idiocy

[Steve]

Sheer sunday driver-ness:

A black 10 year old Audi on the M18 yesterday. In the middle lane. No lorries, nothing to overtake. Still, he remained in the middle lane. We were heading toward the A1M junction (about 5 miles away but the next junction) Bear in mind he overtook nobody for this 5 miles. Quiet sunday afternoon.

Where the M18 meets the A1M (both directions), the left lane of the M18 filters off down the slip to the roundabout - only two lanes carry over the junction.

So I figured perhaps this Audi was going to go past the A1, therefore wanted to get in lane "in plenty of time" - 5 miles is PLENTY by anyone's standards.

I myself was going to exit at the A1. So when the signs indicated get in lane, I did (I had been in the left lane anyway, behind this Audi). I was in the left lane about 100yds behind this Audi.

AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE (100 yds to chevrons) this Audi cut into the left lane and exited in front of me. He'd had people overtaking on the inside, yet he just sat there, in the middle lane.

Hand me some brain bleach!!!! I didn't know people could be so stupid!!!

 

[wotan]

In that instance, i would have overtaken the Audi, then returned to the inside lane, he would at least then have been aware of the presence of another vehicle.
I hate these drivers who have no spatial awareness, or consideration for other road users, he was obviously daydreaming if he left it so late, to cut in front when exiting the motorway.

Wotan

 

[tim west]

Cant put my finger on it, don't know what it is?...But something just drew me to this thread

 

[Steve]

Cant put my finger on it, don't know what it is?...But something just drew me to this thread

Do you own a 10yr old Black Audi? Were you driving through South Yorkshire at 4:30 yesterday afternoon?

 

[Gasman28]

I see these morons everyday - they are the ones that cause most of the traffic chaos. Overtake, then move to the inside lane - simples

 

[dextrous]

Read a beautiful definition of an ailment in an old 1930's home doctor book-

"Cretinism - a peculiar form of idiocy"

Made me chuckle anyway

 

[Steve]

The thing was, I didn't want to overtake him, I was travelling the same speed, he must have seen me in his mirror (left wing).

 

[dextrous]

The thing was, I didn't want to overtake him, I was travelling the same speed, he must have seen me in his mirror (left wing).

I doubt that he was aware of anything at all other than his own little world.

 

[tim west]

Cant put my finger on it, don't know what it is?...But something just drew me to this thread

Do you own a 10yr old Black Audi? Were you driving through South Yorkshire at 4:30 yesterday afternoon?

Nah think it was more to do with the threads title

 

[AndrewSchofield]

I'd like to bet that if you could consistently monitor every inch of every motorway in the country you'd find that most if not all accidents are caused not by people travelling at more then 70mph, but by people who either don't know how they should drive on a motorway or that do know how to drive on the motorway, but choose to ignore all the rules anyway.

People that slam the brakes on to let someone out of a slip road instead of pulling over into the empty middle lane are another prime example.

 

[Steve]

I'd like to bet that if you could consistently monitor every inch of every motorway in the country you'd find that most if not all accidents are caused not by people travelling at more then 70mph, but by people who either don't know how they should drive on a motorway or that do know how to drive on the motorway, but choose to ignore all the rules anyway.

I agree.

I also note a lot of people are "scared" to change lanes. Women, for example, will often get into the middle and stay there. They dont wanna be behind lorries, but at the same time they dont wanna move back in in case they cause a crash.

For many people the thought of all that fast moving traffic frightens the living daylights out of them, yet they still insist on joining it and creating chaos!

 

[AndrewSchofield]

For many people the thought of all that fast moving traffic frightens the living daylights out of them, yet they still insist on joining it and creating chaos!

This is worryingly very true. Both my mother (she's actually better than she used to be) and my mother-in-law dislike driving on anything other than a normal two-way carriageway (or a dual carriageway at a push) and will avoid changing lanes if at all possible. There are clearly a great many people who don't like driving at speed and/or in high volumes of traffic, yet still make the decision to get on a motorway?? Why?

And another thing... on normal roads, what's the score with people who slam the brakes on when a large lorry comes the other direction, even though the road is designed for two-way traffic??? Bring in spatial awareness to the driving test and create an additional test - you pass your driving test then you have to do an additional test on a motorway before you get your licence. I've never understood why learners are not allowed on the motorway, but the second you pass your test you can hop on one having had no experience at all - seems a bit crazy to me!?!

 

[conny]

Young lad, (18 ), in work passed his test in an old (Sreg) Polo, 950cc.
Came into work the following day and reversed into the office wall. Decided to park on the opposite side and crashed into the steel fence!
To give him some experience the transport manager decided to let him go to collect a motor from a high profile client in a 3.5tonne wagon. Drives along the motorway with no problems as far as we know, collects the motor and then doesn't wait for the exit barrier on the site to go fully vertical. Result?
He ripped the barrier off its mountings with the H frame on the back of the wagon causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage!
Later transpires what we on the shopfloor suspected. The insurance doesn't cover him till he is 21 and/or got 3 years experience of driving behind him!

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Young lad, (18 ), in work passed his test in an old (Sreg) Polo, 950cc.
Came into work the following day and reversed into the office wall. Decided to park on the opposite side and crashed into the steel fence!
To give him some experience the transport manager decided to let him go to collect a motor from a high profile client in a 3.5tonne wagon. Drives along the motorway with no problems as far as we know, collects the motor and then doesn't wait for the exit barrier on the site to go fully vertical. Result?
He ripped the barrier off its mountings with the H frame on the back of the wagon causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage!
Later transpires what we on the shopfloor suspected. The insurance doesn't cover him till he is 21 and/or got 3 years experience of driving behind him!

I am totally convinced that the driving test it too easy these days and should be made much more difficult. I also think that learner drivers should only be able to drive with a qualified instructor - not with mum, dad, grandad, auntie jean etc.... as they pick up far too many bad habits! I know at least 4 people (3 males, 1 female) who wrote off their car within 7 days of passing their test and many more who've done so within the first year. I'm amazed that the government aren't tougher on young drivers with apparently very limited intelligence who pass their test and automatically assume they're the best driver in the world and go out causing havoc in what is essentially a potential lethal weapon.

Our secretary's daughter recently passed her test and came tearing up the rough lane to our office one day. When we questioned whether she thought that maybe she was going a bit fast into the car park she said, (and i quote) " I was watching the speedo all the way up the hill and it was on 25mph all the time!" I wouldn't even dream of driving any faster than 15mph on the lane which is used by walkers/hikers and enters blindly into our car park.

Re. your insured boy racer - to be honest, a bit stupid on the part of whoever sent him out in the wagon - hope he got slated for letting him drive it in the first place!!

 

[Johnmelad502]

I was watching the speedo all the way up the hill and it was on 25mph all the time!"

What ever happened to watching the road ahead