Scary passenger rides.
Discussion
I agreed (actually, i asked) to go in my friends car yesterday, first time on the road. Hes one of those "i drive because its a neccesity" type people.
Anyway, he picked me up from my house seemingly very confident, and it went down hill from there. He pulled away with about 4000rpm and it took him a fair while to find the biting point which meant we were sat the revving like mad going no where. Anyway, clearly that wasnt the scarey bit.
We then got to the busiest main road near me, which on most days is a minute or two wait for a gap in the traffic, but today it was completely clear (luckily) My friend went to pull away, with which we lurched forward and stalled right in the middle of the carriage way. After what seemed like a life of continued stalling and restarting (presumably due to his panic) we did manage to get going again.
I realised afterwards quite how lucky we were, had there been more traffic on the road im quite sure we would have been hit.
We all have had driving nerves, and im 100% sure he will become more confident in time, but it made me realise quite how much you put your life in the drivers hands when you step into the passengers seat.
So, anyone else had a bottom clenching passenger ride?
Anyway, he picked me up from my house seemingly very confident, and it went down hill from there. He pulled away with about 4000rpm and it took him a fair while to find the biting point which meant we were sat the revving like mad going no where. Anyway, clearly that wasnt the scarey bit.
We then got to the busiest main road near me, which on most days is a minute or two wait for a gap in the traffic, but today it was completely clear (luckily) My friend went to pull away, with which we lurched forward and stalled right in the middle of the carriage way. After what seemed like a life of continued stalling and restarting (presumably due to his panic) we did manage to get going again.
I realised afterwards quite how lucky we were, had there been more traffic on the road im quite sure we would have been hit.
We all have had driving nerves, and im 100% sure he will become more confident in time, but it made me realise quite how much you put your life in the drivers hands when you step into the passengers seat.
So, anyone else had a bottom clenching passenger ride?
We've got a friend (female) whom is so s
t at driving (bearing in mind she's had her licence for nearly 20 years) that a) no-one will go in the car with her and b) she's never had an accident. Why? Because everyone around her gives her so much room that she couldn't crash into anyone even if she wanted to - she just emanates stness. No-one beeps her or gets angry with her because they can tell by her driving that there's no hope for her. They just turn off the road or get out of her way as soon as they can.
Lane discipline? What's that? anticipation? Not heard of it. Looking ahead rather than down at the gear stick when you change gear? We'll have none of that thank you. Roundabouts with lanes on them? I'll carve my way, blissfully ignorant, straight through them thanks.
My wife (who's friend she is) once went from Anglesey to Edinburgh with her on a journey that, even now, 15 years later, makes her come out in a sweat. She had her windscreen wipers on pretty much the entire fking journey and it wasn't even fking raining. The wife had to lean over at one point and flick them off for her. 2 secs later she nudged them back on when she leaned over to change from 4th to 5th (why the fk did she have to lean?). She gave up after that and tried to have a sleep but with the old on the accelerator, off the accelerator was constantly being jerked backwards and forwards. She got the train back home.....
She is so bad I feel like putting a sticker on the back of her car that just says 'I'm really sorry for being so st. There's no hope for me so don't bother beeping.'
t at driving (bearing in mind she's had her licence for nearly 20 years) that a) no-one will go in the car with her and b) she's never had an accident. Why? Because everyone around her gives her so much room that she couldn't crash into anyone even if she wanted to - she just emanates stness. No-one beeps her or gets angry with her because they can tell by her driving that there's no hope for her. They just turn off the road or get out of her way as soon as they can.Lane discipline? What's that? anticipation? Not heard of it. Looking ahead rather than down at the gear stick when you change gear? We'll have none of that thank you. Roundabouts with lanes on them? I'll carve my way, blissfully ignorant, straight through them thanks.
My wife (who's friend she is) once went from Anglesey to Edinburgh with her on a journey that, even now, 15 years later, makes her come out in a sweat. She had her windscreen wipers on pretty much the entire f
king journey and it wasn't even fking raining. The wife had to lean over at one point and flick them off for her. 2 secs later she nudged them back on when she leaned over to change from 4th to 5th (why the fk did she have to lean?). She gave up after that and tried to have a sleep but with the old on the accelerator, off the accelerator was constantly being jerked backwards and forwards. She got the train back home.....She is so bad I feel like putting a sticker on the back of her car that just says 'I'm really sorry for being so s
t. There's no hope for me so don't bother beeping.'Got a taxi home last night and whilst it wasn't exactly white-knuckle I did get out wondering how the guy had ever got a licence.
- Didn't use high beams (on a deserted country road), so driving at 35-40 mph in an NSL with other cars sat patiently behind. Maintains 35-40 through towns.
- Arrives at a roundabout, then applies brakes only when on top of it by which point it'd be too late anyway (also applies to sharp bends that had me bracing myself in my seat.
- Always in the wrong gear (in an Avensis diesel!), so cue:
- Sudden gear changes without any finesse.
I don't often get travel sick...
- Didn't use high beams (on a deserted country road), so driving at 35-40 mph in an NSL with other cars sat patiently behind. Maintains 35-40 through towns.
- Arrives at a roundabout, then applies brakes only when on top of it by which point it'd be too late anyway (also applies to sharp bends that had me bracing myself in my seat.
- Always in the wrong gear (in an Avensis diesel!), so cue:
- Sudden gear changes without any finesse.
I don't often get travel sick...
My best friend's wife is a truly awful driver, I honestly have no idea how she passed. When we all used to share a flat in our 20's she was the only one out of 4 of us that drove at the time. I genuinely feared for my life every time I got into her car as a passenger and actually had to close my eyes at times.
She crunches pretty much every gear change, doesn't look where she's going half the time (and her eyesight is so bad she needs milk-bottle-bottom glasses like Olive from 'On The Buses'), is prone to tantrums whilst driving, won't turn right off a main road and is massively aggressive with the accelerator and brake. Will only own a Ford Fiesta, and every one she's had has suffered some kind of disaster. 1st one ran out of oil as she never checked the level. 2nd one got rear-ended by a bus and totalled. 3rd one stolen from outside their house. 4th Gearbox failure... hmm, I wonder how?
Luckily my best mate has now passed his test so does most of the driving now...
She crunches pretty much every gear change, doesn't look where she's going half the time (and her eyesight is so bad she needs milk-bottle-bottom glasses like Olive from 'On The Buses'), is prone to tantrums whilst driving, won't turn right off a main road and is massively aggressive with the accelerator and brake. Will only own a Ford Fiesta, and every one she's had has suffered some kind of disaster. 1st one ran out of oil as she never checked the level. 2nd one got rear-ended by a bus and totalled. 3rd one stolen from outside their house. 4th Gearbox failure... hmm, I wonder how?
Luckily my best mate has now passed his test so does most of the driving now...
Pretty much any ride with my American wife, BEFORE she got her UK license. Got to the point where I was just unable to be a passenger if she was driving. Wasn't just because she was my wife either. Everyone was terrified of her. However, about £1200 worth of lessons and test attempts later, she is now probably a better driver than me (although very 'by the book').
Oh, and then there was the Belgian taxi driver last week who felt it was necessary to have a VIDEO CALL with his brother/cousin/boss/dad/lover the entire time that I was in his vehicle. All while belting around the Brussels inner ring at high speed, in the dark, with only his sidelights on. I've had some scary taxi rides in my life, including a memorable one in Kabul that involved a side trip to try and sell me a fresh goat head, but this guy took the biscuit. Never have I been so glad to get to my hotel.
Oh, and then there was the Belgian taxi driver last week who felt it was necessary to have a VIDEO CALL with his brother/cousin/boss/dad/lover the entire time that I was in his vehicle. All while belting around the Brussels inner ring at high speed, in the dark, with only his sidelights on. I've had some scary taxi rides in my life, including a memorable one in Kabul that involved a side trip to try and sell me a fresh goat head, but this guy took the biscuit. Never have I been so glad to get to my hotel.
BriC175 said:
I once had a passenger ride down some country lanes in a Ferrari 575M. That was scary. But not for the same reasons as your ride 
similarly, the only time i've been truly scared was on the back of a scooter round the derbyshire peaks. this was a lambretta tv175 which a friend's dad [who was in front of me] had put in a 250cc honda engine. as for what the OP means, my mum knows if we're going anywhere together that it's best that i drive. she's been driving 8yrs now but auto only and rarely goes on motorways. she told me the last time she went on the M62 she managed to get up to 60mph!
My friends race bike, no leathers, no pillion seat and the rear fairing had recently been polished, no handles or footpegs either.
Sliding every which way off the bloody thing and nearly falling off... and then we started to move.
Unbelievable speed,stability and power, far far quicker than what Id experienced before, but because of no lid or leathers felt so exposed and the wind and noise was brutal. Got off shaking with fear and excitement.
Fun: 8/10
Fear: 8/10
Stupidity: 10/10
Other than that I was in a rover 25 that was driven by an english show off called jack. Pretty terrible driver all round but he decided to show off, so up into a country park on a hill, in the main entrance and down a left hand turning curve, hard right into the car park and going pretty quickly up to the very steep bank overlooking the carpark and obviously going to hit the brakes hard to show off.
He hit the accelerator.
Amazing.
Sliding every which way off the bloody thing and nearly falling off... and then we started to move.
Unbelievable speed,stability and power, far far quicker than what Id experienced before, but because of no lid or leathers felt so exposed and the wind and noise was brutal. Got off shaking with fear and excitement.
Fun: 8/10
Fear: 8/10
Stupidity: 10/10
Other than that I was in a rover 25 that was driven by an english show off called jack. Pretty terrible driver all round but he decided to show off, so up into a country park on a hill, in the main entrance and down a left hand turning curve, hard right into the car park and going pretty quickly up to the very steep bank overlooking the carpark and obviously going to hit the brakes hard to show off.
He hit the accelerator.
Amazing.
Some guy who wanted to show me how fast his sister's Opel Kadett "Superboss" was. The "Superboss" is an homologation version of a 1990ish Astra GTE 16V. It had 10kW or so more than a standard 16V, an LSD, some suspension tweaks and some cosmetic changes including different wheels.
I was keen, it was an exciting car in SA at the time and getting lots of press, but the guy was a nutter. He overtook, on a bridge, in the face of oncoming traffic, forcing the cars either side to straddle the hard shoulder while he straddled the centreline. He had benn told by someone that the best way to cure understeer was to go around corners on full throttle / no throttle / full throttle / no throttle, etc. This may sound a bit like like Senna's throttle technique, but I doubt Senna ever did it like this. The result was that he'd exit corners at exactly the same speed he entered them in, and the car would be seesawing all the way through the corner, every second or so with terminal understeer.
The ride was longer than that but thankfully I've forgotten the rest...
I was keen, it was an exciting car in SA at the time and getting lots of press, but the guy was a nutter. He overtook, on a bridge, in the face of oncoming traffic, forcing the cars either side to straddle the hard shoulder while he straddled the centreline. He had benn told by someone that the best way to cure understeer was to go around corners on full throttle / no throttle / full throttle / no throttle, etc. This may sound a bit like like Senna's throttle technique, but I doubt Senna ever did it like this. The result was that he'd exit corners at exactly the same speed he entered them in, and the car would be seesawing all the way through the corner, every second or so with terminal understeer.
The ride was longer than that but thankfully I've forgotten the rest...
Minemapper said:
Oh, and then there was the Belgian taxi driver last week who felt it was necessary to have a VIDEO CALL with his brother/cousin/boss/dad/lover the entire time that I was in his vehicle. All while belting around the Brussels inner ring at high speed, in the dark, with only his sidelights on. I've had some scary taxi rides in my life, including a memorable one in Kabul that involved a side trip to try and sell me a fresh goat head, but this guy took the biscuit. Never have I been so glad to get to my hotel.
I concur. Belgian taxi drivers are probably second only to the Turks for bad driving. Italian taxi drivers take similar risks but are supremely smooth and they appear to keep their vehicles well maintained. So Although you're creating a new lane in a 50kmph limit between the actual traffic and parked cars doing about 80kmph, you never feel like you're going to die. A Belgian would do the same thing but slower... however they only appear to believe the accelerator and brake are on off switches, same with the steering. All the while there would be a nasty grinding sound from the brakes, a terrible clonking from the drive shafts and a strange squeak from the rear suspension.I had a friend once, (no, realy I did!!), who went everywhere with his foot flat on the floor.
At the time he drove an Alfa Sud. One night, my Brother and I were going to the pub and he offered to drive us, which was nice.
It was five miles to the pub and he nearly killed us three times, twice by overtaking into oncoming traffic in a 30 zone. The final time was the clincher when I swore never to get in a car with him ever again when he blindly straightlined a roundabout from behind an artic that was entering the roundabout and missed a car on it literally by millimetres. I really thought we were goners!
The funny thing is that he used to accuse me of having no road sense!
Oh yeah, and he's a copper now! (Go figure!)
At the time he drove an Alfa Sud. One night, my Brother and I were going to the pub and he offered to drive us, which was nice.
It was five miles to the pub and he nearly killed us three times, twice by overtaking into oncoming traffic in a 30 zone. The final time was the clincher when I swore never to get in a car with him ever again when he blindly straightlined a roundabout from behind an artic that was entering the roundabout and missed a car on it literally by millimetres. I really thought we were goners!
The funny thing is that he used to accuse me of having no road sense!
Oh yeah, and he's a copper now! (Go figure!)
PaulB81 said:
In with my friend in an Elise 111R he had borrowed off a friend. Pulled out of T junction, ended up facing back the way we came in the middle of the road with traffic coming both ways!!
There was a young bloke on Seloc who smashed up a 111R in similar fashion. I just don't understand what people thought they were doing, there's loads of traction and even if you give it too much welly out of a junction it will usually just spin the inside wheel up.I was in the Air Cadets and when I joined at 13 our Cadet Warrant Officer was reaching the end of his time, I think he was just coming up to 21.
Well he had a Cavalier SRi and drove like the very hounds of hell were onto him. Anyway, for some reason the entire group of us were going out to set up for a show jump one parade night and as the squadron didn't have a minibus we were all distributed between any car that was available.
That 5 minute journey with 3 other terrified cadets and an utter bellend at the wheel will give me the sweats for all time. It's the one and only time I have witnessed someone overtake head on into traffic while laughing and shouting "gangway" as cars desperately try to make a third lane down the middle of the road.
The worst thing about it was that we had to drive back afterwards.
He's still alive now, but I really do not know how.
Well he had a Cavalier SRi and drove like the very hounds of hell were onto him. Anyway, for some reason the entire group of us were going out to set up for a show jump one parade night and as the squadron didn't have a minibus we were all distributed between any car that was available.
That 5 minute journey with 3 other terrified cadets and an utter bellend at the wheel will give me the sweats for all time. It's the one and only time I have witnessed someone overtake head on into traffic while laughing and shouting "gangway" as cars desperately try to make a third lane down the middle of the road.
The worst thing about it was that we had to drive back afterwards.
He's still alive now, but I really do not know how.
Edited by Pannywagon on Thursday 7th July 16:59
Minemapper said:
Oh, and then there was the Belgian taxi driver last week who felt it was necessary to have a VIDEO CALL with his brother/cousin/boss/dad/lover the entire time that I was in his vehicle. All while belting around the Brussels inner ring at high speed, in the dark, with only his sidelights on. I've had some scary taxi rides in my life, including a memorable one in Kabul that involved a side trip to try and sell me a fresh goat head, but this guy took the biscuit. Never have I been so glad to get to my hotel.
Belgian drivers are just insane, it seems. A scary mix of doziness/stupidity and fearlessness. I genuinely fear for my life once we're driving through Belgium, on our Nurburgring trips, especially once on the Brussels ring road . Survived 9 laps on the Nordschleife on the last trip in May, only to be nearly taken out by some dozy mare who thought it was wholly appropriate to pull out from her stationary lane into mine without looking, with me doing about 60mph on our way back home. Just the top of a long list of worrying things I've seen whilst driving there.I can't remember any on the road, but I've passengered in a track-spec Radical SR8 with a very flamboyant driver. I wouldn't say it was scary as such, but it was surprising just how brutal 700bhp/ton (unladen) feels and just how forgiving a car of that performance can be with the right setup. He'd pile into corners, turn in very aggresively and get the front washing out, then ride it out on the power. It sounds brutal - and it certainly felt it - but apparently he's one of the quickest people in the car, so it clearly works.
I was also lucky enough to go out in a 2-seat IRL car last year. Again, I had confidence in the driver, but it was shocking just how far beyond a fast road a moderately quick single seater is. Cornering loads were even higher than the Radical and I had banked turns to add to the cerebral overload.
I was also lucky enough to go out in a 2-seat IRL car last year. Again, I had confidence in the driver, but it was shocking just how far beyond a fast road a moderately quick single seater is. Cornering loads were even higher than the Radical and I had banked turns to add to the cerebral overload.
Whilst at uni one of my fellow students was legless.
Actually, most of the university could be so described for the majority of the time, but I digress - this chap only had one leg, his left one having been severed by train wheels some years earlier.
Anyway, Mike drove an auto, not having a clutch foot he kind of had little choice.
We were approaching some busy lights, the lights for us are red, traffic is moving left to right through the crossroads in front of us. Mike mutters "Oh s**t, not again" and accelerates. He holds down the horn and we weave our way through the moving traffic.
Problem?
Artifical foot jammed under brake pedal.
Good bloke - I wonder what happened to him?
Actually, most of the university could be so described for the majority of the time, but I digress - this chap only had one leg, his left one having been severed by train wheels some years earlier.
Anyway, Mike drove an auto, not having a clutch foot he kind of had little choice.
We were approaching some busy lights, the lights for us are red, traffic is moving left to right through the crossroads in front of us. Mike mutters "Oh s**t, not again" and accelerates. He holds down the horn and we weave our way through the moving traffic.
Problem?
Artifical foot jammed under brake pedal.
Good bloke - I wonder what happened to him?
I once had a 2 and a half hour ride out of North Wales with my brother which was simply terrifying, flat out everywhere and overtaking on blind bends and other inappropriate places. He was a complete mentalist behind the wheel but age appears to have mellowed him although to be fair he's never had an accident in a car but has landed in hospital a couple of times courtesy of his motorbike.
I've also had a spin around Poznan city centre in Poland in a Gallardo. I was expecting a gentle and boring ride through the narrow and cobbled city streets but the driver instead floored it at every opportunity getting it sideways a few times and very nearly rear ending a Porsche we were following to our destination.
I've also had a spin around Poznan city centre in Poland in a Gallardo. I was expecting a gentle and boring ride through the narrow and cobbled city streets but the driver instead floored it at every opportunity getting it sideways a few times and very nearly rear ending a Porsche we were following to our destination.
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