Driving standards

[stewartingram]

Orange also allowable on the front I believe.

 

Only as direction indicators, or yellow tinted headlamps/foglamps (if still legal?). I remember the many US imported cars at USAF Alonbury that the servicemen had to convert to our standards.

 

Stewart

Edited March 26, 2018 by stewartingram

[Baby Deltic]

Only as direction indicators, or yellow tinted headlamps/foglamps (if still legal?). I remember the many US imported cars at USAF Alonbury that the servicemen had to convert to our stadards.

 

Stewart

A lot of modern recovery and low loader trucks have flashing orange grille lights.

[ejstubbs]

The regulations for HID aftermarket lamps requires that they should be self levelling (or that the vehicle has self levelling suspension), as for new cars. I wonder how often that is met or the lamps are correctly adjusted anyway.

 

Under the new MOT rules coming in in May this year: "It is not permitted to convert existing halogen headlamp units for use with HID bulbs. If it is clear that such a conversion has been carried out, rather than replacing the entire unit with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs, the headlamp should be rejected."  (Reference page 7 of this document.)  This will be a major fail.  That might help cut down on the number of "cowboy" HID users who undoubtedly contribute to giving all HID-fitted vehicles a bad name.

 

Another change that should spoil the fun of some car owners who seem to like to take their enjoyment at the expense of the wider population is that diesel vehicles that are supposed to be fitted with a DPF (ie that were sold with one when new) will fail if there is any sign of tampering to the DPF enclosure (at the moment it's only a fail if the DPF has been completely removed).

[Baby Deltic]

It was a Transit van.

Oiy can get ya a dag if you loike

[raymw]

Thought I'd post this link here https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/03/bike-share-oversupply-in-china-huge-piles-of-abandoned-and-broken-bicycles/556268/

[PatB]

I've tended to struggle with dazzle from oncoming vehicles at night since I started driving more than 30 years ago now. I'm not sure why, but I think a major part of it has been that I've usually been driving older vehicles with relatively weak headlamps and so have been unable to compete with stuff with state of the art (whatever it's been at any given time) lighting. If anything, I've found it to be less of an issue as I've got older. Again, I'm not sure why. Probably a combination of factors including obtaining newer vehicles, developing techniques that preserve at least some of my night vision and maybe the previously mentioned need for more light as I deteriorate with age.

 

What does annoy me is the tendency, here, for many drivers to use foglamps (usually badly aligned) as driving lamps which, of course, don't extinguish on dipped beam. Or better still, illegally wired, tarmac melting spotlamps that, again, don't extinguish on dip. Such traffic police as are still around after dark don't seem terribly interested in booking people for such stuff either.

[TheQ]

The scourge of hire bikes has hit Norwich and I often see them plonked in the middle of paths blocking the way.

 

The worst i've had with Hids / Leds, was being blinded at 3 in the afternoon by someone in broad daylight. I don't know the power they were using but it was way over power.

 

Some cars have" driving lights " which look like fogs, if  correctly fitted they should turn off when headlights are dipped.

[Guest]

Some properly nasty behaviour here!

 

https://www.facebook.com/emma.edwards.90813/posts/1872198366159469

[Horsetan]

The scourge of hire bikes has hit Norwich and I often see them plonked in the middle of paths blocking the way.

"Mobike" dockless hire cycles have been littering the pavements in and around Ealing for a while now, and they're also in Hounslow. They are a bit like fly-tipping, but with bicycles, and they suit the careless throwaway society we have had for years.

 

The worst i've had with Hids / Leds, was being blinded at 3 in the afternoon by someone in broad daylight. I don't know the power they were using but it was way over power.

 

Some cars have" driving lights " which look like fogs, if  correctly fitted they should turn off when headlights are dipped.

This has been a problem ever since xenons/HIDs were introduced on new cars, and made worse when aftermarket equipment was made available to people who then stuck it in older headlamps that were never designed to take that sort of technology, so you get random beam patterns going into the face of oncoming traffic. Worse on rural roads where there is little in the way of street lighting; I've been half-blinded a few times out there.

 

Some properly nasty behaviour here!

 

https://www.facebook.com/emma.edwards.90813/posts/1872198366159469

 

We had an incident a few months back whilst hacking out when a Fiesta driver decided he would try to take the racing line on a narrow rural road through a blind bend towards us. It didn't end well, and he ended up relying on his ABS to avoid knocking into my partner's horse. There will always be motorists who think they're the only ones on the road and are consequently not much good at anticipating things ahead of them.

 

Might have to invest in a helmet cam for things like this.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Horsetan

[Joseph_Pestell]

Not exactly driving standards - but an example of thoughtless driving.

 

Went to pick up my prescription quite late yesterday afternoon. A good time to go as the adjacent doctor's surgery is winding down by then and there are some parking spaces, no more than 20m walk from the pharmacy door. And yet two other visitors to the pharmacy were parked on double-yellow lines, which guarantee unobstructed vehicle access to the surgery, because they could not be ****d to walk that 20m! They deserve to be ill!

[TheQ]

By chance there is a bit on the bikes in the local paper to day they've now got 1000 of them in Norwich..

 

The heavy duty  front of my landrover with bull bars does persuade of few boy racers to brake and slow down, I really don't fancy the country roads in my area on bicycle or horse. Especially as we are now at the start of grockle season, who seem surprised they need to slow down and pull into laybys to let others pass.

 grockle driving down the middle of the road which has no white line but are wide enough for two cars to pass are quiet common.

 

 

Talking about grockles, Effin clown town, now has a good amount of them as Easter approaches, wandering through the traffic on the A road. I notice as I go over the bridge, the Day boats are out and ready so we'll have them wandering around the rivers out of control as well.

an old picture...

 

Oh the white supports are for a footbridge the other side of the bridge, the listed bridge, has a steel load spreading deck sat on top, so it can take the weight of modern lorries..

Edited March 29, 2018 by TheQ

[royaloak]

I find the worst offenders for dazzle are LED daytime running lamps, can be worse than main beam.

Why do 'daylight' running lights stay on when you put your normal lights on?

Surely the fact you have put your normal lights on means you dont need the 'daylight' running lights on!

[Horsetan]

Why do 'daylight' running lights stay on when you put your normal lights on?

Surely the fact you have put your normal lights on means you dont need the 'daylight' running lights on!

 

This actually doesn't appear to have been given much thought by car manufacturers, and even less thought by the aftermarket suppliers who are only catering to those who think their cars look somehow "cool" with them added on.

 

Then there are those who drive around at night using only DRLs, and are unlit at the rear.....

[royaloak]

Then there are those who drive around at night using only DRLs, and are unlit at the rear.....

Yep, see loads of them although some of them might think they are fully lit because the dash lights come on with the DRLs (again why?) so they are lulled into a false sense of security because if the dash lights are on then (all) the other required lights must surely be on, only they are not because of a stupid design.

[bimble]

coming back from a week working in Manchester and driving south on the M6 through the 50mph section round Crewe when I saw a HGV driver who's driving could best be described as 'aggressive'.

 

Even though the traffic was quite heavy, it was moving at 50mph, but that didn't stop him from speeding (to undertake) whenever possible, tailgating cars, flashing lights, driving in the 3rd lane...

[Guest]

To the driver of the 08 registered Iveco flatbed that I've just followed through Sheringham...

You pulled out from being badly parked on the high street without looking making me brake. That I can forgive, it happens all the time.

You made 4 turns without indicating. That's fine. I'm sure you have better things to do than indicate.

The wheelie bin you knocked over when you briefly mounted the pavement whilst clipping a tight left-hand turn... that's ok, it wasn't my bin.

However, when you finally turned left (without indicating) and thankfully got out of my sight, you were on your friggin' phone!

You are a complete knob.

[kevinlms]

To the driver of the 08 registered Iveco flatbed that I've just followed through Sheringham...

You pulled out from being badly parked on the high street without looking making me brake. That I can forgive, it happens all the time.

You made 4 turns without indicating. That's fine. I'm sure you have better things to do than indicate.

The wheelie bin you knocked over when you briefly mounted the pavement whilst clipping a tight left-hand turn... that's ok, it wasn't my bin.

However, when you finally turned left (without indicating) and thankfully got out of my sight, you were on your friggin' phone!

You are a complete knob.

And people think they're OK to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. Sorry, but the brain doesn't do multitasking as well as some like to believe.

[laurenceb]

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/a50-crash-christopher-scott-inquest-1383177

This was open to comments but the lack of simpathy led to there deletion

[kevinlms]

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/a50-crash-christopher-scott-inquest-1383177

This was open to comments but the lack of simpathy led to there deletion

What a surprise he got little sympathy, given he was texting on the phone, no seatbelt & high on cannabis. What a combination, waiting to happen.

[JDW]

And people think they're OK to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. Sorry, but the brain doesn't do multitasking as well as some like to believe.

 

Yep - because they're so totally unaware of the things they're doing that they just don't see how bad their driving is and carry on in blissful ignorance 

[Enterprisingwestern]

What a surprise he got little sympathy, given he was texting on the phone, no seatbelt & high on cannabis. What a combination, waiting to happen.

 

The only saving grace being that he didn't take anybody else with him.

 

Mike.

[luckymucklebackit]

Hi All - can I add a gripe that I have not seen discussed - I have noticed recently that the recommended method of "when turning right, move towards the centre of the road" seems to be ignored.  Several times I have been unable to move forward because the car in front of me is turning but is blocking the whole road when there would have been enough room to pass on the inside had he/she positioned him/herself correctly, really annoying.

 

Jim

[duncan]

Easter weekend - motorbike racers now out, screaming engines, passed by a pair this afternoon, doing 80+ in 60 limit, overtaking on double white lines

[TheQ]

I had a bigger problem today with mamils both on cycle and on expensive trainers.

[Norm81]

Hi All - can I add a gripe that I have not seen discussed - I have noticed recently that the recommended method of "when turning right, move towards the centre of the road" seems to be ignored.  Several times I have been unable to move forward because the car in front of me is turning but is blocking the whole road when there would have been enough room to pass on the inside had he/she positioned him/herself correctly, really annoying.

 

Jim

I get this all the time at the local shopping centre, the junction is wide enough for the majority of us turning left to make it past a single car waiting to turn right. There are often long tailbacks at busy times, usually due to a single car waiting to turn right sitting in the middle so noone can get past them to turn left until they've pulled away.

 

 

What does annoy me is the tendency, here, for many drivers to use foglamps (usually badly aligned) as driving lamps which, of course, don't extinguish on dipped beam. Or better still, illegally wired, tarmac melting spotlamps that, again, don't extinguish on dip. Such traffic police as are still around after dark don't seem terribly interested in booking people for such stuff either.

We're back to Nissan Juke/Puke/Joke owners again, most of whom seem incapable of switching their front fog lights off.

 

I also thought DRL's had to switch off once sidelights were on even, but this doesn't seem to be true. I believe the uppermost lights on a Juke are the DRL's, the round middle ones the headlights and the bottom the fogs. Often see cars with all 6 on...