Standard of driving in the UK going downhill.

[Conscript]

This is true but I'd say the biggest issue is people having no patience. Not everyone is a road warrior, ultimate driver who can do no wrong. Dorris taking an extra 5 seconds to merge because she last joined a motorway in 1970 shouldn't be a trigger.

People have no patience for anyone else on the road and assume everyone is of the same experience level/can make no mistakes.

I admit that I'm an impatient driver, but I get what you're saying. It's easier to bear if you can put it down to inexperience or nervousness.

But there are times when it's seemingly purely down to selfishness, laziness and/or entitlement, and it's that which I find the most infuriating - when you know another driver has not put in the merest bit of effort which could help others. Not indicating for example - literally all you have to do is extend your little finger and nudge a stalk, and the chap waiting on you at the mini roundabout then has a bit more of a clue as to your intention, which might help him move off a bit quicker. Same for lane hogging and discipline - I guess sometimes it's inexperience, but more it seems more often to be pure laziness, as far as I can tell. It's easier to cruise in the middle lane, so people do so, ignoring the fact that it means more legwork for everyone else to manoeuvre around you. But hey, as long as you're alright, Jack.

That's the sort of "poor driving" I think we suffer with most in the UK - a lack of consideration for others around you, and putting in a bit of effort, even though it might not be technically or legally required, to make everyone's journey a bit easier.

 

[dlockers]

I admit that I'm an impatient driver, but I get what you're saying. It's easier to bear if you can put it down to inexperience or nervousness.

But there are times when it's seemingly purely down to selfishness, laziness and/or entitlement, and it's that which I find the most infuriating - when you know another driver has not put in the merest bit of effort which could help others. Not indicating for example - literally all you have to do is extend your little finger and nudge a stalk, and the chap waiting on you at the mini roundabout then has a bit more of a clue as to your intention, which might help him move off a bit quicker. Same for lane hogging and discipline - I guess sometimes it's inexperience, but more it seems more often to be pure laziness, as far as I can tell. It's easier to cruise in the middle lane, so people do so, ignoring the fact that it means more legwork for everyone else to manoeuvre around you. But hey, as long as you're alright, Jack.

That's the sort of "poor driving" I think we suffer with most in the UK - a lack of consideration for others around you, and putting in a bit of effort, even though it might not be technically or legally required, to make everyone's journey a bit easier.

OK I agree with all of your qualifiers to the statement there.

I'll add:
* "The Overly Helpful Driver" - People who stop the flow of traffic to let people leave side junctions, even though if they and you just flew by, the person could leave the side junction freely anyway
* "The Roundabout Experts" - People who "KNOW DARN WELL HOW ROUNDABOUTS WORK" and make sure to hold their lane religiously and keep themselves in everyone else's blind spot.
* "The Premature RAGERS" - People who get mad that you take an extra 3 seconds to pull into a side street, because they can't see the on-coming traffic on that side street creating an "impasse"
* "The Slip Road Overtakers" - People who change into the outside slip road lane (where two lanes exist). These deserve to be taken one side and shot tbf.
* "The Roundabout Racers" - People who RUSH to the giveway of a roundabout, almost on purpose to stop people on their left seizing the brief opportunity to make their turn, then honk their horn at the OUTRAGE that the person didn't giveway to the right (ignoring the fact the driver was doing 50mph to fly through the roundabout).

 

[Sargatanas2511]

My personal bugbear is people who don't indicate at all. It's such a basic simple thing to do but so many refuse to do it now and then act like it's your fault when they do something unexpected. It's so easy to fix but it seems to be getting more and more common. People generally seem to blame "German car drivers" but in my experience it's tiny cars, superminis and such that seem to hate indicators now.

 

[tom_e]

People who race up behind you in the right hand lane and sit just off your bumper, yet when you move over to let them pass before you need to move back out due to more traffic coming up in the left lane then decide they want to be your friend and slow down to almost match your speed and sit just behind the front of your car in the right hand lane blocking any attempt to move back out.

Really peeves me and I know I should just slow down and slot in behind them but every now and again the mist descends and I end up flooring it to get back over in front of them

 

[Conscript]

* "The Slip Road Overtakers" - People who change into the outside slip road lane (where two lanes exist). These deserve to be taken one side and shot tbf.

I am generally against capital punishment, but I, too, would welcome state sanctioned, on the spot execution for minor motoring transgressions which annoy me.
May I subscribe to your newsletter?

 

[dlockers]

My personal bugbear is people who don't indicate at all. It's such a basic simple thing to do but so many refuse to do it now and then act like it's your fault when they do something unexpected. It's so easy to fix but it seems to be getting more and more common. People generally seem to blame "German car drivers" but in my experience it's tiny cars, superminis and such that seem to hate indicators now.

I have a family friend who was driving with an advanced police driving instructor. He was religiously indicating "as he felt the pressure". Driving instructor berated him and asked who he was indicating to

So indicating isn't a black and white - if you are 25 car lengths infront of the person behind you, it isn't a big deal to not indicate.

If you are approaching a roundy and not indicating though, and then turn left - death penalty 100%.

I learnt my hatred for folk not indicating in my youth playing curby at the end of a cul-de-sac that had a turn off just before it. RAGE.

 

[dlockers]

People who race up behind you in the right hand lane and sit just off your bumper, yet when you move over to let them pass before you need to move back out due to more traffic coming up in the left lane then decide they want to be your friend and slow down to almost match your speed and sit just behind the front of your car in the right hand lane blocking any attempt to move back out.

Really peeves me and I know I should just slow down and slot in behind them but every now and again the mist descends and I end up flooring it to get back over in front of them

lol 110%. I always wonder what's going through their head. Maybe they don't realise they're riding your bumper. Maybe we are too sensitive about what riding your bumper mean?

 

[Sargatanas2511]

I have a family friend who was driving with an advanced police driving instructor. He was religiously indicating "as he felt the pressure". Driving instructor berated him and asked who he was indicating to

So indicating isn't a black and white - if you are 25 car lengths infront of the person behind you, it isn't a big deal to not indicate.

If you are approaching a roundy and not indicating though, and then turn left - death penalty 100%.

I learnt my hatred for folk not indicating in my youth playing curby at the end of a cul-de-sac that had a turn off just before it. RAGE.

I get your point but I don't know why it matters if your indicator doesn't help anyone, I feel putting my indicator on isn't a strain and having it on is never going to be a bad thing, so why not use it?

You never know when someone might come out of a junction or something like that, especially if you don't know the area particularly well so I always indicate regardless.

Like I say it's such a simple thing that can really simplify driving for everyone around you, so I have no idea why someone wouldn't do it.

 

[dlockers]

I get your point but I don't know why it matters if your indicator doesn't help anyone, I feel putting my indicator on isn't a strain and having it on is never going to be a bad thing, so why not use it?

The comment was something along the lines of "if you can't read the road to know when indicating is and isn't required, there is a much bigger problem"

Obviously indicating down a side street wouldn't be in scope as you don't know if someone is coming up of it.

I agree that for most people this should be a simplified rule. But raging that folk don't indicate when they pull in front of me doing 70 and I'm doing 56 isn't going to get my back up.

 

[Sargatanas2511]

The comment was something along the lines of "if you can't read the road to know when indicating is and isn't required, there is a much bigger problem"

Obviously indicating down a side street wouldn't be in scope as you don't know if someone is coming up of it.

I agree that for most people this should be a simplified rule. But raging that folk don't indicate when they pull in front of me doing 70 and I'm doing 56 isn't going to get my back up.

I agree, I don't get nearly as angry about it now as I used to but sometimes I still find myself having to come to a complete stop at a roundabout because someone in front of me or coming round the roundabout isn't indicating and I have no idea what they are doing. That stuff could easily be resolved.

 

[Dis86]

I have a family friend who was driving with an advanced police driving instructor. He was religiously indicating "as he felt the pressure". Driving instructor berated him and asked who he was indicating to

So indicating isn't a black and white - if you are 25 car lengths infront of the person behind you, it isn't a big deal to not indicate.

If you are approaching a roundy and not indicating though, and then turn left - death penalty 100%.

I learnt my hatred for folk not indicating in my youth playing curby at the end of a cul-de-sac that had a turn off just before it. RAGE.

Indicating is simple. You do it to show others who may be affected by you actions what your intentions are.
No others affected, don't indicate. Potentially others affected, indicate.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Typical 'things are not what they used to be' rubbish, this thread.

Driving standards in the UK are really very good - something which can be seen in our accident statistics which are amongst the best on the planet. Don't let the paranoid dashcam generation who think every journey is another cash for crash scam waiting to happen convince you otherwise.

Most of us don't realise how lucky we are - we have a well built, well laid out high quality road network with excellent signage and generally high standards of driving. The fact that every UK dashcam compilation is 80% people in the wrong lane shows that so little noteworthy happens on our roads that that is what passes for unusual driving.

 

[dlockers]

Indicating is simple. You do it to show others who may be affected by you actions what your intentions are.
No others affected, don't indicate. Potentially others affected, indicate.

100%. As @Sargatanas2511 said though, it leaves some ambiguity and room for manoeuvre (pun intended). People are pretty thick so a blanket 'always indicate' rule is probably the easiest solution.

 

[tom_e]

My instructor used to tell me you don't need to indicate if there's no one around but it's easier if it just becomes automatic to do it anyway.

 

[Uther]

My instructor used to tell me you don't need to indicate if there's no one around but it's easier if it just becomes automatic to do it anyway.

Exactly. In 30 + years of driving indicating has become totally automatic, so I just do whether there is someone there or not.

 

[HangTime]

LOL I was thinking the exact opposite...

India, chaos on the roads but few collisions it seems despite this.

I'm with OP... generally poor in this country.

I've been to India 3 times and I can assure you that there are collisions. Most people don't even bother repairing dents because they are so frequent.

Then let's look at the fatality stats.
In India, per 100,000 vehicles, on average over 130 people are killed in RTAs every year.
In the UK, Per 100,000 vehicles, on average 5.7 people are killed in RTAs every year.

edit: If you feel this is an inappropriate stat, even per capita India is way, way ahead of UK for fatalities.

People just love a good moan and the excellent standard of driving in the UK has lulled them into this state where any sort of misdemeanour is pounced upon. Some of these people must have had a very sheltered life in terms of being on busy roads in other countries for any length of time.

 

[Semple]

This is true but I'd say the biggest issue is people having no patience. Not everyone is a road warrior, ultimate driver who can do no wrong. Dorris taking an extra 5 seconds to merge because she last joined a motorway in 1970 shouldn't be a trigger.

People have no patience for anyone else on the road and assume everyone is of the same experience level/can make no mistakes.

I'll be the first to admit that i can be quite impatient in that car.

I think what tends to wind me up is the lack of consistency, someone crawling along at 12mph in a 20 zone, but as soon as you hit 30 they've floored it to 40. It's almost like the speed limit signs are meaningless.

The ultimate thing that winds me up though is drivers who know the road/route/area/which lane to be in, but deliberately drive in the wrong lane because it's empty and push in or cut someone up when it comes to the next junction. I actually have patience here in that i'm happy to accept there's a queue at this junction, but if everyone is in the correct lane and takes it in turns then your turn will come.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

@HangTime and @[TW]Fox how dare you come in here with your logic and reasoning into a moan thread, can’t you see facts don’t matter?

 

[visibleman]

* "The Slip Road Overtakers" - People who change into the outside slip road lane (where two lanes exist). These deserve to be taken one side and shot tbf.

I'll hold my hand up to this but i don't quite understand the outrage if you're able to pass slower traffic safely (key point) on the slip road and/or you're coming off a two lane roundabout junction, and you've positioned yourself in the outer lane, on to a two lane slip road (few junctions on the A1 are like this)

To be honest, rather than the overtakers, it's the Slip Road Undertakers, where they'll become "stuck" on a dual-carriageway and nip into a slip road to undertake (on the left) traffic, that you should be outraged at. It's up there with hard-shoulder warriors.

 

[coupe69]

Driving standards in the UK are really very good - something which can be seen in our accident statistics which are amongst the best on the planet

The problem is the title of the thread isn't "How does the driving accident statistics in the UK compare to the rest of the planet" I don't really care what the rest of the planet is doing as I predominantly drive over here. Have a moan or get out!