Shocking driving on the N18

stefanovich

Went for a spin to Galway yesterday and twice I was actually scared on the road. First time some bollocks in a D reg 5 series was tail gating the car behind me and then overtook dangerously. Then proceeded to tail gate me which I found extremely intimidating. I was already doing 100km at that point. Finally he overtook me, again on a dangerous bend.

Then a little later I had to pull half ways into the hard shoulder as some idiot in an Audi decided to overtake about 6 cars, cutting in at the last minute to avoid head on collision.

These are the idiots that kill people.

myshirt

That was me in the BMW, I was bursting to go to the jacks.

Mongfinder General

Just hug the left lane, assholes like that will eventually find out the hard way

ironclaw

The way I see it, tailgate me all your like, but if I'm doing the limit then tough. Overtake when you get the opportunity, I don't care how much you sit in my boot :P

TBi

ironclaw wrote: »

The way I see it, tailgate me all your like, but if I'm doing the limit then tough. Overtake when you get the opportunity, I don't care how much you sit in my boot :P

Closer a tailgater gets to me the slower I go. I'll try to open up a gap again butbif they are inches from my bumper again then I go slow.

stefanovich

ironclaw wrote: »

The way I see it, tailgate me all your like, but if I'm doing the limit then tough. Overtake when you get the opportunity, I don't care how much you sit in my boot :P

Well I cared. He was putting me in a dangerous situation. I was going as fast as was safe to drive. The road between Gort and Galway can be fairly windy at times. Where he overtook could easily have caused an accident.

And it wasn't like I was driving like a grandma myself.

And then he tore off, probably doing around 130

visual

TBi wrote: »

Closer a tailgater gets to me the slower I go. I'll try to open up a gap again butbif they are inches from my bumper again then I go slow.

Stupid to part take in bad driving by making it worse drive to the left of the road where you should be anyway will allow more room for someone to overtake

it's not your job to enforce the rules of road by acting the maggot

tatrman

get an on board cams and report him.

JillyQ

I take it you reported him.

stefanovich

JillyQ wrote: »

I take it you reported him.

To the guards? Is that something people do? I wouldn't have thought they would care.

Falcon L

stefanovich wrote: »

To the guards? Is that something people do? I wouldn't have thought they would care.

That's a large part of the problem: they don't. However, they should.

Special Circumstances

visual wrote: »

Stupid to part take in bad driving by making it worse drive to the left of the road where you should be anyway will allow more room for someone to overtake

it's not your job to enforce the rules of road by acting the maggot

I don't think slower means "less left" usually. It means more suitable to the braking distance of the person behind and easier to overtake when the chance arises surely?

I don't have tailgaters that often so I'm not sure.

visual

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I don't think slower means "less left" usually. It means more suitable to the braking distance of the person behind and easier to overtake when the chance arises surely?

I don't have tailgaters that often so I'm not sure.

We all been behind the slow driver hugging the centre line who attempts to enforce their traffic laws on to others like tapping the brake if someone is perceived to close or accelerate as car attempts to pass.
The only cars I see driving to the left are learner drivers who haven't yet developed bad habits

stefanovich

visual wrote: »

We all been behind the slow driver hugging the centre line who attempts to enforce their traffic laws on to others like tapping the brake if someone is perceived to close or accelerate as car attempts to pass.
The only cars I see driving to the left are learner drivers who haven't yet developed bad habits

Probably not directed at me but just to clarify. I certainly wasn't driving slowly for the road conditions at that time. It was 100kmph according to the GPS. Any faster would have been reckless. This guy took two very risky chances in the few minutes I had the displeasure to share the road with him.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

kona

Patww79 wrote: »

Where did you get brake tapping and further right from what he said about going slow? I've read it 3 times now and I can't see any reference to either.

I do the same myself, slow down (NOT tapping brakes or changing from correct road position, just to clarify) and if they drop back I'll start going the limit again. If they come back on my bumper I'll ease off again. It's like training a dog, only a dog is normally less thick than said tailgater.

Your just as bad. This is why children are not allowed to drive.

TBi

kona wrote: »

Your just as bad. This is why children are not allowed to drive.

Let's see. A person driving behind me so close that he is putting my life in danger. So I slow down to reduce the risk of getting rear ended if I need to stop for some reason. Possibly an accident up ahead or a stopped car turning right. Yet you think I'm being childish? You're a funny man!

kona

TBi wrote: »

Let's see. A person driving behind me so close that he is putting my life in danger. So I slow down to reduce the risk of getting rear ended if I need to stop for some reason. Possibly an accident up ahead or a stopped car turning right. Yet you think I'm being childish? You're a funny man!

Would you have slowed down if he wasn't there? Yano, if there was a crash ahead or a unicorn crossing?
If your life was in danger why not let him pass or pull over? Instead of risking your life patrolling the roads?

You should read the child's post above in particular the last paragraph.

TBi

kona wrote: »

Would you have slowed down if he wasn't there?

I would normally drive as fast as I consider safe. When tail gated i slow down because I find the situation unsafe. They can pass me out of they want.

I'm stuck behind idiots driving slow on that road every time I'm on it, one of the worst roads in the country for it drives me insane adding needless time to my long drive home just when I've often made good time as far as there. I certainly wouldn't say doing more than 100kmh is reckless on that road either.

Also why not pull aside if someone wants to overtake? its rarely I have someone behind me looking to over take but if I do I just move into the hard shoulder and let them go and I appreciate when other drivers do it for me. Its good, sensible driving.

Red Kev

visual wrote: »

Stupid to part take in bad driving by making it worse drive to the left of the road where you should be anyway will allow more room for someone to overtake

it's not your job to enforce the rules of road by acting the maggot

Best practise is to drive in the middle of your lane, not to one side. No idea where you got that idea from.

NSAman

Typical I bet the guy who slows down drive a Toyota.... Ya always see them, complain about everyone and then drive slow. IT's car jealousy pure and simple.... BMW AUDI

Arbiter of Good Taste

Riley Few Chimpanzee wrote: »

I just move into the hard shoulder and let them go and I appreciate when other drivers do it for me. Its good, sensible driving.

I am gobsmacked that not only do you do this, but you think it is "good, sensible driving". Frankly you should not be on the road.

kupus

NSAman wrote: »

Typical I bet the guy who slows down drive a Toyota.... Ya always see them, complain about everyone and then drive slow. IT's car jealousy pure and simple.... BMW AUDI

You ever consider that its a higher percentage of w@nkers that drive those cars....
Ive never heard it said about bloody merc drivers or idiot lexus drivers.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

I am gobsmacked that not only do you do this, but you think it is "good, sensible driving". Frankly you should not be on the road.

What sort of nonsense are you talking?

Moving out of the way of faster moving traffic is the proper way to drive. It keeps traffic flowing better, reduces frustration for the faster moving traffic and relieves stress for slower moving drivers.

The proof can be seen when almost all trucks pull aside for cars and these are professional drivers who understand holding people up its not the correct way to drive.

People pull aside for me far more than I have to pull aside for people but I have no problem doing it if a situation arises, its just common sense. Sitting behind someone doing 80kmh who wont pull aside for cars is gobsmacking not those who do it.

lazeedaisy

stefanovich wrote: »

Went for a spin to Galway yesterday and twice I was actually scared on the road. First time some bollocks in a D reg 5 series was tail gating the car behind me and then overtook dangerously. Then proceeded to tail gate me which I found extremely intimidating. I was already doing 100km at that point. Finally he overtook me, again on a dangerous bend.

Then a little later I had to pull half ways into the hard shoulder as some idiot in an Audi decided to overtake about 6 cars, cutting in at the last minute to avoid head on collision.

These are the idiots that kill people.

Did you report them for dangerous driving?

lazeedaisy

stefanovich wrote: »

To the guards? Is that something people do? I wouldn't have thought they would care.

Of course it is.

There is a special number for idiot driving.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=111

stefanovich

Riley Few Chimpanzee wrote: »

I'm stuck behind idiots driving slow on that road every time I'm on it, one of the worst roads in the country for it drives me insane adding needless time to my long drive home just when I've often made good time as far as there. I certainly wouldn't say doing more than 100kmh is reckless on that road either.

Also why not pull aside if someone wants to overtake? its rarely I have someone behind me looking to over take but if I do I just move into the hard shoulder and let them go and I appreciate when other drivers do it for me. Its good, sensible driving.

There are parts of that road that are safe to drive at more than 100k (even though illegal) but not the stretch where this occurred. There was no hard shoulder and the road had numerous bends. This guy overtook on a bend where he had no clear view of oncoming traffic.

He was stuck behind me for all of 2 minutes. He had spent about 5 riding the arse off the car behind me which must have really pissed him off.

Also as I said it was 100 on the GPS (110 on the speedo) so I was going fast enough for the road conditions.

stefanovich

lazeedaisy wrote: »

Of course it is.

There is a special number for idiot driving.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=111

Okay I did *not* know this. It should be publicised. Unfortunately I was too concerned with avoiding a crash to capture his license number.

stefanovich

stefanovich wrote: »

There are parts of that road that are safe to drive at more than 100k (even though illegal) but not the stretch where this occurred. There was no hard shoulder and the road had numerous bends. This guy overtook on a bend where he had no clear view of oncoming traffic.

I'm not defending the bad overtaking I was just saying this stretch of road is particularly bad for drivers fond of driving very slowly and holding up traffic. If you were driving at 100kmh though you would not fall into that category.

Asmooh

maybe you are just a very slow driver and should walk instead?

stefanovich

Asmooh wrote: »

maybe you are just a very slow driver and should walk instead?

Yeah, next time I'll walk to Galway. Great idea. :pac:

NSAman

Asmooh wrote: »

maybe you are just a very slow driver and should walk instead?

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

visual

stefanovich wrote: »

Probably not directed at me but just to clarify. I certainly wasn't driving slowly for the road conditions at that time. It was 100kmph according to the GPS. Any faster would have been reckless. This guy took two very risky chances in the few minutes I had the displeasure to share the road with him.

Not directed at you. It's a generalisation as you.rightly guessed

dr.fuzzenstein

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

I am gobsmacked that not only do you do this, but you think it is "good, sensible driving". Frankly you should not be on the road.

He's not wrong, you know:



Funny how this exact same thread comes up again and again. I keep this in my documents just for such an occasion.
So, yes. Pulling into the hard shoulder is legal and the RSA seems to think it's OK.
Don't bother posting it's illegal, that's only for motorways.

Of course that doesn't excuse arsehole behaviour by driver encountered by the OP.
And Patww79
It's down, slowed down. You speed up and slow down.

LIGHTNING

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I wouldn't ever pull over in the hard shoulder to let another car pass. Have you ever seen the debris that gets thrown onto the hard shoulder? You are asking for a puncture or tyre damage. No thanks no risking that!

Personally no, I have seen very little debris in hard shoulders and have spend quite a bit of time in them driving tractors.

MarkAnthony

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I wouldn't ever pull over in the hard shoulder to let another car pass. Have you ever seen the debris that gets thrown onto the hard shoulder? You are asking for a puncture or tyre damage. No thanks no risking that!

I always used to pull across into the hard shoulder to let stuff by. Came a cropper one day, never again. It's one thing for a tractor doing 40 to pull in and let stuff by. Quite another for someone doing 80 to let by the tailgating twat. I've absolutely no issue with someone doing a safe and legal overtake. I'll always take the foot off the gas as they come parallel to allow them in, I don't get why people drive like loons.

As for tailgating and slowing down, it's the only safe and sensible thing to do. Maintaining your speed when there is a hazard on the road, be it in front of you or constantly behind you makes you a very poor driver.

zurbfoundation

please don't pull into the hard shoulder to let cars pass - its very dangerous, i hate seeing people, especially trucks, do this

also in few weeks time these hard shoulders the length and breadth of the country will be filled with kids selling Wexford Strawberries out of a trailer

galwaytt

Riley Few Chimpanzee wrote: »

Personally no, I have seen very little debris in hard shoulders and have spend quite a bit of time in them driving tractors.

...well I don't know where you drive, but in the West the hard shoulder is littered with debris, I won't drive in there. (not that you're allowed to anyway)

dr.fuzzenstein

galwaytt wrote: »

...well I don't know where you drive, but in the West the hard shoulder is littered with debris, I won't drive in there. (not that you're allowed to anyway)

Yes, you are allowed. Had you read but a few posts up, you would know that.

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

He's not wrong, you know:

Having said that, you don't have to do it, if someone doesn't want to pull into the hard shoulder, they don't have to.

The Backwards Man

I don't care what the RSA says, pulling into the hard shoulder to let a vehicle overtake is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a road. Not only are you relying in your own judgment of where it is safe to do so, you are relying on the judgment of the driver overtaking you to complete the manouever safely, the judgment of oncoming traffic to realise there is an overtaking manouever taking place, and most of all, the judgment of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians entering the road from the left to realise that there might be an eejit barreling down the hard shoulder that could kill them stone dead.

LIGHTNING

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Well your tractor tyres are far thicker than a cars! I have seen nails, metal debris from truck tyres, bodywork all sorts of nasty stuff. Not taking a risk

What has the thickness of tyres got to do with my eyes? I said I dont see very much if any debris be it from driving along in lane in a car and observing the hard shoulder, pulling aside to let a car past or driving a tractor in the hard shoulder.

galwaytt wrote: »

...well I don't know where you drive, but in the West the hard shoulder is littered with debris, I won't drive in there. (not that you're allowed to anyway)

You are allowed to a and you should pull aside to allow faster moving traffic get by you whether you are driving a tractor, truck or car. Refusing to do so is inconsiderate and just downright poor driving. Particularly coming up with excuses like "too much debris" rather than admitting you just don't like allowing people past you.

slimjimmc

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I don't care what the RSA says, pulling into the hard shoulder to let a vehicle overtake is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a road. Not only are you relying in your own judgment of where it is safe to do so, you are relying on the judgment of the driver overtaking you to complete the manouever safely, the judgment of oncoming traffic to realise there is an overtaking manouever taking place, and most of all, the judgment of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians entering the road from the left to realise that there might be an eejit barreling down the hard shoulder that could kill them stone dead.

As always you should never change course without first ensuring it's safe to do so, that includes not pulling in where there are approaching junctions, entrances. Allowing yourself to be bullied into moving over is dangerous because you might not exercise due caution but once you pick your spot with proper consideration it is quite a safe thing to do.

creedp

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I don't care what the RSA says, pulling into the hard shoulder to let a vehicle overtake is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a road. Not only are you relying in your own judgment of where it is safe to do so, you are relying on the judgment of the driver overtaking you to complete the manouever safely, the judgment of oncoming traffic to realise there is an overtaking manouever taking place, and most of all, the judgment of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians entering the road from the left to realise that there might be an eejit barreling down the hard shoulder that could kill them stone dead.

Regularly encounter trucks/vans and the occasional car pulling into hard shoulder to let me pass. Always give a flash of hazard to register my thanks and most of the time get a flash of headlights in return. A very civilised/considerate way to act on the roads IMO. Wish more people acted in such a considerate manner to other road users .. certainly would have less thresds on this forum...

Can't see why people are so resolutely against this approach .. no one is asking or should expect someone to pull into a hard shoulder where visibility is not good .. taken to its extreme it could be seen as equivalent to the right hand lane hoggers on a dualler.

TheDoc

It must be an attitude/mental thing.

As a learner driver who sticks pretty meticulous to speed limits, I never feel pressured or uncomfortable to go faster then the speed limit or what I'm comfortable with, not feel massive pressure or worry with someone tailgating.

I'm pretty vigilant with my mirrors keeping aware of what's going on, and frequently have had incidents with people up my hoop when say I'm doing 80 and the road is marked 80. I can appreciate there are roads around where the speed limit might be interpreted as "ah that's rubbish, should be a 100 stretch", but that isn't going to do me any use if a camera catches me on the next bend or something.

I'm relatively new to driving, but it's incredible the amount of really horrendous **** that happens on the roads.

In relation to nox, are you advocating that if someone is maintaining the limit on a road, and they are holding you up, they should move into a hard shoulder and let you pass?

Or are you indicating if someone is driving an evidently slow pace and holding you up, they should move?
(eg. doing 50 in an 80 stretch)

If it's case one, well I don't need to go into any more detail. I'd also side with the person above who raised concerns about the state of some hard shoulders. There are hard shoulders on my frequent routes that if I moved into at 80, the likelyhood is I'd smack a pothole and flip my car out. They are in that poor a shape and condition.

ironclaw

Are people actually saying that if someone is doing the limit, and another car comes up behind, you should move into the hard shoulder to let them pass?

Nonsense. The limit is the limit whether you like it or not. Forcing someone out of their lane because you want to exceed the limit is beyond arrogant in my book. Its entirely different to being a tractor or slow moving vehicle, then you should when possible move to one side. But expecting people to facilitate your law breaking? Come off it. If you want to drive fast, at least have the cojones to overtake when you can.

Special Circumstances

It's kinda like holding a door open for someone carrying something, or not parking in the service area of a petrol station to eat your lunch* - there's no real obligation on you to do it but being courteous to other people ( NB - at little inconvenience or risk to yourself or others) is one of these things that differentiates well adjusted considerate people from ignorant begrudging apes.


*Guess where I met two ignorant apes stuffing their faces today when I needed to check tyre pressure. Despite buckets of actual parking spaces.

Gazzmonkey

TBi wrote: »

I would normally drive as fast as I consider safe. When tail gated i slow down because I find the situation unsafe. They can pass me out of they want.

Even though you're been tailgated because you're driving too slow ???

Some day you'll do that to the wrong person, they'll overtake you then slam the brakes and you'll be left picking up the pieces.

Policing the roads should be left to the Gardaí should it not?

stefanovich

Gazzmonkey wrote: »

Even though you're been tailgated because you're driving too slow ???

Some day you'll do that to the wrong person, they'll overtake you then slam the brakes and you'll be left picking up the pieces.

Policing the roads should be left to the Gardaí should it not?

You should never tailgate. There is no justification.The slow driver is a pain and a nuisance but overtake when you can. Do not tailgate to intimidate. The driver could nervous and you could very well cause them to have an accident or stress them out a lot.

I shout and rant to myself when in this position but no way would I intimidate someone else.

CiniO

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I don't care what the RSA says, pulling into the hard shoulder to let a vehicle overtake is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a road.

zurbfoundation wrote: »

please don't pull into the hard shoulder to let cars pass - its very dangerous, i hate seeing people, especially trucks, do this

You can ask us no to do it on a forum, but I won't be listening to you, and whenever I see someone quicker behind me I pull to hard shoulder considering it's safe.
It's not dangerous at all.