horrendously slow acceleration - severely underpowered- a stupid buying decision at the time but I needed a newer car urgently so it was a quick buying decision-I sold it after 6 months purely for the reason that it took forever to overtake- and some of those experiences were the idiots that accelerate once they see you about to overtake.

OP get to know your cars limits - it sounds like you cut it too fine in terms of the distance required especially as the car you were overtaking was a micra with passengers- that car would take quite a while to go from 40mph to 70mph

josip

Was the driver in front driving a sleeper or what?

It looked like a prickly little car, carrying at least 4, possibly more adults, so relatively heavily loaded for a small car.

The OP knew the road well and knew there was an overtaking opportunity coming up.

OP was first car behind the pricky little car and was an experienced driver, well used to overtaking so presumably allowed a gap to open up between him and the car in front before the overtaking zone.

OP doesn't say what kind of car they were driving but the assumption is that it was neither little nor pricky.

OP makes no mention of others in the car with him, so assume he was the only one in his car.

How did the driver of the car in front manage to match your speed OP when everything was stacked in your favour?

Only things that would make sense are if the OP was driving a fully loaded Transit or the pricky little car was a sleeper.

knucklehead6

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118041291#Comment_118041291

or the whole thing is made up and the newbie OP is a (failed) wind up merchant

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118038743#Comment_118038743

So the OP slows/stops and merges back into their lane when the cars behind are gone?

breezy1985

In this made up story it seems there was plenty of time for the OPs imaginary car and the similarly imaginary one coming at him to both just break and stop their cars and wait for the road to clear up.

Can't be having things like slowing down or stopping on Irish roads though can we.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042224#Comment_118042224

Gone where? They weren't going anywhere if they were right behind him - unless they floored it and went 3 abreast ☺️ , or pulled into the wrong hard shoulder (done it myself once - not recommended 😁) - and if they decided to abort the manoeuvre, and pulled back into their left; then the OP would have been stuck in 'no man's land' , as there would be no gap to pull back into.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042224#Comment_118042224

Huh?

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042444#Comment_118042444

if they were right behind him, there was still no impetus on him to speed up. he could have eased off and merged back in. you don't let traffic behind you dictate your speed, especially if that speed becomes unsafe.

chooseusername

I contributed to this thread earlier, mostly taking the pee out of the op.

But Murphy's law happened two nights ago.

80kph. zone, travelling behind a jeep thingy, about 70kph. rural road, no overtaking possible, all fine.

We reached a straight stretch, limit changed to 100kph,I stayed behind thinking they would speed up a bit.

They stuck to 70-80kph. this is a 2km. stretch -no junctions , no blind spots, very familiar to me.

I went to overtake and didn't foresee any problems, but as I drew abreast I discovered I was not overtaking any more,

they were matching my speed.

Now, the thing is, my initial reaction was not to brake and drop back in behind , but to drive on and complete the overtake.

When I got back in, I found I was doing about 120kph., which was above what I would normally be doing on this road.

I slowed down to my comfortable speed , about 90-100kph.

Lo and behold the jeep stayed on my tail with full beams on.

What I'm saying is, it's easy on here to say what is the right thing to do.

But when confronted with a situation that requires a split second decision we don't always make the right one, I know I didn't.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044231#Comment_118044231

Maybe I read the story wrong, but I thought that the OP was already on the wrong side of the road upsides the LD.... If two or more were overtaking (or attempting to) the Micra, all on the wrong side of the road, and the OP was alongside the 'offending vehicle' ; at 70mph+ it would have been tricky for the first car (the OP's car) in the overtaking group to ease off and pull back in in that situation I reckon... The ones behind might be okay, but with a vehicle oncoming, the best course of action might have been to keep her choppin'.. It's a tricky one alright - I guess ya had to be there😊

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044298#Comment_118044298

Nah that’s not good enough bro! Haven’t you read the comments here? THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

thomas 123

LOL so the OP decided to overtake into oncoming traffic, on a long straight part of the road? One would imagine you could see the oncoming traffic and make an assessment re danger and risk.

Are you visually impaired OP?

Maybe it is you who needs to be on the L plate again.

Its folks like you who kill people on roads due to impatience.

Deregos.

"I was driving home one evening, as I left the town I had a little prick in a little pricky car with a big L plate on the back window."

OP, this sounds like the beginning of a Paul Calf story. Were you driving your Capri, was it a bunch of students driving the "pricky car", did you get out and beat the sh1te out of them?

pappyodaniel

I experienced something similar about 10 years ago, driving behind a smaller car, a Hyundai i10 I think but it was being driven by a registered driver instructor (the car had all the signage and wrapping).

The car was doing a steady 50kmph in an 80 so I decided to pass him out on a long clear stretch. Same thing happened me as the OP, the c*nt sped up and floored his car. And as I passed him he was waving his hands and flashing his lights.

You'd expect more from a driving instructor.

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045993#Comment_118045993

BS Pappy 😀. How could he be flashing his lights at the same time he was waving both his hands ?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042444#Comment_118042444

Well either they are still in the left lane behind the L plated car OR they are in the right lane behind the OP.

If they are in the left lane, he waits until they pass him before merging into the left lane.

If they are in the right lane behind the OP he just merges back into the left lane.

There is only "no gap to pull back into" if the OP maintains the same speed as everyone else, hence my original point that the OP should slow down, abandon the overtake and return to their lane to think about what they have done.

I'm not sure where the confusion is here tbh...other than "I've started my overtake so screw everyone else"

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118043968#Comment_118043968

See above, super simple stuff!

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046922#Comment_118046922

"Well either they are still in the left lane behind the L plated car OR they are in the right lane behind the OP.

If they are in the left lane, he waits until they pass him before merging into the left lane."

Are you suggesting the OP slows down on the wrong side of the road until the cars on the left hand side "undertake" him?

Tombo2001

Have to laugh (or not) at this.

Which is that in the eyes of the angry motorist, the greatest crime another motorist can commit is driving too slowly.

Roads Policing fatalities to date for 2021 - Garda

Wildly Boaring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047043#Comment_118047043

No he's saying, brake in the right lane until the left lane is clear behind the L plate.

The cars behind in the right lane will also have to brake. They can then overtake or pull in to lane 2. Up to them.

It's really simple.

If you can't overtake. Brake and get back in.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047043#Comment_118047043

Given that the car he was passing out apparently, and suddenly, turned on its secret afterburners, there would be a gap for him to pull into. The OP was presumably keeping his distance from the F1 car in front. And the car behind him was presumably keeping its distance behind him.

So then the OP hit the floor, the F1 hit the afterburners. That would have created plenty of space unless the car behind him also had afterburners fitted and was syncronised with the one in front

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046922#Comment_118046922

That's a fair enough point; although as someone in a previous post alluded to, it's almost an 'unnatural course of action' (in the 2 or more cars are commencing an overtake in the right hand lane situation, with the OP in front) to slow down and merge back in, plus factoring in the proximity of any possible oncoming vehicles, and the perhaps minimal time involved to do so - esp at them speeds - ; then ploughing on generally seems the only course of action in that scenario; incorrect or foolish though it may be!

Vaccinated30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047070#Comment_118047070

I recieved a grade 2 on my driving test for driving 27kmh in a 30kmh zone. Its actually encouraged to not only reach but exceed the speed limit by 2/3kms.

Driving too slowly is a reason for people to fail the driving test

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047183#Comment_118047183

"The cars behind in the right lane will also have to brake. They can then overtake or pull in to lane 2. Up to them."

What about Creebo's other scenario;

If they are in the left lane, he waits until they pass him before merging into the left lane."

Donald Trump

I think a lot of posters don't realise why learner drivers have to put up "L" plates.

Hint: It's actually not to tell other drivers to go into aggressive bully mode

Wildly Boaring

"If they are in the left lane, he waits until they pass him before merging into the left lane."

We've all seen this scenario play out.

• Person attempts to overtake
• Needs to abort - multiple reasons - oncoming car, car coming out of drive, doesn't have the power
• Pulls back in behind the car they tried to overtake

The cars following make space for them to get back in.

Happens every day of the week. Don't see why this case is so special.