Drivers have zero patience

[HMS_Dave]

It doesn't matter if you're following a cyclist at all with these types. I've had headlights flashed at me with hand gestures thrown in because i wouldn't overtake a tractor on a rather obscure bend. I've had people pip their horns when i didn't move up to the petrol pump immediately after the person in front vacated it as their was a bloke helping himself to gloves which clearly wasn't spotted by the impatient knuckle dragger behind. No wonder there is so much road rage, really, driving seems to bring out the WORST in people but i refuse to drop down to their level...

 

[tyred]

You get more hassle if you're driving a smaller car. Used to get tailgated and abused a lot for driving at a 30 limit in a Micra or a Yaris. Never in a big BMW or Mazda estate. It's a small-willy thing.

I think this is actually true. I have an old Peugeot 205 and often find myself driving at the speed limit when someone in an Audi or BMW will cruise up behind me, tailgate me and then overtake me, often somewhere utterly stupid like a blind bend or into oncoming traffic, swerve in right in front of me making me brake and then proceed to travel at the exact same speed that I was doing anyway leaving me wondering what was the point in taking such an outrageous risk and not actually go anywhere?

 

[rogerzilla]

Drive something that makes you look like a tooled-up drug dealer and you won't get any hassle from other drivers, however slowly you go!

 

[HMS_Dave]

I think this is actually true. I have an old Peugeot 205 and often find myself driving at the speed limit when someone in an Audi or BMW will cruise up behind me, tailgate me and then overtake me, often somewhere utterly stupid like a blind bend or into oncoming traffic, swerve in right in front of me making me brake and then proceed to travel at the exact same speed that I was doing anyway leaving me wondering what was the point in taking such an outrageous risk and not actually go anywhere?

Because they brought into all the car manufacturer marketing driving hype on the telly, where they show good looking blokes with smiles on their faces driving what looks suspiciously fast in perfect back drops with open roads and pulling up next to a beautiful model and they give each other a wry smile as they head off towards what is presumably the bedroom direction.... The drivers then pay 5 or even 6 figure sums on these metal boxes and they've found out, rather frustratingly, that cars simply don't part out of the way for them on the roads and action in the bedroom has still not improved....

That and of course ridiculous marketing slogans such as "The Drive Of Your Life" and "The Ultimate Driving Machine"...

 

[Johnno260]

The small car thing I see, in my Fiesta loads of grief, less so in the S-Max but again I was using the larger car yesterday.

Part of me wishes he had hit me yesterday as I had the tow hook on and that would’ve made mince meat of his radiator.

When replace the Fiesta it will be an old tank car like others said, some old block shaped Volvo, they would have better luck hitting a brick wall.

 

[fossyant]

MrsF noticed drivers wouldn't try and barge her out of the way any more when she moved on from a Yaris to a Qashqai. The Range Rover drivers backed down more.

 

[DSK]

I get it regardless of car type.

 

[DRM]

I get it regardless of car type.

Me too, even in a bloody great big van!

 

[boydj]

The small car thing I see, in my Fiesta loads of grief, less so in the S-Max but again I was using the larger car yesterday.

Part of me wishes he had hit me yesterday as I had the tow hook on and that would’ve made mince meat of his radiator.

When replace the Fiesta it will be an old tank car like others said, some old block shaped Volvo, they would have better luck hitting a brick wall.

Reminds me of many years ago when I worked in a garage. The boss had an old Land Rover with a tow bar and a bus ran into the back of the him. Not a mark on the Landy and the bus had to be towed away.

 

[davidphilips]

Well i managed to get shouted at in Tescos car park this afternoon, just leaving my trolly back to one of the trolly park bays and stopped to pick up my car keys (dropped them).

A woman started shouting at me that i should not be parked there as it was for mothers and toddlers only etc on and on it went with a few words and names that i wont repeat.

Went she paused i just told her that i was not parked there my car was over there and pointed to my car was , she drove of in her car with the parting words and another few names for me, that i should have more brains than to leave my trolly back?

Might sound trivial but if i had let that woman get me really upset maybe just maybe i could have caused an accident (my fault) driving home? Think for me any way main thing is keep calm and try not to let any muppets upset you, make no mistake they are heading for trouble but dont let them infect you with upset/anger etc.

 

[Nitram55]

Part of the problem is there is almost zero chance of these idiots getting nicked, coppers patrolling the roads are like swallows in winter never see one.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Reminds me of many years ago when I worked in a garage. The boss had an old Land Rover with a tow bar and a bus ran into the back of the him. Not a mark on the Landy and the bus had to be towed away.

I don't get too much nonsense from aggressive tailgaters when I'm driving my old one either. The beefy rear crossmember and the towing jaw bolted to it is enough to make a nasty mess of any modern plastic vehicle, and the owners of such vehicles know it.

It's funny how some people report getting more hassle when driving a small car, because I also find some of the worst driving comes not only from the willy-waving Germanics, but also from tatty £500 shitbox Fiestas, Focuses and Micras with cracked bumpers and dented panels.
Only today, whilst driving a rigid DAF with a bright yellow trailer on the back, some dick in a Micra thought that trying to overtake me where a road narrowed from two lanes into one was a really good idea. If it had been a car or a motorbike with point & squirt performance, they might have pulled it off, but I maintained my speed and direction, and the Micra was too slow, so ran out of road by the time it got alongside and had the choice of aborting, hitting my trailer or hitting the traffic coming the other way head-on. The driver bottled it and swerved back in line behind me, leading to the sound of angry horns from other cars behind, who all had to anchor up. Total numpty.

 

[RichardB]

You get more hassle if you're driving a smaller car. Used to get tailgated and abused a lot for driving at a 30 limit in a Micra or a Yaris. Never in a big BMW or Mazda estate. It's a small-willy thing.

I think the worst example of sheer aggression directed at me was when I was driving home along the M180 late one night. There were roads works for about 2 miles, with the road reduced to one lane and a 50 mph speed limit. I was in a 2CV, which made sticking to the limit a piece of cake, and I was followed for the whole 2 miles by a black BMW who blew his horn the whole way. Bear in mind I was doing a steady 50, not 40 or 30. When the road widened, he screamed past, cut in, brake-checked me, and then swerved all over the road in what I could only think was a display of frustration and disappointment, while blowing his horn and waving violently out of the window (as were all his passengers). We were planning what to do if he stopped and they all got out (it was 2-3 am and no-one about) when he suddenly had a change of heart and screamed off. I still don't know whether what upset him was being made to keep to the speed limit for a couple of miles, or being made to do so by a small, air-cooled French car. We laughed about it afterwards, but it was quite alarming at the time.

I don't get too much nonsense from aggressive tailgaters when I'm driving my old one either. The beefy rear crossmember and the towing jaw bolted to it is enough to make a nasty mess of any modern plastic vehicle, and the owners of such vehicles know it.

My ratty old 90 with Dixon-Bate tow-hitch had a great sticker on the back: "YOU ARE MY CRUMPLE ZONE".

 

[recumbentpanda]

I don’t drive that much, but on both my last two trips I have had drivers behind audibly yelling abuse at me, for the crime of giving way to oncoming traffic where it clearly had priority. Quite how they thought I or they were going to mysteriously drive through oncoming vehicles at a single lane pinch point I don’t know. It’s all feeling a bit Mad Max out there.

 

[DRM]

Traffic levels are just about back to pre covid levels, over the last 2 days on a stretch of the westbound M62, between 2 junctions 1x Mazda hatch came on behind me which then blocked me joining lane 2 by deliberately pulling round me and pulling up to a transit van so fast to stop me moving across it nearly rear ended the Transit, then weaved across 4 lanes 3 times before exiting 1 junction later, 1 Audi in outside lane doing at least well in excess of 90mph, till it approached the gantries where the speed cameras were, then braked to less than 60 mph, then shot off again to tailgate some other poor soul, with a bit of luck the ones at the side of the carriageway will have enough photos to earn a ban, 1x Audi M606 south approximate speed exiting to join M62 around 80 mph, then tailgating the car I wanted to move across behind & flashing the headlights because this person had the audacity to obey the 50 mph limit, 1x Audi decided that instead of filtering to join the A1 at the Team Valley slip road, they would do an emergency stop, nearly causing a multi vehicle pile up, just hopeless idiots that can make a car move, but are incapable of driving, I give up, I'm seriously considering a Camera for the van.