In this thread, we admit our driving errors.

[Papa Hotel]

Now, I know the most of you are driving gods, we never cut people up, get caught speeding, never tailgate blah blah blah. bks. Everyone cocks up sometimes, we all pull something daft from time to time. Here, we cleanse ourselves of our driving sins and get it off our collective chest.

So I'll start. My name is Papa Hotel, and I am guilty of crap driving.

In my youth I made a stupid overtaking move, found myself bearing down hard on a big fat truck. I jumped on the brakes to pull back in behind the car I was overtaking but he saw the danger I'd put myself in and braked as well, so I still had nowhere to go! There was a hard shoulder on both sides of the road and somehow I found myself stationary on the hard shoulder on the wrong side of the road before I even thought of doing it. Scarily close to death.

At the start of July this year, I was returning home to Edinburgh from my real home in Northern Ireland, I came off a roundabout in some backward town between Stranraer and Glasgow and the road appeared to be a dual carriageway. The traffic was being held up by a big green tractor and no-one wanted to overtake. "fk it", says I, "if they won't, I will." So I drop it to 3rd, and away I go, several cars and a tractor in front of me. Halfway through this move, there's a Tesco home delivery truck coming down the wrong way of the dual carriageway straight at me. st.... it's not a dual carriageway. The cars were all bunched very closely as they do at slow speeds so I had to stay committed to the move. I got in front of the tractor with about 6 feet to spare, the Tesco guy did move to the left and I could see he'd applied to the brakes. Had he been feeling a bit less charitable, I'd have an Iveco imprint in my face.

On both occasions, I felt like a prize chump, a complete inability to read the road ahead of me nearly ended with me going under a truck. So there. That feels better.

[jt racing]

Although i am not a bmw driver, i sometimes fail to use my indicators. (More often that not.)

[maniac0796]

I get frustrated by slow drivers too much.

I also have a habit of overtaking about 20m before the end of solid white lines.

And using the cross hatchings on overtaking stretches if it means I won't be stuck behind someone.

[nogsk]

Nice, my biggest error ( according to the GLW ) is that I constantly criticise other drivers and mistakenly try to educate them by doing stupid things. in particular pulling across the front of morons occupying the centre lane when they should move left. I have tried to stop doing it, honest...........

[PHmember]

jt racing said:

Although i am not a bmw driver, i sometimes fail to use my indicators. (More often that not.)

Been there, usually whilst I'm muttering about somebody else not using theirs.

[Jasandjules]

I went for an overtake a lorry down a country lane (where you could see all the way, the hedgerows were not tall at all). My first look it was clear (a left check past the inside of the lorry down the road), I then pull out a fraction for a look again, still clear, so I go. Just in time to see a truck not that far in front of me and heading my way, so I am hard on the brakes and pull back in behind the lorry. I can only surmise that I timed things just so badly, my first look the lorry must have been at a perfect angle in the road to be "hiding" the truck, then my second look he had passed the bend at just the right spot to be hidden again, which is how he was suddenly so close when I actually went for the overtake.

Really bad timing on my part, but I learnt my lesson. I don't overtake lorries except on very clear straights......

[joewilliams]

There's a 90 degree right-hand bend on the road into my parent's village.

I must have driven around this corner thousands of times.

For some reason, I've started to indicate right on my approach to it, as if there's some possibility of turning left into a stream or going straight on into a field instead.

[KieronGSi]

I was playing catch up with a Merc 190 cosworth when we came upon a lorry with about eight cars following, the Merc pulled in behind. There where cars on the otherside of the road but i had time to quickly nip in front of the lorry. So i thought sod that and went when i thought it was clear.

As i pulled up to the lorry there were three small cars holding him up leaving me no room to pull in. I just breathed in aimed for the middle of the road and somehow squeezed through followed by lots of horns and flashing lights.

I taught me the a big lesson one which i striclty adhere to this day, i know will not overtake unless i know 100% what i am overtaking.

[matchmaker]

Papa Hotel said:

At the start of July this year, I was returning home to Edinburgh from my real home in Northern Ireland, I came off a roundabout in some backward town between Stranraer and Glasgow

That describes every town/village between Stranraer and Glasgow, including Stranraer, but excluding {of course) Glasgow

Edited by matchmaker on Wednesday 11th August 22:49

[Speed_Demon]

My best one, about a year after passing my test(and therefore being the best driver ever), was completely ignoring a 'Max speed: 20mph' sign. OK so the max speed was no doubt more than 20, but I approached it at 05 in a family econo box, BETTER YET, I realised I was entering far too quickly (giggity) yet thought to myself 'Nah, I'll chance it' I did ofcourse, understeer straight into the kerb, car swung round and I buggered rear nearside wheel bearing. Had it not been for the kerb though, I would have hit a tree, or rolled the car. I learned from that one.

Few times in my 4 years driving I have cut people up realising I was passing my exit on a roundabout. I really have to teach myself to just keep going round.

Edited by Speed_Demon on Thursday 12th August 01:23

[shirt]

I hold the wheel with my knees on motoway stretches, often. steering in the same manner.

[Mr GrimNasty]

In the long hot summer when riots and twocing were the news, my Astra GTE 16V arrived at a r/b to find the brakes had packed up and gone home, boiled or whatever, just next to nothing. I managed to slide between the traffic and smacked up the kerb and span it out in the centre grass/rubble. All tyres had bulges, undertray destroyed and oil filter dented. But that was it. The 4x4 Cossy that just happened to be in the area as I gently cruised the country d/c adhering to the speed limits, thought I was a stunt driver (my hearing?). What was really funny was a parked up ambulance on a break. The driver was holding up a sandwich to take a bite as I shot past, and it was still in the same position unbitten as I rejoined the road and disappeared off with a few swerves to shake all the grass and gravel out.

Edited by Mr GrimNasty on Wednesday 11th August 23:00

Edited by Mr GrimNasty on Wednesday 11th August 23:03

[anonymous-user]

Oh christ, i have so many tales from my youth that in all reality i probably should have lost my licence by now.
Tailgating-stopped that now
Drinking a can of pop whilst driving-stopped that now
Smoking whilst driving - stopped that after i nearly set fire to my 172 clio
Speeding
Not paying attention
Provoking understeer
Driving at some speed whilst looking for a cd/tape in the glovebox - stopped that after i looked up one time to see a sharp bend rapidly approaching
Generally driving like a
Getting a clio 172 about 25 degrees out of line at about 125mph- thought we were going to die
Getting same car airborne over a humpbacked bridge to find a cross roads on the other side and busy traffic - nearly st myself that day
Chasing a mate at well over the speed limit, he overtook a line of traffic, i pulled out and found myself approaching an oncoming car at very very silly speeds - nearly st myself then too

As i get older, the more i become dismayed at some of my driving antics, and hence why i dont think it would be such a good idea to have another fast car, next time i dont think i woudl get away with it.


And yes, i do realise most of the above makes me a complete

[heebeegeetee]

maniac0796 said:

I get frustrated by slow drivers too much.

Me too. And i guess i drive too fast sometimes, and i'm crap at knowing what the speed limit is as well.

But i fking, fking hate slow drivers. With every pore of my (not insubstantial) body. That is my real weakness.

[tobs 1]

One sunday morning (doing the drive of shame after a manic wedding reception) I decided to overtake a lorry which I thought was doing 30mph (I was doing about 50 heading into a 30 zone). I completely forgot about the traffic island about 300mtrs in front of the lorry (which was actually doing about 40mph) and didn't notice a delivery van that was speeding towards us. Instead of backing right off and slipping behind the lorry, I shoved it into 3rd and floored it, but suddenly panicked and locked up all wheels. Somehow I managed to squeeze inbetween the lorry and the van, and then do a quick flick around the island on the wrong side of the road (although I did actually hit that). Fortunately I only came off with a scuffed alloy, but if I was 1 second faster I don't think I'd be alive.

If it was in a film it would've looked awesome, but I had to pull over to be sick. It frightened the hell out of me.

[Papa Hotel]

snowy slopes said:

As i get older, the more i become dismayed at some of my driving antics, and hence why i dont think it would be such a good idea to have another fast car, next time i dont think i woudl get away with it.

And yes, i do realise most of the above makes me a complete

The above things don't make you look like a if you look back at them and know they made you look like a ... I mean learning from your mistakes is good, thinking you're invincible would be ish.

[cheadle hulme]

tobs 1 said:

If it was in a film it would've looked awesome, but I had to pull over to be sick. It frightened the hell out of me.

Yup, the reality is often much less sexy than you'd imagine.

I overtook an AA truck doing 20mph only to find he had flashed a car to come out 100 yds further on. Cue massive braking and evasive manaouveres all round.

I think most errors come from youth, just like pregnancies...

[anonymous-user]

Papa Hotel said:

snowy slopes said:

As i get older, the more i become dismayed at some of my driving antics, and hence why i dont think it would be such a good idea to have another fast car, next time i dont think i woudl get away with it.

And yes, i do realise most of the above makes me a complete

The above things don't make you look like a if you look back at them and know they made you look like a ... I mean learning from your mistakes is good, thinking you're invincible would be ish.

Oh i know i'm not invincible, riding motorbikes for about 10 years taught me that, but after riding bikes like a loon for a while, you transfer to a car and everything feels safer so you tend to be a bit lairy for a while. Now i'm getting on a bit, i am going for the slow and steady wins the race approach, although i do like to drive spiritedly every now and then, but nowhere near as bad as before, my reactions are not that great anymore

[vit4]

I have (had) a bad habit of keeping all the petrol receipts in the driver side door bin.


I say had as once, went to flick my fag ash out the window, and dropped the whole thing. Thought all was good until I started smelling burning 30 secs later. Looked down and there was smoke pouring out of the door bin Luckily a bottle of water, and filled it up .

About two minutes later, it was the car that went up in smoke; burst a radiator hose

Anyway, I learnt from that mistake and no longer keep paper in the door bin

[sebhaque]

When I first got my Subaru I thought it would go round every corner at 186mph. Went round the Hindhead bend at 80 leptons (the speed limit sign said 30mph). Er, even though I hadn't reached that speed, I went sideways around the entire corner. While looking back on it, my passengers thing it was unquestionably cool, I realise I had NO control over that and could easily have stuffed it. Bad times.

I misjudged a few overtakes in my old MG and ended up causing one or both drivers to take evasive two or three times. Mind you I'd only just passed my test and therefore I was Lewis Hamilton.

Nowadays my biggest faults are moving in and out of motorway lanes too quickly and accelerating too early on 30mph->NSL country roads.