Northern Reg's = Mad Drivers

_Kaiser_

RE the N11...

I've noticed that almost NOONE seems to pay any attention to the 60 kph limit that applies to the majority of this road. Even on the brief stretch where it goes up to 80 kph that STILL isn't fast enough for people.

Worst example tho was a Diplomatic tagged BMW I saw a few weeks back that musta been doing well over 120 kph in the 60 kph zone.. makes you feel like a chump for playing by the rules when the rest of em so blatently disregard them

Altho.. there is justice.... sometimes

Bout a month or so back I was coming from town through the Phoenix Park and there was some sorta marathon on, leading to huge tailbacks and a big Garda presence.

So there I was doing the legitimate 50 kph when the traffic started moving again, but this wasn't quick enough for the taxi driver behind me in his Merc who tore past me...... for about 200 yards when he was pulled in by the garda on a bike who was further back in the line

OLDYELLAR

First time on the road on my own friday , first of all up in Kilkienny I have some guy in a civic drivin up in me ar*e , I was freakin as i knew a hillstart an awkward one was coming up so he continues up in my ar*e , I left the car cut out but got the handbrake before it rolled , so i try again , I had it in 3rd I think by accident was going nowhere , now there was room for this lad to go around me , so i wave him on , hes beeping and hitting the wheel at this stage , I was nearly crying , some other guy drives along then tells your man to grow up and drive on , I ended up havin to get this guy to do the hillstart for me , I was just sat there for about ten mins tryin to gather meself after the abuse the civic driver gave me , I know I was at fault but Ì have the L`s up which means stay back a bit.
So I head to waterford then the friend drove down behind me , next thing you might know the place Mike , coming up to the holy cross pub I was between there and kilmeaden the frend behind me and I hear all this beeping , but all I could see was the frends micra , next thing I see lights flashing , some guy behind me in a van beeping and flashing the lights , I pulled into the hard shoulder to leave him off , he finally passes me out , the frend was saying he was behind him all through Kilmeaden beeping and flashing.
Have to say my 1st day alone on the road was one of the worst days I`ve ever had and completely put me off driving , Im half afraid to drive it anywhere now , I couldnt believe how impatient other drivers were and the amount of road rage around.Bad Experience.

kluivert

OLDYELLAR.

There is a vast amount of pricks on the road. Dont worry about hill starts we all had to learn the hard way.

I bought my first car back in 01 a 94 clio, great little car, but i had to drive it all the way home from Drogheda to Monaghan. In Drogheda i was the first at the traffic lights on a hill, and do you think i could get it to go, not a hope, the gf was in the car tellin me to take it easy relax and let it work itself not panic basicly.

EVeryone started to beep their horns bar the gentleman right behind me, instead he got of his car and knock on the window, i thought he was going to give out like but no turn around and pointed at all the cars behind me and say "pass no remarks of those ****, pricks with little dicks trying to make it up using their horns". I couldnt stop laughin but i was well relaxed then. And he stayed beside the car giving me words f encouragement till just before the lights turned green for the fifth time. I was away and i owe that man a world of thanks.

Tip for ya drive out to somewhere quiet and find a smallish high and practice holding the car on the slope using the clutch and accelerator, then just the clutch do this a few times and u'll find your confidence will grow.

MrPudding

kluivert wrote:

Tip for ya drive out to somewhere quiet and find a smallish high and practice holding the car on the slope using the clutch and accelerator, then just the clutch do this a few times and u'll find your confidence will grow.

Or. Take some driving lessons or have someone in the car with you that knows what they are doing and can advise you. I'm sorry but if you are incapable of carrying out a hillstart then you are not ready to be driving on your own.

MrP

kluivert

Mr Pudding

A person can be techically good but lack the confidence, in the above situation its seems that the driver panic coz the civic driver was being a pr**k, now you can take lessons in confidence building but do you not think that practice is better.

_Kaiser_

I really think that more people should drive Automatics. I've started in one and there's none of this hassle with them. Makes it a lot easier to focus on the road and things going on around you than having to concentrate on the mechanics of the car if you know what I mean

DubTony

Practising is the best way to build confidence. Morons screaming and blowing is usually enough to cause panic in most new drivers.
OLDYELLAR, I assume you've not passed your test yet, and if it was your first time on your own in the car I'd bet your on your first provisional as well. And as you are aware, you shouldn't be in the car alone.

Problem with only learning to drive an auto is that if you pass your test in one you get an AUTO ONLY license. If you want to drive a manual later you have to start all over again. Having said that, both cars here are automatics. It's best to let the car look after all that gear changing and clutching nonsense

MrPudding

kluivert wrote:

Mr Pudding

A person can be techically good but lack the confidence, in the above situation its seems that the driver panic coz the civic driver was being a pr**k, now you can take lessons in confidence building but do you not think that practice is better.

I agree with most of what you are saying. The civic driver is an asshole, of that there is no doubt. My point is that for someone who is still learning and lacks confidence having a person with them would probably help them to cope.

Example:

kluivert wrote:

And he stayed beside the car giving me words f encouragement till just before the lights turned green for the fifth time. I was away and i owe that man a world of thanks.

If you'd had an appropriate person in the car with you a complete stranger would not have had to do this. This is exactly why you should have someone in the car with you. You cannot and should not rely on the kindness of strangers.

Most, if not all other (civilised) countries do not allow learner drivers to drive on their own. Do you think they might be on to something?

MrP

_Kaiser_

DubTony wrote:

Problem with only learning to drive an auto is that if you pass your test in one you get an AUTO ONLY license. If you want to drive a manual later you have to start all over again. Having said that, both cars here are automatics. It's best to let the car look after all that gear changing and clutching nonsense

My point exactly. And its so much easier in traffic

mike65

Old Yeller what are you driving again?

Given your lack of experience it important to get as much time behind the whel as possible while in the company of someone who's been around the block a few times.

It sounds like you just had a piece of bad luck with the van driver, Kilmeaden
is a 60 kph zone and the road is aboslute sh1te at the moment so he's a fool
for trying to go any faster than you.

As for hillstarts well they are the hardest thing to learn (all that in/out, all at once!) and plenty of ppl who have been driving years can't do em properly. Never try one in third though!

Mike.

OLDYELLAR

A few people have said to me since this , by the way people who I dont have much regard for that if I cant do a hil;lstart I shouldnt be on the road.
But where else am i meant to learn , It was my first time driving this car which by the way doesnt have a great clutch in it , It was my first time on the road alone without a guy with dual control beside me , and it was horrible!

The guy in the civic should a relaxed remembered what its like to be a learner and bloody well went around me , instead I was sat there near tears and shaking when I got home , my mam had to give me stuff to relax me to drive it to waterford.Having a guy leave down his window and shout you thick b*tch you should have your license taking off ya wasnt the greatest confidence booster to my first day of driving.

samo

EDIT/
I also just realised that the original post was about Northern drivers and not learner drives so sorry for going off topic but this is in relation to the eejit that annoyed Old yellar in waterford!!!



I was thinking about this thread today as my first instinct was that, yes exactly - we all have to start somewhere and if you do have the L plates it is a warning and an indication to other drivers that you are learning so to be prepared that the unexpected could happen. I would never dream of being impatient with a person learning in say a driving school car, (maybe I might with the instructor if they bring someone REALLY inexperienced onto a very busy road) as have been done there and done that as a learner myself.

However, today as I was driving home in heavyish traffic I was stuck behind a learner who took 8 minutes to make a right hand turn at a T junction. To say it was frustrating was an understatement and like that she was unaccompanied (have to assume she was on a 1st provisional) and there were at least 15-20 oppurtunities that presented themselves before she actually moved, (she was finally waved on by 2 cars who also stopped for an eternity to let her out)

The whole street was backed up as a result and she got beeped once to which she responded by going beserk at the car behind. So whilst the attitude that yes we all have to learn is true on the other hand alot of practice in light traffic expecially in judging distances etc would have been a much better start also and an understanding that there is a logic behind having a licensed driver with you when you 1st start out to point out where your going wrong.

Last thing is I had a major phobia of hill starts when i started driving too (to the point where even after passing my test I nearly rolled back into a Garda on a motorbike on Harolds cross bridge in Dublin after getting panicky about him being behind me!!) but I spent about an hour when i first started getting lessons practising getting the feel of where the clutch bites when doing a hill start on a really quiet area and this made a massive difference to me, so would recommend doing the same!

OLDYELLAR

I had 11 lessons , but the clutch on this car is so much harder to control than the clutch on the newish car i had the lessons in.
Id love to have a fully qualified driver with me at all times , would put me so at ease , but its very difficult to get someone to go everywhere with you all the time.

is_that_so

There are three types of Northern drivers imho

Type 1 - Will sit in outside lane up to 50 metres behind you.
Once you pull in they will go past you like a bat out of hell

Type 2 - Tailgater - it's all been said before

Type 3 - to be found happily driving under 120 kph on inside lane of motorway

There is/was an ongoing discussion( probably suspended along with the Asembly :rolleyes: ) to allow Gardai to penalise Northern drivers who transgress and for PSNI to be able to do likewise with Southern drivers.

DubTony

is_that_so wrote:

There are three types of Northern drivers imho

Type 1 - Will sit in outside lane up to 50 metres behind you.
Once you pull in they will go past you like a bat out of hell

Type 2 - Tailgater - it's all been said before

Type 3 - to be found happily driving under 120 kph on inside lane of motorway

Well I found a fourth. About a dozen of them in fact.
It's that time of year folks. When all the nationalists with sense get out of "the province" and do a type of marching of their own ... on our roads.
Today I drove to and from Drogheda on the M1 and the M50. MPVs. Vans, SUVs, and cars all at some point on the journey hogged the outside lane. At one point there were four of them in a row trundling along at 100k on the overtaking lane of the M1. I thought we were being invaded.
This fallacy that nordie drivers are somehow more likely to get out of your way seems to prevail. Maybe they do it on home turf, (perhaps the PSNI will do them for hogging) but down here it seems they like to keep the outside lane for themselves.

MrPudding

OLDYELLAR wrote:

A few people have said to me since this , by the way people who I dont have much regard for that if I cant do a hil;lstart I shouldnt be on the road.
But where else am i meant to learn , It was my first time driving this car which by the way doesnt have a great clutch in it , It was my first time on the road alone without a guy with dual control beside me , and it was horrible!

I realise you have to be on the road to learn. You will have to forgive me, I come from a far away country where the idea of a learner in a car by themselves would not be entertained.

OLDYELLAR wrote:

The guy in the civic should a relaxed remembered what its like to be a learner and bloody well went around me , instead I was sat there near tears and shaking when I got home , my mam had to give me stuff to relax me to drive it to waterford.Having a guy leave down his window and shout you thick b*tch you should have your license taking off ya wasnt the greatest confidence booster to my first day of driving.

I agree with you, the guy in the civic leaves a lot to be desired. I reckon most people here would agree he may not have the required mental skills to actually hold a license himself.

But, the problem for me is I really don't think you should be on the road by yourself. I am not getting at you personnally beleive me, I'm not. I just really feel that until a person develops the confidence to drive on their own someone should be with them.

I know you, or others, will say you can't always get someone to sit in with you. Well really that's too bad. Plenty of learners in other countries have that same problem. I appreciate that the waiting lists here may be longer but that is kind of irrelevent too.

If you have of had someone in the car with you I think you would have gotten through your incident much better. Can you see why some people might think that a learner driver driving an unfamiliar car with a bad clutch might be seen as unadvisable?

I remember when I moved down here at first I thought people were having a laugh when they told me learners could drive alone. I mean seriously folks, can you not see how stupid it is?

Back on topic. Northie drivers. **Some** of them may hog the overtaking lane, they may tailgate and flash people to move, but at least they know you are supposed to stop at a fcuking red light. Seriously, you southerners have a neck on you.

Dubtony wrote:

Well I found a fourth. About a dozen of them in fact.
It's that time of year folks. When all the nationalists with sense get out of "the province" and do a type of marching of their own ... on our roads.
Today I drove to and from Drogheda on the M1 and the M50. MPVs. Vans, SUVs, and cars all at some point on the journey hogged the outside lane. At one point there were four of them in a row trundling along at 100k on the overtaking lane of the M1. I thought we were being invaded.
This fallacy that nordie drivers are somehow more likely to get out of your way seems to prevail. Maybe they do it on home turf, (perhaps the PSNI will do them for hogging) but down here it seems they like to keep the outside lane for themselves.

Careful now Tony. They were probably taking their traditional route, in their traditional lane at their traditional speed. Doesn't matter what foot we kick with, us Northies love our traditions.

MrP

OLDYELLAR

I just done kilkenny to waterford alone perfectly!!Was out practising with my full license frend all day yesterday.Im so happy yays , Im still in no way perfect but for me doing that route and then pulling off a hill start a 3 point turning and reverse parking without cutting out once , thats a big thing , im delighted!
I can totally see though why learners shouldnt be left out alone , I reckon myself if my dad or frend had been in the car with me the first day I would of done better and relaxed more , but as i know they wont be around a lot when im driving the more practice I get driving alone uilds the confidence and really helps