What the hell is up with people? Mentalists!

[AbarthChris]

What the hell is wrong with people these days? Is there something in the water, like rage supplements or something??

In the last three days, I've witnessed 3 seperate road rage incidents which were completely unnecessary. The first one was at Whittlebury campsite at the weekend for the Renault world series. Some bloke in a van was going mental at the driver of a 350z for 'showering his car with stones'. The 350z had to accelerate slighlty to get up an incline on a gravel road, the dude in the van was way to close and so a couple of stones hit his car. The bloke in the van was ranting and raving that he was going to 'knock his f**king block off' etc.

Then yesterday, I was driving through Guildford one way system when a girl in a golf switched lanes and nearly took me out. I beeped at her, then some knobhead in a ste rover metro started having a go at me. This was literally what he said...

Metro guy "what the f**k are you beeping at?"
Me "eh?"
Metro guy "WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU BEEPING AT?!"
Me "She nearly crashed into me mate"
Metro Guy "YEAH I KNOW!"
Me "err, ok..."

He drives off around the girl in the golf and then heads off in a diffferent direction! I thought they were together... very strange.

Then finally, this morning on the A3 near Tolworth at about 8am, some guy in a white van is going postal at a guy in a silver Saab. He'd completely stopped on the 2 lane stretch of the A3 and was leaning so far out of his van calling the guy a tw*t i thought he was going to fall out!

The guy in the Saab just indicated and drove round him, very funny I thought!

People are definitely getting crazier and more agressive!

[shoestring7]

Put a bunch of otherwise peaceful, happy rats into a cage that's too small and they'll fight to the death.

HTH

SS7

[StottyZr]

I see things like this quite often is not really needed is it! I have made mistakes on the road and I apologise for it, to be honest if somebody else makes a mistake I usually apologise again!

[madala]

.....I friggen hate people who queue jump.....

[Sonofabeesting]

doogz said:

but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned

Most drivers in London. It appears to go, maneuver, signal (if your lucky), mirror (if you are VERY lucky). Normally you just get the maneuver part.

[Pannywagon]

Sonofabeesting said:

doogz said:

but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned

Most drivers in London. It appears to go, maneuver, signal (if your lucky), mirror (if you are VERY lucky). Normally you just get the maneuver part.

That's not just London.

[fido]

1) i think the bloke was jealous - well he has to sit in a smelly white van all day
2) they knew each other
3) Tolworth - a few years ago admitedly, but some bloke in a Ferrari was dragged out of his car by a van driver and had his ear partially bitten off. The A240 is a rat-run for the rougher members of the community, so as to speak.

Edited by fido on Tuesday 21st September 11:50

[130R]

I saw 2 old guys get into a fight in a car park a while back, it was pretty funny because they were at least 65 so it was like watching a slow motion replay.

[CraigyMc]

Pannywagon said:

Sonofabeesting said:

doogz said:

but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned

Most drivers in London. It appears to go, maneuver, signal (if your lucky), mirror (if you are VERY lucky). Normally you just get the maneuver part.

That's not just London.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

People who think London is somehow worse than the rest of the country really need to go for a drive basically anywhere that isn't London.

C

[RobM77]

CraigyMc said:

Pannywagon said:

Sonofabeesting said:

doogz said:

but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned

Most drivers in London. It appears to go, maneuver, signal (if your lucky), mirror (if you are VERY lucky). Normally you just get the maneuver part.

That's not just London.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

People who think London is somehow worse than the rest of the country really need to go for a drive basically anywhere that isn't London.

C

What interests me is that when I learnt to drive in 1994, the behaviour that the OP mentions was indeed just present in London. Since then it's grown outside London along with the population. Rats in cages - as per the comment above.

Chris Harris wrote a great column on road rage a few months ago in Evo - it's well worth a read.

[UncappedTag]

I was threatened to be rammed off the road on Sunday (him new Pug and me an 8 year old Focus!) as I had a mexican stand off with a Liverpoolian who believed it was his right when it clearly was not. His inability to string a sentance without swearing was a classic.

I then found out Liverpool got beat prob accounting for his fit of rage.

I chickened out and reversed as I got bored with him spitting in my face.

[matchmaker]

doogz said:

I had some woman this morning drive up the inside lane of the motorway, which is an exit, and she wanted into lane 2, which i was in, along with all the rest of the people sitting queueing to get into the city. She drove up there to skip the queue, then indicated and tried to pull in, i think maybe she was trying to fit her fiesta under the wheel arch of my Shogun.

Anyway, if people indicate, look about, are observant, and wait to be let in, i'll make an effort to let them in, but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned, so i never left a gap for her.

And she started going fking mental! Jumping up and down in her car, shouting and screaming, tried to floor it to get in up ahead a bit, and stalled it. I just pootled on past her at 5mph, while she was still waiting to get in, and smiled at her, she was going seriously batst inside her car.

People need to chill out, i can't be arsed with that sort of hassle at that time in the morning.

Edited by doogz on Tuesday 21st September 09:32

M8, Townhead, by any chance? Common scenario there!

[Pannywagon]

[redacted]

[Renn Sport]

OP: I think you are right. Things are going decidedly down hill.

I myself had a moment in Welling filtering off the first junction off of a roundabout. 2 lanes exiting off but a fella in a Warrior pickup needed to use both apparently. I was beeped for daring to filter in and not wait for his slow progress. He was in the outside lane so I used the inside… that’s obviously against the rules.

One idiot lady gave me a sustained beep when I went through a set of lights that were green. She didn’t observe the filter for turning right was read and dead ahead was green. The old biddy had a right go at me.

I have lost count of events over the last weekend.

I had to follow my wife and kids home the other night as we were in separate cars and the amount of times I saw people trying to cut her up or driving too close off her back bumper made me lose it a little.
Perhaps the fact it was my wife and kids in the car made me extra sensitive but some of the folks we share the road with are idiots.


Saying that if you do make a mistake on the road (it happens) and try to apologise that doesn’t go down too well either.

[chrisr29]

[redacted]

[carreauchompeur]

On the most part the feckwittedness of people just amuses me, however what does hack me right off is when someone is approaching a queue they know they will have to stop in, but won't let you out. No net benefit to them, and you're then stuck waiting for the queue to move on to pull out...

I very rarely block people these days, generally drive with a reasonable "safety bubble" in front of me whihc people do take the piss with and cut in, however there are exceptions in the case of clear fkwittedness/aggression. Had some halfwit undertake me a few months ago when I was keeping a yellow box on a junction clear. Gently welded myself to the bumper of the car beyond the junction and he decided to wait. Then making wker signs in the mirror. Quite what he hoped to achieve with 2 large blokes (and me) in the car, in stationary traffic, I am unsure.

[Sonofabeesting]

CraigyMc said:

Pannywagon said:

Sonofabeesting said:

doogz said:

but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned

Most drivers in London. It appears to go, maneuver, signal (if your lucky), mirror (if you are VERY lucky). Normally you just get the maneuver part.

That's not just London.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

People who think London is somehow worse than the rest of the country really need to go for a drive basically anywhere that isn't London.

C

Thanks for the offer. London does have a great density of Addison Lee cabs and banzi cyclists! I do not live in London but commute in. Let me rephrase my initial comment to 'most drivers in large towns'

[MagicalTrevor]

doogz said:

I had some woman this morning drive up the inside lane of the motorway, which is an exit, and she wanted into lane 2, which i was in, along with all the rest of the people sitting queueing to get into the city. She drove up there to skip the queue, then indicated and tried to pull in, i think maybe she was trying to fit her fiesta under the wheel arch of my Shogun.

Anyway, if people indicate, look about, are observant, and wait to be let in, i'll make an effort to let them in, but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned, so i never left a gap for her.

And she started going fking mental! Jumping up and down in her car, shouting and screaming, tried to floor it to get in up ahead a bit, and stalled it. I just pootled on past her at 5mph, while she was still waiting to get in, and smiled at her, she was going seriously batst inside her car.

People need to chill out, i can't be arsed with that sort of hassle at that time in the morning.

Edited by doogz on Tuesday 21st September 09:32

I had a similar situation this morning but on a dual carriageway. Lane 1 becomes a bus lane and people will normally start queuing on Lane 2 (in this case flowing at the speed limit - 30mph). Some people will find themselves in the wrong lane (fair enough) and others will fancy their chances and try and push in (again, if you manage to get someone to let you in then fine).

This chap in a Clio (not that car choice has bearing) comes along Lane 1 and then tries to get back into the queueing traffic. Everyone has bunched up and so there isn't a gap, however he doesn't bother indicating to get in and just forces the issue!
Now a lack of indication is my current pet hate but if this guy had indicated and at least pretended he was a 'oh dear I'm in the wrong lane, please let me in' then somebody would have let him in, at least I would have (a couple of cars back). JUST fkING INDICATE!

Same goes for people in congested motorway traffic who just pull into another lane without indicating! Grrrr

[Allanv]

MagicalTrevor said:

doogz said:

I had some woman this morning drive up the inside lane of the motorway, which is an exit, and she wanted into lane 2, which i was in, along with all the rest of the people sitting queueing to get into the city. She drove up there to skip the queue, then indicated and tried to pull in, i think maybe she was trying to fit her fiesta under the wheel arch of my Shogun.

Anyway, if people indicate, look about, are observant, and wait to be let in, i'll make an effort to let them in, but when they fly past the queue then think their indicator gives them right of way, they can fk right off as far as i'm concerned, so i never left a gap for her.

And she started going fking mental! Jumping up and down in her car, shouting and screaming, tried to floor it to get in up ahead a bit, and stalled it. I just pootled on past her at 5mph, while she was still waiting to get in, and smiled at her, she was going seriously batst inside her car.

People need to chill out, i can't be arsed with that sort of hassle at that time in the morning.

Edited by doogz on Tuesday 21st September 09:32

I had a similar situation this morning but on a dual carriageway. Lane 1 becomes a bus lane and people will normally start queuing on Lane 2 (in this case flowing at the speed limit - 30mph). Some people will find themselves in the wrong lane (fair enough) and others will fancy their chances and try and push in (again, if you manage to get someone to let you in then fine).

This chap in a Clio (not that car choice has bearing) comes along Lane 1 and then tries to get back into the queueing traffic. Everyone has bunched up and so there isn't a gap, however he doesn't bother indicating to get in and just forces the issue!
Now a lack of indication is my current pet hate but if this guy had indicated and at least pretended he was a 'oh dear I'm in the wrong lane, please let me in' then somebody would have let him in, at least I would have (a couple of cars back). JUST fkING INDICATE!

Same goes for people in congested motorway traffic who just pull into another lane without indicating! Grrrr

Hicks gate by any chance?

If it is then a funny quick story, on Friday as cock was going for it in the bus lane but no he didnt want to jump in he was going to continue all the way to the end of the bus lane.

But he should have been looking around because there was a cop car a few lengths back waiting in line like we all were.

Can you guess what happened next? Made my day.

[GBS2K]

Two incidents in 5 minutes yesterday reminded me there are numpties where ever you go.

1. Joining a motorway nr. Birmingham. For once it was completely empty. I was following a car down the slip road at a distance of about 75m. I saw a car in lane one, which pretty much matched my speed rather than pull into the centre lane. I had to slow and pull in behind him, to immediately move to lane two and overtake.

2. at a junction a lane joined from the left, and became a 4th lane for a short period before becoming the exit for the next junction. I'd seen the queue of traffic in this lane and was adjusting my speed to merge when a Chrysler PT cruiser pulled from this new lane, into the first lane, then the second.
As I pulled in front of him he flashed his lights at me. When I moved over again he flashed again, and as I joined the slip and exited he gestured to me. I stress that I indicated and pulled in in front of him, I did not cut him up.
If he'd been looking he'd have seen my indicator on at the time. Maybe if he'd been concentrating instead of swerving into the middle lane....

What annoyed me most is that he made a mistake, drove erratically but chose to get angry with me! There's a lot of that about though. Also seen when you pip someone, rather than run them over and they immediately engage "f**k you" mode.