Your bad driving encounters

[jpaul]

I genuinely think I'd get less tailgating if I was to be sitting up the chuff of the car in front but because there is a couple of second gap I think it doesn't register that I'm actually travelling as fast as I can and would be going quicker if the road was clear.

lots of tailgating in the NSL 3m section to our village - different priorities or poor memories of the road ? which has a couple of nice bends where heavy vehicles will brake,
but, people don't hold off behind them though to allow them to enjoy the bends, and just crowd in bunches, too close, all braking.

 

[Rroff]

Motorway / dual carriageway driving is getting worse in the UK.

The number of people slamming on the brakes for no reason causing a ripple effect is getting silly, and you know they are braking for no reason most of the time but can't ignore it just in case there is something you've missed.

What should have been an hour up the M5 a few days ago took about half an hour longer due to people's bad driving causing completely avoidable delays.

 

[Infidelus]

The number of people slamming on the brakes for no reason causing a ripple effect is getting silly

That's because everyone drives far too close to the car in front instead of using the two second rule.

 

[Rroff]

That's because everyone drives far too close to the car in front instead of using the two second rule.

That is often part of it - a common one is where a broken down car is sitting on the hard shoulder and for some reason some people slow down unnecessarily causing those too close to other cars to brake causing a ripple effect that turns into it taking 15 minutes to do what should be 2 minutes of road.

With the added fun in one case just before a junction of a Range Rover in the outside lane diving to the hard shoulder and driving along it at speed with their hazards on in what I assume was an attempt to take the junction nearly crashing into the broken down car and then being blocked by those in lane 1 when they tried to bully their way out.

 

[theone8181]

That's because everyone drives far too close to the car in front instead of using the two second rule.

Yes and no. While they do drive to close, I've noticed people's reaction times are shocking. I've seen glaciers move quicker . This is painfully obvious on roundabouts, where I'm on the and somebody has had an age to pull on, but decides to do so just as I'm almost at their turn resulting in me having to slam on

 

[lordrobs]

The rage that some people take behind the wheel with them as well is incredible. I went shopping last night and on the way back there were some roadworks on the A47. If these had planned to continue into the day I'm sure they'd have had another setup but basically lane 1 had been coned off and the slip road now approached lane 2 via a narrow route layed out with cones at an incredibly sharp angle which made merging tricky.

I was in the MX5 so helpfully had an uninterrupted view looking over my shoulder. The 1 series a little way in front committed to the merge but there was an MG SUV coming at speed. It wasn't anywhere near being a close call but the MG had to slow down to about 50. Cue tailgating, light flashing, beeping etc. for the next two miles.

As soon as lane 1 opened the BMW pulled over and accelerated from 55 ish to about 70. The MG obviously had to make a point and overtook the BMW then weaved straight in front in a non existent gap, brake lights strobing as the car was thinking it was some kind of emergency stop to then take the exit slip. Honestly if it wasn't for ESP and ABS that MG would have been facing in the wrong direction.

All because they had to slow down a touch. Crazy.

 

[Resident]

The rage that some people take behind the wheel with them as well is incredible. I went shopping last night and on the way back there were some roadworks on the A47. If these had planned to continue into the day I'm sure they'd have had another setup but basically lane 1 had been coned off and the slip road now approached lane 2 via a narrow route layed out with cones at an incredibly sharp angle which made merging tricky.

I was in the MX5 so helpfully had an uninterrupted view looking over my shoulder. The 1 series a little way in front committed to the merge but there was an MG SUV coming at speed. It wasn't anywhere near being a close call but the MG had to slow down to about 50. Cue tailgating, light flashing, beeping etc. for the next two miles.

As soon as lane 1 opened the BMW pulled over and accelerated from 55 ish to about 70. The MG obviously had to make a point and overtook the BMW then weaved straight in front in a non existent gap, brake lights strobing as the car was thinking it was some kind of emergency stop to then take the exit slip. Honestly if it wasn't for ESP and ABS that MG would have been facing in the wrong direction.

All because they had to slow down a touch. Crazy.

Genuinely don't think I've seen anyone driving one of those new MG SUVs do so in a manner in accordance with the rules of the road.

Personally if I'm on the motorway and approaching roadworked slip roads, like you describe, I move over and clear the lane to allow safer merges.

Even regular slip roads, if I know it's a busy one then I'll move over. A little forward planning and courtesy just keeps thing moving.

 

[Richie]

That's because everyone drives far too close to the car in front instead of using the two second rule.

The issue you have with the 2 second rule is that some nugget thinks its then acceptable to pull into said gap which, usually, entails them entering at speed and slamming the brakes on once they are in, causing the car behind to brake hard as well and the ripple starts.

The issue is not the 2 second rule though - its the dafties that MGIF (Must Get In Front) to save all of about 1.5 seconds on their journey.

 

[Rroff]

its the dafties that MGIF (Must Get In Front) to save all of about 1.5 seconds on their journey.

Had one on the M5 just now - tons of camper vans, etc. heading into the South West using lane 3 to overtake 1MPH faster than the camper van in lane 2 doing 1MPH faster than the lorry in lane 1... causing all the lanes to be basically doing the same speed and congested for no good reason... I'm in lane 2 and it starts moving a little faster than lane 3 and someone in lane 3 try to bully me out so they could undertake 1 car in lane 3 and then push their way into lane 3 again only to get nowhere. (EDIT: Personally I wasn't that bothered just sat in lane 2 in a constant stream of traffic doing around 60 and chilled - but it could have been moving so much better and safer).

I'm glad I don't have to do much motorway driving it is just worse and worse for ignorant driving causing congestion and near incidents all of which is totally avoidable.

EDIT: Also the number of people who come over to the left on approach to the slip road from a junction... potentially coming into conflict with cars trying to merge... and seems worse than ever for no one trying to make it easy for joining traffic.

 

[Nigel Kingdon]

It's about time Motorway driving was included in the test, for where there's one within 10 miles of the test centre. Poor lane discipline being a fail.

 

[Conscript]

Silver X5 in front of me just joined the A2 at 43MPH. It then proceeded to slowly accelerate to about 60MPH or so, while moving over into lane 3, despite not overtaking anyone.
I had to move over to lane 4 to overtake. Driver looked completely oblivious.

Rage.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Silver X5 in front of me just joined the A2 at 43MPH. It then proceeded to slowly accelerate to about 60MPH or so, while moving over into lane 3, despite not overtaking anyone.
I had to move over to lane 4 to overtake. Driver looked completely oblivious.

Rage.

The worst combo - merging insensitively to the motorway, and then mindlessly moving over to the right before observing conditions. People just think they need t be over there, rather than realising the road is clear and they could just put their foot down.

 

[Rroff]

The worst combo - merging insensitively to the motorway, and then mindlessly moving over to the right before observing conditions. People just think they need t be over there, rather than realising the road is clear and they could just put their foot down.

To be fair I did a not best emerge a few days back, no one lifting a finger when they easily could have done to ease my emerge, only to realise the slip road continued as the new lane 1... though in my defence you couldn't see that from where the roads met (also lorry in front of me blocking view) and the sat nav didn't show it well enough to pick up on it.

EDIT: My bad as well there is a sign a bit back telling you https://maps.app.goo.gl/SMnfrwRKeeywrKQb7 somehow read it as a normal emerge with a dotted line at the end.

 

[Infidelus]

The issue you have with the 2 second rule is that some nugget thinks its then acceptable to pull into said gap which, usually, entails them entering at speed and slamming the brakes on once they are in, causing the car behind to brake hard as well and the ripple starts.

The issue is not the 2 second rule though - its the dafties that MGIF (Must Get In Front) to save all of about 1.5 seconds on their journey.

Ahh but they have to get in front because they're obviously far more important than anyone else so don't have to follow sensibilities and rules like others!

 

[Haggisman]

It's about time Motorway driving was included in the test, for where there's one within 10 miles of the test centre. Poor lane discipline being a fail.

I honestly don't think this would make a difference. People know which lane they should be using, there are even signs telling them "keep left unless overtaking"

The problem is they just don't care, and there are no consequences for ignoring the rules, since there aren't enough traffic police to pull people up on anything but the most dangerous driving

The number of people slamming on the brakes for no reason causing a ripple effect is getting silly, and you know they are braking for no reason most of the time but can't ignore it just in case there is something you've missed.

Could this potentially be something to do with poor implementations of adaptive cruise? Car in front slows down slightly for whatever reason, so the adaptive cruise system reacts overzealously and illuminates the brake lights when slowing?

 

[Rroff]

Could this potentially be something to do with poor implementations of adaptive cruise? Car in front slows down slightly for whatever reason, so the adaptive cruise system reacts overzealously and illuminates the brake lights when slowing?

No idea on that, vast majority of it seems due to entirely avoidable incidents like people driving too close, people bullying their way in and out of lanes (often to undertake) and for some reason slowing right down to gawp at broken down cars on the hard shoulder never mind accidents (where there isn't a need to slow down).

 

[mattyfez]

Todays darwin award candidate...

Wheelying around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road... what is it with chavs and e-bikes? and how can they even afford them?

 

[Haggisman]

how can they even afford them?

You can "afford" a lot of things when you just nick them

 

[Resident]

Tonight's MG SUV encounter.

Pulled out on a 13t double deck bus which was doing 40mph, downhill. VERY VERY close call and the old git just waves his hand out the window.

Unfortunately for him it triggered our collision alert system so the CCTV will be viewed by management & our police liaison so he'll probably get his collar felt.

 

[Rroff]

Tonight's MG SUV encounter.

Pulled out on a 13t double deck bus which was doing 40mph, downhill. VERY VERY close call and the old git just waves his hand out the window.

Unfortunately for him it triggered our collision alert system so the CCTV will be viewed by management & our police liaison so he'll probably get his collar felt.

I'd love to know what people are thinking when they do stuff like this.