Car driving standards

[City Hobgoblin]

Ignoring temporary red lights if the driver thinks he can see nothing coming in the other direction is the new norm, it seems.

 

[bluejon]

Ignoring temporary red lights if the driver thinks he can see nothing coming in the other direction is the new norm, it seems.

I live in Levenshulme. Red lights are now optional these days round us.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

In the middle of Cleveleys there's a set of lights Crescent Rd/Victoria Rd where when coming from the Bispham direction much too many cars ignore the NO U Turn sign and just spin round.

It's a disaster waiting to happen as there are loads of old people crossing using the green man as a signal its good to go only to find taxis, work vans, cars swinging round behind them and giving them abuse for legally crossing.

I've emailed the coppers but, nothing seems to have been done. I await seeing someone thrown in the air while I'm having a pint in The Vault and being a willing witness in court.

 

[manclad]

Peoole driving in the middle lane with nothing ahead of them doing 60 mph. Turns their car into a dangerous rolling road block that you have to get round.

Why don’t people understand to drive to the left if your car breaks down or the tire blows you are closer to the hard shoulder to come to a stop?

1st rule of the road is - drive on the left.
I learnt that rule over 50 years ago.

 

[Kompany Car]

This is often a result of road layouts from the 1930's being subjected to the use of 'modern' vehicles.

View attachment 189910

I find its more down to people driving cars which are too big for them to handle. In the same way as someone mentioned about driving on the white lines in the middle of the road, they seem unable to judge where the corners of the car, or more often SUV are.

 

[pee dubya]

This is often a result of road layouts from the 1930's being subjected to the use of 'modern' vehicles.

View attachment 189910

I live in a bit like this with very old road layout (more like 1800's) but I think it's more just people not taking care.

There's a spot on my commute that's a tight corner where you can't see if anyones in the left lane until you're in the turn. When I'm in the left I know to approach cautiously because it's a regular occurrence to get someone flying through, cutting the corner right into my path of travel, and having to jerk their car out the way. But if you just go a bit wider and slower into the turn it's no problem.

Its a residential neighbourhood but this happens all the time because it's a Google maps shortcut if there's a bit of traffic on the main road and there's a school nearby so you get the manic tank drivers dropping their kids off. Is always folk in a rush, thinking they're the most important road users.

 

[tweety]

I find its more down to people driving cars which are too big for them to handle. In the same way as someone mentioned about driving on the white lines in the middle of the road, they seem unable to judge where the corners of the car, or more often SUV are.

Parked near an IONIQ9 yesterday, it's a Hyundai. I thought it was an armoured personnel carrier, it was so big that it had to straddle two parking bays. WTF does anyone need a car so big to pootle down the shops in, the driver was a pensioner btw.

 

[elbearos]

Ignoring temporary red lights if the driver thinks he can see nothing coming in the other direction is the new norm, it seems.

Ther is no need for temporary lights if no road works are happening, just move the lights

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Parked near an IONIQ9 yesterday, it's a Hyundai. I thought it was an armoured personnel carrier, it was so big that it had to straddle two parking bays. WTF does anyone need a car so big to pootle down the shops in, the driver was a pensioner btw.

Modern vehicles are also much heavier, EV especially, and the substrate that makes up the road, again designed and specified when cars were much lighter is taking a pounding and leading to increased road damage.

 

[Really_here]

On the subject of braking, my new car has one pedal drive / regenerative braking, meaning it slows as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator. But it doesn't actually apply the brakes lights unless a certain level do braking force is met, ie no brake lights if you slow gradually and smoothly, and the amount of drivers who seem to be unable to understand what their eyes presumably see, that the car in front of them is slowing down, because there is no brake light, makes me worry that I'll be rear ended sooner rather than later, so it may be getting turned off in the settings.

Seems to be a common trend now to drive on most roads with at least a tyre over the white line. I'd say it's the increasing width of vehicles, but as soon as they meet a vehicle coming the other way they scuttle back to their own side, so I think it's a power play or lack of awareness of where their vehicle actually sits on the road.

Swinging out when turning, despite cars having power assisted steering as standard for decades. Also speeding up when turning seems to be a thing, followed by heavy braking as they turn, no idea why. Must be because petrol is so cheap nowadays.

Driving off and doing your seatbelt after you've set off. Usually can tell this lot as they're driving for the first 50 metres one handed with the car wobbling like a drunk staggering back from the pub. What have you actually saved there?

Looking left when turning left out of a junction, and pretty much only left. Because that's the way they want to go, and which way does danger usually come from on UK roads again?

Being tailgated by the car that wants to do 10mph more than the line of traffic on front of them, and they move slightly to the right to make their point that they want to overtake and play leapfrog one car at a time. On advanced driver courses they actually teach to slow down on such situations, because apparently it's a proven concept that once a registration number becomes clear to you, you think it's going too slow and has to be overtaken. Slowing down that you can't quite make it out reduces that feeling, and you can actually influence the behaviour of the driver behind you by allowing the gap in front of you to grow, and they'll subconsciously then do the same to you. Only works for drivers who aren't consciously driving aggressively, those who are intent on driving like F1 will see the gap as an opportunity unfortunately.

Most of all, pavement parking. I get it's a necessity on some roads, but blocking a pavement so pedestrians can't get past at all, parking on a blind corner, or driving up onto the pavement at speed when there are kids walking towards them, not a single thought for how they'd feel if they actually did hit someone. I mean, What's the thinking there? "Oh, I might inconvenience other cars if I park here, so I'll park half up on the pavement to make sure I inconvenience both cars and pedestrians too"? This one is especially common around schools, with parents of small children seemingly being the most unaware of, and unconcerned with, the safety of small children.

100% agree re pavement parking but there are lots of streets that were established when car ownership was quite rare and these days it's not uncommon to find houses on those same street where one house own three or even four cars now

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

100% agree re pavement parking but there are lots of streets that were established when car ownership was quite rare and these days it's not uncommon to find houses on those same street where one house own three or even four cars now

Weird how it seems perfectly acceptable to store your personal property on the pavement outside you house if it's a car, but if I put up a shed to store my bikes people will lose their shit.

 

[Grassland Blue]

On the subject of braking, my new car has one pedal drive / regenerative braking, meaning it slows as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator. But it doesn't actually apply the brakes lights unless a certain level do braking force is met, ie no brake lights if you slow gradually and smoothly, and the amount of drivers who seem to be unable to understand what their eyes presumably see, that the car in front of them is slowing down, because there is no brake light, makes me worry that I'll be rear ended sooner rather than later, so it may be getting turned off in the settings.

Seems to be a common trend now to drive on most roads with at least a tyre over the white line. I'd say it's the increasing width of vehicles, but as soon as they meet a vehicle coming the other way they scuttle back to their own side, so I think it's a power play or lack of awareness of where their vehicle actually sits on the road.

Swinging out when turning, despite cars having power assisted steering as standard for decades. Also speeding up when turning seems to be a thing, followed by heavy braking as they turn, no idea why. Must be because petrol is so cheap nowadays.

Driving off and doing your seatbelt after you've set off. Usually can tell this lot as they're driving for the first 50 metres one handed with the car wobbling like a drunk staggering back from the pub. What have you actually saved there?

Looking left when turning left out of a junction, and pretty much only left. Because that's the way they want to go, and which way does danger usually come from on UK roads again?

Being tailgated by the car that wants to do 10mph more than the line of traffic on front of them, and they move slightly to the right to make their point that they want to overtake and play leapfrog one car at a time. On advanced driver courses they actually teach to slow down on such situations, because apparently it's a proven concept that once a registration number becomes clear to you, you think it's going too slow and has to be overtaken. Slowing down that you can't quite make it out reduces that feeling, and you can actually influence the behaviour of the driver behind you by allowing the gap in front of you to grow, and they'll subconsciously then do the same to you. Only works for drivers who aren't consciously driving aggressively, those who are intent on driving like F1 will see the gap as an opportunity unfortunately.

Most of all, pavement parking. I get it's a necessity on some roads, but blocking a pavement so pedestrians can't get past at all, parking on a blind corner, or driving up onto the pavement at speed when there are kids walking towards them, not a single thought for how they'd feel if they actually did hit someone. I mean, What's the thinking there? "Oh, I might inconvenience other cars if I park here, so I'll park half up on the pavement to make sure I inconvenience both cars and pedestrians too"? This one is especially common around schools, with parents of small children seemingly being the most unaware of, and unconcerned with, the safety of small children.

Unless it's their own precious offspring....

 

[richardtheref]

Rarely take the bus these days but took one the other day and sat at the front upstairs. You get an absolutely cracking view from there of the appalling standards of car driving now. Cars not edging out if junctions but speeding out of them without consideration for others. Numerous cars in yellow box junctions when they gave no right to be there. Taxis and Ubers just slamming their brakes on and stopping in the middle of the road and doing a U turn. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents.

I now drive buses. I find taxi drivers, Uber drivers, Amazon drivers and other delivery drivers are allowed to park on the cross hatched area.

 

[bluejon]

I now drive buses. I find taxi drivers, Uber drivers, Amazon drivers and other delivery drivers are allowed to park on the cross hatched area.

I believe the rule now is if you put your hazards on you can park wherever the fuck you want.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

1st rule of the road is - drive on the left.
I learnt that rule over 50 years ago.

I'm convinced there is a growing number who don't know their right from their left, or are just pig-ignorant when it comes to the Highway Code. The general rule seems to be that the right lane is the one that gets you past all the other traffic, and then, ohhh, yer've got to turn left here, so lets go over three lanes to execute that.