Motorway driving.

[Jeff]

Then perhaps your taxi driver was a really advanced motorist and was anticipating someone wanting to join the motorway at a later junction??

[Guest]

Had it just yesterday on the M42, minding my own business in lane 1 doing 70 (for a change) when a woman in a silly little car overtakes me then immediately cuts my nose off because she wants to take the Redditch junction which is 300 yards away! Needless to say I showed her my appreciation!

Jason

[malc4d]

Got one........ Driving in rain or low light on side lights when everybody else has mains on.
Now that's an accident waiting to happen.
Could someone who consistently drive only with side light (not DLR) please tell me why pushing the switch over to headlights is soooooooo hard to do. And do they ever look at other cars with side lights only on and say "hmmmmmm they really don't stand out in traffic, idiot. ! "

****, l'm grumpy already....

[Essex Stag]

Totally agree Malc4Dd 200% The number of cars I see with only side lights or no lights is huge in poor light or when it is raining . Surely car manufacturers could make cars so the sidelights do not work when the engine is running,then I suppose they would drive with no lights at all. It is only about 10% respond by putting there headlights on . Most of them ignore you flashing your lights or give you a frantic Hello Mate wave. Also is it me or is it always the dark colour cars. that drive with no lights or have only one sidelight. Amazing they do not realize they cannot be seen . After all it is the law to show headlights in the rain and fog plus rear fog light in fog it is illegal in the rain.. Ok sometime we all forget even starting off in a well lit town at night forgetting your lights but not for long

Derek

[puffernutter]

The problem is that new drivers are taught how to pass the test, not how to drive a car. My daughter admonished me when I used the gears and the engine as a brake approaching a red light. She told me that I should use the brakes so the people behind me knew (from the brake lights) that I was slowing down. I told her that if they couldn't work out that I was slowing down approaching a red traffic light they shouldn't be driving!
Which brings me to the second rant. I was taught (35 years ago now) to predict what the driver in front and the one in front of them and the ones coming the other way were likely to do (either by their indications, or road position, or other subtle signs) so you are always prepared.
That skill doesn't appear to be taught and new drivers these days just react (surprised!) to situations as they happen and are not ready for them to happen!

Happy New Year

Peter
(A Grumpy Old Man!)

[ukbiggles]

Couldn't agree more Peter. Probably 15, maybe 20 years, ago, my company had all the drivers with company cars go on a training course run by two ex-policemen - essentially the Roadcraft approach. While I already thought I was a safe driver and always looked beyond the car in front to see what hazards may be ahead, the course encouraged me to look as far ahead as I possibly could, up to several hundred yards ahead. Trying to give a running commentary on what I could see was also illuminating and also helped educate me to have a much more distant view and understanding. Plus some useful tips like figuring out which direction distant bends turned, spying upcoming major road signs in gaps through hedges, and the all important one of stopping behind someone else in a way that you can still see some tarmac behind their rear tyres, rather than the common practice of using the rear bumper as the guide.

Cheers

Gord

[uzbek]

I love motoring Forums. WE are all perfect drivers on here, never transgress. If only everybody else was more like us!

Bruce

Never had a point on his licence yet-mind you if N Yorks Police believed in speed cameras that may change.

[404ROD]

I am with Peter(A Grumpy Old Man) as I am a grumpy old man when driving behind people in country lanes doing very little speed and they put their brakes on at every bend. Just lifting the accelerator off would do the trick in most cases and if travelling faster just drop a gear. What a way to waste fuel and wear out the brake pads.

Rod

[Stag therapy]

[QUOTE...............and the all important one of stopping behind someone else in a way that you can still see some tarmac behind their rear tyres, rather than the common practice of using the rear bumper as the guide.

Cheers

Gord[/QUOTE]

Yup; tyres and tarmac I think it is called.
Reduces the crap sucked into the passenger cabin through the air vents when stationary and if the car in front cannot move, you have space to get around them.

I saw a beautiful example of the former just before Christmas. The M62 ground to a halt whilst driving home after work. A BMW to my right looked like it was running on a parafin/kerosine mixture, from the smoke belching from its rear. Even with the black "fog" clearly visible before traffic stopped, the car behind the Beemer stopped about 30cms from its rear bumper; where it waited shrouded in the unpleasasant cocktail for 5 - 10 mins.

Baz

[jakesmig]

But that is exactly what is taught on advance driving courses in the UK.

My big sister is an advanced driving test assessor, and she's a crap driver.

John

[jakesmig]

Had it just yesterday on the M42, minding my own business in lane 1 doing 70 (for a change) when a woman in a silly little car overtakes me then immediately cuts my nose off because she wants to take the Redditch junction which is 300 yards away! Needless to say I showed her my appreciation!

Jason

I always wonder why these people (not exclusively women) do that when there's 1/4 mile of f all behind you

John

[Guest]

I always wonder why these people (not exclusively women) do that when there's 1/4 mile of f all behind you

John

Yes, perhaps I should've added that the post wasn't against women!

However, I do see more women texting while they're driving, at least blokes just talk on the phone

Obviously, I'm no Angel. My excuse is I'm a white van man

Jason

[73stagman]

Notice that a lot.

I had a BMW X5 overtake me 5 times then pull in front of me to have to overtake again him yet my cruise control was set at a steady '70' mph. I think these people get bored and like to have a game of a sort.

He was obviously driving at different speeds for it to happen.......don't get it.

Ha HA I drive an X5 with cruise control on and the same things happens LOL

[73stagman]

Interesting point. In Germany it is a legal requirement not to form one line until the actual closure is reached, at which point in time it is a legal requirement to use the "zip fastener" method to make two lines into one - one car at a time. Reason is that, by forming one line too early you waste a lot of road space and make the queue start a lot earlier, sometimes even blocking the exit well before the closure happens. You do, of course, get the occasional trucker who will weave across two lanes to prevent anyone using the available free lane before the closure is reached.

That only works if everyone takes their own turn. The trouble is and I've seen it happen in Germany too there is always some who think waiting is for dum dums and push past to get two or more cars ahead then one driver takes offence and pushes up tight and before you know it all lanes are stopped.

[Jeff]

Ha HA I drive an X5 with cruise control on and the same things happens LOL

The X5 I mentioned obviously didn't use his (or hers) or didn't know how to