Dangerous stupidity.

[motorbiking]

For overtaking on the inside to pass the dangerous or careless driving threshold test, the driver, needs to move from one lane to an inner lane for the purpose of passing the traffic in his lane and then return. It is insufficient to simply be in the inner lane and pass. I the case described causing another driver to break or swerve has an aggravated element. He would do well to get legal advice if he receives a NIP, as the method of report is unlikely to enable the NIP to be proved to have been served lawfully.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

...and I wish more people would use the accelerator appropriately when entering the motorway from the slip road!

Towing the caravan (again) and on the M62 in L1 at a steady 55 uphill, with the other lanes busy, a female Asian driver tootled up the slip road to make her way into L1. She was exactly matching my speed, alongside me and clearly completely obvious of my presence, or she was assuming I would move out of her way - except I couldn't, there was nowhere to go. I had to use the horn to warn her - or risk her driving into the side of me.

I long ago learned to always glance sideways to inspect my blind spot, rather than rely upon mirrors, before changing lane and especially when using a slip road to join another road.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Towing the caravan (again) and on the M62 in L1 at a steady 55 uphill, with the other lanes busy, a female Asian driver tootled up the slip road to make her way into L1. She was exactly matching my speed, alongside me and clearly completely obvious of my presence, or she was assuming I would move out of her way - except I couldn't, there was nowhere to go. I had to use the horn to warn her - or risk her driving into the side of me.

I long ago learned to always glance sideways to inspect my blind spot, rather than rely upon mirrors, before changing lane and especially when using a slip road to join another road.

Some drivers seem to have zero knowledge of the physics (right word?) of different vehicle types and how quickly they can move and/or change speed. From speaking to various people over the years, some of them are genuinely scared of driving on dual carriageways and motorways. So whereas a competent motorway driver will enter / drive on / exit these road spaces without issue, for some drivers they're in the nerves start to finish. I think this sometimes displays itself as per your example. Some folk just don't seem to 'get' how to drive properly to ensure motorway flow.

Then of course there are drivers that basically shouldn't be on the road!

 

[johnny2007]

You are correct, the speedometer is not calibrated and usually under-reads by a larger ratio, at higher speeds.
However, the speed measured by dashcams is usually derived from a GPS signal - it still might not be recognised as 'calibrated' by the police, but it is far more accurate than the speedometer.
Given the miniscule tolerances allowable with the GPS system, if it wasn't an accurate reflection of the speed, then it just wouldn't work as a GPS system!

My gps once said I was doing 723mph.
There's no chance the cps will take any of this near a court of law.
What happens is that the local police invites the driver for an interview and show them the video whilst making some sort of threats of prosecution.
They make them admit they've done wrong and issue a caution alongside a small fine.
Police inflate their numbers and driver should be happy to avoid court.
Everyone happy.
Unless...
When they contact the driver and he/she ignores the invitation they're stuffed.
When the driver attends the interview and makes no comment, they're stuffed.
When the driver attends the interview with a solicitor, nobody wants to start the process.

The only time a snitching camera is useful is when there's an accident to understand what happened.
Any other time it becomes a weapon to milk the motorists even more and inflate police figures.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

So this is what we have become as a society. We do the Police's job for them, and go around with our cameras happily snapping all things that offend us and all other's presumed transgressions are uploaded for "justice".

Yep. We're turning into the Dutch!

 

[Deleted member 292770]

If you don't enforce the highway code then it becomes guidelines rather than law

It’s not all law. It’s actually as much guidelines and advice as law.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Gradually, tech will ensure we can't speed (can be switched off at present but I reckon will eventually be 'always on') and hopefully tech will also come along making it impossible to tailgate, with minimum distance linked to speed.

You'd like Germany, then. Some decades ago I used to drive to Germany from the Netherlands for work and I began to notice sets of two parallel lines some distance apart on the motorways near some of the bridges. Knowing that the Germans were pretty "nonchalent" about imposing speed limits at the time (the autobahns I drive on then were basically unlimited except for bits in Cologne) I figured it probably wasn't a speed camera. When I asked a German colleague what they were, he responded that they were distance cameras - they apparently clocked the speeds and times of the two vehicles as they crossed the lines and if the rear vehicle was too close to the one in front for the speed he was doing he'd get a fine through the post. Get done three times in a year and you had appear before a judge and explain why he shouldn't give you a short ban from driving and make you attend a course. Sounds like we need them here

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Get done three times in a year and you had appear before a judge and explain why he shouldn't give you a short ban from driving and make you attend a course. Sounds like we need them here

I agree, it's one of the most intimidating things you can do to another driver, trouble is so many who do it, don't even realise they are doing it. There is some little excuse where a road is particularly busy, but why still so close, when you are the only two vehicles in the area.

 

[motorbiking]

Get done 4 times in 4 years in the UK and you'd be in a similar situation.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

A while ago I asked on here why some drivers "tailgate", as it is something I've never understood. Somebody answered that the tailgater is using the car in front as his potential crumple zone in the event of a crash.

I didn't understand that either.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

. Get done three times in a year and you had appear before a judge and explain why he shouldn't give you a short ban from driving and make you attend a course. Sounds like we need them here

It's all very well brandishing draconian laws from foreign countries about, but are these laws ever enforced? Can you show us the number of prosecutions and the effect on the crime rate?

Or are these laws just like British laws, of which we have thousands and are never enforced?

 

[ReganAndCarter]

You'd like Germany, then.

No. I found autohahns to be the most stressful motorways to drive on. Spent as much time scrutinising my rear view mirror for nutters in BMWs/Mercs/Audis approaching from behind at warp factor nine as I did looking forwards through my windscreen.

Did set off a couple of speed cameras in Dortmund as I drove through last November. Haven't heard anything so far.

 

[transam]

Autonomous cars ??

How will they sort out insurance liability in the event of an accident ?

Who will be liable as there will be no driver as such ?

They will be in the back having a kip
Or boozed up having been down the pub ??

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Spent as much time scrutinising my rear view mirror for nutters in BMWs/Mercs/Audis approaching from behind at warp factor nine as I did looking forwards through my windscreen.

That's true enough - see headlights flashing behind you in the distance and that normally means a speed merchant is heading your way. At least they warn you of their impending arrival. Back in the days if 170mph Porsches I used to reckon my RS2600 was fairly quick - these days that would be considered pedestrian

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Did set off a couple of speed cameras in Dortmund as I drove through last November. Haven't heard anything so far.

That would be because British reg cars aren't on their system, however, go back in 12 months time with the same car and fall foul of a vehicle spot check or a cop car with an ANPR unit and you might find yourself having to pay the fine on the spot. But don't worry, if they are like the Dutch police at least some of them carry credit card readers! They also used to check reg plates at the German/Dutch border, in both directions, for just that reason before Schengen came in - I got nailed that way myself in the past (as it happens by the Dutch as I was leaving to go to Germany, but I knew people who'd been nailed by the Germans, too)