Top 5 annoying things encountered whilst driving...

[N15class]

1. Hooligans who travel at speeds in excess of 65 mph!

2. Road-hogs who sound their horn and flash their lights at me when I'm travelling at 60 mph in the centre lane of a three-lane motorway just becaise I don't want to travel in the lorry-lane

3. Lorries who don't stay in the lorry-lane.

4. At junctions, the bad mannered people behind me who cannot wait for me to fold my road-map after deciding which way I want to go.

5. People who park too close to me at Waitrose, I'm always damaging my doors on their cars.

 

 

Reginald Mafeking Goatley-Prodding

You're supposed to drive in the inside lane, there is no such thing as a lorry lane on a motorway or duel carriage way. The nearest you get to one is the crawler lane on hills. Otherwise the good book says drive on the left except when overtaking this includes all roads unless otherwise marked. It is people using the middle and outside lanes when it is no needed who cause half the congestion. Just the same as there is no Fast lane, just overtaking lanes.

[Kelly]

 

 

4. selfish "£$%s that use disabled bays when they have no right to.

 

 

 

Wholeheartedly agree! I am disabled, but currently don't have a blue badge, so don't use the bays. It really pisses me off when I see people just park in them, especially when they park diagonally across two!

[jonny777]

Two driving areas that I would prefer to avoid.

 

1. The M20 around Maidstone.

 

2. The M5 past Worcester.

 

On both of these motorway hell-holes, the general trend seems to be drive straight from the slip road to the outside lane when joining, and the opposite (fast lane to slip road) when leaving. No attempt is made to consider any other vehicle on the road.

 

For those cars stuck in the middle lane, their speed will vary according to the vehicle in front of them, so if an HGV pulls out in front of them, they will never overtake it but will slow down to the lorry speed. Once the lorry has pulled into the left hand lane, the car will then accelerate to around 85 mph if possible until they reach the next slower travelling vehicle in the middle lane and the whole process will repeat.

 

Never overtake a Ford Focus on either of those two stretches of motorway listed above. Focus drivers do not like being overtaken and will do everything in their power to return to the dominant car position be ahead of you.

[Chubber]

 

1. Tut tut! 70 mph might be 'de riguer' for experienced drivers like me, [60 years and a member of the I.A.M.] but for some young Johnnie-come-lately types it's far too fast! Remember, it is what it says, a national speed 'limit', not a target and it's not compulsory, you know.

 

2. I agree, farmers should not leave lumps of earth on the road, and of course there is a lorry lane, they can't drive on the very left hand part, that's reserved for pony and traps etc.

 

3. Yes, they can overtake, of course they can, but only when the one in front stops for a cup of tea or when his telegraph tells him to. I know these things.

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [institute of Advanced Motorists]

 

 

 

John - "If you are a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists you should know that on a Motorway you should not be in the centre lane of the Motorway if the lane on the left of you is clear. Read the Highway code."

 

Ah! John, as an obvious newcomer to this driving business you clearly do not appreciate the merit of driving in the centre lane [if you are an experienced driver like me]. It gives you plenty of room to swerve out of the way in an emergency, such as a lady falling off of a charabanc in front of you, or a traction engine travelling slowly ahead. And by travelling at 60mph it leaves a little in hand for accelerating out of dangerous situations such as flock of sheep on the road...

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [instructor, Institute of Advanced Motorists]

[APOLLO]

Driving - such a pleasure these days - NOT.

 

I dislike tailgaters, especially in a 30mph zone, as I try to keep my licence clean some irritating t*sser is 2 foot behind you, giving you the evil eye, head on arm "i'm bored" look. I try not to be distracted by them. Too many cameras, fixed & mobile around where I live, and besides, why should I risk my licence etc because of their poor time management skills ?

 

For some reason dirty white vans and new 4X4 drivers are the worst, Range Rovers and those big ugly Beemers & Audis. Taxi drivers ? - I love em, they don't tailgate, just come up behind you and instantly zoom past you at a high speed. For some reason they never get pulled by the law !!

 

BTW last August I spent 4 weeks driving around Bangkok and southern Thailand. Bloody chaos, but at least they smile at you when they cut you up !!!!!!

 

Brit15

[Chubber]

You're supposed to drive in the inside lane, there is no such thing as a lorry lane on a motorway or duel carriage way. The nearest you get to one is the crawler lane on hills. Otherwise the good book says drive on the left except when overtaking this includes all roads unless otherwise marked. It is people using the middle and outside lanes when it is no needed who cause half the congestion. Just the same as there is no Fast lane, just overtaking lanes.

 

Don't talk so round shouldered, man! Of course there is a fast lane, it is reserved for police cars and ambulances, although as I said in an earlier letter, there do seem to be a lot of plain-clothes C.I.D. vehicles in that lane now. I expect it's due to the increase in crime . They seem to be very happy in their work, they always wave at me when they speed past...

 

Reginald Mafekin Goatley-Prodding [instructor and Founder-member, I.A.M.]

[Guest]

There was one particular (potentially life threatening) incident I witnessed recently - the car involved being someone driving an expensive 4x4 (blacked out windows, you know the type). The driver of said vehicle was stuck behind two cars (doing slightly under) the speed limit and so it decided to overtake them both. The speed at which it 'took off' was worrying enough, but then it suddenly braked hard and stopped dead in the road (I must point out it was a wet day with a lot of surface water). The two cars had to swerve to avoid the 4x4, one narrowly missing the one in front and the other narrowly avoiding an oncoming car. The 4x4 then sped off at god knows what speed. So my generalisation may be unjust, but I personally have seen many occasions that show what they're particular attitude seems to me to be to other motorists.

 

I wonder if that was an attempted 'crash for cash' If the 4x4 had been hit it would turn out to be travelling with four passengers all with a nasty case of whiplash.

 

 

 

Another hate is clots who can't plan an overtake to save their life (probably literally)

You get people given a mile of dead straight clear road who will polish your rear bumper for the entire length and then do a kamikaze overtake on the blind bend at the end.

[Butler Henderson]

_{Have to say the local bus drivers around me are pretty good and often give you the right of way - think its probably a case of one good turn deserves another as the town would quickly grid lock if right turners were not given some degree of priority by other road users. One thing that really really winds me up is when waiting in a queue and leaving space for vehicles coming the other way due to a parked car or two - then some pratt overtakes me and completely blocks the road. Oh yes, and people who indicate they are going right approaching a roundabout and then go straight on .}

[Stubby47]

Don't talk so round shouldered, man! Of course there is a fast lane, it is reserved for police cars and ambulances, although as I said in an earlier letter, there do seem to be a lot of plain-clothes C.I.D. vehicles in that lane now. I expect it's due to the increase in crime . They seem to be very happy in their work, they always wave at me when they speed past...

 

Reginald Mafekin Goatley-Prodding [instructor and Founder-member, I.A.M.]

 

Don't they teach you anything at the IAM ???

 

There are three lanes on a motorway, 50mph, 60mph and 70mph. Everyone knows that.

[N15class]

 

1. Tut tut! 70 mph might be 'de riguer' for experienced drivers like me, [60 years and a member of the I.A.M.] but for some young Johnnie-come-lately types it's far too fast! Remember, it is what it says, a national speed 'limit', not a target and it's not compulsory, you know.

 

2. I agree, farmers should not leave lumps of earth on the road, and of course there is a lorry lane, they can't drive on the very left hand part, that's reserved for pony and traps etc.

 

3. Yes, they can overtake, of course they can, but only when the one in front stops for a cup of tea or when his telegraph tells him to. I know these things.

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [institute of Advanced Motorists]

 

 

 

John - "If you are a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists you should know that on a Motorway you should not be in the centre lane of the Motorway if the lane on the left of you is clear. Read the Highway code."

 

Ah! John, as an obvious newcomer to this driving business you clearly do not appreciate the merit of driving in the centre lane [if you are an experienced driver like me]. It gives you plenty of room to swerve out of the way in an emergency, such as a lady falling off of a charabanc in front of you, or a traction engine travelling slowly ahead. And by travelling at 60mph it leaves a little in hand for accelerating out of dangerous situations such as flock of sheep on the road...

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [instructor, Institute of Advanced Motorists]

Think you need to read the Highway Code. The extreem left is Hard shoulder for emergency use only. then there is the driving lane. No lane just for lorries. You do get bus lanes for buses, but not for lorries.

there is a maximum of 70 mph is for motorways and duel carriageways, 60 mph for all others. Then there are lower limits for all types of roads. I have seen a cow on the motorway but never a flock of sheep.

[Trainshed Terry]

Things that drive me mad.

1. People that use mobile phones whilst driving and not wearing a seat belt and tail gating.
   
2. Speed camera hoppers, camera slow down pass camera, bury foot in the carpet till the next one comes along
   
3. People who do not check there lights are working correctly in bad weather
   
4. Boy racers in the early hours of the morning as I am trying to get some sleep and they come racing up the hill with there big bore exhaust waking everybody up.
   
5. Drivers who can not read road signs and drive up a one way street the wrong way. that is a local favorite of mine.
   

 

Terry

[Stubby47]

Things that drive me mad.

1. Drivers who can not read road signs and drive up a one way street the wrong way. that is a local favorite of mine.
   

 

Terry

Surely you shouldn't do that ?

[Arthur]

Simple courtesy goes a long way. I've learned a useful, friendly, gesture, often aimed at me by other motorists, as I speed by in my posh 4 x 4. Simply, lightly curl fingers and thumb, and using a wrist motion, pump your hand up and down. I find this cheery wave greatly aids relaxed driving.

The look of astonishment on the faces of other drivers demonstrates how rarely they receive positive acknowledgements.

[Welly]

Drivers that pull out in front of me when there is snow on the road - I had a scare on a snow covered roundabout when a car pulled out in front of me as I was on it - the ABS caused my car to slide along nastily. Fortunately there was no collision.

 

Drivers that pull out of a minor road onto a main road forcing me to brake hard, only last week I had to do that and gave him a full second of full beam lights up his ignorant rear end!

 

Lorry drivers who tailgate me - a gravel lorry did that last summer and rear-ended my car at the roundabout!

 

Joggers without reflective tabards on unlit roads, I nearly ran one down several years ago!

 

People who park too close to my driveway making my exit difficult!

[NGT6 1315]

Driving - such a pleasure these days - NOT.

 

(...) and besides, why should I risk my licence etc because of their poor time management skills ?

 

I fully agree with those statement of yours. It would seem leaving the house five minutes earlier is an alien concept for far too many people, even if they may long have learned that a particular stretch of road may be easily affected by jams.

 

 

_{Have to say the local bus drivers around me are pretty good and often give you the right of way - think its probably a case of one good turn deserves another as the town would quickly grid lock if right turners were not given some degree of priority by other road users.}

 

I generally yield to buses whenever possible, especially on uphill narrow sections. After all, they have a timetable they are supposed to meet, and I normally do not.

[Chubber]

Don't they teach you anything at the IAM ???

 

There are three lanes on a motorway, 50mph, 60mph and 70mph. Everyone knows that.

 

Ah! I had heard that this was being considered, didn't know it had been ratified. I presume that pony-traps don't have to go that fast, on the far-left lane?

 

RM G-P.

[Guest stuartp]

1. What Qwilpen and Sidecar Racer said - straightacrossabouters.

 

2. Whichever clown at Cumbria County Council decided to add cycle lanes to both sides of the A591 at Waterhead (just south of Ambleside). Painting half the lane green and sticking a bike sign up does not alter the fact that the road is twelve feet wide. Seriously - what exactly was the point ?

 

3. Probablt the same clown at CCC who devised their gritting policy. They have got a gritter, they just don't take it out in the winter in case it gets dirty. It's not just me, the "Welcome to Cumbria" sign just leaving County Durham on the A66 once had "Next gritter - 65 miles" added in marker pen.

 

4. People sitting behind you in congested narrow streets who can't see what you can see but still know better than you. My particular favourite was the chap who got so frustrated at me hanging well back that he shot straight round me and came face to face with the lorry I was giving way to. Course, he's now sitting in exactly the space that the lorry needed to get round two parked cars. I nipped off down the side street I'd deliberately stopped opposite and let the rest of the queue draw up behind him.

 

5. Pedestrian rant this one - the person at York City Council who put red and green men on three legs of a crossroads and just left the fourth. (Junction of The Mount / Dalton Terrace / Abermarle Road). It's ok, I'll just guess which direction they're coming from next.

[Stubby47]

Ah! I had heard that this was being considered, didn't know it had been ratified. I presume that pony-traps don't have to go that fast, on the far-left lane?

 

RM G-P.

Yes, of course they do - those are minimum speeds for commercial vehicles (including pony & traps and travelling reps), but a maximum speed if you are over 60, wear a hat whilst driving, or are heading for Cornwall.

[Chubber]

Mr Stubby,

 

You seem to be quite a knowledgeable chap, can you give me any advice on my newly installed 'hands-free' telephone equipment? Although the nice man at Halfords told me it was working perfectly, my car still veers to the left when I take my hands off the steering wheel to answer my telephone...

 

What am I doing wrong? I don't think this hands free thing should be allowed until this sort of problem is sorted out, what?

 

Reginal Mafekin Goatley-Prodding [instructor and Founder Mamber, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Gold Badge blood donor, ex-Chief Scout]

[johnd]

 

1. Tut tut! 70 mph might be 'de riguer' for experienced drivers like me, [60 years and a member of the I.A.M.] but for some young Johnnie-come-lately types it's far too fast! Remember, it is what it says, a national speed 'limit', not a target and it's not compulsory, you know.

 

2. I agree, farmers should not leave lumps of earth on the road, and of course there is a lorry lane, they can't drive on the very left hand part, that's reserved for pony and traps etc.

 

3. Yes, they can overtake, of course they can, but only when the one in front stops for a cup of tea or when his telegraph tells him to. I know these things.

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [institute of Advanced Motorists]

 

 

 

John - "If you are a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists you should know that on a Motorway you should not be in the centre lane of the Motorway if the lane on the left of you is clear. Read the Highway code."

 

Ah! John, as an obvious newcomer to this driving business you clearly do not appreciate the merit of driving in the centre lane [if you are an experienced driver like me]. It gives you plenty of room to swerve out of the way in an emergency, such as a lady falling off of a charabanc in front of you, or a traction engine travelling slowly ahead. And by travelling at 60mph it leaves a little in hand for accelerating out of dangerous situations such as flock of sheep on the road...

 

RM Goatley-Prodding [instructor, Institute of Advanced Motorists]

 

Don't assume I am a newish driver I have had a licence since 1972 ( I make that 40 years ) and still read the highway code, you in your position should above everybody else should be following the rules no matter what.

[The Dorset Wanderer]

Drivers who do not understand the concept of limited vehicles.

Try staying behind a vehicle that is doing 1.5 MPH below your limit.

Idiots that pull in front of a 20 tonner which is already braking.

Any BMW driver- just cos the advert says it- it isn't necessarily true!

Steve

[Sidecar Racer]

Mr Stubby,

 

You seem to be quite a knowledgeable chap, can you give me any advice on my newly installed 'hands-free' telephone equipment? Although the nice man at Halfords told me it was working perfectly, my car still veers to the left when I take my hands off the steering wheel to answer my telephone...

 

What am I doing wrong? I don't think this hands free thing should be allowed until this sort of problem is sorted out, what?

 

Reginal Mafekin Goatley-Prodding [instructor and Founder Mamber, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Gold Badge blood donor, ex-Chief Scout]

 

 

I think you will find that hands free will only operate correctly if combined with cruise control , this

should provide the vehicle with more stability ,

 

Mind you , I'm only speaking as an ex mechanic from the chariot age , and this is what I have been told and

what I have read in the latest trade papyrus .

 

Hope this go's some way to helping you .

[oggy1953]

OK my 5

1, Tailgateing

2, also people who drive too slow

3, Those that don't say thankyou when you pull in to let them come the other way in a narrow road.

4, Those selfish people who use a Mobile Phone...Should be made an offence (ha ha ha ).

5, People who open their door without looking first.

[JZ]

1. Mobile phones while driving. Especially the artic driver, from a major West Country transport firm based in Chilcompton and Avonmouth, while negotiating a roundabout in Bristol last week. And coach drivers, have they no idea of their responsibilities?

2. Cyclists. Not the responsable ones who take care, but those that switch lanes and come off pavements without warning, cut across traffic and shout abuse when they have nearly gone into you and wearing ear/headphones whilst doing so.

3. People that have no idea how a mini roundabout works and just sit there waiting for someone to let them out.

4. People that anticipate traffic lights going red (yes, that's right) I'm not saying scream up to the light and brake hard if they change.Just don't slow to a crawl 100metres before you get there.

4½. Also the ones that pull away on a green and then stop on the junction to see if anything is coming.

4¾. The ones that pull out at junctions and then accelerate really slowly to save fuel. Fine if there is no other traffic around, But when there is, they all have to slow then accelerate using more fuel themselves.

5. This one, probably more than any other is my bug bear. People that leave gaps in traffic queues. If everyone left a car's length it would double the length of the queue. There are many that leave much bigger ones.( I even passed one once)

[oggy1953]

Mr Stubby,

 

You seem to be quite a knowledgeable chap, can you give me any advice on my newly installed 'hands-free' telephone equipment? Although the nice man at Halfords told me it was working perfectly, my car still veers to the left when I take my hands off the steering wheel to answer my telephone...

 

What am I doing wrong? I don't think this hands free thing should be allowed until this sort of problem is sorted out, what?

 

Reginal Mafekin Goatley-Prodding [instructor and Founder Mamber, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Gold Badge blood donor, ex-Chief Scout]

Well its not the hands free kit, your tracking and wheel balance must be out. No need to take both hands off with my kit you just touch the recieve button on the phone with one finger.