People driving and behaving like idiots around you
Discussion
I recently changed my daily to a 370Z which I drive each day into Manchester city centre each day in pretty heavy traffic.
Not exactly the most logical car for the daily grind but hey, the heart wants what it wants and totally worth it when out on the open road...
I am now nearly 2 months into ownership and I have come to the conclusion that this car makes people around me behave and drive in an incredibly hostile and moronic manner.
I have owned a wide variety of cars over the years and have never experienced anything quite like this before.
Almost every day I have to put up with a procession of people tailgating me. And we're not just talking spotty oiks in Puntos wanting to have a little race; van drivers, bargemeisters, yummys in 4x4s all like to do it. When I tire of this and give them a few flashes of my tail lights to get them to back off, they invariably get very angry and start gesturing wildly, despite the fact that this is usually in traffic so I cannot go any faster and they cannot go anywhere anyway.
Yesterday a taxi driver veered out of his lane and came within a whisker of hitting me until I beeped my horn and he woke up and pulled back into his lane. This morning in a merge situation with no particular priority the traffic was falling into line alternating in an orderly manner, one car from each lane at a time. A woman came up behind me and tried to cut me out by driving up the inside of me to the point where I literally had to swerve out of her way and just let her push her way through, as otherwise she would have rubbed her car down my rear quarter panel and passenger door as there was nowhere for her to go other than through me. I then arrive at work and cannot get into the underground car park as a van load of builders have parked right across the entrance and the guy just glares at me and stands there as if its my fault!
It has been like this since I have bought the car and all I can deduce is that the Nissan is somehow encouraging this sort of behavior from other people. Whilst an unusual sight on the road I wouldn't exactly consider the Big Zed a flash car, but maybe people just assume it is driven by some knob and that'll they will 'show me a thing or two' by driving aggressively around me.
This is really beginning to impact my stress levels on my daily commute.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
Not exactly the most logical car for the daily grind but hey, the heart wants what it wants and totally worth it when out on the open road...
I am now nearly 2 months into ownership and I have come to the conclusion that this car makes people around me behave and drive in an incredibly hostile and moronic manner.
I have owned a wide variety of cars over the years and have never experienced anything quite like this before.
Almost every day I have to put up with a procession of people tailgating me. And we're not just talking spotty oiks in Puntos wanting to have a little race; van drivers, bargemeisters, yummys in 4x4s all like to do it. When I tire of this and give them a few flashes of my tail lights to get them to back off, they invariably get very angry and start gesturing wildly, despite the fact that this is usually in traffic so I cannot go any faster and they cannot go anywhere anyway.
Yesterday a taxi driver veered out of his lane and came within a whisker of hitting me until I beeped my horn and he woke up and pulled back into his lane. This morning in a merge situation with no particular priority the traffic was falling into line alternating in an orderly manner, one car from each lane at a time. A woman came up behind me and tried to cut me out by driving up the inside of me to the point where I literally had to swerve out of her way and just let her push her way through, as otherwise she would have rubbed her car down my rear quarter panel and passenger door as there was nowhere for her to go other than through me. I then arrive at work and cannot get into the underground car park as a van load of builders have parked right across the entrance and the guy just glares at me and stands there as if its my fault!
It has been like this since I have bought the car and all I can deduce is that the Nissan is somehow encouraging this sort of behavior from other people. Whilst an unusual sight on the road I wouldn't exactly consider the Big Zed a flash car, but maybe people just assume it is driven by some knob and that'll they will 'show me a thing or two' by driving aggressively around me.
This is really beginning to impact my stress levels on my daily commute.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
For a while I had three cars which i drive through central london, depending on the weather and mood.
The modded mr2 turbo gets heaps of abuse and hatred from all directions when I am minding my own business.
The classic mini cooper got love and respect from everyone, even bus drivers and cabbies who are the angriest most nasty people on the roads.
In my 3 series bmw, i blend in and feel normal and safe. No hatred, but not much love.
It's your car, you just got to roll with it.
The modded mr2 turbo gets heaps of abuse and hatred from all directions when I am minding my own business.
The classic mini cooper got love and respect from everyone, even bus drivers and cabbies who are the angriest most nasty people on the roads.
In my 3 series bmw, i blend in and feel normal and safe. No hatred, but not much love.
It's your car, you just got to roll with it.
I was informed by a magistrate some years ago that 'flashing the brake lights' is deemed dangerous driving as it may cause another driver to brake heavily and cause an accident and received 6 points and a fine for my troubles.
Suffice to say I don't agree with him and appealed and won the appeal in the end. Just be careful....
The recommended way to deal with a tailgater is to gradually go slower and slower....(I've always found it a useful way to wind them up further too).
Suffice to say I don't agree with him and appealed and won the appeal in the end. Just be careful....
The recommended way to deal with a tailgater is to gradually go slower and slower....(I've always found it a useful way to wind them up further too).
Edited by lostkiwi on Tuesday 7th July 14:54
There are a lot of idiot drivers on the road. I'm not normally an aggressive driver, but I won't let anyone bully me on the road, no matter what car they're in. I drive a mint Audi S4 so obviously don't want to crash it just to prove a point, but if someone drives like a knob I won't back down.
This morning on the motorway I had a Merc(minicab) sit on my arse for a few miles, even though there was nowhere for him to go.
Eventually he undertakes me and tries to push in between me and the car in front. By which time I had closed the gap and squeezed him out. He nearly collided with me through his erratic driving and obviously took great offense. From then on he was taunting me the whole way cutting me up, breaking hard in front of me and holding me up. I didn't make a fuss and waited until I was next to him, so wound my window down and told him to pull over. Guess what, he gave it all the signs and verbal abuse but wouldn't pull over so we could sort it out...
This morning on the motorway I had a Merc(minicab) sit on my arse for a few miles, even though there was nowhere for him to go.
Eventually he undertakes me and tries to push in between me and the car in front. By which time I had closed the gap and squeezed him out. He nearly collided with me through his erratic driving and obviously took great offense. From then on he was taunting me the whole way cutting me up, breaking hard in front of me and holding me up. I didn't make a fuss and waited until I was next to him, so wound my window down and told him to pull over. Guess what, he gave it all the signs and verbal abuse but wouldn't pull over so we could sort it out...
It doesn't matter which of my cars I drive, I get 1-2 people a day who seem intent on inspecting the barcode on my exhaust. I have taken to readjusting my rear view mirror so I don't notice it.
I honestly think a lot of people who do it are just s
t drivers who have no real idea wtf they are doing rather than being deliberately aggressive.
Judging by how few actually overtake when they have a perfectly good opportunity and how few maintain the taligate consistently (they can be right up my jacksy for miles then drop back for no apparent reason - maybe when they get a phone call or need to fiddle with their ipod or post on facebook) I reckon they are just the same people who stand behind you in the checkout queue in shops spending all their time straining to see past you as if that will make any difference to anything then when it's actually their turn they are too busy on Facebook to actually do their transaction. Ignorant morons, but best ignored.
ETA - I will own up to this - If I am the last but one in a line of slow moving traffic and someone's tailgating the flip out of me when I'm in the Disco, I do occasionally pull over and let 'em past, then loom large in their rear view mirror as they discover they can't go any faster than the cars in front
I honestly think a lot of people who do it are just s
t drivers who have no real idea wtf they are doing rather than being deliberately aggressive. Judging by how few actually overtake when they have a perfectly good opportunity and how few maintain the taligate consistently (they can be right up my jacksy for miles then drop back for no apparent reason - maybe when they get a phone call or need to fiddle with their ipod or post on facebook) I reckon they are just the same people who stand behind you in the checkout queue in shops spending all their time straining to see past you as if that will make any difference to anything then when it's actually their turn they are too busy on Facebook to actually do their transaction. Ignorant morons, but best ignored.
ETA - I will own up to this - If I am the last but one in a line of slow moving traffic and someone's tailgating the flip out of me when I'm in the Disco, I do occasionally pull over and let 'em past, then loom large in their rear view mirror as they discover they can't go any faster than the cars in front
Edited by V8forweekends on Tuesday 7th July 15:36
Acidrop said:
There are a lot of idiot drivers on the road. I'm not normally an aggressive driver, but I won't let anyone bully me on the road, no matter what car they're in. I drive a mint Audi S4 so obviously don't want to crash it just to prove a point, but if someone drives like a knob I won't back down.
This morning on the motorway I had a Merc(minicab) sit on my arse for a few miles, even though there was nowhere for him to go.
Eventually he undertakes me and tries to push in between me and the car in front. By which time I had closed the gap and squeezed him out. He nearly collided with me through his erratic driving and obviously took great offense. From then on he was taunting me the whole way cutting me up, breaking hard in front of me and holding me up. I didn't make a fuss and waited until I was next to him, so wound my window down and told him to pull over. Guess what, he gave it all the signs and verbal abuse but wouldn't pull over so we could sort it out...
Haven't really portrayed yourself as innocent here...This morning on the motorway I had a Merc(minicab) sit on my arse for a few miles, even though there was nowhere for him to go.
Eventually he undertakes me and tries to push in between me and the car in front. By which time I had closed the gap and squeezed him out. He nearly collided with me through his erratic driving and obviously took great offense. From then on he was taunting me the whole way cutting me up, breaking hard in front of me and holding me up. I didn't make a fuss and waited until I was next to him, so wound my window down and told him to pull over. Guess what, he gave it all the signs and verbal abuse but wouldn't pull over so we could sort it out...
I get what you're saying.
I also get all form of cars trying to race me/push me along in the chimaera, I'll bite most times too
I also bring home a selection of mundane cars from work that I drop off at the Bodyshop, it's interesting to see how people's attitudes change depending on what you're driving.
Small cars like i10s/picanto type things almost everyone trying to push there way by, fast stuff gets people wanting a race, and everything gets bullied by BMW and Audi drivers!
I also get all form of cars trying to race me/push me along in the chimaera, I'll bite most times too
I also bring home a selection of mundane cars from work that I drop off at the Bodyshop, it's interesting to see how people's attitudes change depending on what you're driving.
Small cars like i10s/picanto type things almost everyone trying to push there way by, fast stuff gets people wanting a race, and everything gets bullied by BMW and Audi drivers!
Acidrop said:
I didn't make a fuss and waited until I was next to him, so wound my window down and told him to pull over. Guess what, he gave it all the signs and verbal abuse but wouldn't pull over so we could sort it out...
I pulled into a 40 zone and given that I've driven for quite a few years my judgment told me that I wouldn’t impede the car in the distance, that would have been correct had the car been travelling at 40, he was going quite a bit quicker but I had got to the speed limit before he got to me and he was a little angry. I could see his hands flailing and him mouthing and I wondered why the anger, I slowed to the new 30 limit and he was tailgating. We arrive at a junction where it splits into two lanes and he acted like you did, he wound down his window and shouted ‘pull over, fking pull over’ so I wound my window down but he sped off rather quickly like he suddenly pooped his pants. If it wasn’t so tragic it would have been funny.
A long winded story to suggest winding your window down to invite a scrap is bordering on ‘Jeremy Kyle chav guest open mouth knobness of the highest order which you paint yourself to be.
Calm down, we all have our objectives and non are to get at you.
James Junior said:
I recently changed my daily to a 370Z. I am now nearly 2 months into ownership and I have come to the conclusion that this car makes people around me behave and drive in an incredibly hostile and moronic manner.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
Yes. Try driving a Porsche sportscar and you'll find that for some reason the minds of other motorists seem to dissolve into a puddle of inadequacy. Here's my "top 3" for you,Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
1. White van man [note he keeps the window open for shouting obscenities and gesticulating with one finger]
2. Large black 4x4 [vehicle size appears to reflect inverse relationship with genitals]
3. Audi diesel [Oh dear]
V8forweekends said:
I have taken to readjusting my rear view mirror so I don't notice it.
That's quite a good idea and I though of doing this too.Edited by V8forweekends on Tuesday 7th July 15:36
There could be more to tailgating though. Today a mate of mine said that his girlfriend drives too close to cars in front because she feels safer. She won’t drive on motorways and avoids duel carriageways and won’t overtake anything.
I have a number of different vehicles and I do notice subtle differences. bearing in mind I drive in a pretty relaxed way on the road and therefore would suggest I drive at average speed and I'm quite courteous to other road users, I'm seldom in a hurry as I dont drive for 'work'...
LWB Van - mostly people get out of the way - they expect you to drive like a white-van-man and try to run them off the road, so most road users give you a wide berth, particularly at round-a-bouts
LWB Van towing - must... get... past... at all costs, even if they are driving a 1.0 Ford KA which is slower up a hill.
Sports cars - nothing really to report, in general, I get treated like a normal road user. people let me out at junctions etc High revs = loud noises = bad, so I try to drive through villages etc in a higher gear.
People mover thing - they think I'm an addison lee / minicab driver - no one lets you out and blackcab and london bus drivers in particular do their best to box you in at all opportunities
track cars with roll cages and 'because racecar' bits - never get tailed gated, in fact most people back off or move out of the lane on the motorway without any prompting.
never had anyone throw a redbull can at me or try to brake-test me... tailgating seems to be par for the UK course, however I dont really take much notice... since I race, I am used to being bump-drafted at over 100mph - which is more my idea of tailgating. I just leave a bigger gap to the car in front.
LWB Van - mostly people get out of the way - they expect you to drive like a white-van-man and try to run them off the road, so most road users give you a wide berth, particularly at round-a-bouts
LWB Van towing - must... get... past... at all costs, even if they are driving a 1.0 Ford KA which is slower up a hill.
Sports cars - nothing really to report, in general, I get treated like a normal road user. people let me out at junctions etc High revs = loud noises = bad, so I try to drive through villages etc in a higher gear.
People mover thing - they think I'm an addison lee / minicab driver - no one lets you out and blackcab and london bus drivers in particular do their best to box you in at all opportunities
track cars with roll cages and 'because racecar' bits - never get tailed gated, in fact most people back off or move out of the lane on the motorway without any prompting.
never had anyone throw a redbull can at me or try to brake-test me... tailgating seems to be par for the UK course, however I dont really take much notice... since I race, I am used to being bump-drafted at over 100mph - which is more my idea of tailgating. I just leave a bigger gap to the car in front.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Yes. Try driving a Porsche sportscar and you'll find that for some reason the minds of other motorists seem to dissolve into a puddle of inadequacy. Here's my "top 3" for you,
1. White van man [note he keeps the window open for shouting obscenities and gesticulating with one finger]
2. Large black 4x4 [vehicle size appears to reflect inverse relationship with genitals]
3. Audi diesel [Oh dear]
This: we have 3 cars, a Golf, 320d, & Boxster S. No-one takes any notice of the golf, the 320d never gets let out of junctions, and the Boxster attracts idiots like a magnet!1. White van man [note he keeps the window open for shouting obscenities and gesticulating with one finger]
2. Large black 4x4 [vehicle size appears to reflect inverse relationship with genitals]
3. Audi diesel [Oh dear]
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