Strange driving annoyances
Discussion
MrBodge said:
Motorists who stop at totally empty roundabouts, as if there's a ghost car coming the other way.....
Drives me mental that, I'm behind shouting to myself, "it's clear, it's clear, there is no need to slow/stop, just move"An older woman in her 60's/70's, told me that was how they were taught back then; stop at a roundabout even if you can see it is clear, not sure if there is any truth in that, maybe I should ask my mum.
Muddle238 said:
Always winds me up when I'm following a car on a single carriageway at night and they refuse to use main beam. If your brain can't handle the added workload of using the main beam stalk appropriately then perhaps being in charge of a moving car is a poor idea.
...always winds me up when I'm cycling on a single carriageway at night and the driver "stuck behind" me doesn't use their main beam to light the road ahead in order to better plan an overtake. "Oi, mush! I haven't got a high beam, so you're gonna have to use yours!"FFS, I'm not stupid. I KNOW you're behind me because your lights are throwing a shadow of me into the cone of light my bike light is throwing onto the floor. I can hear your engine and/or tyre noise. So I'm not going to turn my head to look back because I'm now looking for an opportunity on the road ahead to move left to let you past. But I'm far less likely to spot any such opportunity while you are driving on dipped beams. Pop it on full beam, eh, and I'll see potential hazards further away which means I can pedal faster. And I'll also see passing places, driveway entrances, and side turns sooner, allowing me to pull in safely. If I see passing opportunities too late then pulling in is not an option, because I'm not risking skidding on locked-up tyres or loose surfaces, under harsh braking, at the last moment.
Or just bimble about behind me on dipped beam until either I turn off or the road opens up. Your choice.
Maxym said:
TBH, I think you should look where you're going and for potential hazards, rather than at the expressions on other drivers' faces.
Reading other drivers' faces, gestures and body language is a vital part of being on the road; one has to be alert to the actions of others. Treating other cars as inanimate objects places one at something of a disadvantage, in that it's necessary to wait for the other driver to act and then for his vehicle to react before taking action oneself. Picking up behavioural cues in advance of that, from head movement for example, allows one to anticipate what another car will do before it actually does so. - People who get in the car after paying for fuel who have to sort out the contents of their wallet/handbag, root around in the glove compartment then start faffing with the rearview mirror, as if it's moved in the 3 minutes they were gone!!!
- Those ridiculous 1 lane/into 2 lanes/back into 1 lane road configurations that are 30 meters long where someone comes hurtling down the RH side to try and jump the queue of traffic but has nowhere to go.
- People who pull into parallel parking spots front ways, mount the kerb and just leave it with wheels on the pavement; pavements are for people, not fudging cars!!
- Those ridiculous 1 lane/into 2 lanes/back into 1 lane road configurations that are 30 meters long where someone comes hurtling down the RH side to try and jump the queue of traffic but has nowhere to go.
- People who pull into parallel parking spots front ways, mount the kerb and just leave it with wheels on the pavement; pavements are for people, not fudging cars!!
Missy Charm said:
Drivers who, for reasons that are entirely mysterious, refuse to wear sunglasses. The amount of people I see, men mostly, without sunglasses in bright conditions beggars belief. Lots of them appear to be suffering discomfort, evidenced by gurning expressions and screwed up eyes; many also go to ludicrous lengths to attempt to dodge the dazzle, such as sitting in ridiculous positions to move their faces out of the light, looking through the side windows rather than straight ahead and shielding their eyes with their hands. Just buy some dark glasses!
I ordered prescription sunglasses at the same time I was told I needed corrective lenses - I'd be absolutely lost without them.Psycho Warren said:
Missy Charm said:
Drivers who, for reasons that are entirely mysterious, refuse to wear sunglasses.
I have sun glasses but have only needed to wear them probably 2 or 3 times in 24 years of driving. Even then i could orobably have still driven safely usng the provided sun visors.
Blackpuddin said:
Psycho Warren said:
Missy Charm said:
Drivers who, for reasons that are entirely mysterious, refuse to wear sunglasses.
I have sun glasses but have only needed to wear them probably 2 or 3 times in 24 years of driving. Even then i could orobably have still driven safely usng the provided sun visors.
Often an overcast day is brighter than a "clear" blue sky day, as the sunlight is diffused through the cloud layer as opposed to being concentrated from one spot. Tinted lenses help reduce much of the glare from the sky, which if you're on a several hour drive, makes a big difference.
The other unlikely scenario where I find sunglasses are beneficial is in rain on the motorway. The sunglasses cut down on glare from the spray, allowing me to see one or two vehicles ahead further when compared to non-tinted lenses. I always like to be able to see as far as possible, sunglasses just give that edge over normal glasses/no glasses.
People who absolutely must be no more than an inch off your rear bumper in a queue. Obviously I'm a driving god and would never roll back on hill start but they don't know that. I could easily accidentally roll back, they might set off too quickly and have nowhere to go.
Especially annoying are the ones who, when you roll forward a little as you've allowed plenty of space, utch up behind you again. I confess I've been known to put the car into reverse just to see if they're paying attention.
One time, in temp roadworks on the roundabout on the lane going into Flitwick, a couple of guys in an Astra van took this to the extreme, I was front car in the queue so had plenty of space to go into. Every time they utched forward again and again. When the lights changed I "accidentally" stalled my car. They were so close they couldn't go anywhere. Cars behind past us unhindered.
Especially annoying are the ones who, when you roll forward a little as you've allowed plenty of space, utch up behind you again. I confess I've been known to put the car into reverse just to see if they're paying attention.
One time, in temp roadworks on the roundabout on the lane going into Flitwick, a couple of guys in an Astra van took this to the extreme, I was front car in the queue so had plenty of space to go into. Every time they utched forward again and again. When the lights changed I "accidentally" stalled my car. They were so close they couldn't go anywhere. Cars behind past us unhindered.
silverfoxcc said:
To all car manufacturers Except Saab ( RIP)and Volvo
WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
I've driven a fair few cars in all my years, yet I have never found a car with a separate switch to activate the rear lights. What cars have this sort of a crazy feature? WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
Edit - I now realise you are referring to the day running lights. I did not know they also illuminated the dash lights though.
Edited by bass2rez on Wednesday 8th December 19:43
silverfoxcc said:
To all car manufacturers Except Saab ( RIP)and Volvo
WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
Yea after being so used to Swedish cars I've coded this in on the German wagon... Lights on all the time front and rear.WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
Edited by silverfoxcc on Wednesday 8th December 12:10
silverfoxcc said:
To all car manufacturers Except Saab ( RIP)and Volvo
WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
But dash does not light up when just DRLs are on. WTJF can you not connect your rear lights to your running lights. it isn't a new idea Volvo have had it for 30 years BUT what it does do is at least when it is dark and the average knobjockey drives off with his dash lit up and a glow in front of him doesn't think to check.
I had one the other night where luckily he stopped and i pointed out ..No rear lights. he looked at me as though i was speaking Martian, and spent a minute or to explaining it. found his light switch to turn on his rears and told him DO NOT touch that again.. It isn't an isolated problem either so i place blame 50/50
rant over
Edited by silverfoxcc on Wednesday 8th December 12:10
RECr said:
Waiting at the kerb at night whilst facing oncoming traffic with headlights on. Switch on the sidelights instead, then I can see you without being dazzled 
Particularly these days with modern headlights!!I have even given way on a bend before thinking doom was approaching from round the corner. After waiting then edging forward I found it was someone parked up in their car without a care in the world
HTP99 said:
Drives me mental that, I'm behind shouting to myself, "it's clear, it's clear, there is no need to slow/stop, just move"
An older woman in her 60's/70's, told me that was how they were taught back then; stop at a roundabout even if you can see it is clear, not sure if there is any truth in that, maybe I should ask my mum.
That drives me up the wall too - what's the matter with them? An older woman in her 60's/70's, told me that was how they were taught back then; stop at a roundabout even if you can see it is clear, not sure if there is any truth in that, maybe I should ask my mum.
And I doubt she was told that - I'm in my 60s and took my test in 1976 and I was taught to give way. That's why there are two broken lines across the road as you enter the roundabout. If you were supposed to stop they would be solid lines!
MrBodge said:
Motorists who stop at totally empty roundabouts, as if there's a ghost car coming the other way.....
Same goes for people who pull out on roundabouts at the last moment
My little private road ends on a small roundabout. It’s slightly rural. I have the delight of when I edge to it, I can easily have motorists hitting it at anything from 10-60 mph. It’s lethal. Same goes for people who pull out on roundabouts at the last moment
I take the approach of almost blocking it to ensure people can see the car, before trying to drive over it as no one ever seems to slow properly and look in al directions
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