Rant Roundabout retards .... or is it me?

[Billargh]

I actually think UK driving standards are pretty good (or at least, "the least bad"). I certainly can't think of many countries where they're better, maybe in Scandinavia and Germany, but that's about it. The casualty rate would certainly seem to indicate the UK is better than most.

Try driving on UK roads with an American. Roundabouts blow their fucking minds. And French roads still have some "priorite a droite" roundabouts; not many, just enough to completely confuse the hell out of you when you least expect it.

It's becoming increasingly frequent that I have to Google at least one phrase you use in your posts.

I agree though, after driving in Greece I'll never consider British roads to be bad again.

 

[Hawkwind]

Driving standards have dropped, i've noticed people drive, only thinking about themselves

Nail on head! People are becomming more selfish and intollerant towards others, see it everywhere not just driving.

 

[Moriath]

The thing that drives me mad at roundabouts and sometimes junctions is that people dont look ahead .. they get to the roundabout stop look to see if theres anything coming and then go .. rather than coming up to the the roundabout taking a second to see if theres something on the roundabout while approaching it and if not just continuing on their way without stopping so the traffic flows ...

 

[DaGaffer]

It's becoming increasingly frequent that I have to Google at least one phrase you use in your posts.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[Hawkwind]

I agree though, after driving in Greece I'll never consider British roads to be bad again.

Hop across the med to Egypt if you want a real challenge!

 

[Billargh]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Well, knowledge is power, so it can only be a good thing!

 

[Reno]

The thing that drives me mad at roundabouts and sometimes junctions is that people dont look ahead .. they get to the roundabout stop look to see if theres anything coming and then go .. rather than coming up to the the roundabout taking a second to see if theres something on the roundabout while approaching it and if not just continuing on their way without stopping so the traffic flows ...

Sat nav probably has a lot to do with the not looking ahead thing.
If you're not navigating yourself, you don't have to look far ahead for crossings/turn off's etc.You can retreat into your own little cocon, with your music/working the phone/what have you not and let the sat nav lead you around.
Also, with today's much better active/passive safety of cars, the risks of not paying attention aren't as big as in ye olden days.
Mix it with a more egocentrical attitude and I think you may have most of the big contributors that lead to a lesser driving standard.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Hop across the med to Egypt if you want a real challenge!

We were in Egypt for a package holiday about 15 years ago, and my main memory of the driving was an occasion, in our bus, when we got to a level crossing with the gates down. The bus was first there and pulled up to the gate in our lane. The gates were down for a few minutes, and by the time they finally went up the traffic was lined up, 4 or 5 abreast, across both sides of the road and on both sides of the level crossing. The result was total chaos of course, when everyone finally went, as there was no way across. It took far longer to sort out than if people had just queued.

Actually my other memory of that trip was from a bus tour that some of the other guys on our trip went on. They were coming back and a coach about a minute up the road from them had been in a head on collision with a large truck that had pulled onto the wrong side of the road to overtake. The result that time was serious carnage, our guys had stopped to do what they could, which was ultimately little, and had got back on the bus to resume their journey. It was another 45 minutes or so before they were passed in the opposite direction by the ambulances going to the scene. They were pretty badly shaken up by the whole experience.

RB

 

[JingleBells]

It amazes me how many drivers ignore road signs, the exit on the M6 for Knutsford when heading north has a fucking great big sign saying FOR MANCHESTER USE BOTH LANES, yet when in the left lane I've been cut up several times by people in the right lane entering the roundabout to take the leftmost lane on the roundabout. Also near where I am in Manchester is a timed bus-lane: M-F, 7-10am, 4-7pm; I've given up counting how many times people stick to the main lane when outside of these times and then have to cut back at the end of the bus lane as there's a set of lights ahead, read the signs FFS!

 

[sayward]

In Manchester everyone drives thro red lights as tho they don't exist.

 

[Gumbo]

Only just saw this.

The problem, G, is that you're not hitting the roundabout at enough pace. You need to be going fast enough that you'r past Mr Blue arrow and away, long before he can get alongside you.

 

[old.user4556]

Tried it mate, no difference. I always try to make sure I never leave other drivers guessing, and by that I mean indicate and drive with authority (i.e. fast).

 

[Jeros]

Ignore the fact that Colchester is spelt wrong.

 

[Nate]

Ignore the fact that Colchester is spelt wrong.

I go over that roundabout all the time, the zebra crossing in the bottom right I had a guy go in the back of me after I stopped for a pedestrian.

The red isn't right all the time though, many people take the right lane at the entrance and turn left. It's two lanes all the way around so it's tricky to get the right lane when you enter if you're in the left.

 

[ECA]

I did ~200 miles today, jebus so many effin retards.

From someone overtaking my at @90 on the motorway then pulling in front of me down to 70 before switching to the inside lane to take the next junction ( could have easily done it in one go without slowing me down ),
to an old couple confused at me being alongside them on a dual carriageway that could fit 4 cars slowing to a dead stop for no reason other than there was a parked car, so instead of a 747 being able to go alongside them, only a few double decker buses,
to middle lane sitters doing 75 on an otherwise empty motorway ( I actually enjoy going from inside>outside>inside going past them, without it affecting my speed , trying to hope they get the fucking message ),
to some cunt going 20mph in a 40 limit because his miniature dog was on the back on the top of the boot cover and he didn't want it to go flying.......... seriously,
to some cunts riding up my arse with their sidelights on in the middle of the day for no fucking reason,
urgh - wish I'd been using my gopro as a dashcam today, would have ~15 cunts of the highest order.

 

[Raven]

You should give them a free brake test if they drive too close.

 

[rynnor]

I've been driving since 1999 and am now on my 5th car with a total of 13 accidents now under my belt. All the pervious cars have been written off and all of the accidents, bar the last one, we're someone else's fault. [/QUOTE]

In reality if you have had 13 accidents then your driving style is clearly partly to blame.

You have to drive defensively and assume everyone else is an idiot.

Theres no point having the right of way if it means your car gets damaged.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Thanks for saying what I was thinking rynnor.
13 accidents in 13 years with 5 cars. You simply cannot be that unlucky and the victim all the time.
I've been driving 21 years and had 4 accidents. I'm not blameless, but only the 1st was clearly "my fault".

I'm like you ECA. I drive 150-250 miles a day in North Wales and the North West and I see the same things you see everyday. The biggest problem is selfishness. Far too many people now drive as if they own the road, when in fact they have to share it with everyone else. Just before the school summer holidays, I took note of the "character" of the main A-roads in my area. The very day the summer holidays started, the roads became like something from Mad Max 2 with so many large vehicles, campervans, caravans, trailers all jockeying for position and driving offensively.
The strangest phenomenon of driving in recent years is a chain of cars sat in the overtaking lane all travelling at 55-60mph and the regular lane is almost empty of vehicles. I just sit at 50mph on cruise control and let Highway Code rule 163 come into play:

stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left

I have to take an online risk assessment and driver training from the car lease company each year because of my mileage. The main point I take away from them is trying to keep a level head, even when you're fuming.
If you have any control over a situation, take action.
If you can't control the situation, back off and calm down.
You're being held up by a lorry overtaking a caravan? You can't force him faster as he's limited to 60mph, and good luck trying to intimidate an artic. Just sit back and take it easy until he pulls back in.

I also stand by my subjective observation that drivers of Audi cars tend to be the worst pig-headed drivers on the roads. Company director, WAG, young hotshot, it doesn't matter. Drivers of Audi cars are the cause of more disruption to flowing traffic than any other make of car, IMO.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

With all this talk of 'Right of Way' I think the following is interesting, taken directly from the DirectGov Highway code website:

General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders (103-158)

This section should be read by all drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders. The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance, but they advise you when you should give way to others. Always give way if it can help to avoid an incident.

So there are no circumstances where the Highway Code gives you automatic right of way, only times when you should give way to others. I reckon that if all drivers actually stuck to this concept there would be far fewer accidents.

Oh and Zenith:

"If you have any control over a situation, take action.
If you can't control the situation, back off and calm down.
You're being held up by a lorry overtaking a caravan? You can't force him faster as he's limited to 60mph, and good luck trying to intimidate an artic. Just sit back and take it easy until he pulls back in."

Couldn't agree more. Impatience, allied to people's misplaced sense of entitlement, cause a huge number of the roads problems.

RB

 

[Starman]

to some cunts riding up my arse with their sidelights on in the middle of the day for no fucking reason,

Isn't that just day time running lights?

Personally speaking I drive a limited (70mph) Ford Transit for work and on average do guess about 300 miles a week best thing about my van is that i have a massive yellow step on the back that overhangs the van about 1/2 a meter and quite a few times people have managed to crunch into it which always makes me giggle.

Today I have a quick drive to Romford - generally speaking it was the normal middle lane hogs doing 50MPH with a clear left hand lane.

As for accidents - I have had 2 and have been driving 5 years both of which were someone else fault. First being in a Sainsbury's car park picking up the Ex from work when some woman decided to pull out on me while I was doing approx 25MPH. Second was driving along a 40MPH road when 2 cars in front decided to perform an emergency stop for no reason whatsoever. Car in front of me, and myself stopped safely. Needless to say the bloke behind doing approx 50MPH didn't shunted my old Focus forward into the car in front. The chap to did the unwarranted stop drive off completely unaware as to what happened.

 

[old.user4556]

Isn't that just day time running lights?

Yes, it's an EU regulation / stipulation, they can't be turned off (at least on BMWs).

 

[Tuthmes]

If you hate roundabouts, avoid the Netherlands.

 

[Reno]

I have yet to see such monstrosities as the "Magic Roundabout" here.
But as compensation a lot of urban areas have an extra large helping of speedbumps.

 

[Kryten]

One big fuckery of an annoyance these days isn't just moron drivers but planners too. I mean the image above. What cunt knuckle said "I have a cunning plan. Let's put some zebra crossings RIGHT ON THE FUCKING APPROACH OR EXIT TO A ROUNDABOUT". It's not zebra crossings here, it's traffic light crossings. It's almost as if they WANT people to die.

 

[Zenith.UK]

I know a highway planner and asked him that very question once about zebra crossings near roundabout entry/exits.
He told me it's because a roundabout is supposed to cause you to modify your speed and deflect you from driving straight on. When I pointed out the new crossing, he said it was pedestrian controlled meaning that the light sequence would be programmed to take button presses into account. As soon as the lights change to red, the pedestrians have priority and the other roundabout entry points change accordingly.
I pointed out the obvious that it would cause gridlock on the roundabout itself because people would be barreling around and hit the back of a short queue waiting to come out of that exit. His answer was "Well it'll slow drivers down, won't it?"

 

[Kryten]

He's clearly been asked that before by lots of other people with more common sense/general intelligence than him/his colleagues.
He's not wrong certainly - smacking into the back of someone does tend to have the effect of slowing you down.

 

[rynnor]

Also on planners why do they feel the need after certain roundabouts to split the road into two lanes for about 20 meters before merging them back to 1 lane - it seems a design purely created to make strife?

 

[Aada]

People who don't indicate are just ignorant and can't be bothered, also reading the road ahead is essential to avoid accidents and will save you a lot of hassle and break pads costs.

Most people who drive only look at the car in front they don't read the road ahead and look for potential hazards and that's why they go smack into the back of someone.

My dad was a driving instructor for 8 years and he always told me that reading the road ahead is probably one of the most important aspects of driving.

 

[Tom]

Also on planners why do they feel the need after certain roundabouts to split the road into two lanes for about 20 meters before merging them back to 1 lane - it seems a design purely created to make strife?

Safer to merge off the roundabout than on it.

 

[rynnor]

Safer to merge off the roundabout than on it.

The one's I'm thinking of are 1 lane that splits to three lanes (two for straight on) 20m before the roundabout then compresses back to 1 lane again just after the roundabout.

I cannot for the life of me see why?