Why do people drive like sheep?

[Daaaveee]

I have the pleasure of often travelling the route highlighted in red:



And virtually every time, I am greeted with the following, often with a single, or no vehicle in the right hand lane:



Both lanes can be used for strait ahead across the traffic lights, which is the route 90% of the traffic waiting to take, so why can't people use both lanes so people turning right have a chance to get through and not have to wait another 2 mins for the traffic light rotation to do its thing?

I know I know, 2 minutes, big deal? Still, the lane is there to be used so how about pay some attention to the situation and wake up from your moronic trance!

I notice this happens quite alot, people are unwilling to use all the lanes provided, is it that stupid notion that we are all in a single file queue and no-one should consider being rude enough to queue jump? Then you get people following as close as possible to the car infront to block you from 'pushing in'? I understand completely if, for example, there is just one lane allocated for strait ahead, and people use the right hand lane to blast past and then squeeze back in at the last second, but when there are other lanes clearly marked... USE THEM!

[anonymous-user]

i think that's a bit of a slur on sheep, have you ever seen a sheep drive?? they are WAY better than the average human behind the wheel...........



(besides, you post presupposes that anyone in the queue of traffic has spent more that 0.1 sec actually thinking about anything to do with driving, rather than (delete as appropriate)

talking with phone
texting with phone
doing there makeup
checking there make up
checking out the girl in the car behind/infront/opposite
tuning radio/cd/Ipod
concentrating on seeing how long they can ride the clutch to save the "effort" of using the handbrake
chatting to their passenger
making a failed attempt at chatting up their passenger
thinking about work
thinking about wife
thinking about kids
thinking about mistress
thinking about breakfast/lunch/dinner
thinking about that blonde weather girl on ITV last nite
thinking about how much funnier they would make the Radio 1 breakfast show if they were hosting it
thinking about how to think
trying to think about thinking

anyway, you get the idea, unfortunately, for the majority of Britains drivers, driving is just something you do BETWEEN doing other things, not a task in itself

[john_p]

People regard using the right lane to overtake as "pushing in" and "queue jumping" and "Un-British".

You can recognise this by the fact that people will refuse to let you in at the other side and will bunch up and stare straight ahead, pretending that you are no there.

The best solution is to floor it and push in. Childish, but always amusing.

[B.J.W]

Because they are Baaaaaaaaad drivers?

[Bill]

Because they'll get stuck behind the turning traffic, surely?

[Daaaveee]

B.J.W said:

Because they are Baaaaaaaaad drivers?

[RobM77]

There are five ticket barriers to enter my local shopping centre car park, but people just queue up behind each other. Lloyds bank in the town has five cash points, but people spread themselves out evenly... People do indeed disengage their brains somehow when they drive a car, but in answer to the OP, I don't know why. It's the same with IT. I'm an IT trainer and it's amazing how the brightest of people fail to understand the simplest of concepts just because it's IT - you can teach some people the most advanced engineering concepts you've ever heard of and they understand it, but the same people can't even copy a file after practising it three times

[khevolution]

damn it B.J.W i only clicked on this thread to make the comment not going to call it a joke

and i was beaten to it

[Daaaveee]

Bill said:

Because they'll get stuck behind the turning traffic, surely?

Should have been more clear, right hand lane doesn't have to wait for oncoming traffic, everyone entering the junction from this way goes at the same time.

[anonymous-user]

john_p said:

People regard using the right lane to overtake as "pushing in" and "queue jumping" and "Un-British".

The best solution is to floor it and push in. Childish, but always amusing.

very true, even when a Dual Carriageway drops to 1 lane, and a sign (normally about 30ft tall and bright yellow with large black letters, so fairly easy to read!) says "use both lanes and merge in turn" people still think you are "pushing in" and block you. It never ceases to amaze me how many people, when it comes to merging (think slip roads for example) manage to always end up NEXT to a car, rather that in the gap infront or behind it, then wonder why it's tricky to merge......

J15a on the M1 southbound has a slip road that has got to be over half a mile long, and yet the other day some idiot had managed to get to the end of it still next to the lorry in lane 1, and they just stopped at the end, then just drove out into the path of another oncoming lorry nearly causing a multiple pile up....... Unfortunately, since the last government spent all it's money on speed cameras rather than real policemen (and women) this kind of thing seems all to common.

[PHmember]

A classic example here, the two lanes to the right both go straight ahead under the bridge (where the two lanes merge into one lane). However, you can almost always guarantee that 90% of people driving straight on under the bridge will all queue in the very right hand lane, even when the middle lane is completely empty & the very right hand lane has 10 or more cars in it. Doesn't bother me mind, I just go the front of the empty lane & then on my merry way.

[anonymous-user]

Please, never forget that the vast majority of the general population are fking idiots.

[mcdjl]

Daaaveee said:

Bill said:

Because they'll get stuck behind the turning traffic, surely?

Should have been more clear, right hand lane doesn't have to wait for oncoming traffic, everyone entering the junction from this way goes at the same time.

But very often the traffic coming from the other direction will pass across the turning traffic. Hence people (that don't know the junction) won't want to take the chance of getting stuck behind a turner. Failing that it might be that the lane indications are only on the floor and not particularly visible and people then can't be bothered to move as tehy wont gain much?

[Aizletree]

khevolution said:

and i was bleating to it

Efa

[DennisTheMenace]

PHmember said:

A classic example here, the two lanes to the right both go straight ahead under the bridge (where the two lanes merge into one lane). However, you can almost always guarantee that 90% of people driving straight on under the bridge will all queue in the very right hand lane, even when the middle lane is completely empty & the very right hand lane has 10 or more cars in it. Doesn't bother me mind, I just go the front of the empty lane & then on my merry way.

Hmmm that might be me at the front in me vectra ! , saw the google car a couple of times that day

[BlueMR2]

DennisTheMenace said:

PHmember said:

A classic example here, the two lanes to the right both go straight ahead under the bridge (where the two lanes merge into one lane). However, you can almost always guarantee that 90% of people driving straight on under the bridge will all queue in the very right hand lane, even when the middle lane is completely empty & the very right hand lane has 10 or more cars in it. Doesn't bother me mind, I just go the front of the empty lane & then on my merry way.

Hmmm that might be me at the front in me vectra ! , saw the google car a couple of times that day

Long time since i have been to Torquay, or anywhere on holiday for that matter . Used to always stay in Brixham though.

[DennisTheMenace]

nah its not its a bloomin taxi !

[Bill]

Daaaveee said:

Bill said:

Because they'll get stuck behind the turning traffic, surely?

Should have been more clear, right hand lane doesn't have to wait for oncoming traffic, everyone entering the junction from this way goes at the same time.

Perhaps they're new to the junction and not ewesd to the way the lights are phased?

[pinchmeimdreamin]

I think one problem there is that the road narrows to one lane almost as soon as you cross the DC, and alot of people arent confident of merging in such a short distance.

Try cutting through Bellamy road and joining opposite the Honda garage its normally quicker

[hornetrider]

pinchmeimdreamin said:

I think one problem there is that the road narrows to one lane almost as soon as you cross the DC, and alot of people arent confident of merging in such a short distance.

Try cutting through Bellamy road and joining opposite the Honda garage its normally quicker

This. Do drivers 'object' to people 'queue jumping' when they reach the other side of the DC? This may be your answer.