Driving standards

[PhilJ W]

I nearly became a victim of a 'Crash for cash' scam yesterday. I was approaching a mini roundabout when I saw a car approaching from the opposite direction. He reached the mini roundabout just before me but giving no signals. He then stopped on the roundabout and as I reached the roundabout he suddenly put his right turn indicator on and swerved across in front of me forcing me to make an emergency stop. Just as well I was watching them as something just didn't seem right. The way they approached the roundabout and the way the driver and passenger were looking at me. Unfortunately I was unable to get the number of the car which was an old black Audi.

[Nick C]

16 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I nearly became a victim of a 'Crash for cash' scam yesterday. I was approaching a mini roundabout when I saw a car approaching from the opposite direction. He reached the mini roundabout just before me but giving no signals. He then stopped on the roundabout and as I reached the roundabout he suddenly put his right turn indicator on and swerved across in front of me forcing me to make an emergency stop. Just as well I was watching them as something just didn't seem right. The way they approached the roundabout and the way the driver and passenger were looking at me. Unfortunately I was unable to get the number of the car which was an old black Audi.

That kind of thing is why we've now got cameras in both our cars...

[polybear]

Me too - front and rear...

 

p.s. Had a roofer doing some work several years ago that got caught out by one of these scrotes - he alerted the police and asked for their assistance at the scene, and explained his suspicions.  They investigated further and found enough evidence to prosecute.  The only problem was that the scrote's insurance company walked, as Mr. Scrote had failed to disclose all previous accidents...

So roofer had a written off van on TPFT, with no payout.

Edited March 11, 2020 by polybear

[duncan]

I would have thought they would still have had to cover 3rd party.

[johnofwessex]

What I dont understand is why 'Crash for Cash' doesnt warrant a lifetime driving ban

[Coppercap]

10 minutes ago, johnofwessex said:

What I dont understand is why 'Crash for Cash' doesnt warrant a lifetime driving ban

It won't physically stop the scumbags who do it from driving - if they are criminal enough to attempt 'crash for cash' then they couldn't care less about a trivial thing like a driving ban. 

[PhilJ W]

32 minutes ago, duncan said:

I would have thought they would still have had to cover 3rd party.

But the insurance companies can afford expensive lawyers.

[PatB]

Spotted this while out shopping today. All the other windows were similarly obscured. 

[mezzoman253]

What were they, parking tickets??

 

Rob

[boxbrownie]

9 hours ago, Coppercap said:

It won't physically stop the scumbags who do it from driving - if they are criminal enough to attempt 'crash for cash' then they couldn't care less about a trivial thing like a driving ban. 

They would need insurance to get the money, and if no licence hopefully the insurance company if not picking that up on buying the insurance should surely discover it at claim time? 

[Reorte]

There was one particularly stupid crash for cash scam going on around here a few years back - the perpetrator kept using the same roundabout, which made people in an office overlooking it very suspicious.

[PhilJ W]

The roundabout that I mentioned above where the incident took place is not a good choice anyway. Drivers turning right often signal late or not at all and those who do are not easy to spot due to a bend. I use the roundabout sometimes more than once a day and I am allways cautious when approaching it. 

[polybear]

14 hours ago, duncan said:

I would have thought they would still have had to cover 3rd party.

 

Not if you'd lied through your teeth to get it.

Otherwise they'd have loads of people buying 3rd party only, as cheaply as possible by lying.  Knowing full well that even if they were found out after an accident the 3rd party would still get compensated....

[Compound2632]

10 hours ago, Reorte said:

There was one particularly stupid crash for cash scam going on around here a few years back - the perpetrator kept using the same roundabout, which made people in an office overlooking it very suspicious.

 

That was in Glasgow, I believe - or at least, that may be just one version of an urban legend.

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That was in Glasgow, I believe - or at least, that may be just one version of an urban legend.

The one I was thinking of was in the Greater Manchester areas - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8318338.stm

 

Of course similar things could've happened in several places, there are plenty of stupid criminals around.

[PatB]

On 12/03/2020 at 16:18, mezzoman253 said:

What were they, parking tickets??

 

Rob

Kids drawings, I think, taped to the inside. The whole car was a bit weird, TBH. Stuffed full (and I mean full, everywhere but the drivers seat) of kids toys, but driven by an individual who would fit all the visual stereotypes for someone on a register somewhere. 

[Sir TophamHatt]

At least with the current worldly problems, there's less doorknobs on the roads!

[johnofwessex]

1 hour ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

At least with the current worldly problems, there's less doorknobs on the roads!

 

There was certainly a strong candidate for the attentions of The Involuntary Euthanasia Society in a Silver VW in Frome today

[Nick C]

2 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

At least with the current worldly problems, there's less doorknobs on the roads!

You'd have thought so, but there seemed to be quite a few on the way to work this morning! Don't know why they were in such a rush, I arrived 10 minutes earlier than normal, there was so little traffic...

[ejstubbs]

Reports from friends locally suggest that the newly quiet suburban roads are being taken advantage of by certain impatient/arrogant/antisocial folks, who would in normal times regard themselves as being "held up" by other traffic, to treat speed limits with even less respect than usual.

[bimble]

23 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

Reports from friends locally suggest that the newly quiet suburban roads are being taken advantage of by certain impatient/arrogant/antisocial folks, who would in normal times regard themselves as being "held up" by other traffic, to treat speed limits with even less respect than usual.

 

Well, I've seen a few speed traps out this week, so I look forward to those toerags also coming across them!

[kevinlms]

Another idiot from Australia.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-04/canberra-cough-police-car-chase-china/12121626

[ejstubbs]

The missus was out shopping and delivering food for her Mum yesterday. (Not that she seemed grateful for it: complained that she didn't have enough room to store the contents of the extensive list she had e-mailed us yesterday. Aaanyway...)

 

About to turn right at a traffic light-controlled crossroads, having waited beyond the stop line behind a couple of other cars while the green right turn filter came on, the wife's spidey senses started to tingle as a large black German car came barreling towards the junction from the opposite direction.  Now, given that the right turn filter only comes on when the light facing the other way has turned red, and the light with the right turn filter had actually just started to turn amber as she was about to make her turn, the other driver's light must have been red for a good 10-15 seconds.  So no way did Mr Oh-So-Entitled not have time to slow down and stop safely.  Unless, of course, he had been blatantly ignoring the 30mph speed limit as well.  Wisely, the wife chose not to proceed until the antisocial idiot had departed the scene.

 

Unfortunately the traffic light cameras at that junction only cover the approaches on the crossing road

[big jim]

Saw a cracker the other day, going to work  through the roadworks on the M6 between J15 and j13

 

i was trundling along in part of the 2 lane section of the 17 mile long 50 mph average speed check area, cruise control set, quiet roads due to lockdown, mainly wagons 

 

saw a car hurtling up the outside lane doing way over 70mph I recon, An older 05 plate Vauxhall vectra, in the distance wagons in the inside lane with a few cars overtaking, the vectra comes flying up to the back of the line of slower cars, I could see he was pretty close to the car in front, a nice shiny black Audi, after passing the trucks the Audi pulls in to the inside lane, let’s the vectra pass then pulls back out to the outside lane where after a short distance the Audi driver promptly switched on his blue lights, overtook him and illuminated his ‘follow me’ sign pulling him in at stafford services, oh how I laughed! 

[chris p bacon]

Something I've noticed is a general deterioration in driving since the lock down. The usual yoofs are about in their souped up Corsas but generally observing the speed limits. The older drivers on the other hand are now using the town as an unofficial race track with overtaking and very aggressive driving now commonplace at all times of the day.

While shopping for others over the last week I've been overtaken several times in the town 20 & 30mph limit, the overtakers don't seem to be taking into account pedestrians who are having to step out into the road to avoid others.