Your bad driving encounters/irritations

[LowEndTorque]

There is a local roundabout that has the yellow flashing lights pedestrian crossing right on the exit. Yesterday evening as usual with someone crossing, the cars had stopped on the roundabout. It was the second exit for me and I noticed I could get on the roundabout without blocking anyone. Noticed an elderly lady in a new Polo on the first exit waiting to get in on the roundabout too.

She had no space as the cars ahead had blocked the path due to the pedestrians crossing at that time. This lady tried to force her way in front of the car ahead of me. The car ahead didn't budge, then she tried to do the same to me as I was getting ready to exit by moving her car ahead in a disappearing gap. I didn't relent either and went around her front and beeped.

I would have let go if she didn't try to bully her way in but I saw that entitlement on her face and decided not to relent.

 

[jpaul]

but we have a round with an exit often tailed back, and people on it will leave a gap/flash people through who want to enter and go across your exit path.

In my experience the new pedestrian hierarchy system its usually the motorists fault, they seem to indicate at last second on a turn,
I'll still give way as a ped for someone turning into my road, but if I've looked at them for 2-3s before starting to cross, I'll continue,
usually wearing my hi-viz cycle gear walking to supmkt from bike park.

e: afterthought - identifying such pedestrians for any of the automated car driving systems/ robo-taxis will be a challenge - versus USA jay-walking.
saw this ch4 vid a few days back : you can't even grab the wheel

 

[Rroff]

In my experience the new pedestrian hierarchy system its usually the motorists fault, they seem to indicate at last second on a turn,

The lack of appropriate indication drives drivers up the wall as well, there are a couple of places on my commute where I regularly curse other drivers for not indicating in time to allow other road users to make an informed decision.

But the hierarchy system turns things on it's head when many pedestrians lack the experience to understand the realities of driving and that is just stupid - there is only so much you can do as a driver short of crawling everywhere at 10MPH while a pedestrian has better ability to avoid dangerous situations in the first place - another one I'm seeing so much of lately living out of town is people walking in the road with their back to traffic - for some reason even those of a generation where it was drummed into them not to do it.

EDIT: There does need more to be done to get road users to look out more for those more vulnerable but I don't know how you square that in a sensible way - increasingly changes to the Highway Code and road implementations i.e. layout and speed limit seem to be being dictated by who shouts the loudest at a higher priority than a considered implementation by experts.

 

[Richie]

The lack of appropriate indication drives drivers up the wall as well, there are a couple of places on my commute where I regularly curse other drivers for not indicating in time to allow other road users to make an informed decision.

It is becoming normalised to indicate at the same time they turn the steering wheel. Almost like they stick their finger out and "catch" the stalk as they turn the wheel to turn the indicator on.

I have said it a few times - I know THEY know they want to turn so and have decided this 5-10 seconds ahead of the movement but they seem to have no concern that other road users are not mind readers and need a couple of seconds to see the indicator, consciously understand what the other driver wants to do and then make any necessary adjustments.

Even when people leave motorways, they indicate as they cross the dashed line at the start of the off-ramp. I mean FFS


On indicators as well - People need to learn that putting an indicator on is simply an indication of INTENT of what you want to do, not a legal right to carry out the maneuver.

 

[Resident]

So related to the whole pedestrians running across against the signals, 40mph dual carriageway earlier today, west-bound into low sun so very poor visibility even with shades. Schoolkid runs across the crossing and I missed them by literal centimetres.

There is a local roundabout that has the yellow flashing lights pedestrian crossing right on the exit. Yesterday evening as usual with someone crossing, the cars had stopped on the roundabout. It was the second exit for me and I noticed I could get on the roundabout without blocking anyone. Noticed an elderly lady in a new Polo on the first exit waiting to get in on the roundabout too.

She had no space as the cars ahead had blocked the path due to the pedestrians crossing at that time. This lady tried to force her way in front of the car ahead of me. The car ahead didn't budge, then she tried to do the same to me as I was getting ready to exit by moving her car ahead in a disappearing gap. I didn't relent either and went around her front and beeped.

I would have let go if she didn't try to bully her way in but I saw that entitlement on her face and decided not to relent.

When I'm driving the bus I'm often over-courteous with letting people out when I'm turning as it usually benefits me because they're out of my way.

But anyone who tries to push their way out gets shutdown, I don't own the bus or pay for it's repair bill

 

[tom_e]

Had a guy try and block me on a merge in turn today, I was in the right lane which merges over to the left all going nicely until this pleb decided he was going to glue himself to the car just passing my lefts back bumper so I couldn't get in.

Unfortunately for him I'd had enough of terrible driving on my commute today and was always still ahead of him so just started moving over until he realised I was coming in whether he agreed or not.

Sensible head says leave them to it, stubborn head that's been up since 4am and done a 100 mile commute rolls my eyes and thinks get ****ed

 

[Rroff]

But anyone who tries to push their way out gets shutdown, I don't own the bus or pay for it's repair bill

I've heard similar from some of our lorry drivers recently, they probably should keep that to themselves though. One of the ones winding them up recently is people trying to use turning lanes to overtake them and running out of room.

 

[theone8181]

In response to the above about indicators (and I say this as a driver), if there was some way of fining people for not indicating, I feel the 50bn deficit would disappear pretty quickly . It is my biggest bugbear about driving, I've had so many near misses involving people not indicating then just pulling out. So dangerous imo, moreso than speeding.

 

[tom_e]

I find it more dangerous when they remember where the indicator is but have no idea how they're supposed to use it. Another one from yesterday coming up to a roundabout 2 lanes. Right lane goes right, left lane for left or straight over. BMW is in front of me in the left lane, starts indicating right, moves out on to the roundabout keeps indicating right as I'm following, we start to come up to the straight over exit still indicating right (they can just keep going and take the right hand exit from there if needed).

I start indicating left to come off, they don't seem to be slowing down so assuming (my fault) they're actually going right. Oh no just as we reach the final chance their left indicator comes on they slow down to an almost dead stop and crawl off the roundabout.

We've just had a ten minute rant in the office that all the people without licences seem to have appeared since it got cold

 

[theone8181]

I find it more dangerous when they remember where the indicator is but have no idea how they're supposed to use it. Another one from yesterday coming up to a roundabout 2 lanes. Right lane goes right, left lane for left or straight over. BMW is in front of me in the left lane, starts indicating right, moves out on to the roundabout keeps indicating right as I'm following, we start to come up to the straight over exit still indicating right (they can just keep going and take the right hand exit from there if needed).

I start indicating left to come off, they don't seem to be slowing down so assuming (my fault) they're actually going right. Oh no just as we reach the final chance their left indicator comes on they slow down to an almost dead stop and crawl off the roundabout.

We've just had a ten minute rant in the office that all the people without licences seem to have appeared since it got cold

I don't know where this idea of indicating right to go straight on has come from, but imo it's incredibly dangerous and stupid, mainly as when I've come across it they've been in the right only lane, or if you are trying to join from the first exit, and you assume they are going right not straight on.

 

[VersionMonkey]

I don't know where this idea of indicating right to go straight on has come from, but imo it's incredibly dangerous and stupid, mainly as when I've come across it they've been in the right only lane, or if you are trying to join from the first exit, and you assume they are going right not straight on.

I have a somewhat hazy recollection that at one point (a few decades ago) the Institute of Advanced Motorists advocated for it; including it in their driver training and testing. I don't know if they still do and my recollection could well be wrong.

 

[tom_e]

I don't know where this idea of indicating right to go straight on has come from, but imo it's incredibly dangerous and stupid, mainly as when I've come across it they've been in the right only lane, or if you are trying to join from the first exit, and you assume they are going right not straight on.

It's definitely something that seems to have become more common over the last couple of years.
There's a string of 4 or 5 roundabouts going down the A5 on my commute and they're all very simple 4 exit ones where straight over literally is right in front of you as you enter and I've followed people that have indicated right at every single one.

 

[CrazyGreggy]

Stuck behind a little old lady in a VW Up doing 20 along a relatively short stretch of NSL earlier, the drops to 13(!) in the actual 20 zone. If I hadn’t been on my way to the dentist and in no hurry whatsoever to get there, I’d have been as furious as the bloke behind me clearly was.

How she still has her license I’ll never know

 

[Nigel Kingdon]

You indicate right on a roundabout when you are NOT taking the next exit. Indicate left when you are. Worst offenders are left hand lane, no indication, then horn on when you, signalling left, cut in front of them on exit 2 or 3.

 

[Brun]

Worst offenders are left hand lane, no indication, then horn on when you, signalling left, cut in front of them on exit 2 or 3.

The issue there is them using the wrong lane, nothing to do with indicators. Unless you think driving round the outside of a roundabout is ok as long as you're signalling right?

 

[tom_e]

You indicate right on a roundabout when you are NOT taking the next exit. Indicate left when you are. Worst offenders are left hand lane, no indication, then horn on when you, signalling left, cut in front of them on exit 2 or 3.

So if you're going straight over (exit 2) you're indicating right until you've passed exit 1 even though exit 2 is at 12 o'clock as you enter the roundabout?

 

[Kenai]

Worst offenders are left hand lane, no indication, then horn on when you, signalling left, cut in front of them on exit 2 or 3.

This just sounds like a "someone was in the wrong lane" problem, indicators or no indicators, if you're cutting people up whilst exiting roundabouts, someone picked the wrong lane when they entered for where they wanted to exit.

 

[Nabinium]

While driving to work this morning, slowly trodding through some queuing rush hour traffic on the A1 as usual. All of a sudden, this old Mondeo boots it down the hard shoulder, probably just to get ahead of the many miles long traffic. All the while there was a police car directly in front of me also queuing in the traffic.

The police car did nothing. Erm...

 

[Nigel Kingdon]

186
Signals and position. When taking the first exit to the left, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

• signal left and approach in the left-hand lane
• keep to the left on the roundabout and continue signalling left to leave.

When taking an exit to the right or going full circle, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

• signal right and approach in the right-hand lane
• keep to the right on the roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit the roundabout
• signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want.

When taking any intermediate exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

• select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout
• you should not normally need to signal on approach
• stay in this lane until you need to alter course to exit the roundabout
• signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want.

"This just sounds like a "someone was in the wrong lane" problem, indicators or no indicators, if you're cutting people up whilst exiting roundabouts, someone picked the wrong lane when they entered for where they wanted to exit."

So not indicating when you're in the left lane and taking an intermediate exit is OK then, and using the horn as a rebuke when you haven't signalled your intention is also OK?

 

[Resident]

While driving to work this morning, slowly trodding through some queuing rush hour traffic on the A1 as usual. All of a sudden, this old Mondeo boots it down the hard shoulder, probably just to get ahead of the many miles long traffic. All the while there was a police car directly in front of me also queuing in the traffic.

The police car did nothing. Erm...

About right for plod these days.

Now if the Mondeo had tweeted something......