Can no one drive in the rain??
Can no one drive in the rain??
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Discussion

RemarkLima

Original Poster:

2,850 posts

242 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I've just driven from Essex to Southampton and back this morning, set out early, 7am and back by midday.

The way there saw two cars crashed, one clearly aquaplaned and ended up backwards in the nearside barrier, the other seemed to just run out of talent then road.

The way back was 3 cars, all similar with a M3 just before the A127 really smashed up!

What surprised me the most was the tailgating, the speed when the rain and spray meant that you couldn't see more than 50 yards, and not respecting loads of standing water.

I'm not a driving god, powerfully built, but for a Sunday morning, on relatively quiet roads, it seems like an extraordinary number of crashes over only 260 ish miles.

Triumph Man

9,624 posts

198 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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No they bloody can’t - no one can seem to moderate their speed or drive with a bit of circumspecsion or plan and observe properly.

Super Sonic

14,653 posts

84 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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When I had to drive for work it always used to seem like people drove faster in the fain.

Wills2

29,780 posts

205 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I drove to Basingstoke from Yorkshire last Wednesday 240miles one way the weather was awful from Oxford onwards but most seemed to carry on regardless tailgating/speeding, most leaving themselves zero chance to stop in time, same on the way back on Thursday night, I just keep to the inside lane and take it easy.

With the cars on the outside lane of the A34 doing around 80mph a 10th of a second off the bumper of the car in front, pitch black, lashing with rain, it's amazing really that they get home.








757

4,478 posts

141 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Funny in Europe they drop the speed limit in rain, over here people speed up and drive aggressive and loose all sense of security.

Saw this today, was driving back from Cornwall over the A30/Bodmin (very bad conditions), a young lad nearly lost the back of his Aygo when he came racing past me, heart in mouth moment - but he was was going far too fast for the conditions, he was lucky!!

595Heaven

3,456 posts

108 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I did Banbury to Brighton and back this morning. Foggy until Bicester so lots of silver cars with no lights on, hogging lane 2.

Torrential rain from M3 junction until about 5 miles from Brighton, with 50 limit on the M25 / M23. More silver cars with no lights on. No London to Brighton cars spotted either…

Standard of driving from some is hopeless. Zero appreciation of conditions, lane discipline and visibility. Par for the course I guess nowadays.

RemarkLima

Original Poster:

2,850 posts

242 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Pleased it's not just me, I'll make progress when suitable, but know when it's time to take it slow... Only drive as fast as the conditions or how far you can see and all that.

I think my views were coloured by the sheer number of accidents in one morning, seemed crazy... And the way back went northbound round the M25, as the nav said southbound was slower which implies some sort of accident!

fiesta_STage3

228 posts

53 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Weds night was horrific rain and several areas of inches of standing water on the northern sections of the M25. I think i’m a reasonable driver, and i have an almost new set of wet weather tyres - I was down to 40 or 50mph in sections and giving lots of space. …the amount of people barrelling past at 70mph+ and up behind each other was genuinely shocking.

Vasco

18,009 posts

135 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Plenty of slow moving traffic at most times on M25, it doesn't need to be an accident.
Many people can't drive properly in dry conditions, so won't even think that heavy rain is any issue.

Blakewater

4,559 posts

187 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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The best I've seen in heavy rain was a driver of a white Porsche Cayenne on the M61 heading towards Manchester who thought the best part of 100mph was fine if he put his hazard warning lights on.

swisstoni

24,159 posts

309 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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In such conditions I always leave the crazy-train to enjoy their ride in the outside lane.

Chubbyross

5,008 posts

115 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I was driving down the A1(M) this morning. The rain was terrible and most people were adhering to the 50mph limit. Apart from one plum who drove past everyone doing something close to 100mph in his huge Mercedes 4x4. Unfortunately I didn’t see his car spinning on its roof a few minutes later, which would have made my morning.

In answer to your question. Yes, everyone can drive in the rain. Unfortunately, some people chose not to do it sensibly.

fiesta_STage3

228 posts

53 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Blakewater said:
who thought the best part of 100mph was fine if he put his hazard warning lights on.
They’re not hazards, they’re the “Oh yeah, i know i’m totally parking like an absolute but i put these lights on to show that it’ll only be for a bit” lights.

ShredderXLE

734 posts

189 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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RemarkLima said:
IThe way back was 3 cars, all similar with a M3 just before the A127 really smashed up!
I was wondering if that would get a mention here - the pale blue colored one. It was a few hundred yards in front of me at about 10.15 this morning, had to drive around the bits.

RemarkLima

Original Poster:

2,850 posts

242 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
quotequote all
Chubbyross said:
In answer to your question. Yes, everyone can drive in the rain. Unfortunately, some people chose not to do it sensibly.
I guess that's true, most make it to their destination... I wonder how much is luck and stability control systems?


ShredderXLE said:
RemarkLima said:
IThe way back was 3 cars, all similar with a M3 just before the A127 really smashed up!
I was wondering if that would get a mention here - the pale blue colored one. It was a few hundred yards in front of me at about 10.15 this morning, had to drive around the bits.
That was the one. It was still there, being recovered about 11:45am... Looked like a very smashed up front end!

kurokawa

662 posts

138 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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RemarkLima said:
I've just driven from Essex to Southampton and back this morning, set out early, 7am and back by midday.

The way there saw two cars crashed, one clearly aquaplaned and ended up backwards in the nearside barrier, the other seemed to just run out of talent then road.

The way back was 3 cars, all similar with a M3 just before the A127 really smashed up!

What surprised me the most was the tailgating, the speed when the rain and spray meant that you couldn't see more than 50 yards, and not respecting loads of standing water.

I'm not a driving god, powerfully built, but for a Sunday morning, on relatively quiet roads, it seems like an extraordinary number of crashes over only 260 ish miles.
Been driving for almost 20 years, and I almost rear end a car on Monday on M4 under the heavy rain
Coming back from Bristol at night around 2200, quiet road doing 67 indicate thought I have slow down enough.
At the last minute saw some mist got kick up, have just enough time to move to mid lane and over take it. Turn out to be a 3 wheels (i think it is reliance robin) towing a trailer. (In my defence the trailer light a dim and small as a hand torch)

djc206

13,607 posts

155 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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People finding out the hard way that they aren’t as good at driving as they think they are combined with a lack of concern about tyre condition.

Haltamer

2,676 posts

110 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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Had some of this the other day when I was down towards Exeter; Had to come to a full stop at some points on a B Road as wipers were completely overwhelmed.

On the M5 people were trying their best, but were being immeditately humbled back to a sensible speed once they ploughed into the relatively invisible standing water.

Bobtherallyfan

1,519 posts

108 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I reckon a lot of SUV drivers are oblivious to the fact that their cars aren’t real off roaders and many don’t even have more ground clearance than a small hatchback. They don’t seem to think puddles are a hazard.

Auslander

343 posts

48 months

Sunday 6th November 2022
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I think it's a combination of poor skills, modern cars doing too good a job of insulating you from the road and the proliferation of cheap Chinese no-grip tyres - 'Michelin's budget brand, mate'.

Particularly the last point. Budget tyres are fine until you need to lean on them in extreme conditions.