Aaaaarrggh - roundabout muppets!
Discussion
There used to be a minority who went to pieces at the mere sight of a roundabout, now it is becoming the majority.
On every journey now, I see people in the right lane turning left, people in the left lane turning right and people cutting across the lanes on large roundabouts nearly taking out the car beside them.
Then there are what seems the majority now who are too damn lazy to just flick a switch to show their intention to turn left, so you stop for them when you needn't have bothered.
Little wonder that the remainder of drivers not in the above categories are those who pull across in front of you even though you are in the correct lane and signalling. I guess they are so used to nearly everyone getting it completely wrong that they just take a chance and go as there is a 50/50 chance the car is taking the exit before them but is in fact in the wrong lane not knowing his/her left from thier right.
How can it be so hard for people to do the simplest of things?
On every journey now, I see people in the right lane turning left, people in the left lane turning right and people cutting across the lanes on large roundabouts nearly taking out the car beside them.
Then there are what seems the majority now who are too damn lazy to just flick a switch to show their intention to turn left, so you stop for them when you needn't have bothered.
Little wonder that the remainder of drivers not in the above categories are those who pull across in front of you even though you are in the correct lane and signalling. I guess they are so used to nearly everyone getting it completely wrong that they just take a chance and go as there is a 50/50 chance the car is taking the exit before them but is in fact in the wrong lane not knowing his/her left from thier right.
How can it be so hard for people to do the simplest of things?
I live in Milton Keynes.
I feel your pain, trust me.
Best I've seen recently was a Laguna estate driven the entire way round a roundabout, in the left-hand lane, with no indication at all.
It's as if people think that being unsure of their route gives them licence to disregard the Highway code completely.
I feel your pain, trust me.
Best I've seen recently was a Laguna estate driven the entire way round a roundabout, in the left-hand lane, with no indication at all.
It's as if people think that being unsure of their route gives them licence to disregard the Highway code completely.
JM said:
Hip2Bsquare said:
How can it be so hard for people to do the simplest of things?
Speed Kills.Don't speed and everything will be okay.
Yes, that's another category of driver.
Those with a totally unrealistic roundabout entry speed.
You slow as you arrive, glance to your exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so you speed up and some d
head enters the roundabout as if they are going for the landspeed record and then you are left with the dilema of whether to carry on as hard as possible to get out of their way, or bang your brakes on hard to let them slip by in front of you.Hip2Bsquare said:
Yes, that's another category of driver.
Those with a totally unrealistic roundabout entry speed.
You slow as you arrive, glance to your exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so you speed up and some dhead enters the roundabout as if they are going for the landspeed record and then you are left with the dilema of whether to carry on as hard as possible to get out of their way, or bang your brakes on hard to let them slip by in front of you.
I failed my first driving test within a minute of starting for that exact reason.Those with a totally unrealistic roundabout entry speed.
You slow as you arrive, glance to your exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so you speed up and some d
head enters the roundabout as if they are going for the landspeed record and then you are left with the dilema of whether to carry on as hard as possible to get out of their way, or bang your brakes on hard to let them slip by in front of you.I pull on to a clear roundabout when (as im past the point of no return) Some silly women tears onto the roundabout doing nearly 50mph (in a 30mph limit) and has to brake because im not doing 50mph.. Instant fail. 'Causing others to react' etc etc.
Needless to say I was fuming.
Im more sanguine about this than you.
The past few years have seen a huge increase in road traffic compared with when I learned and as a result roundoubouts are often massive and complicated with 5 or 6 exits some of which have 2 lanes.
I challenge anyone to tackle the roundabout at the High Wycombe junction of the m40 and get in the correct lane first time.
I know this is an extreme example, but if people get a bit confused at other roundabouts...big deal!
Not sure why it doesn't annoy me more as loads of other trivial things do
The past few years have seen a huge increase in road traffic compared with when I learned and as a result roundoubouts are often massive and complicated with 5 or 6 exits some of which have 2 lanes.
I challenge anyone to tackle the roundabout at the High Wycombe junction of the m40 and get in the correct lane first time.
I know this is an extreme example, but if people get a bit confused at other roundabouts...big deal!
Not sure why it doesn't annoy me more as loads of other trivial things do
Hip2Bsquare said:
JM said:
Hip2Bsquare said:
How can it be so hard for people to do the simplest of things?
Speed Kills.Don't speed and everything will be okay.
Yes, that's another category of driver.
Those with a totally unrealistic roundabout entry speed.
You slow as you arrive, glance to your exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so you speed up and some d
head enters the roundabout as if they are going for the landspeed record and then you are left with the dilema of whether to carry on as hard as possible to get out of their way, or bang your brakes on hard to let them slip by in front of you.
Not a land speed record. I prefer to think I am emulating an early 90's BTCC car through the old Dingle Dell chicane.
saaby93 said:
EFA
Argh! Now that really boils my p!ss, if it's clear just maintain a suitable speed onto the roundabout, using indicators and the correct lanes and then exit. Don't just plough to a stop for fHip2Bsquare said:
They slow as they arrive, glance to their exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so decide to stop anyway
k all, you fking 'tard.Parrot of Doom said:
Hip2Bsquare said:
Then there are what seems the majority now who are too damn lazy to just flick a switch to show their intention to turn left, so you stop for them when you needn't have bothered.
Maybe you trust your safety to a flashing light, but I don't.I almost pulled out in front of 2 drivers last week at different large roundabouts, both were in the left lane signalling right but then took exit 3 to the right.
I guess you are right, it is best to stop regardless and wait until everything is clear and there is no ambiguity.
Hip2Bsquare said:
Then there are what seems the majority now who are too damn lazy to just flick a switch to show their intention to turn left, so you stop for them when you needn't have bothered.
You mean the one's that flick their left indicator cos they know at some point theyre going to turn left off the roundabout as they keep to the left lane all the way round?I had the misfortune to drive through Maidestone town centre last night, one way and multiple lanes and exits and yes I did get in the wrong central lane but needed to turn left.
So I stopped and signalled, the woman next to me had room to let me in but she moved forward to block me and then sat there and avoided eye contact. The car behind her was a sensible chap and kindly let me in (for which I thanked him, not many drivers bother saying thanks now) and the middle lane of traffic could then start moving again
So I stopped and signalled, the woman next to me had room to let me in but she moved forward to block me and then sat there and avoided eye contact. The car behind her was a sensible chap and kindly let me in (for which I thanked him, not many drivers bother saying thanks now) and the middle lane of traffic could then start moving again
(a) You can't believe a signal, take note, but otherwise ignore, assume anything to your right is coming at you until it has actually turned off - as you shouldn't rely on their signal to allow you to proceed anyway, a lack of signal has no bearing!
(b) Never get alongside anyone, as experience has taught you, many people will cut the lane, so why keep putting your self in that position - who is the fool!
(c) Don't do an F1 style start onto the R/B and hoon round on 2 wheels and then hoot at everyone for being in your way/wrong lane/cutting across you to exit, just enter when it is clear and drive at a normal speed.
(d) Just calm down, and go with the flow. Accept people (including you) make mistakes.
You make your own stress when you're driving, and you make the other idiots, idiots*. Once you learn that, life gets a lot easier.
(b) Never get alongside anyone, as experience has taught you, many people will cut the lane, so why keep putting your self in that position - who is the fool!
(c) Don't do an F1 style start onto the R/B and hoon round on 2 wheels and then hoot at everyone for being in your way/wrong lane/cutting across you to exit, just enter when it is clear and drive at a normal speed.
(d) Just calm down, and go with the flow. Accept people (including you) make mistakes.
You make your own stress when you're driving, and you make the other idiots, idiots*. Once you learn that, life gets a lot easier.
- Yer, I accept some nutters are just out to kill you regardless.
I'm with the OP - I've noticed a massive increase in the number of people (often driving rather tatty old cars and often sporting rather a deep tan) who treat a roundabout as their own private fiefdom and therefore drive it however they want to, often staying on the L-H lane to turn right.
There've been 4 occasions in recent memory (~3 mths) where I swore I was going to have to stop and offer to be a witness, yet both cars missed each other by what can only have been a fag-paper distance.
...and then last week there was the middle-aged, middle-class lady in her lovely company car who entered the (large) roundabout from the exit before mine, indicated right, and then proceeded to go straight on towards the same space I've now entered the roundabout towards on the basis of her indication*.
And yesterday the young lad in his white, bodykitted E92 Alpina D3 who decided that waiting for traffic ON the roundabout wasn't necessary, entered it at BTCC speeds from the RH lane (of 3), cut up the chap next to him (who'd previously been in front of him) in an effort to avoid me (who was already ON the roundabout turning right and suddenly braking sharply to avoid said chavvy-trainer of a car), and carried straight on without any signal, any braking, or any acknowledgement of his muppetry. Oh...except he looked over at me at the next traffic lights down and gave me a "petrolhead nod".
* Yes, lesson learned!
There've been 4 occasions in recent memory (~3 mths) where I swore I was going to have to stop and offer to be a witness, yet both cars missed each other by what can only have been a fag-paper distance.
...and then last week there was the middle-aged, middle-class lady in her lovely company car who entered the (large) roundabout from the exit before mine, indicated right, and then proceeded to go straight on towards the same space I've now entered the roundabout towards on the basis of her indication*.
And yesterday the young lad in his white, bodykitted E92 Alpina D3 who decided that waiting for traffic ON the roundabout wasn't necessary, entered it at BTCC speeds from the RH lane (of 3), cut up the chap next to him (who'd previously been in front of him) in an effort to avoid me (who was already ON the roundabout turning right and suddenly braking sharply to avoid said chavvy-trainer of a car), and carried straight on without any signal, any braking, or any acknowledgement of his muppetry. Oh...except he looked over at me at the next traffic lights down and gave me a "petrolhead nod".
* Yes, lesson learned!
BrewsterBear said:
saaby93 said:
EFA
Argh! Now that really boils my p!ss, if it's clear just maintain a suitable speed onto the roundabout, using indicators and the correct lanes and then exit. Don't just plough to a stop for fHip2Bsquare said:
They slow as they arrive, glance to their exit to see the way ahead is clear, check right ....nothing there so decide to stop anyway
k all, you fking 'tard.
Muzzer said:
I live in Milton Keynes.
I feel your pain, trust me.
Best I've seen recently was a Laguna estate driven the entire way round a roundabout, in the left-hand lane, with no indication at all.
It's as if people think that being unsure of their route gives them licence to disregard the Highway code completely.
LOL so true. I see left laners all the time.I feel your pain, trust me.
Best I've seen recently was a Laguna estate driven the entire way round a roundabout, in the left-hand lane, with no indication at all.
It's as if people think that being unsure of their route gives them licence to disregard the Highway code completely.
However as bad as MK can be I always find that it really highlights just how bad people are everywhere else.
Dealing with so many roundabouts every day really improves your anticipation and approach. So much so that you realise people don't really 'get' roundabouts in most other towns.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff