Road rage; is it getting worse?
Discussion
C.A.R. said:
People are not very forgiving of others on our roads.
I like to think that I'll forgive others for minor, genuine mistakes they make - nobody is perfect. I especially prefer it when people apologise for their errors. What is obvious from the PH dash cam video thread is that there is a breed of motorist who believes that everyone on the road should be perfect and will get hung up on these minor little things instead of simply getting on with life.
On the other hand I personally detest people who use speeding or incorrect lane discipline to gain an advantage - it does get me angry. I'm not sure why, but it's definitely much worse if my own progress is impeded by others' actions.
Grrr
I disagree that we think everyone sound be perfect; we all make mistakes. The things that really rile me personally are blatant arrogance. Mistakes I'll tolerate, especially with an acknowledgement and apology. It happens. But a selfish "fI like to think that I'll forgive others for minor, genuine mistakes they make - nobody is perfect. I especially prefer it when people apologise for their errors. What is obvious from the PH dash cam video thread is that there is a breed of motorist who believes that everyone on the road should be perfect and will get hung up on these minor little things instead of simply getting on with life.
On the other hand I personally detest people who use speeding or incorrect lane discipline to gain an advantage - it does get me angry. I'm not sure why, but it's definitely much worse if my own progress is impeded by others' actions.
Grrr
k you, me first.." attitude will get short shrift from me.Ruffy94 said:
I find my self getting more and more wound up every time im in the car. I can see why loose cannons could easily be set off, every time im in the car there seems to be 1-3 near misses (mostly people pulling out on me), people in the wrong lane, people not indicating, people tailgating etc etc etc.
I think the public as a group seem to be becoming more arrogant, unpleasant, rude and selfish as time progresses. They all seem to be developing this strange false sense of entitlement.
Try fitting a camera to your car.I think the public as a group seem to be becoming more arrogant, unpleasant, rude and selfish as time progresses. They all seem to be developing this strange false sense of entitlement.
Then review the footage and I guarantee most of the time you would see signs that they were about to pull out and you could have avoided them without needing to try hard. It is still irritating, but predicting it and dealing with it calmly can be strangely satisfying.
I try to give learners plenty of space, though I sometimes wonder why instructors take unprepared students out at rush hour. On occasion I have followed an L car and wondered how many lessons they have had only to realise there is only one person in the car...
Ruffy94 said:
I think the public as a group seem to be becoming more arrogant, unpleasant, rude and selfish as time progresses. They all seem to be developing this strange false sense of entitlement.
Nail. Head. On. The. In all walks of life, the "Great" British public are becoming great at simply being utter cocksockets, unable to take responsibility/ownership of their actions/consequences and seemingly expectant that the world and other people exist merely for their benefit.The default for most people seems to be aggressive. I heard a commotion outside my house one morning last week. A very large lorry was being driven up my street (housing development) but was having to squeeze through due to oncoming car. Lord driver gave the car driver a shake of the head and was met with abuse. The lorry drive then said 'you are on your phone my friend' only to be met with a 'so?' And more foul language. The sad thing was, a young girl about 7 was in the car driver's passenger seat. Irrational of me but I wanted to go out and deal with the driver myself.
Toltec said:
I try to give learners plenty of space, though I sometimes wonder why instructors take unprepared students out at rush hour. On occasion I have followed an L car and wondered how many lessons they have had only to realise there is only one person in the car...
I get frustrated by learners at rush hour/commuting times, I admit it. Not to the point of raging or flashing etc, but certainly enough to think that the instructor is a bit of a cock to take them there at that specific time.I know everyone has/had to learn at some point, but an inexperienced or nervous driver should be somewhere else during the peak periods. A car park, practicing parking, or something like that. Not creeping along a winding 60mph single carriageway at 25mph because she's scared the car will fall off the road, or too scared to overtake a bus when it stops, thereby forcing everyone in the queue behind to also have to stop and wait.
The HC says that drivers of large or slow vehicles should regularly pull over and let the queue past. I rarely see it from learners (or tractors, trucks etc etc) and I sometimes wonder if it's the instructor thinking "f
k 'em, we're doing 28mph, that's fast enough, they can wait". But saying that, we all needed to learn, and I'd rather see new drivers who were competent than terrified and owl-eyed behind the wheel.
Roads are incredibly crowded compared with just a few years ago. On the rare occasion that one might find clear space in front, it's often the case that a stupidly low speed limit is in force - and often lower than it was. That, with many 'calming' schemes designed to create congestion, it's not surprising that most drivers are wound up.
SidewaysSi said:
I have noticed it too unfortunately. I tend to be quite careful on the road and only drive quickly when I think it is safe and appropriate.
Sticking to speed limits and general road rules seems to annoy some people. Whilst I am youngish and more than confident/capable behind the wheel I don't let it bother me. But for some people I can see it being quite intimidating.
This. Very recently I had a woman annoyed at me for sticking to 30mph limit. Then when she went to undertake me (road where each lane goes different direction), her corsa wasn't fast enough and she was going absolutely mental! Fingers up, shouting something! I laughed and carried on a little bemused.Sticking to speed limits and general road rules seems to annoy some people. Whilst I am youngish and more than confident/capable behind the wheel I don't let it bother me. But for some people I can see it being quite intimidating.
yonex said:
Honestly I could kill. If I had a gun. I don't have a gun therefore I don't.
You do have a car though which could potentially kill just as well.The real problem is that when people used to confront people face to face as on the Tube or on the street, we learned to suppress all the angry thoughts we may have had about anything.
Now we are remote from face to face, in our insulated little box, we can release all this anger without fear of retribution.
This is also why internet sites are so full of vitriol
I'm fairly laid back, life's too short to spent it getting wound up by the actions of knobs on the road.
My wife however, turns into an absolute snarling ball of rage fairly easily on the roads, even when I'm driving.
I think the fact I remain calm despite the actions of idiots just winds her up even more.
My wife however, turns into an absolute snarling ball of rage fairly easily on the roads, even when I'm driving.
I think the fact I remain calm despite the actions of idiots just winds her up even more.
My daily commute is a leisurely 4m drive down a nice country lane and the only time I stop is to turn into my workshop.
When I do venture out into the real world it can be somewhat alarming as to how bad the driving can be. Everyone seems to drive far too close, too fast and think nothing of pulling out in font of people late enough to cause heavy braking.
It's like everyone is on the last minute or running late.
The very worst, most dangerous place I find, is the very last place you would expect....The nursery car park.
Parents just speed in way too fast because they are rushing to drop off their child and carry on with their commute. They park as close to the nursery as possible, often not in a designated space and blocking someone or creating a blind spot.
When I do venture out into the real world it can be somewhat alarming as to how bad the driving can be. Everyone seems to drive far too close, too fast and think nothing of pulling out in font of people late enough to cause heavy braking.
It's like everyone is on the last minute or running late.
The very worst, most dangerous place I find, is the very last place you would expect....The nursery car park.
Parents just speed in way too fast because they are rushing to drop off their child and carry on with their commute. They park as close to the nursery as possible, often not in a designated space and blocking someone or creating a blind spot.
There seems to be some very odd psychology at work when humans climb behind the wheel. I don't pretend to understand it, but the fact that often ordinarily reasonable people can change so dramatically when behind the wheel suggests that the act of driving itself appeals to a very particular area of the human psyche which invokes animal-like territoriality and aggression. I'm guessing it's something to do with the lack of face-to-face non-verbal body language/eye-contact or something like that. I mean, most reasonable people wouldn't shoulder barge people out of the way in the street or chin anyone who crossed their path as they walked along. But behind the wheel, people often seem to act in exactly that manner. Rather like posting on internet forums really. I think the brain interprets things very differently in the absence of non-verbal body language.
It's actually fascinating, even though the results can be horrific as recent events have shown. I'm sure there must have been quite a bit of research done on this.
It's actually fascinating, even though the results can be horrific as recent events have shown. I'm sure there must have been quite a bit of research done on this.
I find the best way to deal with road rage motorists is just give them a wave and let them on their way regardless of whether I'm at fault or not.
They must have far greater issues than me.
A little bit of piss may boil inside me but so what.
To answer the OP, I suspect the proportion of RR has probably gone down but there are more cars around so more RR.
They must have far greater issues than me.
A little bit of piss may boil inside me but so what.
To answer the OP, I suspect the proportion of RR has probably gone down but there are more cars around so more RR.
lord trumpton said:
The very worst, most dangerous place I find, is the very last place you would expect....The nursery car park.
Parents just speed in way too fast because they are rushing to drop off their child and carry on with their commute. They park as close to the nursery as possible, often not in a designated space and blocking someone or creating a blind spot.
Parents just speed in way too fast because they are rushing to drop off their child and carry on with their commute. They park as close to the nursery as possible, often not in a designated space and blocking someone or creating a blind spot.
The habit of placing nurseries in the grounds of schools around my home town has backfired. The schools are now having automated gates installed to stop the nursery parents from entering, as they are a liability and the insurance companies don't want the risk - and the parents are whinging that they have to find somewhere to park off site and walk in. They don't see that it's their shoddy driving (and parking on the grass, on walkways, anywhere near the door etc) that has caused it.
Said it before on here:
A friend used to work in a place next door to one of these jungle-gym type establishments. At 2.45 every day, you'd get all the mums coming out, strapping the little snotbags in to their car seats, and then displaying the most awful driving as they tried to negotiate the car park. Reversing in to each other, driving over flower beds, leaving stuff on roofs, hitting signs etc.
Also, the only 2 cars I've ever had written off have both been written off after being reversed in to, by mums of young kids in 4x4s, in each case they got out and said "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you, I was talking to my son/daughter". As dangerous as any yoof in a "sports car".
Kentish,
I give L drivers all the time and space needed. People forget they were in the same position once.
And full marks for teaching to allowing the car from approaching from the right at the roundabout precedence. It is becoming more common for drivers to pull out on you,that is why I only indicate when I wish to exit. No signal means I am proceeding around, left indicator means I am leaving at the next exit
I give L drivers all the time and space needed. People forget they were in the same position once.
And full marks for teaching to allowing the car from approaching from the right at the roundabout precedence. It is becoming more common for drivers to pull out on you,that is why I only indicate when I wish to exit. No signal means I am proceeding around, left indicator means I am leaving at the next exit
Kentish said:
Stuff
In a lot of cases I don't think that a driving instructors' idea of "ready for the road" is the same as other folks. I regularly come up against learners dawdling along a busy 30mph road at 15-20 mph with the driver looking petrified. There is just too much traffic these days to have them bumbling along at half the speed limit on main roads. Instructors should keep them on quiet residential side roads until they can drive confidently at the speed limit and also maintain it.Op, can you do me a favour, move to Sunderland and teach the learners up here?
I'm a patient driver (most the time) but the instructors up here seem to love giving them a couple of lessons and taking them onto busy 40mph road where they proceed to do 20mph, stall all the time, miss 5 gaps in a row at a give way and generally get right on everyone's nerves. Not the learners fault as such the instructor's should be fired :-)
I'm a patient driver (most the time) but the instructors up here seem to love giving them a couple of lessons and taking them onto busy 40mph road where they proceed to do 20mph, stall all the time, miss 5 gaps in a row at a give way and generally get right on everyone's nerves. Not the learners fault as such the instructor's should be fired :-)
visiting a house on a busy road yesterday, I was aware that I had to back onto the drive as it was full of skip and vans, I stopped just past the drive,with my reversing lights on while a group of classic motorbikes came past,
the lead bike stopped 2 car lengths back, so I reversed onto the drive,
the old fart then tried to ride into my front wing,
his Hi Vis said "Think Bike" on the back.............
the lead bike stopped 2 car lengths back, so I reversed onto the drive,
the old fart then tried to ride into my front wing,
his Hi Vis said "Think Bike" on the back.............
Ive always been very considerate of L-drivers (remembering how nervous i was) but in terms of road-rage, the last few years of road cycling has really calmed me down as a car driver.
Now, even if im held up by someone going a bit slow, im likely still going faster than if i was cycling, while sitting in a comfy seat, in the warm, listening to music.
I urge everyone to do some cycling, and get some zen in their lives.
Now, even if im held up by someone going a bit slow, im likely still going faster than if i was cycling, while sitting in a comfy seat, in the warm, listening to music.
I urge everyone to do some cycling, and get some zen in their lives.
There are many reasons I think standards are dropping everywhere not just on the road. I have just been on a cruise to Norway, where many of the passengers were older.
Having to witness the pushing and shoving just to get on a tour bus is incredible as they jostle for the front seats, which were reserved for infirm "why do they get the best views" sort of comments.
The roads are too crowded and there is no cohesion with utilities to minimise delays. Repairs take too long and when accidents take place sad as they are we take too long to do what is required. All these breed frustrations in people.
Add the current trend to go mental at every little thing, especially in front of mates and you get the disrespecting accusations.
We all need to relax a bit on the roads. I live on an estate which is used for driving instructions, is it a pain, a bit but they need to practise somewhere so do I stress no. It is a minute or two at most.
I read a book once where a young chap picked up a Japanese business man. He tore down the roads and used back streets to deliver the man to his hotel. "we saved 10 minutes doing that" he proudly said. "what shall we now do with those minutes then" said the Japanese man. And that sums up sometimes all of us, we rush around get stressed for what? What does it do for us really. Nothing good
Having to witness the pushing and shoving just to get on a tour bus is incredible as they jostle for the front seats, which were reserved for infirm "why do they get the best views" sort of comments.
The roads are too crowded and there is no cohesion with utilities to minimise delays. Repairs take too long and when accidents take place sad as they are we take too long to do what is required. All these breed frustrations in people.
Add the current trend to go mental at every little thing, especially in front of mates and you get the disrespecting accusations.
We all need to relax a bit on the roads. I live on an estate which is used for driving instructions, is it a pain, a bit but they need to practise somewhere so do I stress no. It is a minute or two at most.
I read a book once where a young chap picked up a Japanese business man. He tore down the roads and used back streets to deliver the man to his hotel. "we saved 10 minutes doing that" he proudly said. "what shall we now do with those minutes then" said the Japanese man. And that sums up sometimes all of us, we rush around get stressed for what? What does it do for us really. Nothing good
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