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[aaronjb]

Or the idiots who trundle down a motorway sliproad at 20mph, get to the end, flash the indicator and just pull out? They normally then accelerate to mach3 and move into the outside lane for the next 300 miles.

I happened upon someone similar the other day - came down the approach road to the M3 two cars behind him, everyone moving at a decent clip (50ish, probably).. He got to the end of said approach road (single lane, sadly) and slowed down to 25mph before pulling into the inside lane and causing all the traffic to back up, simultaneously making it hells own job for the rest of us behind him to make it safely onto the M3.

Then he promptly pulled out into the middle lane and continued at 50mph - probably for the rest of his journey.

People like that need to be taken out and euthanised in front of their families.

[Kevin Wood]

If a driver isn't confident enough to accelerate to match the traffic speed and merge in, using mirrors instead of "collision avoidance by random separation" they shouldn't have a license.

The problem is, none of this is required to be demonstrated on the drive round the block we call a driving test.

[aaronjb]

The problem is, none of this is required to be demonstrated on the drive round the block we call a driving test.

Indeed - in my case it was something my driving instructor drummed into me, however, as every lesson included a trip down the dual carriageway stretch of the A19 between my home and Northallerton which was (in those days) a pretty quick stretch of road. Probably riddled with speed cameras now, of course!

[jonnycool]

My personal favourite, which I may have mentioned on the forum before, is drivers who go in a straight line across roundabouts, cutting you off at the middle  when you're in the inside lane, and 99% of the time, completely oblivious to your existence. See this every day 

[Kevin Wood]

My personal favourite, which I may have mentioned on the forum before, is drivers who go in a straight line across roundabouts, cutting you off at the middle  when you're in the inside lane, and 99% of the time, completely oblivious to your existence. See this every day 

That was close. I thoughrt you were going to mention daft slappers who drive right round the outside lane of the roundabout and take the back quarter of your car off as they continue round on a lane that doesn't exist. Oh, gawd! there goes that vein in my forehead again.

[Rods2]

Years a go, a girl I knew rode her moped, straight out of a petrol station without looking left, straight into the path of a car overtaking another car. 

Two broken legs and two months later, she was discharged from hospital. 

Not looking left can cost you or somebody else their life!!! 

I ALWAYS look into both directions at least twice, in case a moving bike, motorbike is obscured by an obstacle or my windscreen pillar on the first look.

As a motorcyclist, I tend to drive defensively as it has saved me from many potential accidents on my bike.

Retards not accelerating and following the highway code to match the speed of the traffic on a slip road when joining is now such a common problem, that when I'm behind one, I slow down even more so I drop back to create my own acceleration space, so I can join the road safely. Unfortunately, some slip roads are to short to do this, so I just curse as the rather retard are not only creating danger for themselves but me and other motorists as well. 

[Martian]

If a driver isn't confident enough to accelerate to match the traffic speed and merge in, using mirrors instead of "collision avoidance by random separation" they shouldn't have a license.

The problem is, none of this is required to be demonstrated on the drive round the block we call a driving test.

The trouble with any type of test that is designed to ascertain whether the pupil is good enough to carry out the task in hand is that it can never reflect a real life situation. I passed both car & bike tests back in 82, and back then it really was nothing more than a 20 minute ride around the block with half a dozen random questions at the end which proved nothing more than you had read the highway code at some point.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I believe a much more accurate result of someone's ability to carry out a given task is to throw them in at the deep end and let them get on with it.
Forget the theory & hazard perception crap (anybody can talk a good job), put the pupil in an old school (that means no electronic driving aids), big, heavy, powerful RWD car in the centre of any major town (preferably on a day where the weather is crap), and if they make it through that day without f***ing themselves or anybody else up in the process then they have passed.

Of course the above solution doesn't automatically make the pupil a good driver, but I firmly believe that real life experience (think "5 year time served apprenticeships") is far better a test than being sat in front of a computer occasionally clicking on the screen.

[blackviper90210]

My bug bears are:

1. Middle lane hogggers, oblivious to everything around them

2. F*ckwits, who pull out of junctions and fail to accelerate, thus causing traffic behind them to stamp on the brakes and proceed at 25mph in 40/50 or 60mph zone

[Martian]

As a motorcyclist, I tend to drive defensively as it has saved me from many potential accidents on my bike.

I think that's what did me a big favour IMO.
I find that having a ton of steel wrapped around me does make me occasionally "lapse" where defensive driving is concerned as I take it for granted that I have a degree of protection against injury if it all goes wrong, but there is absolutely no room for that same "lapse" when I'm on 2 wheels.

[aaronjb]

I ALWAYS look into both directions at least twice, in case a moving bike, motorbike is obscured by an obstacle or my windscreen pillar on the first look.

I'm always amazed at how short a time people spend stopped at a junction before pulling out - like you I always look twice both ways, and most people don't seem to be stationary long enough to look once in one direction properly, let alone twice in both!

[Rods2]

Then you get the "didn't see you mate" where they have just pulled out in front of a 44 ton artic. 

[martin42]

the driver that will do 40 in a 60 but will happily continue through a 30 still doing 40

[Rods2]

I call them brain dead 45mph drivers as they seem to do 45mph everywhere, totally oblivious, to any hazards and other road users.

[martin42]

also the middle lane hogger doing 60mph that i start to overtake,then decides that they will increase speed,doesnt help with that my vivaro is restricted to 68mph 

[aaronjb]

the driver that will do 40 in a 60 but will happily continue through a 30 still doing 40

They really boil my urine! They've been about for years, though, as I distinctly remember people doing it when I was a new driver..

I followed one last night down the winding (no place to overtake) road home between Virginia Water and Ascot - 30mph all the way (despite it being 50 limit or NSL depending on the stretch), then as soon as they got to the streetlit parts of Ascot they sped up to 40, only slowing to 30 to go through the 20 limit highstreet (parked cars on both sides, pedestrians wandering around etc).. No hazard perception at all - if it were up to me I'd take their license away.