Knights of the road
Discussion
I've never had a bad rant before, this is virgin territory for me, so go easy folks.
It's knights of the road that irritate the b'jeesus out of me. I mean there's everyone travelling along enjoying the ride, obeying the rules (okay, sometimes a bit wayward with the speedlimit) following the highway code and BAM! The guy in front decides its a good time to stop dead in the middle of the road and let a car come out of a side road. He has right of way, every one knows he has right of way, but still, for the sake of politeness he stops to let out another driver who does not have right of way.
And here's the thing. It is polite stuff, on the face of it, but because no one really knows what is going on the risk to the rest of us is huge.
Example: I was waiting to pull onto a busy road (not in the Griff, in the amazingly-mundane Focus) and there were no gaps. No gaps for about 5 mins. All of a sudden an old boy in a Cavalier slammed on the anchors just to let me out. This is great - I get to jump into fast-moving trafic. Not so for the driver behind who had little chance of anticipating the chivalrous manoevre of the Cavalier driver and ran straight into the back of him. He should have anticipated it, its his duty as the following driver. But this is the real world and he didn't.
The same happens at the end of our road, where there is a favourite spot for parents and kids to cross for school. It's a residential area, 30mph speed limit and in the mornings there's lots of traffic. I'm amazed at the chaos that is caused by the odd driver stopping dead to let parents and buggies cross the road. When it happens, no one knows what to do. Horns start blazing, parent is confused and we descend one more rung towards road-armageddon.
I'm not saying I agree with all the rules of the road, but on the basis that they are generally well known to road users it gets right on my goat when people don't follow them - all for the good of being polite.
Rant over.
It's knights of the road that irritate the b'jeesus out of me. I mean there's everyone travelling along enjoying the ride, obeying the rules (okay, sometimes a bit wayward with the speedlimit) following the highway code and BAM! The guy in front decides its a good time to stop dead in the middle of the road and let a car come out of a side road. He has right of way, every one knows he has right of way, but still, for the sake of politeness he stops to let out another driver who does not have right of way.
And here's the thing. It is polite stuff, on the face of it, but because no one really knows what is going on the risk to the rest of us is huge.
Example: I was waiting to pull onto a busy road (not in the Griff, in the amazingly-mundane Focus) and there were no gaps. No gaps for about 5 mins. All of a sudden an old boy in a Cavalier slammed on the anchors just to let me out. This is great - I get to jump into fast-moving trafic. Not so for the driver behind who had little chance of anticipating the chivalrous manoevre of the Cavalier driver and ran straight into the back of him. He should have anticipated it, its his duty as the following driver. But this is the real world and he didn't.
The same happens at the end of our road, where there is a favourite spot for parents and kids to cross for school. It's a residential area, 30mph speed limit and in the mornings there's lots of traffic. I'm amazed at the chaos that is caused by the odd driver stopping dead to let parents and buggies cross the road. When it happens, no one knows what to do. Horns start blazing, parent is confused and we descend one more rung towards road-armageddon.
I'm not saying I agree with all the rules of the road, but on the basis that they are generally well known to road users it gets right on my goat when people don't follow them - all for the good of being polite.
Rant over.
I've been meaning to have a rant about this for ages! It annoys me when people do this because at best it's inconvenient for the following car, at worst it's dangerous like your example.
I tend to be polite and let people out but slowing only if i am not going to interrupt the progress of those following me. Unless i'm in a hurry
I tend to be polite and let people out but slowing only if i am not going to interrupt the progress of those following me. Unless i'm in a hurry
quote:
You had trouble stopping? The Guy in front decided to let someone out? You allowed your OWN safety to be comprimised by the other clown in front of you?
Your own fault mate, next time keep your distance...
oli
read the post, the clue's in the words and I quote:
"Not so for the driver behind who had little chance of anticipating the chivalrous manoevre of the Cavalier driver and ran straight into the back of him. He should have anticipated it, its his duty as the following driver. But this is the real world and he didn't."
AF
Not so much that, but if I'm the last car in a train of cars, and the road is clear for **MILES** behind me.
At 60mph - car in front does the decent thing and lets someone out. Fine, if there are no gaps in traffic, but given that we'll both be past in 5 seconds, and then the 3rd party can pull onto the road at his leisure....
Of course, I've always got a big enough gap to stop in, but still.
At 60mph - car in front does the decent thing and lets someone out. Fine, if there are no gaps in traffic, but given that we'll both be past in 5 seconds, and then the 3rd party can pull onto the road at his leisure....
Of course, I've always got a big enough gap to stop in, but still.
quote:Welcome to Rant Club, Angus my good man..
read the post, the clue's in the words and I quote:
The First Rule of Rant Club is: As the 'owner' of a Rant thread, you have 3 "Did you actually read what I said?" Cards that you can play in this thread.
The Second Rule of Rant Club is: Don't pick everyone up on it or you'll have played all your cards by the end of the first page. This thread could easily run to 5 or more pages.
Ted, we need a smiley with a yellow card bearing a red diagonal cross on it.. to denote the playing of the card as above. Please?
Oh and if the card is played to the same person three times in one thread, that participant must sit out the rest of the thread from the lurker gallery. That can be done, can't it, Ted?
There'd be some interesting gamesmanship I think..
Edited to remove the thorn from the lion's paw..
>> Edited by CarZee on Wednesday 9th October 22:30
Errm sorry if this is a bit ignorant but correct me if I'm wrong.....If you run into the back of anyone, isn't it your fault for ot driving without due care and attention or not keeping your distance, you should always keep at least 2 seconds between you and the car in front for the very reason, it could be anything but if the person in front slams the anchors on you should have enough room to stop safely!
Sorry!
Graham
Sorry!
Graham
quote:
Errm sorry if this is a bit ignorant but correct me if I'm wrong.....If you run into the back of anyone, isn't it your fault for ot driving without due care and attention or not keeping your distance, you should always keep at least 2 seconds between you and the car in front for the very reason, it could be anything but if the person in front slams the anchors on you should have enough room to stop safely!
Graham, I agree. It's always the responsibility of every driver to diligently follow the rules of the road, anticipate the behaviour of other road users etc etc. What I'm RANTING! about is the habits of road users who think being polite is more important than following the highway code. Thus stopping in the middle of the road to let someone who does not have right of way, have right of way causes confusion.
CarZee, I'm playing my second card
. I witnessed someone run into the back of someone else because of Knight-of-the-Road behaviour. It SHOULDN'T have happened but it did. I WOULDN'T have happened if the driver in front had obeyed the well-known rules of right-of-way on a road. Neither the driver in front, nor the driver behind was me.
Edited because I RANTING well felt like it!
>> Edited by angusfaldo on Wednesday 9th October 23:38
On the whole Graham, yes you're right.
Thsi is somethign that irritates me as well - even when it's me being let out. I'm usually muttering come on get on with it, it's your priority,
I never actually know if -
they've seen me and are being "nice", or
they're blind, haven't seen me and don't know what they're doing, or
they actually think i have priority because I was at the junction first, or
they're just plain thick.
Thsi is somethign that irritates me as well - even when it's me being let out. I'm usually muttering come on get on with it, it's your priority,
I never actually know if -
they've seen me and are being "nice", or
they're blind, haven't seen me and don't know what they're doing, or
they actually think i have priority because I was at the junction first, or
they're just plain thick.
quote:Use the farse, Luke..
CarZee, I'm playing my second card
However, in failing to explicitly identify Graham as the recipient, he's perhaps unaware that he's being accused of not reading (or having the experience to understand perhaps
) exactly what you said. Or were you showing *me* the card?
Either way, you might yet have been premature in playing your second card
>> Edited by CarZee on Wednesday 9th October 23:48
Sorry if i've caused a disruption, but I was merely stating that no accidents would occur if people kept appropriate distances between them and the car in front!
I get frustrated with the knight of the road, I'm not like most passenger's who sit there and admire the view, I take in what is going on around me, and what the other numpties do on the roads, I do this because I'm kind of getting experience for when I take my test!
Graham
I get frustrated with the knight of the road, I'm not like most passenger's who sit there and admire the view, I take in what is going on around me, and what the other numpties do on the roads, I do this because I'm kind of getting experience for when I take my test!
Graham
Now I thought Angus was playing his card in general, aiming at the few people who have misinterpreted what he said - rather than at Graham who didn't in fact suggest that Angus had been the driver of the following car, he was just asking for clarification of the rules of the road.
Maybe Graham owes you a card, CZ?
Edit: Beat me to it Graham!
Further edit: don't apologise for having an opinion or for asking questions, it's only a stupid question if you don't ask it, and there're more than a few opinionated folks here and one more's just a bigger party. Or argument.
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 10th October 00:00
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 10th October 00:03
Maybe Graham owes you a card, CZ?
Edit: Beat me to it Graham!
Further edit: don't apologise for having an opinion or for asking questions, it's only a stupid question if you don't ask it, and there're more than a few opinionated folks here and one more's just a bigger party. Or argument.
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 10th October 00:00
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 10th October 00:03
Bing!
Two Points deucted for a foul.
Oh and BTW I read
(and understood!)
the question.
So without further adoo :
IMNSHO when you live in the vicinity of the rapidly stagnating genepool of London I think it's rather nice to be reprieved of a 20 minute wait at a tricky junction by the courtesy of another road user.
Indeed at certain junctions in the London area on a Friday afeternoon / evening you would never ever get out into the traffic flow if people did not purposely make a point of being a 'KOTR'.
*IMNSHO [Imh-nh-show] In My Not So Humble Opinion
(tm Mr_Tony Enterprises Inc.)
Edit? What edit?
>> Edited by mr_tony on Thursday 10th October 00:25
Two Points deucted for a foul.
Oh and BTW I read
(and understood!) the question. So without further adoo :
IMNSHO when you live in the vicinity of the rapidly stagnating genepool of London I think it's rather nice to be reprieved of a 20 minute wait at a tricky junction by the courtesy of another road user.
Indeed at certain junctions in the London area on a Friday afeternoon / evening you would never ever get out into the traffic flow if people did not purposely make a point of being a 'KOTR'.
*IMNSHO [Imh-nh-show] In My Not So Humble Opinion
(tm Mr_Tony Enterprises Inc.)
Edit? What edit?
>> Edited by mr_tony on Thursday 10th October 00:25
My advice: move to High Wycombe. There aren't any benevolent drivers here. At all. Thanks to the complete buggeration of the A40 London Road, absolutely nobody gives an inch. Which means that I can quite literally wait more than five minutes when I try to get out of my road in the morning. Person after person blocks the junction right in front of me and then pretends not to have noticed, and you take your life in your hands if you try to filter in, much less cross as a pedestrian.
Top rant Angus.
It clearly behoves the driver following the numptie-knight-of-the-road to be observant and avoid a collision with the car in front whatever they do.
However, in my opinion there is also an obligation for the driver who is thinking about stopping to be observant not only in spotting you but also in noticing the cars behind him and hence identifying that it wouldn't be a good idea to stop.
His politeness in stopping to let you out is outweighed by his rudeness to the traffic behind.
I always try and use good rearward observation when traffic is filtering past parked cars and causing oncoming traffic to be halted. It is much better for everyone if I continue past (rather than politely stopping to let the oncoming traffic move again) if I can see that there is a car right behind me, but that there is a gap in my stream of traffic shortly afterwards.
There, I feel better now.
It clearly behoves the driver following the numptie-knight-of-the-road to be observant and avoid a collision with the car in front whatever they do.
However, in my opinion there is also an obligation for the driver who is thinking about stopping to be observant not only in spotting you but also in noticing the cars behind him and hence identifying that it wouldn't be a good idea to stop.
His politeness in stopping to let you out is outweighed by his rudeness to the traffic behind.
I always try and use good rearward observation when traffic is filtering past parked cars and causing oncoming traffic to be halted. It is much better for everyone if I continue past (rather than politely stopping to let the oncoming traffic move again) if I can see that there is a car right behind me, but that there is a gap in my stream of traffic shortly afterwards.
There, I feel better now.
In slow moving, bunched up traffic, I'm likely to let somebody out who (a) looks like they've been waiting a while and (b) is waiting patiently. 
The nobber who forces his way across the road & blocks the oncoming traffic and then tries to force his way in front of me gets nowhere. All the better if the cars behind me bunch up & leave him hanging in the road.
Oh, and if I'm waiting to pull out and I can see the road is clear behind the last car in the passing traffic, its quicker for the last car to drive past than for it to stop and let me out FFS! - use your mirrors!
The nobber who forces his way across the road & blocks the oncoming traffic and then tries to force his way in front of me gets nowhere.
All the better if the cars behind me bunch up & leave him hanging in the road. Oh, and if I'm waiting to pull out and I can see the road is clear behind the last car in the passing traffic, its quicker for the last car to drive past than for it to stop and let me out FFS! - use your mirrors!
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