Irish drivers and motorways!!!

DonJose

Is it just me or do a lot of Irish drivers not know how to drive on motorways. OK so we only have 2 lanes on most of our motorways but doesn't the average Irish driver know that the right lane is for overtaking!!! DON'T HOG THE FUKKING RIGHT LANE. I'm not a fast driver but EVERY TIME I use the motorways I end up behind some fukking idiot driving at 100kph in the right lane with NO TRAFFIC in front of him/her. All I can say is

PULL THE FUKK OVER AND LET THE TRAFFIC PAST!!!

Jrad

No!

DonJose

Jrad wrote: »

No!

Did you just post that for an extra post count???

bman

DonJose wrote: »

Did you just post that for an extra post count???

Ah now, come on. You have to admit he makes a very convincing argument!

dr.bollocko

Irish drivers are ****ing idiots. I have worked on this theory as a logical corollary to my "everyone in the world is a ****ing idiot" theory which was first published next to an interview with Noam Chomsky in Hustler magazine in 1987.
Its the page before those two bald snizzes with the funny glasses on.

Jrad

Yes, the more the better! Soon i will have so many post counts i wont know what to do with them. Me and mine will live like kings! Kings i tell you!

DonJose

dr.bollocko wrote: »

which was first published next to an interview with Noam Chomsky in Hustler magazine in 1987.

Actually I do remember reading about that, sadly for reference, all the pages are now stuck together!!!

dr.bollocko

If you use a mild detergent sprayed on a dry cloth you can actually remove those stains. Then tell me how my ponytail looked, because i think its time for a comeback.

D_murph

DonJose wrote: »

Is it just me or do a lot of Irish drivers not know how to drive on motorways. OK so we only have 2 lanes on most of our motorways but doesn't the average Irish driver know that the right lane is for overtaking!!! DON'T HOG THE FUKKING RIGHT LANE. I'm not a fast driver but EVERY TIME I use the motorways I end up behind some fukking idiot driving at 100kph in the right lane with NO TRAFFIC in front of him/her. All I can say is

PULL THE FUKK OVER AND LET THE TRAFFIC PAST!!!

some day man, maybe the idiots will learn.

theres no excuse for it really. if they had any clue what was going on around them it wouldnt be happening. it proves theyre incompetent and should not be on the road :rolleyes:

unkel

DonJose wrote: »

Is it just me or do a lot of Irish drivers not know how to drive on motorways

It's not you. In fairness to those drivers though, they never had any training on how to drive on motorways, which is a disgrace

DonJose

DonJose wrote: »

Is it just me or do a lot of Irish drivers not know how to drive on motorways. OK so we only have 2 lanes on most of our motorways but doesn't the average Irish driver know that the right lane is for overtaking!!! DON'T HOG THE FUKKING RIGHT LANE. I'm not a fast driver but EVERY TIME I use the motorways I end up behind some fukking idiot driving at 100kph in the right lane with NO TRAFFIC in front of him/her. All I can say is

PULL THE FUKK OVER AND LET THE TRAFFIC PAST!!!

My my, you need some anger managment classes!

I hope you are not winding your self up this much when you are sharing the road with the rest of us.

D_murph

unkel wrote: »

It's not you. In fairness to those drivers though, they never had any training on how to drive on motorways, which is a disgrace

true but then again i passed the same test as these idiots and i know why theres 2 lanes on a motorway and how to use them.

however i agree that its a disgrace that there is no motorway training before the test and that you never go over half the motorway speed limit during it but all of a sudden you are qualified to do so :rolleyes:

lynchie

unkel wrote: »

It's not you. In fairness to those drivers though, they never had any training on how to drive on motorways, which is a disgrace

They should also be thought how to drive on roads with 3 lanes. Every evening heading home on the N7 Im actually amazed at the number of people sitting in the middle lane doing 80Km while the left lane is completely empty and they are driving slower than traffic approaching them from behind. You could drive from Rathcoole -> Naas in the left lane at 100Km and pass about 80-100 cars in the middle lane on your way.

craichoe

Can this be closed ... its been done to death ..

unkel

D_murph wrote: »

i passed the same test as these idiots and i know why theres 2 lanes on a motorway and how to use them.

No disrespect, but there is a lot more to driving on a motorway than how to use 2 lanes as explained in the Rules of the Road

How to safely merge is a skill but the all important one is to establish the relation to other vehicles, not in one dimension (distance), but in two dimensions (distance and speed) is something very few drivers in this country seem to master

Very regularly people post comments like "I started to overtake and out of nowhere was this car behind me flashing his lights"

javaboy

unkel wrote: »

Very regularly people post comments like "I started to overtake and out of nowhere was this car behind me flashing his lights"

Yeah I hear a lot of people telling stories like this. Unless it was a Veyron, they didn't do mirror/shoulder checks.

Alun

Indeed, the concept (drilled into you in Germany) of looking in your mirrors regularly, not only to get a picture in your mind of what is behind you, but also to judge how fast they're going and how quickly they're gaining on you seems to be beyond most people here.

peasant

Mirrors?

D_murph

unkel wrote: »

No disrespect, but there is a lot more to driving on a motorway than how to use 2 lanes as explained in the Rules of the Road

How to safely merge is a skill but the all important one is to establish the relation to other vehicles, not in one dimension (distance), but in two dimensions (distance and speed) is something very few drivers in this country seem to master

Very regularly people post comments like "I started to overtake and out of nowhere was this car behind me flashing his lights"

youre correct there, i agree with you totally.

merging on motorways is a skill and it is not one that you are trained in when you are doing the driving test, let alone any motorway driving at all.

you never come near 100 kmh during the test and somehow when you get a full license you are automatically entitled to drive at 120kmh on a motorway alone, yet having no previous experience being on one while on a provisional license

i hope im not the only one that sees a problem with this :rolleyes:

Mena

My wife recently went through the Irish Drivers License test, and I must say it explained a lot to me.

When I did mine 16 odd years ago it consisted of a 45 minute closed area test which included pulling away on a steep incline (a matchbox was placed behind the tyre - squish it = fail), parallel parking from both sides, three point turns, the works. If I recall you had two chances to make mistakes - touch the curb twice and you're out.

Once done, you head out to the normal city roads for another 45 minutes, once complete, you hit the motorway, not sure what's usual but mine lasted well over 30 minutes on the motorway alone.

A pretty good test overall in my view, and it focused on basically everything. Motorway testing is sorely lacking here and is plain to see whenever I hit the M50/N7/M7 etc, which is daily.

Just today I was stuck behind someone doing 80Kph in the right-hand lane on the N7 for ages... no point getting excited about it though, may as well just get left and relax until they legalise 120mm canons for my cars!

Links to South African driving test info for those interested -

Link 1
Link 2

TwoShedsJackson

I did 100km/h on the N7 during my test so it can happen

DublinDilbert

D_murph wrote: »

youre correct there, i agree with you totally.

merging on motorways is a skill and it is not one that you are trained in when you are doing the driving test, let alone any motorway driving at all.

you never come near 100 kmh during the test and somehow when you get a full license you are automatically entitled to drive at 120kmh on a motorway alone, yet having no previous experience being on one while on a provisional license

i hope im not the only one that sees a problem with this :rolleyes:

+1

Exactly, but a driving instructor can't legally take you on a motorway. Also a driving tester can't legally take someone onto a motor way on their test. Its so backward.

They should make people do a merge on / off a motorway or dual carriageway at the correct speeds as part of their test.

It sickens me that people are not given any training on how to drive on these roads... .

Seth Brundle

D_murph wrote: »

merging on motorways is a skill and it is not one that you are trained in when you are doing the driving test, let alone any motorway driving at all.

Merging is easy. Just drive along the slip road and then suddenly drive over the white lines of the ghost traffic island causing the cars to brake - sure weren't they going to fast anyway so I'm making the roads safer!

Pherekydes

kbannon wrote: »

Merging is easy. Just drive along the slip road and then suddenly drive over the white lines of the ghost traffic island causing the cars to brake - sure weren't they going to fast anyway so I'm making the roads safer!

You should know better. You drive down the slip road, gradually slowing down. When you get past the ghost island markings, you must slow further, stopping if necessary, before joining the overtaking lane directly. Make sure you accelerate slowly up to cruising speed, which should be sufficiently under the limit so as to enable undertaking.

javaboy

Also if you're turning left again anywhere within the next 10 miles, you just stay in the slip lane until it becomes a hard shoulder, undertaking if necessary.

crosstownk

Alun wrote: »

Indeed, the concept (drilled into you in Germany) of looking in your mirrors regularly, not only to get a picture in your mind of what is behind you, but also to judge how fast they're going and how quickly they're gaining on you seems to be beyond most people here.

Silly me. I thought that this would be basic cop on. Wait, sorry, this is Ireland!

So many things are wrong with motorway driving here. No training as unkel stated. And once the test is passed you can toddle onto a motorway and wreck everyone's head. It makes no sense.

Driving on a motorway is easy - once you understand one fundamental rule : Awareness.

TJJP

Its a nuisance alright. On the M4 you have to get to the Maynooth exit before some semblance of common sense kicks in. Up till then its 100kph in both lanes if you're lucky with cars arse to tit the whole way.

Slidey

If everyone drove 1 foot closer to the car infront there would be loads of room for the cars on the road, actually if everyone properly tailgated and the lead car was alternated like geese do the savings in fuel would easily pay for the odd bit of damage that was done...

Rovi

kbannon wrote: »

Merging is easy. Just drive along the slip road and then suddenly drive over the white lines of the ghost traffic island causing the cars to brake - sure weren't they going to fast anyway so I'm making the roads safer!

Is it not that the yellow line dividing the hard shoulder from the main carriageway is, in fact, an invisible wall?
And you should proceed at a moderate pace down the slip road 'sliding' the left side of your car along this invisible wall. When that obscure dashed line over on the right disappears, the invisible wall will 'slingshot' you out onto the main carriageway. No indicators are necessary, as the 'invisible wall rule' gives you right of way; it's good manners though to indicate to the left, as you're turning left onto the 'big road'.
Also, it's good practice to minimise wear and tear on your tyres and steering by using the 'slingshot effect' of the invisible wall to carry you all the way over to the 'fast' lane where you should remain for the remainder of your journey; as, by comparison with average travelling speed throughout human history, 100Km/h is indeed, 'fast'.

I thought everyone knew this stuff?

:rolleyes:

DonJose

peasant wrote: »

Mirrors?

LOL what about indicators. I'd say at least 1 in 3 people on our motorways don't use indicators. What about the 1 flash indicator gang.

javaboy

DonJose wrote: »

LOL what about indicators. I'd say at least 1 in 3 people on our motorways don't use indicators. What about the 1 flash indicator gang.

I love the people who only indicate if they're changing lanes moving right but don't indicate changing back. :mad:

Rovi

javaboy wrote: »

I love the people who only indicate if they're changing lanes moving right but don't indicate changing back. :mad:

And what about the ones who indicate after they've begun the manoeuvre, or even in some glorious cases, after it's completed? :mad:

L1011

Had a great one today, moved to overtake in the outside lane legitimately; the Nissan Navara that was a huge distance behind me suddenly wasn't. Muppet driving it flashed his lights but I couldn't move back in to the middle lane (nor did I have to...) as the truck that I was overtaking was in the way...

Some distance later, after yer mans passed me and failed to make any progress, including driving up the hole of a truck in the outside lane (how I prayed it'd brake suddenly), he decides he wants the Rathcoole turnoff, crossed from the middle lane to the sliplane late enough that it appeared he was going to hit the start of the barrier - hatchings were up to the width of a car by this stage.

(of course, its not a "motorway" per se, but I feel it still matches with the thread...)

D_murph

MYOB wrote: »

Had a great one today, moved to overtake in the outside lane legitimately; the Nissan Navara that was a huge distance behind me suddenly wasn't. Muppet driving it flashed his lights

i hate when that happens. stupid idiots that think they own the right lane even though theyre a mile back :rolleyes:

you can get them to do it again if you give em the middle finger it seems

St0n3d

I think every here misses the point

We have people like that on our motorways for several reasons.

A. Full Licences were handed out years ago to anyone wearing an ape suit.

B. We now have 1000's of foreign nationists on our roads, not knowing the difference of right and left lanes. ( Not the biggest issue , most are ok)

C. We have noone to enforce the right lane for faster traffic, Your oblidged to pull over, some people just stay there and think " Sure use the left lane"

D. Imo, 50% of the people on motorways are L drivers , whether or not they have there plates up, or if they're just one of those older people who never bothered with full and doesnt use L.


Irish road safety sucks, People need to open eyes to wha's happening out there.

6foot7

hi all,
well, i am german.
i have to say most irish or even english drivers do not know how to drive on motorways etc.
i had a long trip over xmas going to germany, and have to say it is really bad what is going on here and in the uk,
france is not better, it came back to "normal" as i entered belgium.
funny, but most of my friend (irish and germans) who use to drive abroad will answer the same.
it has something to do with the license system.
in the most eu countries you HAVE to do a proper license and you have to pay loads of money for it, advantage you have a full license straight away.
i was moaning a lot as i did my license over 10 years ago that i had to pay so much money, as i came here i thought, well, in some stage it is right to do a license like this
ok, changes has happend a lot in the last few years but still, i agree and say, many drivers do not know how to drive either on motorways or even bigger natinal roads.

rene

Capt'n Midnight

lynchie wrote: »

They should also be thought how to drive on roads with 3 lanes. Every evening heading home on the N7 Im actually amazed at the number of people sitting in the middle lane doing 80Km while the left lane is completely empty and they are driving slower than traffic approaching them from behind. You could drive from Rathcoole -> Naas in the left lane at 100Km and pass about 80-100 cars in the middle lane on your way.

Yeah I like to be in the inside lane on the Naas Road, you can see for miles ahead and no danger of running into the back of someone.

But what really takes the biscuit is traffic from Belgard Road turning left on to the N7. Every week I see a few people break the always-on red lights (buses only) on the slip lane from the Belgard Inn. Then most drivers drive in the Bus lane so as to block it's use by the fire station so the emergency services can be seen going down the wrong way of the carraige way. When they get to the turn there is a half mile long acceleration lane for you to merge with the N7. Few if any people use it. The traffic from the M50 is held back by red lights so there is always a clear road and rarely anyone to overtake. I've seen people get into the middle lane within 100m of the turn with no one in front of them in the inside lane.

javaboy

St0n3d wrote: »

I think every here misses the point

We have people like that on our motorways for several reasons.

A. Full Licences were handed out years ago to anyone wearing an ape suit.

B. We now have 1000's of foreign nationists on our roads, not knowing the difference of right and left lanes. ( Not the biggest issue , most are ok)

C. We have noone to enforce the right lane for faster traffic, Your oblidged to pull over, some people just stay there and think " Sure use the left lane"

D. Imo, 50% of the people on motorways are L drivers , whether or not they have there plates up, or if they're just one of those older people who never bothered with full and doesnt use L.


Irish road safety sucks, People need to open eyes to wha's happening out there.

A. Most people on the roads now have passed the (admittedly bogstandard) test. The % of corn flakes box and lucky dip licencees on the road is fairly low.

C. The right lane is for overtaking not for faster traffic which tells me you belong in the category of people you're complaining about in point B. If you're faster than the traffic in the left hand lane but not overtaking or about to overtake soon, you should be in the left lane. You are not obliged to move over until it is safe regardless of a light flashing speeder behind you.

D. Far less than 50% of drivers are learners and I'd say the ratio is very unlikely to be higher on the motorway. If anything it would be lower because at least some L drivers do respect the no motorway rule.


You're not a taxi driver are you by any chance? :rolleyes:

cock robin

Driving is about common sense as well as rules and regulations. Motorway drivers in Ireland are equally poor drivers on all other road's. Most of us are aware how to drive with manner's and a degree of professionalism. I put up a lot of miles in my job and some of the antics I see are worthy of a show on tv (worlds thickest cnuts) But what really pisses me off is how few traffic police we have. It seems like the worse the offence the less likely there is to be a Guard near by. Unless we spend more on education for drivers early on in life (secondary school) and have a dedicated traffic corps (not just a few out of date cops) along the lines of the Thames Valley police. We are going to just have to grin and bear it.

Capt'n Midnight

When you look at road safety statistics that compare motorways to other roads our motorways are very un-safe.
In most other countries motorways are three or four times safer than other roads based on numbers killed / vehicle mile, Even in Slovenia motorways are twice as safe.

In the UK motorways are 4.5 times safer than non-motorways.
Ours are barely 50% safer than non-motorways and we can't blame poor funding or the age of the roads.
In fact if you were naive enough you could conclude that our motorways were only safer than normal roads only because of the extra L drivers on non-motorways.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_safety#Motorway

It's not rocket science - a little visible enforcement should go a long way.
things that don't seem to be enforced at the moment
60kmph limit on the M50
80kmph limit on artics and they aren't used the outside lane
L-Plates on motorway

some keep left unless overtaking signs would be nice

Mylow

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

some keep left unless overtaking signs would be nice

Then you will have gob sh*ts driving on hard shoulder :eek:

Just past a tractor on M1 between Ardee and Dundalk this evening. Not seen that type of thing on M1 before, but real regular occurence on M7 between Naas and Newbridge.

xabi

javaboy wrote: »

I love the people who only indicate if they're changing lanes moving right but don't indicate changing back. :mad:

When i was being taught to drive i was told i didnt need to indicate back to the left lane after and overtaking manover. That was in the North though, could be different here.

X

St0n3d

javaboy wrote: »

You're not a taxi driver are you by any chance? :rolleyes:

Lol

No. But i have to say, in general terms the right lane is for faster traffic, I didnt escalate to say it's technically for when you need to overtake,

I disagree with people driving constant in the right lane, howveer, I disagree with people doing 50 mph in the other lane.

I will always overtake on the motorway, i can't understand why people get on and do their hair or their nails. Its a motorway, its a fast road which you use to get to places.

Majority of people hop into the slow lane and txt, eat, drink, or just dose away .

So you cant argue my statements in the slightest, what is law and what is actually right are two different things. If 100 cars drive at 50 mph in lane 1, then of course majority are going to move to lane 2 to get past.

What is the point in trying to get back into lane 1 at some stage up the road , when you meet another bafoon thinking hes doing lightspeed, jamming on the reggae with nothing but a smile on his face crusing along at knotspeed.

Your gonna swing out again, overtake, try to get back in, and the cycle repeats.

Bottom line, people have no clue how to drive. Argue it all you want, Look around and you'll see exactly what i mean..

To say the least, iv dodged at least 16 accidents since i changed my car, all of which people changing lanes without checking there blind spot, people pulling out fast, people on the phone on roundabouts.. i could rant all day. But the fact is, our system sucks, one day driving test should not decide whether or not your "road safe". I would even go so far as sayign any monkey can learn to hold a trumpet for one day while being watched.

BUt later on that day, or 5 years later. Does the monkey really care what way he holds it, if he can even still do it? This is why we lose 1000's of innocent drivers.

meathstevie

+1 for 6foot7. Driver training is a joke and the test's even worse.

Have you guys ever noticed the speedlimit signs on the M50 entry slips ? They're plain stupidity : the 120 kph sign is placed where the motorway meets the slip. Not at the start of the slip where it should be. Surprised that Slowdown Byrne hasn't brought that one up yet...

javaboy

St0n3d, I take your point about the eejits going 50mph (80km/h in new money) on the left. I'm just saying that if you're not going to be overtaking anytime soon, there's no need to be in the overtaking lane. I'm not suggesting that you move back in if you're gaining on another car ahead that's reasonably close.

I wish people would stop using the terms fast and slow lane. It encourages incorrect behaviour on carriageways/motorways.

Anyway I won't argue that the general standard of driving wrt the ROTR and common sense is quite poor in Ireland. The texters/makeup appliers/newspaper readers etc. should obviously be lined up against a wall and given a dose of lead/penalty points.

About the monkey and his trumpet, I've never seen or heard of an accident caused by a monkey holding a trumpet incorrectly
I am in favour of periodic driver re-testing but the learner backlog will obviously take priority here. I think the best short term way of improving driving in this country is flooding the place with unmarked Garda cars (not Mondeos).

St0n3d

Luckily i have a more developed six sense for shades...

Cant quite explain that one.

But yeah the terms fast and slow are suggesting you plough into the other lane and take over the slow guys.

Its really another lane for overtaking. Simple as.

Teh speed sign coming off the motorway into lucan bypass i think, its a disgrace, my father happened to be doing 86 Km comin in off the motorway and they did him in that 80km zone. I never even and still to this day find it hard to see that sign..

L1011

xabi wrote: »

When i was being taught to drive i was told i didnt need to indicate back to the left lane after and overtaking manover. That was in the North though, could be different here.

X

I was actually told that too, on my one pretest (3 hours!), and in the south. Still do, though...

St0n3d

Another reason we have lunatics on the road. It starts with the instructors lack of knowledge and experience. Hes combed by his own habits and must pass them on..

Slidey

You dont not use indicators when overtaking on a single carrigeway as you are supposed to be traveling in the left lane, however on dual c or on any road where there are 2 lanes of traffic traveling in the one drection indicators must be used for any lane change. I have done, car, rigid and artic tests, passed all first time too for the smartarses who will surely come along after i've posted

xabi

slideways wrote: »

You dont not use indicators when overtaking on a single carrigeway

Thats rubbish surely?

St0n3d

Hmm. Lets look at it..

Single carrigeway can consist of more than one lane of traffic going in the one direction.

Therefore,. Your stil swithing lanes, you moving across, therefore are a danger of hitting someone beside you.. Of course you have to indicate. THe idiot who thought of that, told the guy that going around a roundabout it doesnt matter what lane you take ..