RE: Are Brits the worst drivers in Europe? PH Blog
Discussion
KimJongHealthy said:
spodrod said:
Standards may be bad, but after spending 1 1/2 years in the US, they are by no means that bad. Driving in the US is catastrophic; a 15 minute test in an automatic car (at the age of 16) giving you free reign to choose anything you fancy to drive around in.
Spend any time on the roads and you'll notice;
No lane discipline or general awareness of whats going on around them.
Everyone is constantly on their mobiles.
A significant percentage of cars are clearly unroadworthy.
The list goes on. Its terrifying.
Am I right thinking that US equivalent of MOT is their emissions test, which only tests... emissions? No brakes, suspension or any other vital components are being checked?Spend any time on the roads and you'll notice;
No lane discipline or general awareness of whats going on around them.
Everyone is constantly on their mobiles.
A significant percentage of cars are clearly unroadworthy.
The list goes on. Its terrifying.
incidentally, mobile phone usage has now outstripped drunk driving as the no.1 cause of death on BC's roads.
Having just driven 1500 miles across France and back, I have to say I agree.
French motorways are a joy. Yes, they have far less traffic than ours, but in the main they are only 2 lane, which should be much more awkward. What is very noticeable is the way they manage the disparate speeds. You've got Pierre trundling along in his n/a 106 at about 60 kmh, and at the other end of the spectrum you've got Belgians doing about 200 kmh. In the middle you've got the Brits like me keeping it under the ton (<160 kmh) as that is when the fines start to get big.
All of the speed merchants recognise that Pierre has a right to overtake lorries, and lorries have a right to overtake as well. Neither Pierre or the lorries take the piss, and pull out, and back in again smartly. I didn't see a single example of elephant racing in the whole trip. When you want to come out of the inside lane, the speed merchants let you out, no issues. You stick your indicator on, a gap opens, and out you go.
Yes, there was one driver who had decided that the outside lane was his personal space on the trip - you've guessed it, a Brit.
So we returned to the M20 on the way home. Loads of cretins in the middle lanes of a 4 way motorway doing 60 about 3 inches from each other. Not one of them would consider driving their chariot in the inside lane. Really bad tailgating in the pouring rain, far worse than France, and loads of deliberate blocking of cars want to pull out of inner lanes. Is in any surprise that people won't pull over if they can't possibly get out again? Most British motorway drivers need to stick to pedal cars in the back garden.
French motorways are a joy. Yes, they have far less traffic than ours, but in the main they are only 2 lane, which should be much more awkward. What is very noticeable is the way they manage the disparate speeds. You've got Pierre trundling along in his n/a 106 at about 60 kmh, and at the other end of the spectrum you've got Belgians doing about 200 kmh. In the middle you've got the Brits like me keeping it under the ton (<160 kmh) as that is when the fines start to get big.
All of the speed merchants recognise that Pierre has a right to overtake lorries, and lorries have a right to overtake as well. Neither Pierre or the lorries take the piss, and pull out, and back in again smartly. I didn't see a single example of elephant racing in the whole trip. When you want to come out of the inside lane, the speed merchants let you out, no issues. You stick your indicator on, a gap opens, and out you go.
Yes, there was one driver who had decided that the outside lane was his personal space on the trip - you've guessed it, a Brit.
So we returned to the M20 on the way home. Loads of cretins in the middle lanes of a 4 way motorway doing 60 about 3 inches from each other. Not one of them would consider driving their chariot in the inside lane. Really bad tailgating in the pouring rain, far worse than France, and loads of deliberate blocking of cars want to pull out of inner lanes. Is in any surprise that people won't pull over if they can't possibly get out again? Most British motorway drivers need to stick to pedal cars in the back garden.
I am going to give my 2p worth on this subject...
A previous post on here gives the state of Victoria in Oz as an example of roads where the driving is very bad, and people who wish to proceed are seen as the enemy, and there is a reason for this type of behaviour on our roads and that is an increased focus on speed, or a percieved excessive use of it.
More and more people think that by sticking to a speed limit, or driving 10mph below it makes them perfectly safe irrespective of weather conditions, traffic density or any other factor that makes them think. Rigid enforcement of a speed limit set in the 1970's often results in the driver's attempting to stick to this limit, becoming frustrated and often taking this out on driver's who attempt to proceed.
Here's a question for you all, what were the criteria that they used to set the 70mph speed limit in the 1970's?
The road policing policy of taking the most useless, incompetent and downright dangerous motorist as an example and then treating us all the same results in a drop in standards. I have seen a rise in aggression and a fall in standards in the last 22 years I have been driving. Sad but true.
The countries that allow some leeway with the speed limits, such as France in the past, and Germany are often held up as examples of good driving, need I say more?
My personal experience of driving in Europe is that driving standards fall off a cliff in Holland, and they are very aggressive drivers, and bloody useless. France is still good, Germany is a joy to drive in, South of the UK is a bloody nightmare... Greeks are very random!!
A previous post on here gives the state of Victoria in Oz as an example of roads where the driving is very bad, and people who wish to proceed are seen as the enemy, and there is a reason for this type of behaviour on our roads and that is an increased focus on speed, or a percieved excessive use of it.
More and more people think that by sticking to a speed limit, or driving 10mph below it makes them perfectly safe irrespective of weather conditions, traffic density or any other factor that makes them think. Rigid enforcement of a speed limit set in the 1970's often results in the driver's attempting to stick to this limit, becoming frustrated and often taking this out on driver's who attempt to proceed.
Here's a question for you all, what were the criteria that they used to set the 70mph speed limit in the 1970's?
The road policing policy of taking the most useless, incompetent and downright dangerous motorist as an example and then treating us all the same results in a drop in standards. I have seen a rise in aggression and a fall in standards in the last 22 years I have been driving. Sad but true.
The countries that allow some leeway with the speed limits, such as France in the past, and Germany are often held up as examples of good driving, need I say more?
My personal experience of driving in Europe is that driving standards fall off a cliff in Holland, and they are very aggressive drivers, and bloody useless. France is still good, Germany is a joy to drive in, South of the UK is a bloody nightmare... Greeks are very random!!
Huskyman said:
My personal experience of driving in Europe is that driving standards fall off a cliff in Holland, and they are very aggressive drivers, and bloody useless. France is still good, Germany is a joy to drive in, South of the UK is a bloody nightmare... Greeks are very random!!
Agree with this but in holland much fewer of them speed. So its slow aggression, cutting you up etc.2gins said:
Porsche911R said:
we have been letting in millions of people into the UK year on year for 10 years, none have passed a UK driving test.
I find the hoggers NON British people , it's just harder to tell now they have been here so long they are now on UK plates.
new inflows to the UK in 2014 was 641,000 people all with non UK driving tests !
what do you think will happen ?
remember to VOTE out of Europe in June ;-)
Sorry to press the pedant button but someone has to take you to task on this.I find the hoggers NON British people , it's just harder to tell now they have been here so long they are now on UK plates.
new inflows to the UK in 2014 was 641,000 people all with non UK driving tests !
what do you think will happen ?
remember to VOTE out of Europe in June ;-)
It's not millions, is it? The figure you've put forward without any substantiation is a little over half of one million, and that, from first impressions of your post, is the inflow. The net increase is around half that figure, if you believe the headlines in some of our newspapers - regularly reported around the 300k - 350k mark.
As for the nationality of the transgressors, how do you know? Do you get out and ask them at the lights?
It's a shame because I also think getting out has its merits but badly formed arguments like the above don't do the case any favours.
"new inflows to the UK in 2014 was 641,000 people all with non UK driving tests"
So assuming 614,000 in one year is correct then the total figure "over 10 years" could be well into millions.
You're also wrong to compare net increase with inflow, as his point was about people with non-UK licences. So 614,000 additional non-UK trained drivers regardless of the number who left the country (unless of course the emigres were originally non-uk drivers rather than Brits leaving the country)
And to add my two penneth, British drivers are the worst combination of bad features.
You can take any other country's trait and add a combination to the driver over here meaning he or she is always worse.
We, the good old drivers of Britain (not necessarily British), are just a horrible combination of all faults.
Today, nipping out for lunch I witnessed the latest and prevalent type, "Mr I've seen you but I'm going to do what I was going to do anyway and rely on the fact that you'll slow down to avoid hitting me rather than wait a couple of seconds for you to pass"
A Ford Transit driver arrived at a junction ahead on the right, he looked left and must have seen me then continued to pull out. I didn't have to do an emergency stop but if I hadn't braked then I would've gone into the back of him.
Why didn't he wait? Well obviously his journey to another industrial estate down the road is much more urgent and important than my journey. Why the f**k should he wait eh? F**k you, you'll stop.
The sooner we all drive around in Mad Max style lorries and I can just ram these c**ts out of the way, the better.
You can take any other country's trait and add a combination to the driver over here meaning he or she is always worse.
We, the good old drivers of Britain (not necessarily British), are just a horrible combination of all faults.
Today, nipping out for lunch I witnessed the latest and prevalent type, "Mr I've seen you but I'm going to do what I was going to do anyway and rely on the fact that you'll slow down to avoid hitting me rather than wait a couple of seconds for you to pass"
A Ford Transit driver arrived at a junction ahead on the right, he looked left and must have seen me then continued to pull out. I didn't have to do an emergency stop but if I hadn't braked then I would've gone into the back of him.
Why didn't he wait? Well obviously his journey to another industrial estate down the road is much more urgent and important than my journey. Why the f**k should he wait eh? F**k you, you'll stop.
The sooner we all drive around in Mad Max style lorries and I can just ram these c**ts out of the way, the better.
Hackney said:
And to add my two penneth, British drivers are the worst combination of bad features.
You can take any other country's trait and add a combination to the driver over here meaning he or she is always worse.
We, the good old drivers of Britain (not necessarily British), are just a horrible combination of all faults.
Today, nipping out for lunch I witnessed the latest and prevalent type, "Mr I've seen you but I'm going to do what I was going to do anyway and rely on the fact that you'll slow down to avoid hitting me rather than wait a couple of seconds for you to pass"
A Ford Transit driver arrived at a junction ahead on the right, he looked left and must have seen me then continued to pull out. I didn't have to do an emergency stop but if I hadn't braked then I would've gone into the back of him.
Why didn't he wait? Well obviously his journey to another industrial estate down the road is much more urgent and important than my journey. Why the f**k should he wait eh? F**k you, you'll stop.
The sooner we all drive around in Mad Max style lorries and I can just ram these c**ts out of the way, the better.
have you driven overseas??You can take any other country's trait and add a combination to the driver over here meaning he or she is always worse.
We, the good old drivers of Britain (not necessarily British), are just a horrible combination of all faults.
Today, nipping out for lunch I witnessed the latest and prevalent type, "Mr I've seen you but I'm going to do what I was going to do anyway and rely on the fact that you'll slow down to avoid hitting me rather than wait a couple of seconds for you to pass"
A Ford Transit driver arrived at a junction ahead on the right, he looked left and must have seen me then continued to pull out. I didn't have to do an emergency stop but if I hadn't braked then I would've gone into the back of him.
Why didn't he wait? Well obviously his journey to another industrial estate down the road is much more urgent and important than my journey. Why the f**k should he wait eh? F**k you, you'll stop.
The sooner we all drive around in Mad Max style lorries and I can just ram these c**ts out of the way, the better.
not much i suspect.
Anyway, let's provoke this thread for a couple more pages.
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