Drivers have zero patience

[GuyBoden]

This really makes me angry ... I'd love to be able to cycle no hands.

Me too...........

 

[recumbentpanda]

Third time now out of four journeys. Turning off into a side road, a shout from the car behind. “You don’t have to go everywhere at five miles an hour!”

I was doing, until that manoeuvre, 20.
In a 20 zone.
Driving a car.
Behind a bus.
On a narrow road.
With oncoming traffic.

sigh.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Only signalling when necessary promotes good observation. I mean, next time youre in "left turn only" lane look at the idiots Indictating left - why? Where else can they go in a left turn only lane? Who is going to benefit? What were they thinking? Indeed, were they thinking...? A complete lack of observation and thought, full on autopilot syndrome.

I do it: my thinking is help the numpty behind me who has not been looking and, therefore, has not realised it is a left turn only lane

 

[Daninplymouth]

Had another classic today. The road here goes downhill the picture doesn’t quite do justice how steep it is in a 30zone now I am travelling about 25-35mph and there is a 90degree bend at the bottom, lots of cars parked on the left so all I can assume is they didn’t like how far out I was positioned on the road. Next thing hear a big honk to see some fat old bloke overtake me, so I shouted some obscenities back Then he gives me the finger out the window so I shouted some more 😂 think he was just trying to show off to his passengers. As we round the bend he wanted to turn right and his lights turned red so I gave chase, he clocked this so quickly changed lanes to carry on up the hill then I see a van trying to park so he gets slowed down. Still in pursuit mode just as I start getting close he veers round the traffic and carries on up the hill, by then there’s no way I can catch him.
Only positive I got a 5th place trophy on strava and clocked 30mph uphill for a short while 👍🏻

 

[sheddy]

Beware of the red mist....

 

[BoldonLad]

Only signalling when necessary promotes good observation. I mean, next time youre in "left turn only" lane look at the idiots Indictating left - why? Where else can they go in a left turn only lane? Who is going to benefit? What were they thinking? Indeed, were they thinking...? A complete lack of observation and thought, full on autopilot syndrome.

I understand your point, but.... sometimes it can be helpful to signal, even in a left-turn lane, if it is not apparent to other drivers/road users (who may not be local, and, therefore not familiar with road layout/lane markings.

For example, near where I live, there I a roundabout with standard four exit. The approach East-bound has two lanes, the left-most of which is marked (with arrows painted on road surface) as left turn only. Road users, or pedestrians waiting to enter roundabout, or, cross the road, have no way of knowing that the lane is left turn, unless, they are clairvoyant or local.

Apart from "wasting" a little bit of electricity, I cannot see the harm in an "unnecessary" signal.

 

[Scotty55]

Had another classic today. The road here goes downhill the picture doesn’t quite do justice how steep it is in a 30zone now I am travelling about 25-35mph and there is a 90degree bend at the bottom, lots of cars parked on the left so all I can assume is they didn’t like how far out I was positioned on the road. Next thing hear a big honk to see some fat old bloke overtake me, so I shouted some obscenities back Then he gives me the finger out the window so I shouted some more 😂 think he was just trying to show off to his passengers. As we round the bend he wanted to turn right and his lights turned red so I gave chase, he clocked this so quickly changed lanes to carry on up the hill then I see a van trying to park so he gets slowed down. Still in pursuit mode just as I start getting close he veers round the traffic and carries on up the hill, by then there’s no way I can catch him.
Only positive I got a 5th place trophy on strava and clocked 30mph uphill for a short while 👍🏻
View attachment 539785

Not the only positive - pretty sure his ar5e would have been making bullets when he saw you closing, and probably got an earful from the passengers as well as he swerved into another lane to get away.

 

[Globalti]

I was out in the car quite early this morning when there was not much traffic around and I stopped in a perfectly controlled manner at a red traffic light and was sitting stationary. A split second later, out of the corner of my eye I spotted this blue thing in the driver's door mirror which just skimmed my rear quarter panel, missing me by inches and I watched as this Renault Megane shot passed me and stopped halfway across the junction, forcing a Corsa which was legally going with the green light to take avoiding action. Thankfully the Corsa driver was on the ball.

I suppose it could have been brake failure but I suspect it was more likely to have been caused by eyesight failure or ability to read the road and pay attention failure.

The ironic thing was the "baby on board, please drive carefully" sticker on the back window of the Megane....

I definitely would not have fancied being rear-ended at that speed.

More likely the driver was distracted by a touch-screen. Auto Express reports that accident and death rates are creeping up in the UK despite better road design and MPs are worried that touch-screen distraction may be the reason.

 

[Profpointy]

I understand your point, but.... sometimes it can be helpful to signal, even in a left-turn lane, if it is not apparent to other drivers/road users (who may not be local, and, therefore not familiar with road layout/lane markings.

For example, near where I live, there I a roundabout with standard four exit. The approach East-bound has two lanes, the left-most of which is marked (with arrows painted on road surface) as left turn only. Road users, or pedestrians waiting to enter roundabout, or, cross the road, have no way of knowing that the lane is left turn, unless, they are clairvoyant or local.

Apart from "wasting" a little bit of electricity, I cannot see the harm in an "unnecessary" signal.

I do understand that there are circumstances where "automatically" is signalling is unhelpful or downright dangerous - eg there's a lay-by just after a junction so signalling in normal good time would mislead people.

Strangely I got beeped at such an occasion since I'd slowed down in good time, then only signalled after the junction to stop in the lay-by. The twat behind obviously didn't have any observation skills at all since if i'd signalled before the junction the guy waiting to pull out would have likely gone for it, and no doubt the guy behind would still have been cross with me for not turning into the junction. Not signalling a left turn on a bike is often the better tactic too as signalling tends to encourage numpties to overtake and immediately turn left across your path - although the highway code would doubtless say you should nearly always signal left turns cycling.

Now all that said I don't subscribe to the avoiding signalling if there's no one to see it rule - if heard this said by "advanced drivers" - dunno if it's still the rule. It arrogantly assumes you have 100% observation skills 100% of the time - and that you never yourself make the slightest error - maybe a pedestrian out of your line of sight when you looked, or some unorthodox circumstance you've misread so a "wasted" signal could save the day.

Think about whether to signal - yes absolutely, but the advice, perhaps not the official advice, does seem go a lot further than that to the extent of wanting to avoid l signalling as some kind of badge of superior training

When I did my motorbike lessons I found the systematic approach drummed into me improved my car driving a lot, so I'm all for a system. I think their approach was derived from the police "system"

 

[DaveReading]

Now all that said I don't subscribe to the avoiding signalling if there's no one to see it rule

If that really was a rule I'd abide by it.

But it isn't, and I don't.

If I manoeuvre, I signal, and the suggestion that that implies reduced situational awareness is absurd.

 

[RichardB]

More likely the driver was distracted by a touch-screen. Auto Express reports that accident and death rates are creeping up in the UK despite better road design and MPs are worried that touch-screen distraction may be the reason.

A touch screen in a car is an abomination and they should be banned by law. :-) A touch screen in your hand (like a phone) is one thing, but in a car it's probably at arm's length from you and you need to concentrate hard (and look at when you're doing) to get anywhere. I was trying to choose some music in my wife's car this morning and it was difficult enough (brace fingers against surround, try to dab at the correct icon, curse when screen scrolls because it senses a finger nearby, whoops, that pothole nearly selected the wrong one), and I was in the passenger seat, not driving! Really inappropriate use of technology.

 

[sheddy]

Distant neighbour was telling me that he wouldn’t have bought the car if he’d known that heater controls are all via touch screen.

 

[Globalti]

We have hired a couple of cars recently with touch screens that were so complicated we couldn't figure out how they worked. Imagine trying to do that while driving.

 

[Johnno260]

Again another auto pilot idiot today while I was in the car, I stopped outside the local bakery, and the lady in her Quashqi basically followed me into the space, then leant on the horn when some on-coming traffic cleared.

I got out the car and she started mouthing off asking wtf did I think I was doing, I said I indicated and parked and because she was paying zero attention and tailgating she had left herself no other option but to back up, I can’t say what she called me, but I said sorry don’t blame me for your lack of observation and driving ability, so I was then a chauvinistic pig, I said if pointing out you payed little to no attention means I’m chauvinistic sure, but you still can’t drive.

 

[oypolloy]

I used to work for a Fiat dealer so quite often would drive a Fiat Panda. Many times when I could see the whites of their eyes looking at me, they would still pull out, junctions, roundabouts etc. Would often almost cause an accident just to get in front of me. People assume certain cars are driven by old, slow and incompetent pensioners.