How do you cope with slow, dawdling, indecisive drivers?
Discussion
kambites said:
Mind you, I'm sure the number of impatient idiots who follow six inches off my bumper when I'm happily driving along at 30 in a 30 limit has also shot up in the last five years; similarly the number of people who I'll be behind leaving traffic lights or junctions in 30 limits who disappear into the distance, clearly doing 50+.
This annoys me too. 32mph in a 30 zone and someone right up me.Worst part is, the person behind you may not even be unhappy with your speed, they possibly just think that 2 feet from your rear bumper is actually a good & safe place for their car to be.
shandyboy said:
GingerWizard said:
Seriously it sounds like you are getting into the car in the wrong frame of mind. You do need to chill , stop having expectations of how long or how a journey should take/be. Just put some calming music on and pull back. Failing that move house and change job for somewhere like the Shetland isles.
It's easy to say that but if it happens in your commute, you *know* what the journey "should" take, so it does end up becoming frustrating when you are held up by someone who clearly is lacking in err... driving ability..
Just got to chill out and realise its only a few moments difference.
Crimefighter said:
kambites said:
Mind you, I'm sure the number of impatient idiots who follow six inches off my bumper when I'm happily driving along at 30 in a 30 limit has also shot up in the last five years; similarly the number of people who I'll be behind leaving traffic lights or junctions in 30 limits who disappear into the distance, clearly doing 50+.
This annoys me too. 32mph in a 30 zone and someone right up me.Worst part is, the person behind you may not even be unhappy with your speed, they possibly just think that 2 feet from your rear bumper is actually a good & safe place for their car to be.
To be honest there are so many people out there whose actions on the road are dangerous that slow drivers are the least of my worries. I pop some music on and follow at a safe distance until I can overtake or they're gone. If they don't feel safe going faster or making quicker decisions at junctions, then I'd rather they didn't try and speed things up! For that reason I deliberately don't pressure them.
toon10 said:
Sometimes if I'm on a fun road over in the Lakes for example and there's a dawdler in front but it's not safe to pass, I'll pull over, admire the view and wait a few minutes then go again. I enjoy the drive more, they don't get intimadated and everyones a winner.
I do that quite a lot if I'm just out for a drive in the countrysideMoonhawk said:
Part of the problem IMO is the message "slow driving = safe driving" seems to have settled into many drivers minds. Doesn't matter that their speed is inconsistent and unpredictable, that they have poor lane discipline, make poor decisions holding up traffic flow and that they make poor use of mirrors and signals......the fact that they are driving well below the speed limit makes their driving safe.....and that's all they need to know.
Hardly a day goes by these days where I don't see people driving like this - and even what should be a straight forward journey on relatively clear roads is punctuated by having to deal with such drivers.
As long as the speed kills drum is still being beaten and poor driving of the kind mentioned above goes unpunished - there is no incentive to change. You just have to accept it - getting wound up will do you no good and could lead to you making a mistake - further reinforcing the idea in these peoples minds that they are the good safe drivers - and you are the evil, speeding maniac.
This +100, sums up my feelings entirelyHardly a day goes by these days where I don't see people driving like this - and even what should be a straight forward journey on relatively clear roads is punctuated by having to deal with such drivers.
As long as the speed kills drum is still being beaten and poor driving of the kind mentioned above goes unpunished - there is no incentive to change. You just have to accept it - getting wound up will do you no good and could lead to you making a mistake - further reinforcing the idea in these peoples minds that they are the good safe drivers - and you are the evil, speeding maniac.
I think the people saying "leave 5 minutes earlier" are kinda missing the point. The frustration doesn't always arise from a fear of being late or getting somewhere by a certain time. We all like to drive in a manner that we find comfortable for us - and whilst we have to accept and adapt to different drivers styles - being forced to drive in a significantly different manner can raise tension - especially where you can see significant driving errors being made by the other party.
The key is to control that frustration, because like it or not, there is little you can do except hope the driver turns off the road, or you get an opportunity to pass safely.
The key is to control that frustration, because like it or not, there is little you can do except hope the driver turns off the road, or you get an opportunity to pass safely.
Purity14 said:
Commute on a motorbike - its like playing a video game - no one is real - everyone is an obstacle.
If you are behind a car for more than 20 seconds be it a country road, motorway or town centre - you are playing wrong.
^ ThisIf you are behind a car for more than 20 seconds be it a country road, motorway or town centre - you are playing wrong.
no more agro, no more swearing and wishing for car mounted weaponry, you're in and out of their lives in seconds
They're everywhere. I was only saying yesterday how everyone seems to be driving at 10 mph below every speed limit and accelerating like glaciers in these little wheezy s
tboxes.
Drives me mad.
The only option is to just relax and sit it out. No point in getting wound up really.
And this is why being a petrol head is going out of fashion.
tboxes.Drives me mad.
The only option is to just relax and sit it out. No point in getting wound up really.
And this is why being a petrol head is going out of fashion.
In years gone by cars required concentration and skill to drive. As technology has moved on cars have become much easier to drive requiring less physical effort and concentration to keep the vehicle in a lane and in the right gear.
As non automotive technology moved on more tasks have evolved that either did not exists before or which previously could not be accomplished in a car: telephone calls, texts, emails etc
Consequently the mental capacity of performing such functions has been moved more towards dealing with telephone calls, texts, emails, than dealing with actually driving.
Couple the above with the belief that there is a right to be able to drive and the recent attitude that everyone else is less important than you and their time less valuable and you end up with badly driven cars.
Add the belief that certain people believe they are perfectly capable of multitasking without compromising their driving skills and we end up with dawdlers and inconsistent drivers.
Then add in the complete aholes who dawdle along until you try and overtake and then try and block you by accelerating and/or drifting across (yes you in the Renault Megane Sport Y7 EAS – he’s done it to me in 7 different cars ranging from a Jazz to a XFS Jag) and driving becomes frustrating to say the least.
I drive daily along the B6047 between Harborough and Just beyond Tilton and it’s a fantastic road to drive in a flowing and consistent way but more often than not (as this morning) there is a trail of cars driving at speeds that vary between 10 and 30 mph below the speed limit behind a car where the driver is clearly either not concentrating on driving or not able to maintain a consistent speed and course.
There is one stretch where on average once a week a car is embedded in a tree or bush just after a left right bend which I regularly take at the speed limit. How these people in such a range of cars (from Citroen C1 to Range Rover) end up in the scenery on such a regular basis can only be explained by lack of concentration.
None of us are perfect and we are all distracted from time to time but why do people feel its appropriate to hold up a train of other vehicles. Oh, that’s right, they don’t even consider it as a problem as it’s not affecting them.
Thoughtless and selfish pretty much sums it up.
As non automotive technology moved on more tasks have evolved that either did not exists before or which previously could not be accomplished in a car: telephone calls, texts, emails etc
Consequently the mental capacity of performing such functions has been moved more towards dealing with telephone calls, texts, emails, than dealing with actually driving.
Couple the above with the belief that there is a right to be able to drive and the recent attitude that everyone else is less important than you and their time less valuable and you end up with badly driven cars.
Add the belief that certain people believe they are perfectly capable of multitasking without compromising their driving skills and we end up with dawdlers and inconsistent drivers.
Then add in the complete a
holes who dawdle along until you try and overtake and then try and block you by accelerating and/or drifting across (yes you in the Renault Megane Sport Y7 EAS – he’s done it to me in 7 different cars ranging from a Jazz to a XFS Jag) and driving becomes frustrating to say the least.I drive daily along the B6047 between Harborough and Just beyond Tilton and it’s a fantastic road to drive in a flowing and consistent way but more often than not (as this morning) there is a trail of cars driving at speeds that vary between 10 and 30 mph below the speed limit behind a car where the driver is clearly either not concentrating on driving or not able to maintain a consistent speed and course.
There is one stretch where on average once a week a car is embedded in a tree or bush just after a left right bend which I regularly take at the speed limit. How these people in such a range of cars (from Citroen C1 to Range Rover) end up in the scenery on such a regular basis can only be explained by lack of concentration.
None of us are perfect and we are all distracted from time to time but why do people feel its appropriate to hold up a train of other vehicles. Oh, that’s right, they don’t even consider it as a problem as it’s not affecting them.
Thoughtless and selfish pretty much sums it up.
Captain Muppet said:
If the car behind is dangerously close to me I pull over and let them pass. More often than not they aren't agressive or in a hurry, just terrible at judging distances.
I often do, but it's irritating if you do that then come out of the 30 limit into a 60 limit and they carry on at 40. Moonhawk said:
I think the people saying "leave 5 minutes earlier" are kinda missing the point. The frustration doesn't always arise from a fear of being late or getting somewhere by a certain time. We all like to drive in a manner that we find comfortable for us - and whilst we have to accept and adapt to different drivers styles - being forced to drive in a significantly different manner can raise tension - especially where you can see significant driving errors being made by the other party.
The key is to control that frustration, because like it or not, there is little you can do except hope the driver turns off the road, or you get an opportunity to pass safely.
If you've got plenty of time, you can either (1) stop and wait for the slow person to bugger off or (2) turn off and go a different way. I occasionally choose my commute route solely on the basis of which way a slow car goes, even if it means it takes me twice as long to get there. The key is to control that frustration, because like it or not, there is little you can do except hope the driver turns off the road, or you get an opportunity to pass safely.
Traffic lights have a lot to do with it I think. On my commute there's a chains of lights where if you are slow through the first one you'll get caught by the next one. The other day I was second in the queue, outside lane (2 lanes). The person in front set off slower than the person in left hand lane (normally that lane would drive quicker and make it through) so we all had to stop at the next lights 
I involuntarily raised my fist a bit and they saw that in the mirror, hope they realise how many people they hold up each day.
I involuntarily raised my fist a bit and they saw that in the mirror, hope they realise how many people they hold up each day.Purity14 said:
Commute on a motorbike - its like playing a video game - no one is real - everyone is an obstacle.
If you are behind a car for more than 20 seconds be it a country road, motorway or town centre - you are playing wrong.
This - absolutely 100%. It is the ONLY way...or walk, or take the train (but then people still get in your way).If you are behind a car for more than 20 seconds be it a country road, motorway or town centre - you are playing wrong.
Motorcycles really are the only way. Unless it's snowing, or forecast to snow, I'll be on the bike. Completely stress free and overtaking all you poor sheep who haven't discovered the better way.
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
This - absolutely 100%. It is the ONLY way...or walk, or take the train (but then people still get in your way).
Motorcycles really are the only way. Unless it's snowing, or forecast to snow, I'll be on the bike. Completely stress free and overtaking all you poor sheep who haven't discovered the better way.
I will be joining the echelons this spring. A nice Yamaha XJ6 N will do me well for the 5 mile commute that currently takes me 30 mins.Motorcycles really are the only way. Unless it's snowing, or forecast to snow, I'll be on the bike. Completely stress free and overtaking all you poor sheep who haven't discovered the better way.
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