RE: Are Brits the worst drivers in Europe? PH Blog

[andysgriff]

RE: Are Brits the most selfish in Europe? PH Blog

[Europa1]

One thing that depresses me about driving in the UK these days is the seemingly terminal decline of the "wave of thanks" from other drivers when you show them some act of courtesy (letting them out of a side turning, past a row of parked cars etc). Is it too much effort or just beneath people these days to make some gesture of thanks?

[johnwilliams77]

Europa1 said:

One thing that depresses me about driving in the UK these days is the seemingly terminal decline of the "wave of thanks" from other drivers when you show them some act of courtesy (letting them out of a side turning, past a row of parked cars etc). Is it too much effort or just beneath people these days to make some gesture of thanks?

I now only wave if waved at first. Years of being ignored caused this decision! (Waving to be polite and being ignored!)

[SlimJim16v]

je777 said:

People see their car as an extension of their home.
Therefore, it’s ‘their rules’.
And if you ‘do’ anything to them (cut them up, drive too close, whatever) you’ve done it whilst they are – in their minds – in their home.
That’s why they go mental about it.

Edited by je777 on Tuesday 15th March 10:19

Nope. People feel and are insulated from their surroundings while in a car. That is why the behave atrociously. Why else do they do things that in person would result in words being exchanged, if not more.

Spineless s.

[swisstoni]

johnwilliams77 said:

Europa1 said:

One thing that depresses me about driving in the UK these days is the seemingly terminal decline of the "wave of thanks" from other drivers when you show them some act of courtesy (letting them out of a side turning, past a row of parked cars etc). Is it too much effort or just beneath people these days to make some gesture of thanks?

I now only wave if waved at first. Years of being ignored caused this decision! (Waving to be polite and being ignored!)

I tend to acknowledge anyway and not cry into my chips if nothing comes back. I might mutter though.

[HB2K]

swisstoni said:

johnwilliams77 said:

Europa1 said:

One thing that depresses me about driving in the UK these days is the seemingly terminal decline of the "wave of thanks" from other drivers when you show them some act of courtesy (letting them out of a side turning, past a row of parked cars etc). Is it too much effort or just beneath people these days to make some gesture of thanks?

I now only wave if waved at first. Years of being ignored caused this decision! (Waving to be polite and being ignored!)

I tend to acknowledge anyway and not cry into my chips if nothing comes back. I might mutter though.

I live in London, and although I certainly see my fare share of bad driving on a daily basis, and there is certainly more aggression than other areas of the UK, I have to say I don't recognise the experiences above - around my local roads where there are cars parked both sides a huge amount of giving way is necessary, and people almost always acknowledge with a wave, sometimes even where they have priority.

One place I thought the driving would be impeccable is Japan, not least as the speed limits are so slow and the traffic police ubiquitous, but on a recent trip with a lot of driving I was astonished by the poor lane discipline and lack of indication - also a lot of pulling out directly into oncoming traffic. I think the large number of rather elderly drivers explains some of this!

[BlimeyCharlie]

I think you've only got to walk anywhere populated to quickly grasp the problem, which is that people are ignorant. Being thick is a much lesser crime. It is a complete lack of manners, coupled with a massive self-entitlement problem.

Introducing vehicles is complicating matters even more.

Recent examples in the last week;
Hold a door open for someone in a shop and not even acknowledged for doing so?. Silly me, they were texting.

Woman walking 3 silly little dogs, while she is yapping on her phone, decides to cross over without looking, then shouts at me to "SLOW DOWN!" after I'd come to an abrupt halt, in my car, on the road. You'd think I was driving on the pavement. I now regret being so observant.

People spitting everywhere. Not sure why? Is it cool?

Dogsh*t. Everywhere.

Rude 'weekend' cyclist who thought lane discipline on his bike didn't apply to him on a roundabout-I got the 'finger' when he nearly smacked into my car, this is on an 'A' road. Worse still was he looked like Noel Edmunds (in lycra).

Idiots who enter a quiet shop holding a LOUD conversation as if they are at home and not in public (as such). Just shut up please.

People who take their kids for meals and think that it is ok to let their kids play loud electronic games to keep them entertained. Stay at home please.

Horsey types who seem to think the road is theirs and not for cars etc. Ride your horse in a field like it was designed for? I don't drive my car in a field, so why look at me as if I've sh*t in your tea?

Giving people like this a vehicle to move around in and we are asking for trouble, without saying please.

[Moonhawk]

AudiRS6 said:

It is so simple.....overtaking lanes are for overtaking only. Once you have overtaken, move instantly back into your original position.

This isn't a uniquely British trait though. I have done quite a lot of driving in Iceland recently - and they just seem to occupy whichever lane they please - anyone who doesn't like it just goes around whichever side is most convenient.

[lestiq]

Have to agree, and it is particularly bad in the south, Southampton has quite possibly the worst drivers I've ever experienced, from downright stupidly dangerous to plain stupidly thick we have them all. I think they should make the test harder and more in line with 2016. If we're really debating this, i think the real question is for how long we are all going to pretend that this is sustainable, how many of you sit in solid traffic driving to and from work now? All we're doing is bolstering the ministers slush funds with our mpg sat at 0, I bet they literally see money every time the m25 grinds to a halt.. I wish the 2016 looked like the 2016 they imagined in the 60s. Not this backward society we live in now.


Not gonna quote blimeycharlie but they are spot on.

[patmahe]

Moonhawk said:

AudiRS6 said:

It is so simple.....overtaking lanes are for overtaking only. Once you have overtaken, move instantly back into your original position.

This isn't a uniquely British trait though. I have done quite a lot of driving in Iceland recently - and they just seem to occupy whichever lane they please - anyone who doesn't like it just goes around whichever side is most convenient.

I think a lot of people are simply unaware of how motorways should work. I was in Australia a few years back and they have a simple sign 'keep left unless overtaking' every few miles, have never understood why its not a more widespread solution.

[SEE YA]

patmahe said:

Moonhawk said:

AudiRS6 said:

It is so simple.....overtaking lanes are for overtaking only. Once you have overtaken, move instantly back into your original position.

This isn't a uniquely British trait though. I have done quite a lot of driving in Iceland recently - and they just seem to occupy whichever lane they please - anyone who doesn't like it just goes around whichever side is most convenient.

I think a lot of people are simply unaware of how motorways should work. I was in Australia a few years back and they have a simple sign 'keep left unless overtaking' every few miles, have never understood why its not a more widespread solution.

When I there driving,in Australia I thought that was a good idea myself 'KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING'

Its a good solution could save lives?

[AW111]

patmahe said:

I think a lot of people are simply unaware of how motorways should work. I was in Australia a few years back and they have a simple sign 'keep left unless overtaking' every few miles, have never understood why its not a more widespread solution.

Once upon a time the signs used to say "slow vehicles keep left". That shows a very poor grasp of psychology

[heebeegeetee]

BlimeyCharlie said:

I think you've only got to walk anywhere populated to quickly grasp the problem, which is that people are ignorant. Being thick is a much lesser crime. It is a complete lack of manners, coupled with a massive self-entitlement problem.

What do you make of this then?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3493923/Fe...

Genuine question: Would similar behaviour be likely to be seen elsewhere at a horse race in say, Europe.

(For some reason I'm feeling very old. )

[AH33]

heebeegeetee said:

What do you make of this then?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3493923/Fe...

Genuine question: Would similar behaviour be likely to be seen elsewhere at a horse race in say, Europe.

(For some reason I'm feeling very old. )

Footballers are dheads, shocker

Standing around and watching your mates piss may be a deeper issue.

[rbgos]

I think the heart of the problem is simply the number of people on the roads. The population density of Britain is higher than most of Europe, way higher than America, so there are more people squeezed onto fewer roads. This results in claustraphobia, aggression, and blown fuses. If there are fewer people on the road, you can afford to be more generous to the cars around you.

There is also the British penchant for queueing and taking your turn. As soon as one person is perceived (rightly or wrongly) to have contravened this, it will wind up a British driver far more than a continental one.

[Daniel-ezc4y]

Brits are definately the worst drivers. Just look at how many Audis are on our roads.

[Lester H]

Oh, no! Frighteningly worst in Europe are Portugese, reading newspapers at the wheel, instant lane changes etc. also,dreadful is Ibiza but some of blame there lies with tourists in hired cars and teenagers on mopeds/ scooters, locals and ( drugged) visitors alike, although some of these will be Brits, however this does not entirely wreck my argument as locals are terrible and in fact Spanish generally can be a bit dire.. s

Edited by Lester H on Friday 18th March 18:59

Edited by Lester H on Friday 18th March 19:19

[Lester H]

Daniel-ezc4y said:

Brits are definately the worst drivers. Just look at how many Audis are on our roads.

Nothing fundamentally wrong with Audis, maker does not control their drivers' fleet manager. for private buyer though, why bother when Skoda and Seat exist?

[unsprung]

rbgos said:

There is also the British penchant for queueing and taking your turn.

True indeed. Whether behind the wheel or in a shop, the British are likely to be courteous in places where a queue is expected.

It's refreshing to experience this level of civilisation, particularly if one has also visited parts of Southern Europe. Or parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

[tomalexander89]

I'm Australian, and in my time driving in the UK the standard of driving was, in my opinion, far superior to what you see in Australia (I realise this is regarding Europe, but still). Obviously the traffic is far heavier owing to the population density, but generally I found the lane discipline was good, and people were generally courteous and displayed reasonable technical skill. Australian drivers are a dangerous mix of aggression mixed with a complete lack of technical skill, and pretty horrible roads thrown into the mix. Indicate to move across, and more often than not someone will accelerate to block you. Ridiculously tight speed enforcement (3km/h in NSW) means that right lane hogging is common. Bizarrely, a lot of drivers seem to see you wanting to travel a few km/h faster than them as a slight, and figure that they will just block the right hand lane as a result, either oblivious or just not caring about the cars banking up behind them.