Biggest Fear About Driving?

Biggest Fear About Driving?

Author
Discussion

C70R

17,596 posts

103 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Skyrocket21 said:
When you drive past a family on the pavement and their child is on a scooter or bicycle swerving around, if they suddenly veered into the road, or a child running into the road etc. My biggest fear is hitting a human, especially a child.
As someone who does a lot of my miles on residential roads in Inner London, this is my biggie. I've learned to be a very slow and steady city driver after a decade and a bit in London, but even then if a child or pet runs out immediately in front of me, it makes no difference how fast I'm going.

giantdefy

684 posts

112 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Being held up for >15 seconds by the lycra clad cycle nazis.

C70R

17,596 posts

103 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Drawweight said:
Pulling out in front of someone at a T junction and causing an accident.

I know we’re all supposed to be driving gods etc but a moment’s lapse in concentration and it’s done.

I’ve done mileage of well into 7 figures mostly town/urban driving and admit to doing it 2 or 3 times, fortunately without any consequences apart from feeling extremely stupid. Funnily if someone does it to me in the car (as has happened to everyone let’s face it) I’ll swear a bit and carry on my drive. Do it yourself and it’ll bug you for a long time.

I can’t say anything else bothers me, at least not in the car.

On the motorbike is another whole new question.
Extrapolate your T junction example to the other party being a motorbike/scooter, and it suddenly gets a lot worse.

underwhelmist

1,852 posts

133 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Monkeylegend said:
I have just moved over from the dark side and contrary to belief, much to my surprise, BMW's do actually have indicators although they can be a bit baffling at times.
I'm on BMW numbers 7 and 8 now and amazingly they all had working indicators. laugh

I think the problem was that many drivers didn't know how they worked, but now Audis seem to have taken over from BMWs!

My biggest fear now is having some sort of Audi Q-something, Tucson, Santa-Fe or similar blunt object trying to slip-stream me.


Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 10th April 22:54

AMC243

105 posts

35 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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MikeM6 said:
Probably the 'bong of doom' to tell me that something catastrophically expensive has broken (or that it is cold outside).

That and me or someone around me running out of talent
One week into BMW ownership and I've already learned to fear the bong of doom! I'd gotten it halfway home from the dealership when it sounded off to tell me that a headlight had blown, and then again to tell me that it wanted some fuel. As for my own driving fears, well, I suppose it would be some portaloo coming around a bend on my side of the road and me being left with nowhere to go, but that pales in comparison to the fear I have as soon as I stop driving and park up. I worry about it every time it's out of my sight, be it someone pranging it, stealing it or just being a vandal.

AMC243

105 posts

35 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Mr Tidy said:
I'm on BMW numbers 7 and 8 now and amazingly they all had working indicators. laugh

I think the problem was that many drivers didn't know how they worked, but now Audis seem to have taken over from BMWs!

My biggest fear now is having some sort of Audi Q-something, Tucson, Santa-Fe or similar blunt object trying to slip-stream me.


Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 10th April 22:54
Took a moment for me to get used to the controls on my BMW. The control stalks reverting to their 'neutral' position as soon as I press them was surprising but I'd say I like them.

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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AMC243 said:
Mr Tidy said:
I'm on BMW numbers 7 and 8 now and amazingly they all had working indicators. laugh

I think the problem was that many drivers didn't know how they worked, but now Audis seem to have taken over from BMWs!

My biggest fear now is having some sort of Audi Q-something, Tucson, Santa-Fe or similar blunt object trying to slip-stream me.


Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 10th April 22:54
Took a moment for me to get used to the controls on my BMW. The control stalks reverting to their 'neutral' position as soon as I press them was surprising but I'd say I like them.
That is what has taken me a little while to adjust too but as you say once mastered I like it.

nonsequitur

20,083 posts

115 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.

Pan Pan Pan

9,777 posts

110 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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nonsequitur said:
underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.
If a straight liner is lazy enough to straight line across a roundabout, they are probably also too lazy to use their mirrors properly, and see another driver who was in the offside lane turning right.

Triumph Man

8,669 posts

167 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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Pan Pan Pan said:
nonsequitur said:
underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.
If a straight liner is lazy enough to straight line across a roundabout, they are probably also too lazy to use their mirrors properly, and see another driver who was in the offside lane turning right.
If there is no-one around (assuming obs done correctly) what issue is there in straightlining a roundabout? I completely agree that with people around it’s not a particularly sensible idea...

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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MikeM6 said:
Probably the 'bong of doom' to tell me that something catastrophically expensive has broken (or that it is cold outside).
Checked your profile to see a fellow BMW owner. Know exactly how you feel, I bloody hate that bong! hehe


trickywoo said:
Dash cam stasi.

Overtakes used to be pretty simple:

Is it safe?

Is that unmarked cops?

Now you have to add is that a dash cam wker? Much harder to work out than the first two.
yes The dash cam wkers concern me also. Do a completely reasonable/safe overtake and if they don't like it (OMG MANIAC etc!) you're at risk of being reported to the police.

nonsequitur

20,083 posts

115 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
quotequote all
Triumph Man said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
nonsequitur said:
underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.
If a straight liner is lazy enough to straight line across a roundabout, they are probably also too lazy to use their mirrors properly, and see another driver who was in the offside lane turning right.
If there is no-one around (assuming obs done correctly) what issue is there in straightlining a roundabout? I completely agree that with people around it’s not a particularly sensible idea...
No-one around? This is driving we are discussing, nothing is certain.

OMITN

2,093 posts

91 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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My fear: causing the death or injury of someone else.

We knew a police motorcycle instructor who was killed while working when a lorry overtook a tractor on a bend and wiped him out. Knew another motorcyclist taken out by a tipper truck across the road with no site signage - killed not when he put the bike down and hit the underside of the truck, but when the inattentive driver continued moving and crushed him.

I know of someone nearby who killed a cyclist when he was driving too fast. Left the victim’s widow to bring up their now fatherless 2yo.

I also know an ex police motorcyclist who had enough gruesome tales (along with the gallows humour required when picking up body parts from roads) to make sure I don’t drive like a tit.

I was also a cyclist for many years covering 10,000 miles a year. Stayed safe through developing a heightened awareness of inattentive or tttish driving in my vicinity. And my god there was a lot of it.

Jack.77

431 posts

43 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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For me personally it would be getting a bad migraine attack when driving in a busy area/ motorway or breaking down on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder.

Highside19

25 posts

35 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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My journey to work involves a few single lane A roads. When traffics coming towards me I wonder if any of the drivers is suffering with their mental health and they're about to swerve across the road head on into me to end their suffering and I'd just be collateral damage.

You just have to hope they're as happy as you are !

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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Monkeylegend said:
AMC243 said:
Took a moment for me to get used to the controls on my BMW. The control stalks reverting to their 'neutral' position as soon as I press them was surprising but I'd say I like them.
That is what has taken me a little while to adjust too but as you say once mastered I like it.
Yes, it took me a while as well!

But I have also discovered they can be coded so a light press on the indicator stalk results in only 3 flashes, which is just right for a lane change or when leaving a roundabout.

underwhelmist

1,852 posts

133 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
quotequote all
Triumph Man said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
nonsequitur said:
underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.
If a straight liner is lazy enough to straight line across a roundabout, they are probably also too lazy to use their mirrors properly, and see another driver who was in the offside lane turning right.
If there is no-one around (assuming obs done correctly) what issue is there in straightlining a roundabout? I completely agree that with people around it’s not a particularly sensible idea...
When I was doing my bike IAM training, advice was that straight-lining roundabouts (having made good obs and ensured it's safe) enabled you to keep the bike more upright and therefore stable. Can't see a problem with straight-lining if it's done properly and not out of laziness.

AMC243

105 posts

35 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
quotequote all
Mr Tidy said:
Yes, it took me a while as well!

But I have also discovered they can be coded so a light press on the indicator stalk results in only 3 flashes, which is just right for a lane change or when leaving a roundabout.
Yes, I set mine up that way. My previous car (Vauxhall Agila - in lurid green, no less) didn't have such a feature, and I found that the stalks on that were a little too eager to cancel. If I indicated right at a roundabout and turned the wheel slightly to the left to negotiate it, the indicator would stop as soon as I had turned back round to the right. It also had an irritating little electronic beep-boop noise, but I never forgot to cancel the indicators as a result.

Triumph Man

8,669 posts

167 months

Monday 12th April 2021
quotequote all
underwhelmist said:
Triumph Man said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
nonsequitur said:
underwhelmist said:
nonsequitur said:
...along with 'Straight-lining at roundabouts? Be my guest.'
What's wrong with straight-lining roundabouts (when safe and appropriate)?
Is it ever safe and 'appropriate' ? Poor driving, plain and simple.
If a straight liner is lazy enough to straight line across a roundabout, they are probably also too lazy to use their mirrors properly, and see another driver who was in the offside lane turning right.
If there is no-one around (assuming obs done correctly) what issue is there in straightlining a roundabout? I completely agree that with people around it’s not a particularly sensible idea...
When I was doing my bike IAM training, advice was that straight-lining roundabouts (having made good obs and ensured it's safe) enabled you to keep the bike more upright and therefore stable. Can't see a problem with straight-lining if it's done properly and not out of laziness.
That was my thought - if there is no-one around who would be affected by your straightlining you can keep your vehicle a lot more stable. Agree though that doing it through laziness is something else entirely!