Your bad driving

[bazzabear]

Everyone is loving dobbing in strangers in the other thread. How eager will people be to admit to daft mistakes they've made themselves?

I'll get you started with this one:

I was driving on this stretch of road last night for the first time:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

goo.gl

And, it being dark, saw those tram tracks as another carriageway. So merrily turned out on to the wrong side of the road to overtake someone before an oncoming car made me realise rather quickly that I was not on a dual carriageway.

No harm done thankfully, but felt a prat!

 

[Richie]

Going up a slip road behind a very slow car who didn't realise they are meant to be used to get upto traffic speed to allow easier merging.

Anyways, I took a look pre-merge and all seemed fine so I accelerated hard and went straight into lane 2 (3 lane m-way) to only just avoid hitting a large Range Rover whos bonnet was pretty much at my rear 1/4.

I hadn't even seen him slightly further back already in lane 2 . Thankfully he took action to prevent the collision and I put my hazards on and gave a very apologetic wave out the driver side window... The chap was very understanding considering - he gave a wave back realising it was a screw up and not intentional.

I don't mind people that make mistakes as 5hey do happen but, if you do, then at least apologise rather than actually giving aggro (rude gestures etc) to the vehicle you nearly hit... It turn you it from a genuine mistake to you being a ****

 

[grudas]

bad driving ? never. 10/10 pro instructor level driving here, I never speed either.

 

[Rroff]

To be fair most of my bad driving has been because my attention has been far too concentrated on people tailgating me or otherwise driving badly behind me - while it doesn't exactly make me nervous or panicky probably worries me more than average and I can make poor decisions sometimes on what is going on in front due to it.

Awhile back I was feeling pressured into making a lane change on approach to traffic lights due to someone tailgating me, resulting in nearly missing the fact the traffic light ahead of me had turned to red, as I'd missed the green to amber transition due to paying more attention to what was going on behind me so didn't immediately notice the traffic lights had changed on looking in front again resulting in making a heavy stop without enough time to make a good decision. Something I learnt from that is to avoid making unnecessary lane changes around situations like turnings and traffic lights, etc.

A few times I've overtaken those 40MPH everywhere people in situations where a lot of people probably wouldn't have overtaken - while not unsafe they aren't exactly ideal overtaking places. Related to that the other day got behind someone who I mistakenly thought was a 40MPH everywhere person dawdling all over the road in an NSL, though to be fair a bad driver, turns out they were (most likely) unfamiliar with the area and looking for a turning. On coming up to a straight section of road I did notice the red and white side road warning sign but didn't think much of it, hardly anyone uses that side road - I put my foot down and pulled out to overtake them when suddenly for some reason from their changes in speed and position I got a hint they might be going to turn off and decided to abort - good thing I did as they then turned off right only indicating as they were already turning and I'm certain did not look behind them before turning.

 

[teenwolf]

I just goto supermarket car parks and rev the **** out if it

 

[peterwalkley]

Pulled out in front of someone last year following on behind another car when joining from a side road. The one in front was ridiculously slow and I got beeped and sworn at. Totally my fault: idiot me should have never assumed a nissan micra was going to move at anything other than a distracted arthritic snail's pace. Fortunately the bimmer who beeped spotted two bell ends emerging and was ready for us

 

[Rroff]

Pulled out in front of someone last year following on behind another car when joining from a side road. The one in front was ridiculously slow and I got beeped and sworn at. Totally my fault: idiot me should have never assumed a nissan micra was going to move at anything other than a distracted arthritic snail's pace. Fortunately the bimmer who beeped spotted two bell ends emerging and was ready for us

That is one thing which annoys me about driving - where you anticipate someone driving to a logical speed for the situation but don't, or people who pull out but never get going - I don't mind if someone cheekily pulls out but puts their foot down so you don't have to hammer on the brakes to accommodate them. (I don't even mind if I have to slow down a fair bit, though I might be a little rude about the driver, if they at least get going, but when people just pull out on you then take their own sweet time doing anything I have absolutely no time for those people).

Reminds me of one situation where my driving wasn't great - was following someone who was behind a cyclist, when the road opened up I expected them to overtake at a good speed, and they didn't, going barely faster than the cyclist, leaving me out there in a bad position where I couldn't easily abort the overtake and with the gap between me and the cyclist opening up very slowly so there wasn't good space to come back in again behind the car without encroaching on the cyclist who was speeding up as the road was downhill... I really should have had a clue though from the way the driver ahead of me was driving leading up to the overtake.

Stuff

Meh

www.youtube.com

 

[Haggisman]

I will confess to getting fed up with having to constantly change from lane 1-3 and back to correctly overtake middle-lane hoggers, so will frequently just continue past them in lane 1. I know I shouldn't, and if they were to suddenly change lane into me then it would most likely be my fault. If it were the odd occasional vehicle it wouldn't be so bad, but when it's the majority of vehicles I pass then it does get rather tedious!

I have been known to slow right down when someone is tailgating me as well - not brake-checking, but gradually coming off the accelerator - it's almost invariably in a 30mph limit, and usually they get the hint by the time I'm down to 20 and either back off or overtake, but if not then I'll happily slow right down to a crawl. Again, I know I shouldn't do it, as really it's just antagonising the situation - it just infuriates me

 

[Dis86]

I will confess to getting fed up with having to constantly change from lane 1-3 and back to correctly overtake middle-lane hoggers, so will frequently just continue past them in lane 1. I know I shouldn't, and if they were to suddenly change lane into me then it would most likely be my fault. If it were the odd occasional vehicle it wouldn't be so bad, but when it's the majority of vehicles I pass then it does get rather tedious!

That's my vice also.

 

[ShiWarrior]

bad driving ? never. 10/10 pro instructor level driving here, I never speed either.

I'll come with you one day as a passenger, and bring my clipboard to note down how many mistakes you make in an hour

 

[Rroff]

I have been known to slow right down when someone is tailgating me as well - not brake-checking, but gradually coming off the accelerator - it's almost invariably in a 30mph limit, and usually they get the hint by the time I'm down to 20 and either back off or overtake, but if not then I'll happily slow right down to a crawl. Again, I know I shouldn't do it, as really it's just antagonising the situation - it just infuriates me

I've never brake checked someone and won't normally pull over, etc. for them but I had someone doing it so badly the other day, even setting off the rear proximity sensors at times, I did multiple tap the brakes just to illuminate them and when that didn't work pulled into the next junction when I had a chance because it was just so likely to result in an avoidable accident if anything unexpected happened. Funny thing was I think they thought I was going to road rage them as they stopped short, hesitated then backed up to take the other road off instead rather than pass me :s

 

[tom_e]

Went into the back of someone at a roundabout last week because moron

 

[MikeTheNative]

I tend to wind people up now especially if they are tailgating me.
If I'm going the speed limit, I just get progressively slower, till I'm quite a bit under the speed limit.
Don't do this anything past a 30 limit though as I don't particularly fancy getting rear ended.

 

[Thekwango]

To be fair most of my bad driving has been because my attention has been far too concentrated on people tailgating me or otherwise driving badly behind me

uh oh - bad driver alert. anyone who says most of their bad driving is because of 'insert someone or something else' is almost certainly a multi car pile up waiting to happen

 

[Rroff]

uh oh - bad driver alert. anyone who says most of their bad driving is because of 'insert someone or something else' is almost certainly a multi car pile up waiting to happen

LOL - I think my driving would mostly bore people to death with how by the book it is, most of the time.

In all seriousness though driving/observation is something which unfortunately doesn't come naturally to me, I have to make extra effort compared to average to read the road ahead, even after more than 20 years I still don't feel comfortable on roundabouts (other than your basic 2 lane jobbies) and struggle with deciphering them on approach, though I don't have a problem with most other situations. When someone else is driving stupidly it unfortunately does have a significant knock on effect on my decision making.

 

[Infidelus]

I work from home most of the time but went in to the office today. I work in Whiteley, where they've been doing roadworks for what seems an eternity. When leaving work I completely failed to notice that they had gotten rid of the bollards blocking the two inside lanes by the Junction 9 roundabout, where it splits from two to four lanes, until it was too late so ended up in the wrong lane (lane 2). As I really didn't want to have to jump on the M27 (the lane I was in) I just drove straight ahead when the lights changed and, when the driver I cut across inevitably beeped (he was slow moving and there was plenty of space), had to stick my hand up as an apology. Sorry driver!

 

[Conscript]

I will confess to getting fed up with having to constantly change from lane 1-3 and back to correctly overtake middle-lane hoggers, so will frequently just continue past them in lane 1. I know I shouldn't, and if they were to suddenly change lane into me then it would most likely be my fault. If it were the odd occasional vehicle it wouldn't be so bad, but when it's the majority of vehicles I pass then it does get rather tedious!

Same here. People's selfishness winds me up, and it translates to me not making allowances for them, and ending up driving badly myself.
Another bad habit of mine is riding the clutch at traffic lights. Bad for the throw-out bearing at best, potentially dangerous at worst. It's not even because I want a quick getaway, it's just laziness and I try to stop myself doing it as much as possible.

 

[MikeTheNative]

I do under take people as well if i'm going faster in lane one and they are lane hogging in the middle to be honest.
I don't actually move from outer lanes to lane 1/2 etc to then undertake though.

 

[Haggisman]

I've never brake checked someone and won't normally pull over, etc. for them but I had someone doing it so badly the other day, even setting off the rear proximity sensors at times, I did multiple tap the brakes just to illuminate them and when that didn't work pulled into the next junction when I had a chance because it was just so likely to result in an avoidable accident if anything unexpected happened. Funny thing was I think they thought I was going to road rage them as they stopped short, hesitated then backed up to take the other road off instead rather than pass me :s

See this just makes no sense, if they thought that was the case, then obviously they knew they were in the wrong for tailgating, so why continue doing it

 

[Rroff]

See this just makes no sense, if they thought that was the case, then obviously they knew they were in the wrong for tailgating, so why continue doing it

I wonder if in some cases they even know/accept they were in the wrong - I know far too many people who've only every adjusted their driving from being too close after the first time something serious happens.