"Experienced" drivers lacking knowledge or rules of the road

Juran · 19-06-2023 4:21pm

I've been saying it for years, we have such bad drivers in Ireland. The more West you go, the worst they get.

Galway I reckon has the highest % of bad drivers.

Daily observations for me:

Can't seem to take off when lights go green. Sit there till it goes orange, takes off and leaves the feckers behind stuck with the red light again.

Pulls out of small roads onto main roads, then crawls at under 50 km ph.

No awareness of the traffic behind them. Dont realize they are holding up 5 miles of traffic, dont understand to pull in and let traffic pass if they cant go past 3rd gear.

I spent 5 years working in Germany, Holland & France up until 2019, and had a car at all times. I dont recall using my horn once. I moved back to Ireland in 2019, I had used my horn twice on my first day home.

I drive to UK on holidays, and France and Spain / Portugal. Its a pleasure to drive there. Everyone is so nippy, they know how to move, keep the traffic flowing, use the correct lanes on motorways, etc.

Markus Antonius · 19-06-2023 9:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120735488#Comment_120735488

Can 100% confirm this about Galway, especially the pulling straight out onto the main road and then taking sweet time.

KC8420 · 21-06-2023 7:01pm

Walkinstown is just a nightmare.

Spook_ie · 23-06-2023 11:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120726506#Comment_120726506

No not really, because you are not turning right from that lane.

Imagine all these poor ( probably USA as they don't have many roundabouts ) drivers coming across a junction with arrows that says turn right and they do so straight into oncoming traffic.

Anyways the law says you must turn left on entering a roundabout ( note not talking exit but actually entering a roundabout )

Citrus_8 · 26-06-2023 5:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730178#Comment_120730178

So I have just looked up and apparently we both are right. The difference is the wording. You think that the right lane should only be taken for 12 exit if the first lane is blocked, while ROR allows to use it even if there are a lot of cars showing a left turn signal standing in the left lane. Of course, this is only if the roundabout has no arrows.

It's seems to be much more lenient and flexible than you try to picture it.

ROR p. 133, pdf can be found here:

https://www.rsa.ie/services/learner-drivers/resources/rules-of-the-road

standardg60 · 26-06-2023 5:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120768967#Comment_120768967

That bit is not in my book so seems to have been added since and seems to be an example that someone hasn't thought through. If it was into a shopping centre at Christmas then maybe, but it makes no sense on a road full of traffic.

How can anyone know all the cars are indicating left when you're approaching? You can only see the one in front of you.

JPup · 26-06-2023 6:04pm

By far and away the most common form of dangerous driving I see is tailgating. Any time I'm on the M50 or a major road, you will see almost every car too close to the one in front of them. You even see it in the Dublin port tunnel with professional truck drivers up the behind of the truck in front of them, despite the chevron symbols on the ground and repeated warning signs.

It's become extremely noticeable to me since I got a car with adaptive cruise control. The car will match the speed of the vehicle in front and leaves a safe distance in case of a tire blow out or other unforeseen event. Almost every time I drive with this on an Irish motorway, people feel I am going too slow and will cut in.

magicbastarder · 26-06-2023 6:57pm

By far and away the most common form of dangerous driving I see is tailgating

Nope, don't see that listed here

https://twitter.com/TIITraffic/status/1673328475363586050

magicbastarder · 26-06-2023 7:12pm

ah, they deleted the tweet.

Citrus_8 · 26-06-2023 7:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769037#Comment_120769037

Your reply to my comment a few days back was to say that I should a lot to learn... This is a huge problem of so called experienced drivers - you should retake a theory test every 10 years if you don't feel wanting to get familiar with the changes voluntarily. As you see, people shouldn't be too certain about their ROR as it can be dangerous. We drive, we make mistakes, we aren't fully updated. But we shouldn't put down others telling to update their knowledge while we don't do that ourselves... Sounds a bit arrogant and slightly aggressive. I hope, your driving style isn't in line with your attitude.

standardg60 · 26-06-2023 8:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769681#Comment_120769681

Lol as I've said the line of traffic turning left is nonsense, it's a dangerous example and should be removed as it makes no sense.

If there was only one car proceeding straight on in that long line of cars turning left then you've broken the rotr, so you'd better check they all are.

newmember2 · 26-06-2023 9:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120735413#Comment_120735413

They shouldn't have but thought they'd be extra courteous in not obstructing traffic going immediate left. If you went onto the roundabout in front of him then he only has himself to blame tbh but if you passed him out on the left while he was already on the roundabout then you were wrong - did you not notice all the road debris in this imaginary 'inner' lane?

ForestFire · 26-06-2023 11:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769920#Comment_120769920

Agree this makes no sense to be trying this....although if you do it's your responsibility to make sure the left lane is clear before trying to exit?

If you really want or have to go straight (12) in the right lane, then you should go all the way around the round about 540degress.

Also, I still don't get these 6-12 and 12-6 positions, in the ROTR they show this as the actual physical road, but in many cases, you cannot see the exit (Large roundabouts) and some in Galway the position on the signs do not match the physical positions.

magic17 · 26-06-2023 11:18pm

A mandatory refresher course of the rules every 10 years or so would do no harm. Even something online, doesn't have to be overly complicated. One of these type of things where you have to sit and watch a series of videos and then answer questions.

A few days ago I came across flashing red lights and I genuinely had no idea what I was supposed to do. I know what flashing orange is. My gut said to wait but after 20 seconds I took off once it was safe. When I got to my destination the 1st thing I did was Google it and it turns out I shouldn't have went.

Citrus_8 · 27-06-2023 3:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770697#Comment_120770697

Completely agree for some sort of a mandatory theory test online every 10 years.

Red light flashing? Was it a rail crossing light? Never seen a regular road traffic sign red flashing. Was it just a red-green light? Sometimes seen in parking in European continent.

Pythagorean · 03-07-2023 10:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730291#Comment_120730291

My niece was due to take her driving test shortly, so I sat in with her on a test route, just to give her some feedback as to her driving. On approach to a roundabout where she intended to go straight through, she first indicated right, then left as she took the first exit. I pointed out that this signalling was not only unnecessary, but also potentially misleading. She replied "but my driving instructor told me to do it" . I see this quite often on roundabouts, indeed I even saw a Garda car signal like this !!

deravarra · 03-07-2023 10:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120801664#Comment_120801664

Well, if the driving instructors are teaching this, then they need to be reported.

Citrus_8 · 03-07-2023 11:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120801664#Comment_120801664

This type of signaling is only being used on the carriageways or motorways by lorry drivers to say 'thanks' instead of the hazard lights other drivers use. But I've never seen anyone using this type of signaling on approach to the roundabouts, and I hope I won't 🙂

Kurooi · 03-07-2023 11:38pm

I find about 1/3 to a half of drivers signal wrong in a round about. I pretty much don't look at the signals anymore just focus my eyes on their wheels. Too many times people actively signalling right suddenly cut into a left turn. So many times.

alias no.9 · 04-07-2023 12:12am

The other car may have taken a poor position entering the roundabout but without a second marked lane entering the roundabout, it's no different to any other place on the road, you cannot move up the left hand side of the car in front unless you are turning left or they have indicated to turn right.

Once on the roundabout, you yield to traffic on your right.

Hotblack Desiato · 12-07-2023 4:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120773478#Comment_120773478

Sometimes happens when traffic lights on a crossroads fail, they'll show flashing red to one road (e.g. N and S) and flashing amber to the other (e.g. E and W)

I've always taken this to mean flashing red = Stop sign and flashing amber = Yield sign, but this isn't mentioned in the ROTR in this context.

"Experienced" drivers lacking knowledge or rules of the road

Comments