Are we a dying breed? Is it an extermination?
Discussion
Although it has been obvious to me for quite some time, driving back tonight really rammed home once and for all that the roads have become infested by mindless cluster f
ks ing about in their stty anonymous boxes as they drone around our network of roads doing their absolute utmost to impede and absorb any streak of automotive personality attempting to make any sort of reasonable progress, like a cardiovascular disease chokes the body of oxygen.
The point of this thread isn't meant to be another rant about blue rinse hat wearing dinosaurs or MLMs or to win the longest opening sentance to a thread 2012 award, but to ask a question. Have recent developments in automotive technology and design led coupled with extortionate rises in the cost of motoring meant that in the whole, driving isn't or cannot be fun anymore? Has there been an overall decline in the petrol head populous ? Have any of you given up trying to make safe and reasonable progress on our roads as you encounter wker upon wker upon wker - do you now simply sit and join the procession, until without realisation you also stop anticipating, observing, signalling, leaving safe gaps and just bumble along like the rest of the infected.
when will these mindless fking zombie bds learn that it is MY road when I am on it and I absolutely will not tolerate their random changes in speed and direction, their complete inability to mirror signal manoeuvre in my vicinity. I am not prepared to be washed along in the continuous streams off piss that flow along our roads and I will always surge forth like a molten jet of tiger blood (when conditions allow ..) just so I can feel alive for 10 fking minutes a day. I am going to install a roof mounted rail gun and magnetically bum them into the next millenium if it continues.
My name is Turbocharged VTEC Glory, Commander of the MX-5s of the North, General of the dab of oppo legions and loyal servant to all things wheelie. I will make good progress (when conditions allow...), in this life or the next.
I'll just leave this here - but seriously have any of you just thought fk it - Can't be arsed, radio 4 on, stuck behind a Toyota Yaris driven by a blind man will do me from now on?
ks ing about in their stty anonymous boxes as they drone around our network of roads doing their absolute utmost to impede and absorb any streak of automotive personality attempting to make any sort of reasonable progress, like a cardiovascular disease chokes the body of oxygen.The point of this thread isn't meant to be another rant about blue rinse hat wearing dinosaurs or MLMs or to win the longest opening sentance to a thread 2012 award, but to ask a question. Have recent developments in automotive technology and design led coupled with extortionate rises in the cost of motoring meant that in the whole, driving isn't or cannot be fun anymore? Has there been an overall decline in the petrol head populous ? Have any of you given up trying to make safe and reasonable progress on our roads as you encounter w
ker upon wker upon wker - do you now simply sit and join the procession, until without realisation you also stop anticipating, observing, signalling, leaving safe gaps and just bumble along like the rest of the infected.when will these mindless f
king zombie bds learn that it is MY road when I am on it and I absolutely will not tolerate their random changes in speed and direction, their complete inability to mirror signal manoeuvre in my vicinity. I am not prepared to be washed along in the continuous streams off piss that flow along our roads and I will always surge forth like a molten jet of tiger blood (when conditions allow ..) just so I can feel alive for 10 fking minutes a day. I am going to install a roof mounted rail gun and magnetically bum them into the next millenium if it continues. My name is Turbocharged VTEC Glory, Commander of the MX-5s of the North, General of the dab of oppo legions and loyal servant to all things wheelie. I will make good progress (when conditions allow...), in this life or the next.
I'll just leave this here - but seriously have any of you just thought f
k it - Can't be arsed, radio 4 on, stuck behind a Toyota Yaris driven by a blind man will do me from now on?Change something about your life.
I used to feel the same as you. I moved to the midlands, which made it immediately better - less traffic, nicer roads. Then I started voluntarily going in to work early every morning. The result is 15 miles of deserted winding country lanes, all to myself, every day. I haven't "gone out for a drive" for nearly a year, and I've recently realised that it's because my commute is so nice that I don't need to.
I used to feel the same as you. I moved to the midlands, which made it immediately better - less traffic, nicer roads. Then I started voluntarily going in to work early every morning. The result is 15 miles of deserted winding country lanes, all to myself, every day. I haven't "gone out for a drive" for nearly a year, and I've recently realised that it's because my commute is so nice that I don't need to.
the problem is the vast majority of people are very very stupid, they are incapable of independent thought, 20 years of being drip feed "speed kills" propaganda and nonsense works as they have no ability to look at the manipulated figures objectively or to put them into any sort of context
"OK UK government you want to save lives, what about the 2000 people that die a week from smoking!" substantially more progress could be made focusing energy here if your objective is to save lives. But of course this wont raise revenue
"OK UK government you want to save lives, what about the 2000 people that die a week from smoking!" substantially more progress could be made focusing energy here if your objective is to save lives. But of course this wont raise revenue
Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Friday 16th November 06:25
Perhaps in the 60s-70s you needed to be more of an enthusiast to drive, cars were less reliable and you needed a modicum of common sense and a desire to get your hands dirty to keep the thing on the road. Now it seems every fkwit and their dog have a car and the majority haven't a fking clue about them or how to drive.
Similar story with computers I suppose. I remember the days when our 486 DX 33mhz was thought of as amazing in the sea of 286s. You needed to know about Dos, extended and expanded memory, 100Mb was thought of as an endlessly big HD.
As with any thing made simpler, it will attract the masses and cater for the lowest common denominator.
I sometimes wish however that the attitude was 'improve your skills/knowledge so you can use this' rather than a case of making it so simple standards drop.
PH options still exist: Scotland has some absolutely stunning driving roads, as does France, Italy and Switzerland. The autobahns of Germany are a delight to use, in the last week I don't think I've seen anyone going under 80 and no one plays silly buggers at 69.9 mph in lane 3.
Cars and driving for pleasure (at speed) are borderline socially unacceptable. We pollute, we kill children and we make noise. Driving is absolutely one of my favourite things to do but I think in 50 years time thing will be very different. Enjoy it while you can.
Ray of hope? Currently we have the fastest, most powerful crop of super cars ever which are also the greenest. If you had quoted figures for the aventador or the f12 to someone 20 or so years ago they would have thought you were dreaming.
We'll see.
kwit and their dog have a car and the majority haven't a fking clue about them or how to drive.Similar story with computers I suppose. I remember the days when our 486 DX 33mhz was thought of as amazing in the sea of 286s. You needed to know about Dos, extended and expanded memory, 100Mb was thought of as an endlessly big HD.
As with any thing made simpler, it will attract the masses and cater for the lowest common denominator.
I sometimes wish however that the attitude was 'improve your skills/knowledge so you can use this' rather than a case of making it so simple standards drop.
PH options still exist: Scotland has some absolutely stunning driving roads, as does France, Italy and Switzerland. The autobahns of Germany are a delight to use, in the last week I don't think I've seen anyone going under 80 and no one plays silly buggers at 69.9 mph in lane 3.
Cars and driving for pleasure (at speed) are borderline socially unacceptable. We pollute, we kill children and we make noise. Driving is absolutely one of my favourite things to do but I think in 50 years time thing will be very different. Enjoy it while you can.
Ray of hope? Currently we have the fastest, most powerful crop of super cars ever which are also the greenest. If you had quoted figures for the aventador or the f12 to someone 20 or so years ago they would have thought you were dreaming.
We'll see.
Totally with you on this; i've given up trying to have fun on my drive home from site, around 4-5ish, full of school mum and dads and misc dordlers, its depressing, but the forester has a great split personality, can dordle is pure luxury, and be surprisingly swift when it wants to be!
HOWEVER - in the morning, have to be on site by 8, leaving the house by 6:30-7, they arent up yet, its usually tradesman/women in estates and vans doing the same to be on site, they daily make good progress, weather they are driving gods or not, they generally know the width of the car/van and dont do 18mph everywhere, which cant be said for the vast majority of people on the drive home. the morning is certainly enjoyable than the drive home.
HOWEVER - in the morning, have to be on site by 8, leaving the house by 6:30-7, they arent up yet, its usually tradesman/women in estates and vans doing the same to be on site, they daily make good progress, weather they are driving gods or not, they generally know the width of the car/van and dont do 18mph everywhere, which cant be said for the vast majority of people on the drive home. the morning is certainly enjoyable than the drive home.
icepop said:
Or, on the other hand, there are alot of sensible, careful drivers on the road, that get hassled by one or two idiots, every now and again. Thankfully Darwinism usually takes care of them.
You're one of "them" (the rolling roadblocks/mlm etc) aren't you! Please go back to "brake" or mumsnet where you belong.I enjoyed that, cheers OP.
I agree, while many people are obviously just happy to get from a to b in whatever time it takes, I think it has become a bit of a pain in the arse.
We had very light fog yesterday, people were acting like they couldn't see 3 feet infront of them. Sitting at 35-40 on a NSL dual carriageway in the outside lane overtaking the old man doing 25. Not what you want on your way to work.
The most frustrating thing for me is that these 'careful' drivers seem to be the ones that cannot use their mirrors, cannot stick to their lanes on roundabouts (and just in general really) and have no idea that their car comes with indicators as standard.
I agree, while many people are obviously just happy to get from a to b in whatever time it takes, I think it has become a bit of a pain in the arse.
We had very light fog yesterday, people were acting like they couldn't see 3 feet infront of them. Sitting at 35-40 on a NSL dual carriageway in the outside lane overtaking the old man doing 25. Not what you want on your way to work.
The most frustrating thing for me is that these 'careful' drivers seem to be the ones that cannot use their mirrors, cannot stick to their lanes on roundabouts (and just in general really) and have no idea that their car comes with indicators as standard.
You're doing it wrong. Get a 60's classic and you can still have a lot of fun just trying to keep up with modern traffic.
You don't have to worry about accidentally exceeding the speed limit - the vibrations, burning smells and bits falling off should let you know before you're in licence-losing territory (except in a 30 maybe).
The only downside is that it could actually be quicker to post yourself to your destination.
My wife never wants to come in the Sunbeam. We were going to a wedding this summer and when I suggested taking the Sunbeam her reply was "No, lets take the Alfa (Spider) - we want to be sure we get there!"
You don't have to worry about accidentally exceeding the speed limit - the vibrations, burning smells and bits falling off should let you know before you're in licence-losing territory (except in a 30 maybe).
The only downside is that it could actually be quicker to post yourself to your destination.
My wife never wants to come in the Sunbeam. We were going to a wedding this summer and when I suggested taking the Sunbeam her reply was "No, lets take the Alfa (Spider) - we want to be sure we get there!"
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