101 Things that get on our tits but don't actually matter in the slightest. - The Bear and Badger

Escape

poprock wrote:

I imagine many of the old boys can’t walk all that far.

500 miles, I hear.

superflyninja

Today was the first time in a long time I got properly annoyed driving.
In short, very busy roundabout, I have right of way,I was actually on the roundabout and he shot in front of me from the left in a fairly dangerous manner. But that was fine. No issues there, that sort of thing happens constantly.
What I got angry about was he got off on the route I was taking and I was behind him as he drove like a fucking granny at about half the speed limit. The road ahead was empty as well.
Why perform a dangerous maneuver to get to the route you want to take only to get there and crawl along at a snails pace? It just makes no sense to me. Also he made no effort to stay a little to the left so that I could overtake. I did the usual "ah cmon hand gesture" (and no I dont mean a rude gesture) and he gave a little wave. He knew exactly what he was doing. I just pulled in and waited for a red light and then went on as I was starting to feel the steam coming out of my ears.

mannaboy

Roundabouts are just starting to pop up here, usually complete mayhem ensues with the stereotypical polite Canadian stopping in the circle to let someone on. Or just assuming everyone will be ok if they just plough on through without looking. Signalling their intended direction just hasn't taken off yet either.

[Deleted User]

Growing up in Milton Keynes that stuff drives me mad.
Generally Milton Keynes folk try not to stop at all at roundabouts, if you did you would never get anywhere. Rather they (we) try to read the roundabout early on from a distance.

It all works until an out of towner shows up and follows the highway code.

superflyninja

What used to drive(hohoho) me mad on roundabouts is people incorrectly indicating. Indicating left at an exit and then whirling around to the next exit or the one after. But roundabouts are fine, expect the worst and plough on.

It was more the inconsistent behaviour from the driver that annoyed me. Being dangerous on a roundabout is one thing, but to then turn into a little old lady on a Sunday drive on a clear road.....nawh.....nawh. This was rush hour in the morning I might add. He built up quite a tail of cars.

poprock

Those people who drive at 40–50mph no matter where they are. Open road, 60 limit? 40–50mph, traffic backing up behind them. Pass through a village, with a 30 limit? Continue at 40–50mph regardless.

Utter shits, first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

nick_md

I was in Sicily these last 4 days or so, driving seems totally without rules. Thing is though, I think this makes things almost easier and stress free. Every car seems to have a dent or scratch down the side so you can't be precious about it, and because you can never be sure if someone's going to pull out / change lane / whatever from any direction, everyone has their eyes open more, I thought. I think in the UK because we expect people to follow the rules of the road it's easier to be complacent and not prepared.

n0face

There might be something in that.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/04/removal-road-markings-safer-fewer-accidents-drivers

superflyninja

I was on top of a double decker bus in Paris one evening at the Arc de Triumph. Looking down at the swirling mass of cars....nightmare stuff. I dont know how the drivers do it. No lanes, just churning pool of confusion.
In Italy as well, a lot of the driving I saw was just people trying to get to a destination and just getting on with it. (Im sure if I lived there I might see things differently).
Over here, the biggest issue I see with drivers is ego. Half the drivers out there think they own the road and want to control it.

[Deleted User]

poprock wrote:

Those people who drive at 40–50mph no matter where they are. Open road, 60 limit? 40–50mph, traffic backing up behind them. Pass through a village, with a 30 limit? Continue at 40–50mph regardless.

Utter shits, first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

Every
Single
Day
I get one of them on the way to work

Unlikely

As you leave the dual carriageway coming into Aberdeen from the west there're about another mile of single carriageway that's a 50mph limit. There are signs on approximately every fourth lamppost stating this. EVERY FUCKING DAY I get stuck behind someone who won't go over 40. I really don't understand it - it's like I'm the only person in the world who can see these signs.

Diluted Dante

Unlikely is hallucinating road signs.

Unlikely

Maybe it's just an unusually shaped mark on the windscreen.

FranticPea

As you leave the dual carriageway coming into Aberdeen from the west there're about another mile of single carriageway that's a 40mph limit. EVERY FUCKING DAY I get some asshole waving a ham at me as he drives right up my arse. I really don't understand it.

Unlikely

Hahaha (but I think you need to change 50 to 40....).

GooberTheHat

We've got it easy.

mannaboy

On my trips back to Scotland, I'm always surprised how many drivers drive at the speed limit or below on motorways. Over here it's unusual to see anyone doing less than 20 - 30 kph over the posted limit, might have something to do with the ridiculous 100 kph limit on highways.

Hodge360

A slow driver once told me its a limit not a target!

Skerret

"You're a target m8, and you're the bloody limit"

Nina

@mannaboy, seems to be the same here, 65 mph is the limit, which I think is 100-110kmh. Hardly anyone does that, and there's usually enough lanes to ignore the few that do.

Maybe the difference is in ticketing? I know that in NL there are cameras everywhere, and they usually check at a couple of checkpoints, if you're arriving too fast, you've got mail.
Over here the only way to get a ticket is if you get caught by highway patrol (I think).

Escape

Liveinadive wrote:

Every Single Day I get one of them on the way to work

Those people are why, despite hardly driving, I'd love a ridiculously powerful car. Just to maximise my chances of getting past them, driving normally the rest of the time.

I'm happy enough with my little 80bhp Mazda on an open road.

Escape

There's a small roundabout near Bristol Airport with two entry lanes that can both be used for the same exit, so if you stay left you get drivers forcing their way past you, but if you go right you risk no-one letting you back in.

I always stay left 'cause I don't wanna block t'ting, so it annoys me when people cruise past (if I've had to slow down or wait while they've had a clear approach), because that reveals an attitude of precedence. Yer 4x4s and bigcar bandits.

mannaboy

@Nina yeah very few fixed speed cameras here, just cops doing random speed traps. My first ticket over here was for parking the wrong way, against the flow of traffic, that was a new one for me, but I think that was a local bylaw, rather than a province wide rule.

Nina

I think parking against the flow is a thing here too. Not that I've ever parked in a place that isn't a big parking lot or our carport.

Only ticket we got so far is for arriving 20 minutes late at a lot (weren't allowed to park there after midnight, gig we were at had a quite long but amazing encore, so decided to risk it. Didn't know they arrive that quickly).

Escape

Nina wrote:

I think parking against the flow is a thing here too.

Legal in German nightclubs, though.

ShabbyMcCrabby

mannaboy wrote:

Roundabouts are just starting to pop up here, usually complete mayhem ensues with the stereotypical polite Canadian stopping in the circle to let someone on. Or just assuming everyone will be ok if they just plough on through without looking. Signalling their intended direction just hasn't taken off yet either.

I've been in Canada for almost two weeks and I've found the all stop intersections to be more stressful than my usual roundabouts. Just comfort I suppose. Back home I fly through roundabouts just because you get very good at reading if they'll be free, that's why I like the flow of them.

I prefer the more lenient speed control here in Canada though. Like 80km/hr is the limit but everyone is doing 110 because the road allows it. I overtook someone today and mid maneuver I look back and see a cop car in the queue behind, look at the speedo and I'm doing 135. Didn't book me or anything. I mean he was doing 20 over the limit like the rest of us anyway. In Aus you'd be fucked.

davyK

Hodge360 wrote:

A slow driver once told me its a limit not a target!

That's what I was told on the speed awareness course I was invited to attend for £80 at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.

[Deleted User]

My mate went on one of those speed awareness things. Some dozy bint turned up late then crashed her car into a ditch on leaving the place.

superflyninja

I find as well the type of car you drive determines to an extend what sort of treatment you get on the road. I used to drive a saloon and found other drives didnt cut me off or be as aggressive in their maneuvering compared to when I drive the Ibiza. The Ibiza seems to be virtually ignored,constantly cut off with larger cars trying to bully their way past etc. Maybe its a perception that the Ibiza as a small car is under powered and so just another obstacle to be overcome.
Im most likely getting a new SUV type in the next few months. I imagine I wont have half the hassle driving that as I do the Ibiza.

Diluted Dante

That's why I drive a tank.

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