Is anyone else finding it harder to drive for fun?

[TheFungle]

V8RX7 said:

fastraxx said:

V8RX7 said:

Most of them

I met an interesting one the other day, as I was coming up to pass two cyclists on my bike - which he couldn't fail to hear, he decided to overtake his mate - he decided against looking first too.

It meant there was approx 6" gap between my bars and his.

have you ever cycled? its hard to hear

That's worse, if you can't hear anything you definitely need to look before moving out.

Observant enough to see a cyclist not looking before leap frogging his mate yet somehow too close that meant you couldn't give more than 6' when passing.

Why didn't you plan your overtake to allow for any unexpected behaviour?

[ddom]

DoubleD said:

All road users have to understand the risks and be careful.

Well, yes, but when approaching cyclists you give them more room than needed and expect the worst. Similarly for horses. The driver overtaking has the responsibility to make sure it’s a safe move.

[DoubleD]

ddom said:

DoubleD said:

All road users have to understand the risks and be careful.

Well, yes, but when approaching cyclists you give them more room than needed and expect the worst. Similarly for horses. The driver overtaking has the responsibility to make sure it’s a safe move.

Yep you do, but that doesn't mean that other road users can do as they please. I wouldn't put my safety in someone else's hands.

[markyb_lcy]

TheFungle said:

Observant enough to see a cyclist not looking before leap frogging his mate yet somehow too close that meant you couldn't give more than 6' when passing.

Why didn't you plan your overtake to allow for any unexpected behaviour?

A line needs to be drawn somewhere otherwise nobody would ever overtake anyone, just in case a plague of pigs were to unexpectedly fall from the sky.

The cyclist should look over their shoulder before pulling out to overtake, if they value their life. Pretty simple really.

[anonymous-user]

Paratrooper pigs are not a likely eventuality. Another road user making a move without checking that it is safe to do so is a likely eventuality. Defensive driving involves expecting the unexpected.

Two days ago, the voice of my old driving instructor was in my head as I waited in a side road at a junction as a car approached it from my right, signalling left. The car slowed and looked almost to have committed to the turn, and then suddenly indicated right and continued on the main road. I had held my ground, despite the signal and the braking, as I was not yet sure that the other car was going to turn. CSB, I know, but boggo defensive driving saved me from a collision.

[Buster73]

Breadvan72 said:

Paratrooper pigs are not a likely eventuality. Another road user making a move without checking that it is safe to do so is a likely eventuality. Defensive driving involves expecting the unexpected.

Two days ago, the voice of my old driving instructor was in my head as I waited in a side road at a junction as a car approached it from my right, signalling left. The car slowed and looked almost to have committed to the turn, and then suddenly indicated right and continued on the main road. I had held my ground, despite the signal and the braking, as I was not yet sure that the other car was going to turn. CSB, I know, but boggo defensive driving saved me from a collision.

I turn out from home on to a main road where there is another junction 60 yards further down , the amount of folk who come down the bank indicating left or the next junction is unbelievable .

I must have had the same driving instructor , if I have to wait a few seconds extra so be it.

[anonymous-user]

"Look into your turning! Don't cut the corner!" I hear that dude's voice in my head almost every day. I can't even remember his name.

[coppice]

I recall having the need to look right and left when turning left rammed home to me in my early days of driving , when Slade were number 1 . Car exiting driveway to turn left didn't check left - so didn't see the car overtaking another at speed. Head on , obviously . One fatality - the guy leaving the driveway. .

But re OP's question -no it isn't . What changes more than anything js oneself and it's temptingly easy to attribute loss of interest to traffic density ,safety cameras or the usual suspects . A favourite is declining driving standards , as if there were some lost golden age when everyone drove well. I've driven for nearly half a century and must have missed that bit . All I notice is some more overt aggression from angry bald men in overpowered German cars
but you can normally see them coming - and hear their steed's silly soundtracks.

I have always driven for fun . in everything from MGs and Mercs to a Clan Crusader, from a 2CV to a wild 220bhp Seven - and I went for an hour yesterday in my born to be mild MX5 .

[anonymous-user]

There are cave paintings that contain Neolithic laments about the lost golden age. Those determined to be pessimistic will always be pessimistic. Some will tell you, for example that the roads are all full nowadays. Look back at pictures of motorways some decades ago and they were full. London streets were full. Same now. But then as now there are plenty of empty roads to have fun on.

[jl34]

grudas said:

I think cars are getting too fast.

which is why I enjoy driving my s2000 so much, it's spot on performance/road in uk

think things like

mx5
elise/exige
s2000
gt86

etc are the cars to own in uk!

totally agree , of course your missing a westfield/Caterham which is the best I think. I've owned some tasty stuff over the years but I've become disconnected with driving for fun. I recently bought a tuned MX5 mk3 with decent suspension and its a total revelation. I can revel in extending it through the gears and the relative lower speed to a supercar means you can enjoy a quick spurt for longer. The lower value and small size makes it a less stressful experience to drive fast too.

[anonymous-user]

Whilst my modern car is faster, safer, greener, more comfortable, and better built than all of my old cars, my modern car, with all its digital blah, bores the trousers off me. The reduction in direct connection between driver and machine makes even driving fast in my modern car a bit meh. Old cars can be a right royal pain in the bum, and they're not for everyone, but to those who are feeling frustrated in their modern hot cars, maybe try something old. It doesn't have to be super old. Even a car from the early 90s might surprise you with its fun factor, and you don't have to learn about chokes, double declutching, drum brakes, magnetos etc* in order to drive it.


* All of those things can be fun, BTW.

[Hol]

jl34 said:

grudas said:

I think cars are getting too fast.

which is why I enjoy driving my s2000 so much, it's spot on performance/road in uk

think things like

mx5
elise/exige
s2000
gt86

etc are the cars to own in uk!

totally agree , of course your missing a westfield/Caterham which is the best I think. I've owned some tasty stuff over the years but I've become disconnected with driving for fun. I recently bought a tuned MX5 mk3 with decent suspension and its a total revelation. I can revel in extending it through the gears and the relative lower speed to a supercar means you can enjoy a quick spurt for longer. The lower value and small size makes it a less stressful experience to drive fast too.

Totally agree as well.

I know people who admit to ruining their cars, by overpowering the previously enjoyable chassis.

[Frank7]

Buster73 said:

I turn out from home on to a main road where there is another junction 60 yards further down , the amount of folk who come down the bank indicating left or the next junction is unbelievable .

I must have had the same driving instructor , if I have to wait a few seconds extra so be it.

I’m the same, some 65 metres to the right of the side street that I have to turn right from, is a roundabout, cars, vans, trucks etc. indicate to leave the roundabout and don’t cancel their indicators.
No matter how slow they’re going, it’s more than I dare do to presume that they’re going to turn left into the street that I’m in.

[V8RX7]

ddom said:

V8RX7 said:

That's worse, if you can't hear anything you definitely need to look before moving out.

As a driver you need to understand the risks ahead.

On that basis you'd never overtake anything nor indeed leave your house !

We are all driving on the basis of passing our tests - Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre

Looks like we need a Bicycle License

[V8RX7]

TheFungle said:

Observant enough to see a cyclist not looking before leap frogging his mate yet somehow too close that meant you couldn't give more than 6' when passing.

Why didn't you plan your overtake to allow for any unexpected behaviour?

I'm doing 60 and have set up my overtake hundreds of metres beforehand - almost as I'm level Idiot pulls out without looking or signalling doing maybe 15-20

As I didn't hit him, despite him being an idiot, I'd say my riding was spot on

[anonymous-user]

Well, someone in the USA might have a "license". In the UK, however, licensed activities involve licences.

[321boost]

ddom said:

DoubleD said:

All road users have to understand the risks and be careful.

Well, yes, but when approaching cyclists you give them more room than needed and expect the worst. Similarly for horses. The driver overtaking has the responsibility to make sure it’s a safe move.

Agree to expect the worst but why are people expected to expect the worse? Can’t the cyclist or other road user have some sort of attitude where you take responsibility for yourself and not do the worst? It’s as if we are continuously trying to accommodate the idiots of the society.
Agree with horses though, they’re not in direct control of the rider so you can expect the worst there. It’s a horse can’t do much else.

[Paul Dishman]

Breadvan72 said:

Paratrooper pigs are not a likely eventuality. Another road user making a move without checking that it is safe to do so is a likely eventuality. Defensive driving involves expecting the unexpected.

Two days ago, the voice of my old driving instructor was in my head as I waited in a side road at a junction as a car approached it from my right, signalling left. The car slowed and looked almost to have committed to the turn, and then suddenly indicated right and continued on the main road. I had held my ground, despite the signal and the braking, as I was not yet sure that the other car was going to turn. CSB, I know, but boggo defensive driving saved me from a collision.

As my old instructor would have said "its only a coat of paint" (on the road)

[R Mutt]

I really enjoyed driving my car yesterday after a weekend in the van although the 20 MPH limits were very hard to stick to.

[Johnnytheboy]

Lester H said:

Went into bar, ordered to sit ( like a trainee dog) ale brought to me; no real pleasure, all a bit sterile, couldn’t examine the real ales on the bar or chat to the barman. The ubiquitous Greene King in this case, but I gather most pubs are similar. So, you can find drivers’ roads but no decent destinations,

It's more like sitting in a restaurant drinking now.