Driving standards

[peanuts]

34 minutes ago, SamThomas said:

Best place is to keep them at a safe distance in front, push 3 x 9's on your phone & wait for plod to turn up with a little thingy for the driver to blow in to.

 

& yes, I've done it a couple of times.

say similar to the misses when we get an idiot tailgating  " let them pass and speed off to have their accident elsewhere and not involving you " 

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

 

Hopefully waiting for a Vet

I know what you mean, but in fact although what they did was illegal also what they did was pretty much harmless, there was little other traffic around at the time and they never bothered anything else around them, they were “just having fun” but don’t get me wrong, they shouldn’t have done it but at least they didn’t act as total t1ts, they knew what was going on around them (it appeared) apart from the unmarked car on the hard shoulder…….it was the kind of incident I would think the Police would have had some very hard words about rather than throw the book.

 

They we’re being very silly boys rather than driving badly, if you get my drift?

 

I still had a laugh as we passed them though 

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

….it was the kind of incident I would think the Police would have had some very hard words about rather than throw the book.

Along the lines of  " 'ello, 'ello, 'ello. 'Aving trouble taking off, are we Sir?"....?

[Darius43]

About 10 years ago I was heading north on the M40 around Banbury doing 70(ish) in the middle lane when a silver car and black car hurtled past on the outside lane.  The black car was virtually up against the rear bumper of the silver car and had the word “EVO” on the rear.  
 

They headed off into the distance whereupon on the horizon there was a lot of smoke and a black speck was seen heading rapidly left off the carriageway.  All the brake lights lit up ahead and I slowed down to weave through a lot of car debris on the tarmac.  The motorway was in a slight cutting at that point and there was a smashed gap in the fence atop the side embankment where a car (or what was left of it) had punched through into the trees beyond.  Some cars were already pulling up on the hard shoulder.

 

I checked the news media later but there was no mention of any accidents of that description.

 

Darius

 

 

[Reorte]

On 29/12/2021 at 23:31, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I have driven a friend's Tesla with autopilot engaged & agree that it is not boring. You are always aware that it is making adjustments & this keeps you alert. You are still in control, but it really is aiding you.

It reminded me of a cab ride on the Central Line. It was in ATO, so the computer was driving but the driver was frequently having to acknowledge some sort of alert, often twice between stations. Switching into coded manual mode was something which looked very routine. The driver was certainly nothing like a passenger.

 

That sounds like the novelty of it though. When that's worn off?

 

If I'm still in control I'd prefer to be fully in control, rather than being there in order to catch a machine doing something unexpected. Driving isn't something that bothers me enough that I see any value in having technology to save me from doing it. On the safety front, well, if you're a decent enough driver the risk really isn't high enough to worry about, and what there is mostly comes from the non-decent drivers. Is it right to change everything to accommodate a small minority of fools? And when they say "AI is the better driver" does that mean than everyone, or just said small number of fools who cause most of the problems?

 

I'm still not at all persuaded by the point of autonomous vehicles, but then again I'm not keen on automation in general (although it's not black and white of course), a high-tech "computers do everything because we don't trust our fellow human beings to do anything" world really isn't one I want to live in.

[Jonboy]

I don’t mind the cruise control in my current vehicle, but the lane assist in a company car I was driving a couple of weeks ago was a pain the backside and not a feature I would want in a car of my own.

[F-UnitMad]

5 minutes ago, Jonboy said:

I don’t mind the cruise control in my current vehicle, but the lane assist in a company car I was driving a couple of weeks ago was a pain the backside and not a feature I would want in a car of my own.

The last HGVs I drove were fitted with 'lane assist', and the warning was not discreet at all - a loud alarm and vibration of the steering wheel. It was the first thing I would switch off before leaving the yard.

[Jonboy]

This one felt like it was fighting me when trying to stick close to the apex of bends, not for speed but simply because the road in question is relatively narrow and bendy and has a lot of HGV/agricultural traffic often close to/over the middle coming in the other direction.

(I was making a one way trip or would have dug deeper Into how to switch it off).

 

[black and decker boy]

4 hours ago, Reorte said:

 

That sounds like the novelty of it though. When that's worn off?

 

If I'm still in control I'd prefer to be fully in control, rather than being there in order to catch a machine doing something unexpected. Driving isn't something that bothers me enough that I see any value in having technology to save me from doing it. On the safety front, well, if you're a decent enough driver the risk really isn't high enough to worry about, and what there is mostly comes from the non-decent drivers. Is it right to change everything to accommodate a small minority of fools? And when they say "AI is the better driver" does that mean than everyone, or just said small number of fools who cause most of the problems?

 

I'm still not at all persuaded by the point of autonomous vehicles, but then again I'm not keen on automation in general (although it's not black and white of course), a high-tech "computers do everything because we don't trust our fellow human beings to do anything" world really isn't one I want to live in.

I’ve used cruise control on most journeys for 20yr are or so now. It lets me rest my foot & leg and removes most temptation / unconscious use of heavy right foot (and no doubt helped keep my license clean for that period).

 

having autopilot is an extension of that. I don’t use it on 30/40mph single carriageway roads in built up areas though (but do use cruise).
 

I can see why people don’t like the idea of autonomous vehicles. I love driving - open countryside, twisty roads etc and wouldn’t want to lose that fun factor.

 

I can see why governments do - they see a panacea of needing less lane capacity and less road technology (eg all of the matrix signs & gantries, all connected by miles & miles of fibre cable) and possibly less safety features - the cars will in theory know what ahead and recompute accordingly, they will manage gaps better allowing better flow and with less human input, should be able to go in a straight line without spinning or hitting barriers or other vehicles.

 

Getting drivers, insurers and regulators to create the legal framework for universal autonomous vehicles may be more of a challenge.

 

I’m also still waiting for my flying car as promised by Tomorrow’s World back in the day though having millions of manually driven objects in 3D doesn’t bear thinking about given how bad many drivers in 2D!!

[Reorte]

There are balances - I've got cruise control in my car, and use it when conditions suit - if I were to be completely anti-anything to help me I'd be reduced to walking, in bare feet!

 

Oddly enough it's not even the fun factor; I don't really enjoy driving per se (although there are some exceptions on some routes), but I do get an almost subconscious level of satisfaction just doing ordinary tasks that need doing by myself, sometimes with mechanical assistance (which is why I have a washing machine for example); I don't even want a dishwasher, not that I enjoy washing up, or a robot vacuum or lawn mower. I find high levels of automation dehumanising, and feel they should be saved for situations too dangerous or unpleasant for anyone to want to do, or where anything else just isn't practical.

 

[kevinlms]

41 minutes ago, Reorte said:

There are balances - I've got cruise control in my car, and use it when conditions suit - if I were to be completely anti-anything to help me I'd be reduced to walking, in bare feet!

 

Oddly enough it's not even the fun factor; I don't really enjoy driving per se (although there are some exceptions on some routes), but I do get an almost subconscious level of satisfaction just doing ordinary tasks that need doing by myself, sometimes with mechanical assistance (which is why I have a washing machine for example); I don't even want a dishwasher, not that I enjoy washing up, or a robot vacuum or lawn mower. I find high levels of automation dehumanising, and feel they should be saved for situations too dangerous or unpleasant for anyone to want to do, or where anything else just isn't practical.

 

Wasn't a Hornby Dublo layout once used in a nuclear power station, to move small items from a contaminated area?

[62613]

I had the need to take my no. 2 daughter home to London yesterday; she had a couple of heavy Christmas presents that weren't going to go on any of Avanti's finest. 

So there I was hurtling down the A1 at around the legal limit in the 2nd lane of 2, overtaking various trucks (near Woolfold Depot, for those that know where I'm on about). Out of nowhere this black Range Rover appeared and flashed me. Pulled over and they shot past me and settled in just in front of me. I remember remarking to Frances, "Well, what was the point of that?", when they pulled over to the next exit, no signal, and disappeared.

 

I must admit I committed a faux pas on the road home. On the A14 around Kettering/Corby, there's another Range Rover (I think; it was dark) signalling to come over to the second lane, where I was. What I'd missed was the truck pulling out of the layby in front of him...... It's dead easy to make a mistake!

 

[62613]

I must admit that one of my bugbears is those who overtake because they just must, and end up as the next car in front of you as the next lights. Closely followed by those who don't signal their intentions on roundabouts. Then those who don't seem to be able to turn right into a side road when you're waiting, and signalling, to turn right from said side road.

 

Rant over!

 

[jcredfer]

16 minutes ago, 62613 said:

I must admit that one of my bugbears is those who overtake because they just must, and end up as the next car in front of you as the next lights. Closely followed by those who don't signal their intentions on roundabouts. Then those who don't seem to be able to turn right into a side road when you're waiting, and signalling, to turn right from said side road.

 

Rant over!

 

 

Definitely agree on those who don't signal on roundabouts...  Grrrr!!  Had one yesterday, Mini Rb't, three on the opposite approach, check first, no signal, second likewise, third, signalling right.  Plenty of time, so continued to enter the Rb't, as did the first from the opposite approach, at which point he hauled to the right, followed at the 30-45 deg part of the turn, by starting to signal right.  [At this point, I expect he thought that his use of the indicator would vaporise anything else on the Rb't.]  Fortunately, I had enough lead and space to accelerate out of his way, as he then leaned on the horn!!  

He clearly hadn't the first idea that there was any need to indicate his intentions on the approach to the Rd't and hadn't bothered to scan the other approaches, before entering, to see what relevant traffic may be there.  [The only thing missing was a BMW badge, as it was a Corsa, but it still would have scratched the paintwork on the Freelander.]

 

[tractionman]

1 hour ago, 62613 said:

Pulled over and they shot past me and settled in just in front of me. 

 

 

This seems to happen a lot on motorways when I'm trying to do cvm (constant velocity motoring) at around seventy.

 

I'm sure there's more belligerence on the roads these days, just aggressive behaviour for the sake of it, and it's normally those driving massive motors too, black range rovers in particular...

 

I used to quite enjoy driving in England, not any more.

 

Happy New Year?

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

 

[rockershovel]

On 30/12/2021 at 09:29, SamThomas said:

Best place is to keep them at a safe distance in front, push 3 x 9's on your phone & wait for plod to turn up with a little thingy for the driver to blow in to.

 

& yes, I've done it a couple of times.

"Dial 999 and wait for the police to turn up to a report of a dangerous driver "

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you'd be in for a long old wait around here! 

Edited December 31, 2021 by rockershovel

[Michael Hodgson]

8 hours ago, Reorte said:

 

Oddly enough it's not even the fun factor; I don't really enjoy driving per se (although there are some exceptions on some routes), but I do get an almost subconscious level of satisfaction just doing ordinary tasks that need doing by myself, sometimes with mechanical assistance (which is why I have a washing machine for example); I don't even want a dishwasher, not that I enjoy washing up, or a robot vacuum or lawn mower. I find high levels of automation dehumanising, and feel they should be saved for situations too dangerous or unpleasant for anyone to want to do, or where anything else just isn't practical.

 

I have a dishwasher to save me doing the washing up

I have an answerphone to save me answering the phone

And I have a video recorder to save me watching TV.

[Reorte]

8 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Wasn't a Hornby Dublo layout once used in a nuclear power station, to move small items from a contaminated area?

 

I've heard something about that, hey, if it works! Struggling to find anything about it though (haven't thought of any combination of words to search for that won't give me models of nuclear power stations).

 

Wonder if they used model flask waggons?

[Titan]

10 minutes ago, Reorte said:

 

I've heard something about that, hey, if it works! Struggling to find anything about it though (haven't thought of any combination of words to search for that won't give me models of nuclear power stations).

 

Wonder if they used model flask waggons?

 

What I heard someone refer to as the Rumplestiltskin effect, once you guess the name or combination of words as if by magic you unlock the key to what you want to know!

[Nick Holliday]

8 hours ago, tractionman said:

  10 hours ago, 62613 said:

Pulled over and they shot past me and settled in just in front of me

What annoys me even more is when, having overtaken, they actually slow down to a speed several mph lower than the rate I was travelling at before, so I either have to bow to their greater intellect, or have to decide to overtake them. I've known this farce to repeat itself several times, although I have always kept to the same speed throughout, thanks to cruise control, except when actually making the overtake.

My other bugbear is when having steadily overhauled a car travelling at, say 60 mph, and pulling out to overtake, I suddenly find I am not making any progress relative to the slower car, as the driver puts his foot down, and accelerates to 70.  As my internal speed camera won't allow me to exceed the limit, I am often forced to concede defeat, and pull in, only to find that the driver in front slows down too.  I can understand how lorry drivers can get into their "racing" if this happens to them.  Perhaps I should adopt certain German car manufacturers' driving habits, and not use any indicators, and catch these people unawares!

[Mark Saunders]

1 hour ago, Nick Holliday said:

What annoys me even more is when, having overtaken, they actually slow down to a speed several mph lower than the rate I was travelling at before, so I either have to bow to their greater intellect, or have to decide to overtake them. I've known this farce to repeat itself several times, although I have always kept to the same speed throughout, thanks to cruise control, except when actually making the overtake.

My other bugbear is when having steadily overhauled a car travelling at, say 60 mph, and pulling out to overtake, I suddenly find I am not making any progress relative to the slower car, as the driver puts his foot down, and accelerates to 70.  As my internal speed camera won't allow me to exceed the limit, I am often forced to concede defeat, and pull in, only to find that the driver in front slows down too.  I can understand how lorry drivers can get into their "racing" if this happens to them.  Perhaps I should adopt certain German car manufacturers' driving habits, and not use any indicators, and catch these people unawares!

I have came to the conclusion that some people can’t stand the thought of anyone in front of them!

[62613]

11 hours ago, tractionman said:

 

This seems to happen a lot on motorways when I'm trying to do cvm (constant velocity motoring) at around seventy.

 

I'm sure there's more belligerence on the roads these days, just aggressive behaviour for the sake of it, and it's normally those driving massive motors too, black range rovers in particular...

 

I used to quite enjoy driving in England, not any more.

 

Happy New Year?

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

 

It's the first time it's happened to me for a long time, maybe 20 years.

 

[boxbrownie]

20 minutes ago, 62613 said:

It's the first time it's happened to me for a long time, maybe 20 years.

 

It happened to us on the way back from Worcs on Tuesday, as I mentioned before we decided to stick to 60 mph cruise in the first lane and relax, and it was but there was just one tw@t in a Vauxhall Astra Turbo (some sort of three door/coupe looking hatchback) full of passengers, we approached it as it must have been doing 55 mph and we popped out, over took and popped back in again……a few minutes later here he comes, overtakes us and pulls in not too far in front and then proceeds to slow down again to his 55 mph cruise……..three times this happens over quite a few miles until he pulled off the M5…….I assume drivers like that just aren’t paying attention and are just engaged with their passengers rather than the other drivers……who could kill them!

[PhilJ W]

Idiots on the road and all at sea.

 

[SamThomas]

Regarding the drunk drivers the Police in my area are very quick to respond & on each occasion recieved a "thank you" phone call later.

 

As for the "lorry drivers racing" unless you have experience of driving large heavy & relatively underpowered vehicles you will not appreciate that it is easy to get "caught out". You start to overtake another truck thats running at say 50k, you are on your limiter at 56k so no problem & then a slight uphill gradiant & you lose ground, down to around 50k the other truck has more power & stays at 50k - if you slow down you cannot pull in because of the traffic now behind the other truck, if he slows down he upsets the traffic behind him, so, you're stuck with it.