Turning bloody left?
Discussion
Is it just me, or has it suddenly become extremely difficult for members of the motoring public to carry out the simple, straightforward act of turning left into a minor road from a major road?
Several times in the last few weeks, I've been following cars (it's always cars - usually small hatchbacks), which have displayed a left indicator, started to slow and position towards the nearside, clearly intending to turn left into the next junction.
I've done what any normal driver would do - backed off the throttle, slowed down, maybe braked a little, then taken a lower gear in anticipation of being able to accelerate away as soon as the turning car has entered the junction.
But then, just as the car has started to turn left, the driver has panicked, flapped or otherwise bottled the manoeuvre and stopped dead - generally with only the first quarter of their car into the junction and the rear three-quarters still almost completely blocking the main carriageway, prompting me to swiftly dab the brakes and then have to wait whilst they inch forward in to the junction.
To be clear - on none of these occasions has there been a pedestrian crossing the minor road as they turned, and neither has ther been any other obstruction to prevent them from simply turning left at a normal speed and then continuing their journey. On each occasion, the drivers simply seem to feel the need to carry out a left turn at the sort of speed usually reserved for parking manoeuvres.
Has driving really been reduced to such a low standard? It's only turning bloody left for goodness sake - the sort of move you should have mastered after no more than two or three driving lessons.
God help us in the future - it makes me almost look forward to driverless cars.
Several times in the last few weeks, I've been following cars (it's always cars - usually small hatchbacks), which have displayed a left indicator, started to slow and position towards the nearside, clearly intending to turn left into the next junction.
I've done what any normal driver would do - backed off the throttle, slowed down, maybe braked a little, then taken a lower gear in anticipation of being able to accelerate away as soon as the turning car has entered the junction.
But then, just as the car has started to turn left, the driver has panicked, flapped or otherwise bottled the manoeuvre and stopped dead - generally with only the first quarter of their car into the junction and the rear three-quarters still almost completely blocking the main carriageway, prompting me to swiftly dab the brakes and then have to wait whilst they inch forward in to the junction.
To be clear - on none of these occasions has there been a pedestrian crossing the minor road as they turned, and neither has ther been any other obstruction to prevent them from simply turning left at a normal speed and then continuing their journey. On each occasion, the drivers simply seem to feel the need to carry out a left turn at the sort of speed usually reserved for parking manoeuvres.
Has driving really been reduced to such a low standard? It's only turning bloody left for goodness sake - the sort of move you should have mastered after no more than two or three driving lessons.
God help us in the future - it makes me almost look forward to driverless cars.
They have been doing it for years around here, you forgot to mention pulling over to the right just before making the left turn just in case they can take a biker out as a bonus. 
Similar behaviour to driving up to mini-roundabouts, stopping and then taking a look around.
Similar behaviour to driving up to mini-roundabouts, stopping and then taking a look around.
Edited by Toltec on Friday 12th December 21:25
R_U_LOCAL said:
I've done what any normal driver would do -
The normal reaction these days seems to be; keep going and swerve around the turning car if it doesn't get out of the way quick enough. Regardless of what is coming the other way. Could this be just another crash for cash method Reg?
Spooge said:
I thought this was going to be a rant about cars swinging out right to turn left.
Its a f
king fiesta, not an arctic. Stop it.
I had the "swan necking" happen to me the other day. Approaching this junction, there's a Ford Fusion about to take the red path, and I'm taking the blue path. At the point the swan necking occurred, I was roughly where the silver-blue car is in the picture. The lane isn't very wide as it is so there's not much room to move over either...Our wing mirrors very nearly met a crunchy, plasticky fate.Its a f
king fiesta, not an arctic. Stop it. 
Never had the slow-mo left turn happen though.
The thing I'm noticing more and more is people who don't use the 'deceleration' part of the junction when turning left. i.e. the juction is a wide V shape, but they treat it like a 90 degree turn.
Crap sketch, but I think it illustrates my point:
Competent drivers would follow the green line, so that most of their slowing down is done off the main carriageway, whereas these numpties follow the red line and do most of their braking in the main carriageway. (And I'm talking about cars, not trucks or buses that need a wider arc to avoid nearside wheels running over the pavement/verge)
Crap sketch, but I think it illustrates my point:
Competent drivers would follow the green line, so that most of their slowing down is done off the main carriageway, whereas these numpties follow the red line and do most of their braking in the main carriageway. (And I'm talking about cars, not trucks or buses that need a wider arc to avoid nearside wheels running over the pavement/verge)
I've had this a couple of times over the last few days, taxi driver and a Punto. Seemingly the surprise of another road being there caused them to hit the brakes and must have thought 'st, more tarmac, what've I got to do to get away from this stuff' or something.
I've gone with the accelerate around them approach both times as it's been clear to overtake. The taxi driver though, if a bike had been filtering to my right, I'd probably have knocked him flying as it was quite an aggressive swerve and overtake
t, more tarmac, what've I got to do to get away from this stuff' or something. I've gone with the accelerate around them approach both times as it's been clear to overtake. The taxi driver though, if a bike had been filtering to my right, I'd probably have knocked him flying as it was quite an aggressive swerve and overtake
Toltec said:
They have been doing it for years around here, you forgot to mention pulling over to the right just before making the left turn just in case they can take a biker out as a bonus.
Similar behaviour to driving up to mini-roundabouts, stopping and then taking a look around.
Never ever seen someone bottle a left turn, however the roundabout thing all the time, whether a mini roaundabout or a normal one.Similar behaviour to driving up to mini-roundabouts, stopping and then taking a look around.
Edited by Toltec on Friday 12th December 21:25
Upon the approach to the roundabout you can see from many feet back that it is completely clear, however so many people stop dead, have a look and then proceed to move off, drives me mental!!
I experience this quite a bit; swan necking then slowing to a virtual standstill on the apex (yet missing the actual apex kerb by miles).
I think it's from a combination of modern cars' having low profile tyres & being a more difficult shape for the less confident driver to judge the width of, and the driver being on an unfamiliar road.
The poor driver doesn't want to kerb the alloys or scrape a bumper & when faced with a potentially expensive scrape (in their view, in reality they usually have plenty of room) they slow to a virtual standstill, just as they would do when parking.
Look for the driver ahead lighting up the brakelights for no apparent reason, slowing to 20mph or so (in a 30) for a few tens of metres before suddenly whacking on the indicator & slowing almost to a stop before the junction or parking space.
I think it's from a combination of modern cars' having low profile tyres & being a more difficult shape for the less confident driver to judge the width of, and the driver being on an unfamiliar road.
The poor driver doesn't want to kerb the alloys or scrape a bumper & when faced with a potentially expensive scrape (in their view, in reality they usually have plenty of room) they slow to a virtual standstill, just as they would do when parking.
Look for the driver ahead lighting up the brakelights for no apparent reason, slowing to 20mph or so (in a 30) for a few tens of metres before suddenly whacking on the indicator & slowing almost to a stop before the junction or parking space.
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