Maybe I’m Over reacting but…

[Jody]

I was astonished to be passed by someone driving a Tesla at 100+ mph on the M65. I had never imagined a Tesla could go that fast or that someone with an interest in being green would behave this way.

At least I can add Tesla to BMW, Audi and Mercedes as cars driven by dickheads.

I've noticed more Tesla's being driven hard.

It was always going to happen when you have a car that can potentially do 0-60 in under 2 seconds. Even the slow models can accelerate at the equivalent rate to an Escort Cossie with a similar top speed.

 

[Dogtrousers]

At least I can add Tesla to BMW, Audi and Mercedes as cars driven by dickheads.

This is something I've never quite understood - the idea that drivers of different makes of car are different.
It might be because I'm rubbish at recognising what brand a car is so I don't make the connection. Or it might be because it's cobblers.

 

[icowden]

A smart car meets modern safety standards. Let’s not say the size of modern cars is to do with safety.

But relative to the passengers, a Smart car is still significantly bigger than a 1970s Mini. So part of the size is to do with safety. You can't have those thin, light doors, you have to have side impact protection. You have to have compartments for air bags in various places etc.

In fact by the time you have added crumple zones, side impact protection, roll bar, and air bags, I reckon that 1970s mini would be about the size of a Smart Car...

 

[matticus]

This is something I've never quite understood - the idea that drivers of different makes of car are different.

There HAS to be some correlation. Not everyone can afford the top-end cars, for example. Some cars are better suited to families. etc ...
Plus certain brands/models will be more common in fleets. Then there are fashions (drug dealers in certain postcodes DO prefer certain models! )

Sure, you can always say that there are exceptions, but statistically certain trends will exist, whether you like them or not.
How much that leads into personality types, well that gets trickier, but people will always see patterns, no matter how tenuous ...

 

[Dogtrousers]

But relative to the passengers, a Smart car is still significantly bigger than a 1970s Mini. So part of the size is to do with safety. You can't have those thin, light doors, you have to have side impact protection. You have to have compartments for air bags in various places etc.

View attachment 659583
In fact by the time you have added crumple zones, side impact protection, roll bar, and air bags, I reckon that 1970s mini would be about the size of a Smart Car...

But not all of it s to do with safety.

The Mini was the smallest car on the road when released in the 60s, bar oddities like bubble cars or motorbikes and sidecars.
The new Mini is by far from the smallest car on the road now. My car (Hyundai i10) is smaller than a modern mini. Yes, it's still a lot bigger than a '60s death trap Mini but much of the size of a modern mini is down to design choices not safety regs.

 

[icowden]

But not all of it s to do with safety.

True. I did do some googling. Apparently some of the size is to try and break into the US market, and the mini is seen as just being too small for them. Add to that the need to move to an electric platform, and the current vogue for cross manufacturer sharing of the actual electric platform, and again you are limited by the minimum size of the drive train.

 

[Jody]

This is something I've never quite understood - the idea that drivers of different makes of car are different.
It might be because I'm rubbish at recognising what brand a car is so I don't make the connection. Or it might be because it's cobblers.

It's not cobblers. 25 years in the car trade and I'd say stereotypes generally hold true.

 

[icowden]

It's not cobblers. 25 years in the car trade and I'd say stereotypes generally hold true.

Based on my experience of going around showrooms, I'd say that some of it comes from there.
I was going round showrooms to decide which company car to get. I made clear at the outset that I couldn't buy from the showroom but only from via the company car fleet provider.

I found VW to be friendly, engaging and interested in showing me vehicles regardless of whether they thought they were going to make a sale.
I found Audi to be standoffish and arrogant, kept me waiting for ages, then not interested in showing me anything at all once they knew no sale was in the offing, keen to make out that they have hundreds of different models etc.
Mercedes were better than Audi but no-where near VW. Mercedes world again kept me waiting a long time without any acknowledgement and weren't very interested in showing me their cars.
Skoda were OK, but confusing - they have a version of the Enyak that you can't actually buy.

I think most of the mid range manufacturers are just keen for you to look at their cars and like them. I've found Renault to be friendly in the past. For Merc and Audi particularly, if there isn't a sniff of a sale and you don't look like the "right" sort of person, don't come in and go "i want that one", they are not interested.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's not cobblers. 25 years in the car trade and I'd say stereotypes generally hold true.

Must just be down to the fact that I can't tell once make of car from another then.

IME All makes of car are driven by knobheads. But I'd add to that the fact that all pedestrians and cyclists are knobheads too.

 

[winjim]

This is something I've never quite understood - the idea that drivers of different makes of car are different.
It might be because I'm rubbish at recognising what brand a car is so I don't make the connection. Or it might be because it's cobblers.

I think that if you're the type of person who buys a car as a status symbol then you're likely to be the type of person who feels a sense of entitlement when driving it and a sense of privilege which means you perceive your driving skills to be above average and therefore you can ignore the rules as you see fit.

 

[Alex321]

This is something I've never quite understood - the idea that drivers of different makes of car are different.
It might be because I'm rubbish at recognising what brand a car is so I don't make the connection. Or it might be because it's cobblers.

There is an element of truth to it.

There are certain cars which are bought (or taken as company cars) much more as status symbols than for their inherent quality, and the type pf people who are concerned about that status also have a tendency to be inconsiderate in other ways such as their driving - they feel the need to show off their fancy status symbol by acting as if they own the road.

Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to this, both in people buying those cars for other reasons, and in people buying them as a status symbol but not trying to show them off in that way. But there are enough who do so to give that reputation.

 

[Alex321]

But not all of it s to do with safety.

The Mini was the smallest car on the road when released in the 60s, bar oddities like bubble cars or motorbikes and sidecars.
The new Mini is by far from the smallest car on the road now. My car (Hyundai i10) is smaller than a modern mini. Yes, it's still a lot bigger than a '60s death trap Mini but much of the size of a modern mini is down to design choices not safety regs.

Of course it is not all down to safety. But safety is one of the factors involved in average car sizes being bigger.

 

[Joffey]

Still does kinda come back to my opening post, which is, when faced with roads full of stressed and impatient idiots like me, why put yourself in a position of danger unnecessarily? Why ride a dangerous route at the most inappropriate time when a safe cycle route is available?

Jumping in here, read a few pages, don't need to read anymore. You have summed it up in this one post above.

You were annoyed with the cyclists, you are stressed and you were impatient.

The cyclists have the right to be there, just like you. No one got hurt but if they did you are already victim blaming. You should drive in a fashion as to not run the cyclists over - so give them room, leave gaps, check your mirrors, go slowly etc etc.

If you are driving a two ton metal box you should try and relax and be patient. You of all people being a runner, cyclist and motorcyclist should appreciate this more than anyone.

So yes, it is you.

I'm a cyclist, walker, driver and white van man. I can find time to be patient to cyclists - surely a teacher can

 

[Toshiba Boy]

^^This^^

And if you're worried about climate change start campaigning for people to have fewer children. If the birth rate continues to rise as it has during my time on the planet we're on course for a world population of 20 billion by the end of this century, many times more that the planet can sustain no matter how green we become.

Whilst fully understanding the stress on the planet from ever increasing human population, UN forecasts (taking large shovel of salt re lies, damned lies and statistics, let alone forecasts) shows world population at c11 billion at 2100 compared to c8 billion today, yes 3 billion more people than now, but a far lower growth rate than over the past 70 years, and a lot lower (thankfully) than 20 billion.

Fertility rates falling across large parts of the world (already happening in Europe and Japan, with falling populations happening/forecast), and even a levelling out in Asia over this forecast timeframe, with particular fall in Chinese population, with Asia currently being by far the largest continent in terms of population. The only outlier and, unfortunately, a very strong one, is an extremely large continued growth rate forecast in sub Saharan Africa.

So yes, that's still 3 billion more people in 80 odd years time, so, IMHO, we'd all better try and do our best to lower our impact on the planet now, as I can't see how I can personally affect the sub Saharan exisiting and accelerating population growth rate.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

But relative to the passengers, a Smart car is still significantly bigger than a 1970s Mini. So part of the size is to do with safety. You can't have those thin, light doors, you have to have side impact protection. You have to have compartments for air bags in various places etc.

View attachment 659583
In fact by the time you have added crumple zones, side impact protection, roll bar, and air bags, I reckon that 1970s mini would be about the size of a Smart Car...

So why why why is is much much bigger?