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Which driving behaviour really gets on your wick..?

Drivers who keep looking at the passenger they are talking to - or worse - looking at the person in the back. Then lots of pointing at things as they go along their happy, oblivious way.
And....drivers who continue to pile down the outside lane when the road reduces from two lanes to one at the end of a dual carriageway and barge in at the last moment My hat off the lorry drivers who straddle both lanes to stop that..
 

ORIGINAL: Jonny B

Speed doesnt kill, overpopulated roads do

Jonny B please don't regard the following as anything personal against yourself it is not.

I have to disagree. Having spent the last 5 years working as an Anaesthetist on intensive care units. I can reassure you that speed DOES kill and it does it very effectively. It also maims, dismembers and brain damages people leading to anguish and the ruining of lives.

I am not trying to tell anyone how to drive (I don't care it is your life and your licence) but please don't anyone believe that speed is not a factor in deaths related to motor vehicles. IT VERY MUCH IS.

 
Yes your absolutely right, having lost two friends, girls, as passengers being driven too fast by guys im utterly ashamed of that line.[:mad:][&o]

What i was thinking, or not as the case is, is that in the uk, speed isnt the sole factor for the number of accidents on the roads there, i meant to imply the rapidly growing population is an ever growing factor.

Apologies

Respect to your profession
 
I too could post a long list.

People who only have one speed - over the limit in a 30 zone and then contimnuing to dawdle at 39mph once they hit the National Speed Limit.

People who can't change lane.

People who have to swing out before turning left.

People who can't line up with the centreline when turning right, so block the flow of traffic.

Tailgaiters - naturally.

And Chris - with respect to your profession - the Association Of British Drivers contains my favourite response to the vastly over-simplistic "Speed Kills" slogan. Click here > Height Kills . Since the introduction of speed cameras and the associated reduction in police patrolling the roads I feel I see a lot more dangerous driving - the vast majority of it under the speed limit.
 

ORIGINAL: chrism964

please don't regard the following as anything personal against yourself it is not.

Ditto.

I think this speed thing needs clarification. Speed does not kill, but hitting things will. [:(]

Not one of your patients was ever injured by speed. They are hurt because out-of-control vehicles have hit something - that's down to poor driving - the human element. If you blame speed for every RTA, pretty soon we will all be required to employ a man with a red flag in front. [8|]

I calculate I have driven well over half a million miles in my lifetime and everyday I see instances of poor driving, often at very modest speeds - but the car is still a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. [:eek:]

Perhaps more education and better road surfaces would go someway towards improving road safety and how about getting rid of all that solid concrete road furniture councils are so fond of erecting - that will kill or maim if you hit it.
Authorities could do much more to improve road safety, but its cheaper and less trouble to blame drivers and their "excessive" speed, then place a restriction on the road rather than improve it.

Lets see, we now have 20,30,40,50,60 and 70 mph speed limits in this country and has this made any significant contribution to reducing road injuries? I wonder. Incidentally, statistically the safest roads are the 70mph ones, so this would seem to prove my point. [:)]

I think the driving of our youngsters on the whole is now pretty good since testing standards have been raised. My kids are far more careful drivers than I was at their age. Maybe we oldies should face up and admit we're below par and need to raise our game.

And what about that poor little girl that gets killed at 40mph but only injured at 30? Shouldn't someone be telling her mummy not to let her play on that road at all? [;)]

Sorry about the verbals, also slightly off topic, but nothing much on telly tonight! [&:]

Regards,

Clive

 
The Summer madness continues...! I was going to work nice and easy at 5:30am enjoying the morning when I spy this silver bullet coming up the carraigeway between the Headford roundabout and the Menlo roundabout. Said '04 Silver Mondeo goes past me flat out but forgets that there is a roundabout and totally misjudges his entry speed locking up and fishtailing. He hits the roundabout kerbing and nearly rolls it.... Id say at least a bent wheel and suspension strut... And for what....!

What a womble.....!

 
ORIGINAL: mik_ok
simplistic "Speed Kills" slogan. Click here > Height Kills . Since the introduction of speed cameras and the associated reduction in police patrolling the roads I feel I see a lot more dangerous driving - the vast majority of it under the speed limit.
Excellent article in the link, exactly what will happen with the NSL being dropped to 50mph.
Warwickshire have pretty much blanketed the NSL and I now see roads that were safe 70mph dual carriageways now set at 50mph..
I do find it hard to respect that limit, but they keep posting white vans on them- so it keeps my concentration [;)]

My rant would be the villages that used to have signs saying "thank you for driving safely though our village" now have them to "thank you for driving slowly through our village" WTF!
An idiot can still crash and injure someone quite easily driving slowly!! shows much of the muppetery going on in the country [:'(]

Indicators at Islands and MLM would get my vote... MLM just wind everyone up and slow traffic for all.

garyw
 
Have to agree with all the comments on here about speed.

A speed limit is nothing more than a number. Speed does not kill. Excessive speed is dangerous, but teaching drivers that all they need to do is stick to an arbitrary limit regardless of circumstances is to utterly miss the point.

Look at Paul (Hilux)'s story of the idiot in the Meriva. He could well have been within the speed limit all the while, but was driving cretinously dangerously. What would he say if stopped for near-lethal behaviour? "I was within the speed limit, I didn't do anything wrong." Equally the three old codgers in their caravans, pulling out into the next lane with just about no indication. Do I think that a 60+-year-old towing a caravan was speeding? No. But was their behaviour dangerous? Absolutely.

SPEED DOES NOT KILL. Excessive speed does. Inappropriate speed does. Doing 30 on a motorway covered in sheet ice with thick fog could be very dangerous. Doing 130 on the same motorway in bright sunlight on a dry day with no-one else around could be totally safe.

The "Speed Kills" line is doubly dangerous, as teaching drivers that obeying speed limits is the only thing they need to do to be safe on the roads is to produce people who have no concept of road safety, and that really will be dangerous as it will produce drivers who are incapable of thinking about what could be dangerous and how to avoid it.

The unfortunate truth is that "Speed Kills" is a nice snappy tagline that looks good on posters. It appeals to the the politics of jealousy which seems to be rife in this country, and opens a LOT of nice opportunities for additional taxation; speed cameras are nothing to do with safety and everything to do with revenue generation, as has been known for a long time. If Speed didn't kill, the operators would never be able to justify them.


Oli.
 
I have to say that I enjoy driving "briskly"-which in my terms means outside of 20,30,40,& 50 limits,quickly but safely practising good driving discipline,enjoying the performance of the car I am driving,exploring its driving characterisics & making good progress to my destination.I feel I am a safer driver by doing that because my level of concentration,analysis & reactions are kept at a higher level.this also means I overtake the type of driver being discussed here-even on those red crosshatched central areas where one gets the signs,flashing headlights,moving out,closing up attitudes,etc.(I have studied the highways marking handbook which relates to these).I use my satnav-GPS to ensure I stay up to the allowable speed plus a little tolerance(where appropriate) in limited areas-however on motorways ,it's upto me to make sure I avoid speeding traps-I generally drive around 85 to 95 where possible,in cruise control in steptronic (in the BMW).
Compare that with plodding along at 60/65/70 for ever changing lanes to pass trucks etc-I think I know which is the safer option-and on an empty motorway,droning along at 50ish,would soon I think send me to sleep.Having said that however,I have to admit that my darling daughter,who always loved driving briskly,& has had quick cars (205 XS,chipped Rover 214se,Rover 200VI,MG TF & BMW 120d) is a Neo-natal Registrar,her husband(also been a brisk driver) an A&E Consultant,have both slowed down somewhat based on their work experience-ie. some other fool catches you out,however good you are yourself.

The worrying aspect of the police approach to me is that you are penalised for something which has not happened yet, & this approach is spreading to Health & Safety,Risk Assessment,CRB clearance for Authors visiting schools,school trips etc-everything is now based on what might happen,not what does happen.

Now that's off my chest,I'll do some work,before it gets too risky.[:)]
 
It would appear they also now bring out the worst in other drivers... when I was driving them, most people knew what they were, and treated them with respect.

I know what you mean but its got to be achav hate thing.......hasnt it?


Anyone got out of a 944 or Mk I Golf and into something else and made a total t*t of themselves on the first bend??? No? Just me then...[&o]

Yup, me in my Landcruiser, launched into bends forgetting what I was in.....................stains galore [&:]
 
I will say again. I do not have any axe to grind with anyone that wants to drive fast. It is your choice, licence and life.
I do not have any particular love for speed limits or the policing of speed limits. I agree driving dangerously also kills and this may be at very low speeds (i.e. 30 mph on the motorway or 5 mph over a cliff or 10 mph onto a railway line etc). Unfortunately I do not think that this is evidence that speed does not kill. It reminds me of MPs trying to justify Duck islands or moat cleaning etc

Lancerlot. The patients died or killed someone else because they hit something whilst travelling at speed. That may have been the speed limit, it may have been under the speed limit or it may have been over the speed limit.
The simple physics of the matter is that any sudden deceleration may cause injury. In general, the more severe the deceleration the more severe the injury. The severity of the deceleration is related to the SPEED travelled. The extrapolation is that the speed you are going at determines the outcome. The SPEED determines whether you are unhurt, injured or dead. Two cars in a 30 zone doing 30mph hitting head on is a combined SPEED of 60mph. Two cars colliding at 15mph is a combined SPEED of 30mph. One car hitting a wall at 30mph is a combined SPEED of 30mph. Which would you expect the more severe injuries at? You are right that the speed doesn't matter but the SPEED will kill you!

I am not saying that speeding is evil. Just think about what you say and why you are saying it.

I own a Porsche. I like driving it quickly, briskly and fast. I understand the thrill of overtaking, of a good fast stretch of road and the pleasures that driving this way gives. I do also know that if I crash at 80mph it's going to be a lot more painful (or fatal) than if I crash at 30mph.

Just don't say that SPEED DOESN'T KILL. It is insulting to the memory people whom have been killed by SPEED. Excessive or not SPEED KILLS.

PS Sorry to HIJACK the post. I've said my piece.

PPS I hate those middle lane hogging motorway plonkers too!
 

ORIGINAL: tscaptain
lorry drivers who straddle both lanes to stop that.. 


That has to be the most annoying thing on the road today. Peoples inability to correctly filter and allow the traffic to move at a steady space. These c*&ts that straddle lanes and bring the whole queue to a standstill need labotamising. Closely followed by the hords of drivers unable to think forthemselves and sit in a queue of cars in the open lane for 2miles before the cones filter the traffic.
 
ORIGINAL: chrism964

Just don't say that SPEED DOESN'T KILL. It is insulting to the memory people whom have been killed by SPEED. Excessive or not SPEED KILLS.

Well I'm not sure I'd be quite so quick to rush to judgement on someone I'd never met and knew nothing about, simply because I disagreed with their take on speed.

For the record, in my lifetime thus far, I have buried 2 parents, 1 in-law and lost several family members and friends. Next week I am attending the funeral of the son of my oldest friend. The lad tragically lost his life in a RTA last week. So I need no lecture from anyone on my respect for the dead "" not even someone, who due to an association with the medical profession, feels entitled to occupy moral high ground that the rest of us are unqualified to attain.

My Concise Oxford Dictionary defines Speed as "the rate at which someone or something moves or operates or is able to move or operate" - so nothing about speed killing anybody there then.

I am now done with this subject.

Regards,

Clive
 
In no particular order -

1. Seven and a half tonners in the outside lane of a 3 lane motorway - surely that's illegal but I see it frequently on the M6 and M56.

2. Without wishing to be ageist or sexist, a substantial proportion of the old fossils and female drivers who drive down an acceleration lane onto a motorway at 30mph and are totally oblivious to the chaos they cause as trucks doing 60mph have to haul out into the next lane.

3. Morons on mobiles.

4. *ankers usually in BMWs but now as often seen driving Audis who drive far too aggressively.

5. Acne carriages (Saxos, etc.) being driven by spotty youths with little driving skill or experience and no sense.

6. Idiots like now retired (hooray!) Chief Constable Brunstrom who argue that speed kills. It doesn't on its own, bad driving kills of which just one element is speed, but they're doing nothing to either improve the driving standards of those who have already got a licence, or to get off the road those who shouldn't be there (old fossils who no longer have the necessary faculties to drive safely in modern traffic, acne carriage drivers, *ankers who drive without regard for other drivers, etc., etc.).

7. Farmers who block the country lanes around village schools at dropping off or picking up time.

8. *ossers who leave it until the last possible second to haul themselves across from the outside lane in order to take an exit on the motorway - see 4. above.

9. *lonkers who crawl along behind a Police patrol car at 60mph on the motorway cos they're scared of overtaking it - I suppose I shouldn't complain about them as it at least gets them out of the outside lane so I can finally overtake them!

 
ORIGINAL: zcacogp


The "Speed Kills" line is doubly dangerous, as teaching drivers that obeying speed limits is the only thing they need to do to be safe on the roads is to produce people who have no concept of road safety, and that really will be dangerous as it will produce drivers who are incapable of thinking about what could be dangerous and how to avoid it.


Oli.
This, Oli, is where the situation is heading. People overtaking at 20 mph on blind bends under the misconception their slow speed will absolve them of any blame in the event of an RTA.
Example: I was driving in the Yorkshire Dales a few months ago approaching a blind 90 degree bend, spotted a horse and cart exiting the bend so anchored up sharply in order to shed the required amount of speed before getting close to the animals. Also exiting the bend in the middle of an overtaking manoeveur in my lane was an elderly gent in a zafira, who upon realising a collision may be imminent moved back over over forcing the horse and cart into a farm turning much to the alarm of the animals. Both the horse handler and the coffin dodger blamed me for the incident due, presumably, to my speed being the fastest of the three of us, i see it differently.
 
Speed saves lives.

Ambulances need to get to hospital as quickly as possible for instance.

I got off an aeroplane this morning that had to be doing at least 150mph before it left the ground - any slower could have been fatal for all on board.


Deceleration kills :- hitting hard roadside furniture for instance - speed cameras are particularly robust and right on the edge of the road.


The chances of hitting solid items can be greatly reduced with better engineering - this doesn't include sticking more signs up.

As already mentioned higher speeds also assist in maintaining alertness this is completely overlooked and misunderstood by authorities. I would rather be missed by a car that was doing 30mph than hit by one doing a steady 20mph. A car doing 3mph could kill you.


Considering how many movements and potential accidents there are on the roads everyday we do amazingly well. More people die from accidents in the home than accidents on the road every year in the UK. Both these figures are way behind those killed in hospital through accidents / mistakes. Admittedly those in hospital will already be ill and there will be very high pressure decisions required. (I have a great admiration for those that do work in Hospitals as well - my wife does for a start)


Almost back on topic - what currently really annoys me on the roads is the downward spiral in speed limits - This process also seems to combine with a lowering of the maintenance standards to the same roads.

These reductions are usually completely unscientific - just the whim of a local parish councillor / nibmby. Speed limits used to be set using the 85th percentile - this is no longer the case.

Speed cameras do nothing to improve safety - there was a published report a few years back in my area there were no sites were accidents improved - there were sites with no KSI for 3 years prior to camera placement 4 KSI in the 6 months after!

Drive past one - you will have people panic braking, cars will be bunching up, drivers will be looking at the speedo not the road ahead.

As the biggest cause of accidents is poor observation, bunching people up and making them concentrate on the speedo is not going to improve that.


Otherwise agree with most of the above - tailgaters will claim there is a lane hog in front of them though ;)


Tony

PS on some motorways/duals the lane discipline has become so bad I am almost in favour of it you can cruise up the inside at 68 in an empty lane
 
ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

Speed saves lives.
Funnily enough, the late (great) LJK Setright said the same thing. If you go quicker, you get there sooner. If you get there sooner, you save time. Time that can be usefully used for many things. Going slowly means that more time is spent travelling, which is time lost from your life. You could do the equation as to how much of a life is saved by travelling 100 miles at 70mph instead of 50, for instance. Multiply that up by everyone doing the journey, as often as it is done, and you get some serious life-saving from travelling faster.

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo
On some motorways/duals the lane discipline has become so bad I am almost in favour of it you can cruise up the inside at 68 in an empty lane
The problem (or one of the many problems) with poor lane discipline is the fact that you aren't allowed to go past on the inside. Although I am in the habit of doing the same - if some idiot (or bunch of idiots) are all in the wrong lane then I won't think too hard about (carefully) going past them on the inside. It's a shame that it is necessary. (It's more of a shame when the self-righteous ones, as mentioned above, see fit to hoot and flash you for doing this. Had they been in the correct lane in the first place it would be neither necessary nor possible to go past on the inside.) ]


Oli.

P.S. On the topic of self-righteous ones, does anyone remember those ghastly bumper stickers that said "Overtakers - see you at the undertakers!" Utterly cringeworthy.
 
The list is endless, however I would say a few things;

Many people drive like they are half a sleep in this country, maybe lowering the limits and ppl speedo watching is adding to this, that and long working hours. They could crash and kill someone at 40 let alone 70 or 80.

Old people doing daft things like indicating right on a roundabout and then driving straight on. I am sure many do this on purpose. I had some old fool do this to me the other week, I thought he was going to come round so naturally I stood on the brakes and stopped on the roundabout. He then of course drove straight on as I am sure he was always going to do he just didn't want someone sharing the roundabout at the same time. [:mad:]

Again tends to be older folks but only the other day I was stuck behind this guy doing 40 mph on a NSL A road, we came into a fairly tight little village clearly signed at 30. I slowed down and he sped on at 40 right past the flashing signs saying slow down. [:mad:]

Only one solution, take ppl's license away. Driving a car is not a right of birth, more ppl need to understand this.
 

ORIGINAL: Neil Haughey
Only one solution, take ppl's license away. Driving a car is not a right of birth, more ppl need to understand this.
Ding and verily dong, sir.

Rarely has there been a true-r word spoken.


Oli.
 

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