The psychology of driving

[Miquel In De Rain]

They wont strike so much as the railway is so fragmented now but that's what the government wanted anyway.Good god I did get a bit emotional last night.

Must admit the cost of rail travel is astronomical,extortionate.

 

[PBB]

Why are car owners prepared to spend such large sums of money on their cars at
the expense of the basic needs of themselves and their families?

That's very true - people will happily hitch themselves up with £200/month (sometimes more) finance deals for cars that spend 95% of the time stationary outside their house.
Last week I showed someone at work my £180 Halfords Carrera Subway. Reply - "that's a lot of money for a bike" (and spoken like it was some sort of toy!)
Yet it cost me less than one month's finance on her car, and I don't have the ongoing costs, or the fuel (unless you count my belly-food)

Having said that, our old car is very handy, and I would be loathed to actually go car-free. I had to use it today for a dropoff that would not have been possible on the bike unfortunately.

 

[donnydave]

What makes someone a knobber is his/her behaviour. Look how many knobbers there are driving old bangers with spoilers, turbo stickers and holes in their exhaust.

I've got 2 out of 3 then on our old car, no turbo sticker sadly. I've got a cracked airbox that whistles over 5500rpm, does that count?

I agree though, I don't think knobness is is generally determined by income but more money may give the means to better express said knobness. I've chatted to colleagues about this before, we agreed that there seems to be a certain entitlement or privilege felt by those with senior roles (and therefore more money and driving higher status cars) whereby in their work lives they are in charge and expect this to also apply when on the road. that theory might need a bit more work but I think there's something in it, its not bad apples from a low paid nobody.

Vaguely connected, I went to Bedford sprint triathalon as support for my wife and her friend a few months ago and we were talking about people buying performance (i.e. faster bike) rather than training more and then we started talking standardising the equipment you are allowed to use in a triathlon to level the playing field. Our friend said (jokingly to make a point) "but then how do other people know you've got more money than them?

 

[donnydave]

Having said that, our old car is very handy, and I would be loathed to actually go car-free. I had to use it today for a dropoff that would not have been possible on the bike unfortunately.

This is pretty much my situation too, I keep it because its handy every now and then, it cost less than my bike to buy and it costs be a little time every couple of weekends to fettle something but that's it. I like my old car as its pretty inconspicuous and barely registers on other peoples status radar as they try and pigeonhole everyone they see on the roads. Its my way of opting out of the vehicle status arms race - an attitude which in itself may be a bit knobbish - basically it makes me feel enlightened and above everyone else scrabbling to afford the "best" car they can to show off to others, but hey it gets me through the day

 

[screenman]

Maybe it is just me or the area I live in but I have never pigeon holed anybody by what car they drive. I think some of you may think something is happening when it is not, paranoia.

 

[Boris Bajic]

The last person to nearly run me off the road was a little old lady in a Citroen C3. She was very apologetic and very lovely, but the terror was real.

She'd passed me VERY closely in the wet when I was doing 30 downhill in a 30, then braked and indicated right (in that order). I got jolly close to her bumper before slowing.

I make no link between driving standards and choice of motor vehicle. I suspect that some of those who do harbour a resentment against those with the funds to live well. I may be wrong.

It's, like, so political!

 

[theclaud]

Maybe it is just me or the area I live in but I have never pigeon holed anybody by what car they drive. I think some of you may think something is happening when it is not, paranoia.

You're missing out on a whole lotta fun. You're not one of those joyless wankers who drives a Volvo, are you?

 

[Hip Priest]

I stopped pigeon-holing drivers when I received excellent overtakes almost daily from a young charver in a souped-up Corsa. Maybe it was Mark Cavendish.

 

[screenman]

theclaud no Volvo owners in this house, but boy aren't all cyclist weird in one way or another or even both at the same time. Just think about it anybody with a bike newer than 25 years old or worth over 10 bob has got to be a knobber. As for Lycra well what is up with knitted woolen shorts or just a pair sewn out of sack cloth.

Just like to judge people by more than what they happen to be driving that is all, years in the trade tell me that there is good and bad all over, numpties drive bangers and numpties drive new expansive cars, but there again nice honest proper reliable interesting people do as well.

 

[donnydave]

Maybe it is just me or the area I live in but I have never pigeon holed anybody by what car they drive. I think some of you may think something is happening when it is not, paranoia.

You don't (for example) see a bloke with spiky hair and aviators in an Audi TT with blacked out windows and the seat fully reclined and think Ha! Bellend!?

 

[400bhp]

You don't (for example) see a bloke with spiky hair and aviators in an Audi TT with blacked out windows and the seat fully reclined and think Ha! Bellend!?

Or short, overweight balding guy perched behind the wheel of a Range Rover Sport? Generally driving too fast and too close.

 

[screenman]

400bhp, I fit that description, but at the moment a Passat.

Donny, not really. I know that driver may think the bloke on the pushbike is one though

 

[400bhp]

400bhp, I fit that description, but at the moment a Passat.

Driving too fast and too close?

 

[screenman]

Oops! I missed that bit. I hate tailgating and I live in the tailgating county of the UK, very few cars but the drivers are that tight they want to use your headlights instead of theirs as they think it saves on electricity.

 

[Boris Bajic]

You don't (for example) see a bloke with spiky hair and aviators in an Audi TT with blacked out windows and the seat fully reclined and think Ha! Bellend!?

In Hoxton, circa 2002 on might have seen that... but surely that bubble burst some time ago.

I just can't draw any more easy, lazy prejudices out of car type than I can out of bicycle type.

For me, a bullet-shaved head and three-quarter length trackies emerging from an Impreza WRX is no more indicative of tosserish provenance than johnny sunshades in full-team lycra on a carbon missile with matching bottles and clean tape on the bars.

Both indicate questionable taste, but neither is a crime and neither makes me think the party in question is more likely to behave criminally.

Well... apart from the guy in the Impreza. Oh... I see what you mean.