Why are there so many idiots on the road?

Asok

Right well ye have all scared the living bejesus out of me.
I got my provisional today and have to get the full one asap i suppose it will be nice getting my experience (once I pass the test) in a company car

She-Ra

Asok wrote:

Right well ye have all scared the living bejesus out of me.
I got my provisional today and have to get the full one asap i suppose it will be nice getting my experience (once I pass the test) in a company car

oops!
but on a lighter note... driving is brilliant... i actually love it

steveland?

I go out driving with my mate a fair bit (he drives, we just take advantage of him having a car...) and even though we don't do anything in general (just drive random places) it's a good laugh... he's goin to america on monday and we're pissed cos no-one else in the group drives...

Gotta get me motoring...

She-Ra

steveland? wrote:

I go out driving with my mate a fair bit (he drives, we just take advantage of him having a car...) and even though we don't do anything in general (just drive random places) it's a good laugh... he's goin to america on monday and we're pissed cos no-one else in the group drives...

Gotta get me motoring...

ya need to hurry so.. or find a new chauffeur!

Sparky

Talking about america i drove a chevy impala from alamo to las vagas about 100 miles and the insurance cost F.e.c.k all.

vibe666

afaik, in Oz, you get 3rd party insurance included in the equivalent of the road tax over there.

somethings just not right here.

Hobbes

Talk about thread hijacking.

Some muppet this morning, I'm going at 60kph and hes right up my backside. When I look in the mirror hes not even looking at me to see if I will brake or not.

MooShop

ronoc wrote:

One of the first lessons you learn on the road is not to depend on other drivers.

so true, alot of drivers out there are idiots, its jus something you gotta live with if you drive

gandalf

Ah the world of Dublin drivers where no one uses their indicators on roundabouts so you have to use ESP to guess which way they are going. Were an obstruction on your side of the road gives you an excuse to play chicken with the on coming traffic and speed limits are sort of guidelines.........dammit I'm even getting road rage reading this.

SouperComputer

ronoc wrote:

Ha the people that are usually beeping aren't the sort of people you would usually like a confrontation with!

not true, they usually submit rather sharpish when you walk towards them.........SLOWLY!

vibe666

MooShop wrote:

so true, alot of drivers out there are idiots, its jus something you gotta live with if you drive

me mammy taught me my first lesson about driving.

she said "son. you have to drive like every other fvcker on the road is a complete idiot".

you might not be right all the time, but it's better to be cautious!

ando

f*cking learners, women & old drivers, get out of me way :cool:

AMurphy

Hobbes wrote:

.......

... please tell me this is not normal.

Normal as breathing in and out, I'm afraid... Welcome to the real world of driving.

You must have been paying attention to notice these events, how do expect to ever hold a cell phone conversation while eating a burger and looking behind you at the kid trying to escape from the child seat.
you have to learn to blot out all this "noise", else it's like trying to listen to every conversation in a crowded, noisy, bar. Drive you nuts in no time.

Q; How many of these several incidents involve speed, or excessive speed. Yet where is the cops enforcement focus. Speed. So they catch one speeder for every 100 dangerous events (the kind you rightly observed) that occur.
Make you wonder where the problem is.

Silvera

Yep, loads of idiot drivers on our roads I'm afraid

I've been driving since 1988 (Full Licence since 1991. Truck Licence,2003) and I have seen so many stupid and idiotic manouvers by drivers that I've lost count of them !

My current pet hate - drivers who cut corners !
The road from my house is at a c.60% angle to the main road and every other driver entering my road from the main road, cuts the corner - and force me to come to a halt as I'm approaching the junction !! :mad:

Case in point - This morning I was approaching the main road and a woman in a silver Merc E200 (need I say more?!) cut the corner completely. I raise my hands to say 'WTF' and she just stares at me like I'm the one at fault !!

..........and this usually happens to me several times a day !

AMurphy

Silvera wrote:

.....
Case in point - This morning I was approaching the main road and a woman in a silver Merc E200 (need I say more?!) cut the corner completely. I raise my hands to say 'WTF' and she just stares at me like I'm the one at fault !!

......!

Reminds me of a practice from another part of the world.

Assume a fairly large junction like one you might have on the end of the Nass DC. but with no filter light for turning, so the turn and oncoming go at the same time.
As soon as the light would change, the turning cars would turn short and proceed down the wrong side of the street they were entering, if they could. That was the only way they could get across the street and out of the path of the straight ahead oncoming lanes. and/or in parallel, like soldiers turning in a square.

stratos

There is no ansewer this thread. In my mind there are 3 types of drivers.
Those who drive all day for a living, Those who drive to work and back.













































oh yeah , and women!

AMurphy

Yeah, that's exactly the 3 types of idiots the starter was referring to.

commited

Mostly down to the fact that 1/3 of the drivers on the road dont have full licenses and 1/3 of the ones that do were "given" them.

NUTLEY BOY

Because they are allowed to be there, have had no training and are naturally ignorant, incompetent and worst of all, arrogantly aggressive.

My deepest sympathies go out to anyone trying to learn to drive in Dublin these days. L drivers get no consideration.

dealgan

Poor driving skills on Irish roads ? Never.

I've witnessed more near-misses and crazy driving than I could shake a stick at.

"Best" one at the weekend was a guy I was driving behind for a number of miles, who, after some erratic driving, to say the least, pulled over onto the hard shoulder, and slowed way down. I (wrongly) assumed he was stopping, or allowing me to overtake, which I started to do.... as I got alongside, say front of my car about a foot from front on his, he puts the boot down and indicates to come back out into the lane from the hard shoulder... keeps moving out closer and closer to me, as if I wasn't there and eventually I had to apply some "obstacle avoidance techniques" to prevent a collision. Gobsh1te.

Also, try towing a trailer of any sort .. everyone assumes that you are doing 70 or 80kph because you are towing, not because there are about 15 or 20 cars in a line ahead of you keeping you back, and they insist on getting past you and squeezing into the non-existant space in front of you... for the next 15 or 20 miles.

I second that theory above ... always assume every other driver is a complete lunatic .. theres a good chnace you are right 50% of the time, if not more.

Rant over.

Alun

Also, try towing a trailer of any sort .. everyone assumes that you are doing 70 or 80kph because you are towing, ...

Aren't you limited to 80km/h anyway when towing?

dealgan

Errrmm. Don't think so.
You may be right, but I think it depends what you are towing. Mabye size/weight ?
I think caravans are limited to 80k. ?

Alun

http://www.gometric.ie/speedlimits.html

http://www.gometric.ie/media_7_top.html

No mention of different limits for different sizes / weights, just trailers of any sort including caravans. Also applies to trucks over 3.5 tonnes, although you'd never think it.

dealgan

Ooops. You are right. It is 80k while towing. :eek:

<memories of towing at 130 in France a while ago>

BrianD

dealgan wrote:

Ooops. You are right. It is 80k while towing. :eek:

<memories of towing at 130 in France a while ago>

Is that legal?? Given the tendency of caravans to self-destruct on motorways I would have thought that that is a dangerous speed to travel at. Leaving aside the longer stopping distance for a heavy caravan and car must plus many drivers would be relative novices when it comes to towing.

dealgan

BrianD wrote:

Is that legal?? Given the tendency of caravans to self-destruct on motorways I would have thought that that is a dangerous speed to travel at. Leaving aside the longer stopping distance for a heavy caravan and car must plus many drivers would be relative novices when it comes to towing.

It wasn't a caravan ! I towed a trailer with a jeep.
I don't know what the speed limit is for towing in France.
The 130 was only for a very brief period ..I did slow down when I saw a car & caravan on their side on the other side of the motorway. :eek:
The general speed limit on the toll-motorways is 130, but seemed to more like "foot to the floor". The only thing I passed, at a steady 120, was a few trucks, and that was only uphill !
The traffic was really fast over there... Amazing to see lots of clios and the like zipping along at what must have been close to 150.

commited

NUTLEY BOY wrote:

Because they are allowed to be there, have had no training and are naturally ignorant, incompetent and worst of all, arrogantly aggressive.

My deepest sympathies go out to anyone trying to learn to drive in Dublin these days. L drivers get no consideration.

L drivers as a whole have dug their own grave with all the unaccompanied L drivers driving around with absolutely no competence.
I was an L driver a couple of years ago and never had any problems because I learnt in a proper drivers school car until I could get inured on my mothers car and at that stage I was competent enough not to need to be "considered".
Some L drivers really shouldnt be on the road though - accompanied or not - basic clutch control (how do people not get it ) and steering ability should be learnt in an empty car park at a young age in my opinion.

AMurphy

dealgan wrote:

.......

I've witnessed more near-misses and crazy driving than I could shake a stick at.

..... as I got alongside, say front of my car about a foot from front on his, he puts the boot down and indicates to come back out into the lane from the hard shoulder... keeps moving out closer and closer to me, as if I wasn't there and eventually I had to apply some "obstacle avoidance techniques" to prevent a collision. Gobsh1te.

.....
Rant over.

Something like that happened me once, though I was in the "Gobsh1te." seat.

Got my new rental and toodling along, nothing much about, and I was getting familiar with the radio tuner and trying to get a station I could tolerate, meanwhile drifted off onto the hard shoulder (anyone ever heard of Bots-Dots in the road making Dept.). Finally did cotton to my self inflicted condition, but meanwhile someone in an SUV had drawn parallel with me in the driving lane.....Kind of "surprised" me to say the least.

Before passing people who appear not in full command of the situation, make sure they know you are there and what your intentions are.
also, don't pass someone, if it is obvious they will run out or road before you get past.