Your driving pet hates

CramCycle · 08-05-2014 11:46AM

djimi wrote: »

Id argue that it is never safe to stop at an amber light in this country (as in actually come to a stop before the light turns red); doing so is most likely going to see you get seriously rear ended. For me its one of those situations where what is legally right is somewhat over ruled by the potential consequences.

But thats the problem, people now think it is the right thing to do, its common place to see drivers in Dublin speed up after a light goes Red, ffs. I have stopped at a red that just changed, had started to slow when it went Amber, and then I can see/hear the driver behind me F'in and blinding. It is ridiculous. Christ, I stopped my bike on the N11 the other day at a red to have 4 cars go through after I had stopped. The sooner they get ANPR cameras put on lights the better.

FunLover18 wrote: »

Slowing down for a green that you can see has been green for quite some time makes perfect sense.

Its what I was taught in driving school, I probably don't do it but usually because road conditions etc. would allow me to stop in time if it went amber/red.

My pet peeves are a tie between RLJers, indicators (do it before you f'in turn, not during) and god damn smart phone/ipad users, the amount of god damn lights that are missed every morning because Billy "I can't miss sky news latest update" Tosspot doesn't look up is infuriating. The garda crackdown seems to have had no effect as far as I can tell.

jameshayes · 08-05-2014 11:49AM

A huge pet hate of mine is people that go on about indicators and others not using them.

1. an indicator should only be used when it will benefit other road users.. if you are the only user on / approaching a roundabout, don't worry about it

2. they are / should never be taken as a persons action, only their indication to action... it is a hint, a tip or a clue to what they are going to do, sometimes tips, clues and hints don't work out.

FunLover18 · 08-05-2014 11:54AM

jameshayes wrote: »

1. an indicator should only be used when it will benefit other road users.. if you are the only user on / approaching a roundabout, don't worry about it

I can see the logic behind this but for me using the indicators is a habit and people should be careful of falling out of it.

jca · 08-05-2014 11:55AM

they are / should never be taken as a persons action, only their indication to action... it is a hint, a tip or a clue to what they are going to do, sometimes tips, clues and hints don't work out.

Not much good when they don't turn them on;)

OldMrBrennan83 · 08-05-2014 11:58AM

This post has been deleted.

loinnsigh · 08-05-2014 12:08PM

jameshayes wrote: »

A huge pet hate of mine is people that go on about indicators and others not using them.

1. an indicator should only be used when it will benefit other road users.. if you are the only user on / approaching a roundabout, don't worry about it

Interesting logic. If there's nobody around to see somebody not using their indicators then it's not going to annoy people is it?

If a tree falls in the forest without indicating first but there's nobody there to see it, did it really fail to indicate?

djimi · 08-05-2014 12:12PM

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

You seem to be in a panic to accidentally run a yellow light, that is incorrect behaviour.

Im not in a panic to do anything. My point is that Im not going to stop dead at a light that is still amber (even if I can), because Im afraid that the car behind me is going to plough through me. I have seen it happen, its almost happened to me before. Call it defensive driving!

djimi · 08-05-2014 12:16PM

CramCycle wrote: »

But thats the problem, people now think it is the right thing to do, its common place to see drivers in Dublin speed up after a light goes Red, ffs. I have stopped at a red that just changed, had started to slow when it went Amber, and then I can see/hear the driver behind me F'in and blinding. It is ridiculous. Christ, I stopped my bike on the N11 the other day at a red to have 4 cars go through after I had stopped. The sooner they get ANPR cameras put on lights the better.

Thats exactly my point; it was always common place to tear through an amber light, and its become a lot more common place now to run red lights as well. As far as Im concerned, me stopping dead at an amber light leaves me very vulnerable to the driver behind me who floors it at the sight of the amber light and expects me to do the same.

It might sound ridiculous, and I know its not strictly legal, but the way I see it its not dangerous to run an amber light, and Id prefer to sit just the wrong side of the law than have the car behind me suddenly appear in my back seat...

jameshayes · 08-05-2014 12:39PM

djimi wrote: »

Im not in a panic to do anything. My point is that Im not going to stop dead at a light that is still amber (even if I can), because Im afraid that the car behind me is going to plough through me. I have seen it happen, its almost happened to me before. Call it defensive driving!

It's disobeying the rules of the road, nothing else.

CramCycle · 08-05-2014 12:52PM

djimi wrote: »

Thats exactly my point; it was always common place to tear through an amber light, and its become a lot more common place now to run red lights as well. As far as Im concerned, me stopping dead at an amber light leaves me very vulnerable to the driver behind me who floors it at the sight of the amber light and expects me to do the same.

Not if they are paying attention and see your brake lights, if they hit you in the scenario you describe, they are going to hit someone eventually. Probably you as they desperately try to cling to your arse as you go through on amber and them on red and when a ped steps out without looking and you slam on the brakes, they will rear end you. The rear ending is an excuse and to be honest not a hugely viable one. The only drivers who do this are either too close or not paying enough attention which means they will cause an accident eventually (whether they are directly involved in it or not)

The J Stands for Jay · 08-05-2014 01:08PM

TireeTerror wrote: »

Everyone on the M50.

/thread

ironclaw · 08-05-2014 01:09PM

People who either have their wipers off or going full tilt when its not raining or merely drizzle. Constant rear wipers annoy me too.

dr.fuzzenstein · 08-05-2014 01:18PM

ironclaw wrote: »

People who either have their wipers off or going full tilt when its not raining or merely drizzle. Constant rear wipers annoy me too.

I often see vans with blocked out rear windows and the wiper going.
How long has that been going? Weeks? Months?
Once saw a car where the rear wiper had disintegrated to a stub and by now it was just the metal cutting a groove into the window. :rolleyes:
Like foglights (there, I said it!), there was a car in front of me in traffic, with rear foglights on.
I use my usual spiel to get her attention. Polite flash. Wait. Another polite flash.
Wait. Three flashes. Wait. Turn on full lights plus front fog lights and turn level to 0.
Usually at this stage I get dirty/puzzled looks, because the person in front of me can't figure out why some asshole behind them is flashing and blinding them.
But at that stage I think it's only fair enough to return the annoyance.
Wer nicht hören will, muss fühlen.
But this time I got out (stationary traffic) and nicely (no, really) informed the person in front of me that their rear fogs are on, there is no fog and would she please turn them off.
She did. And turned them back on 2 minutes later.
So I treated her to the courtesy of more accentuated rear illumination.
Some people do it on purpose, some because they don't know, but some are so thick, you wonder how they not forget to breathe and drop dead.

gammygils · 08-05-2014 01:29PM

Toyota Yaris for me.
It's like the old ad slogan : "The car in front is a Toyota"
Well it usually is! With some Muppet in it doin' 40 and around 15 cars behind it brakelightin'

az2wp0sye65487 · 08-05-2014 01:45PM

BuffyBot wrote: »

It's a huge bugbear of mine too. It's not that complicated to figure out. Those who indicate the wrong way on roundabouts also make me crazy. Seen that twice in the last few days.

YES! - almost as annoying as no indicators is people who indicate incorrectly, or prematurely, on roundabouts.

Sitting at a roundabout with 4 roads leading on/off it, waiting to enter the roundabout....

The amount of people who indicate right when they are taking the 2nd exit (ie going straight through) is amazing.

Also, so many people come on to the roundabout, indicate left (as if they are taking the next available exit - say their 2nd exit) and then continue past that exit to the 3rd exit!

It's like they think to themselves: "right so - roundabout... this means I should indicate left the whole time"

dr.fuzzenstein · 08-05-2014 02:04PM

Let's see if I remember this correctly.
Car approaches roundabout in left lane, indicating left. Once entered roundabout, indicates right and changes from left lane to right lane. Approaches 12 O'Clock exit, indicates left and exits roundabout.
Basically all he was doing is go straight on.
WTF?
Next pet hate:
Myself approach roundabout in left lane to go straight. Car in right lane, obviously going right.
Halfway through the roundabout, he speeds up and is trying to cut me off for the exit. No dice. Make it through ahead of him.
That is bad enough. but he tries the same sh*t at the next roundabout?
Well, if he couldn't jump me when i wasn't expecting it, what makes him think he'll make it when I am fully prepared and ready to floor it?
:mad:

blastman · 08-05-2014 02:05PM

xabi wrote: »

Sounds like you indicated early, i never trust an indicator.

I didn't, plus the other driver looked at me and still came ahead.

blastman · 08-05-2014 02:23PM

jameshayes wrote: »

1. an indicator should only be used when it will benefit other road users.. if you are the only user on / approaching a roundabout, don't worry about it

Sorry, this is rubbish and shouldn't be encouraged because the majority of drivers have no ability to work out when using the indicator will benefit other users and when it won't. Like the muppets who cut across lanes on a two-lane roundabout. It starts off with them doing it when there's no other traffic around (and, hands up, I admit doing this myself) but before you know it they're doing it when I'm practically beside them in the other lane.

jca · 08-05-2014 03:21PM

blastman wrote: »

Sorry, this is rubbish and shouldn't be encouraged because the majority of drivers have no ability to work out when using the indicator will benefit other users and when it won't. Like the muppets who cut across lanes on a two-lane roundabout. It starts off with them doing it when there's no other traffic around (and, hands up, I admit doing this myself) but before you know it they're doing it when I'm practically beside them in the other lane.

Exactly I agree with you 100%. Driving is all about getting good habits and keeping it that way. Even at 4am I use my indicators on empty roundabouts, I'm gone so used to doing it.

intellectual dosser · 08-05-2014 03:29PM

"Indicators should be used when you intend on changing road position"
I can still recall it in my instructors Scottish accent.
This includes maneuvering within your own lane (ie. passing out a car parked up on a curb without crossing the white line).

Anyway, my own pet hates:
People who indicate AFTER they've already started their turn (It's just thick - my own dad does it).
People who pass me out and then drive at a speed slower than I was doing.
People who pass me out and pull in right on top of me, especially when theres nothing coming in the opposite direction.

BarryD · 08-05-2014 03:44PM

Pet hate? Many people have either lost or never acquired the basic skill of reversing into a parking bay. They just drive forward into them and are then seen later reversing back out into the traffic flow, even though they can barely see what's coming. If they drive a jeep or estate type car, their arse is halfway across the traffic flow in many cases before they can see out. It's a modern scourge, even carparks and some onstreet parking have angled bays now, encouraging this habit. Compounded when the shoppers arrive back in their car on a wet day and all the windows steam up. Breaks a basic rule, that you don't reverse into a lane or road that is carrying more traffic than what you are on. You reverse into the lesser lane/ bay/ road and then pull forwards into the route carrying heavy traffic.

Sat in a car park recently watching people - I'd say about 30% reversed into their parking spaces. Behaviour sometimes affected by adjacent cars - i.e. if several cars parked facing out, arriving driver more likely to reverse in to match them. People are like sheep at end of day, I guess!! Rant over

tossy · 08-05-2014 03:48PM

Which leads me onto a pet hate of mine, you spot a space you indicate slow down - stop beside the space, inch forward, put it into reverse, look back and the clown behind you is 1 foot from your bumper!

Mousewar · 08-05-2014 03:49PM

Cars using the left lane to turn right off a roundabout. They do it just to skip the queue that has formed in the right lane. It's ubiquitous and very dangerous (plenty of the time there is someone in the right lane going straight and when the two meet - Bang!)

hoodie6029 · 08-05-2014 03:49PM

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Some people do it on purpose, some because they don't know.

I think some nervous drivers do it to keep other drivers from getting too close. I remember on Japanese cars from the 80's and 90's the fog and window heater switches were beside each other. It was more common to be stuck behind someone who thought they were clearing their rear window back then!

xabi · 08-05-2014 04:07PM

blastman wrote: »

I didn't, plus the other driver looked at me and still came ahead.

But you said you indicated before the preceding exit, I wouldn't indicate until i was level with the preceding entrance to the roundabout.

ianobrien · 08-05-2014 04:09PM

eviltimeban wrote: »

.... The traffic is quite slow at that part of the road and you can generally get across. But some a-holes blatantly block you, even though they are crawling along.

But they are still moving, even slowly?

Once I am moving, you can bugger off I'm not stopping to let you out.

BarryD · 08-05-2014 04:15PM

tossy wrote: »

Which leads me onto a pet hate of mine, you spot a space you indicate slow down - stop beside the space, inch forward, put it into reverse, look back and the clown behind you is 1 foot from your bumper!

Been there, done that and bought the teeshirt. It's just a clash of culture or maybe a generation gap thing. The driver behind you looks blank - they just have no idea that what you might actually be thinking of doing is to reverse back into that space.

Worse still, they try and nip into the space behind you. Best approach I find is to stop dead at the parking space and force the person behind to stop. Then forward a little to get your angle right. There's still some who won't get it though.

I must admit failure sometimes and have just given up and driven forward into the space when I can see it happening.

dr.fuzzenstein · 08-05-2014 04:17PM

ianobrien wrote: »

But they are still moving, even slowly?

Once I am moving, you can bugger off I'm not stopping to let you out.

Don't worry, I'll let you out, even if Mr O'Brien is the type to pull in front of you, blocking you, so he can gain another 3 feet in traffic.
In the end it doesn't cost me anything.
Some of us are still nice.

dr.fuzzenstein · 08-05-2014 04:19PM

tossy wrote: »

Which leads me onto a pet hate of mine, you spot a space you indicate slow down - stop beside the space, inch forward, put it into reverse, look back and the clown behind you is 1 foot from your bumper!

Some guy did that to me years ago, but he wasn't fast enough and left me enough space (1 inch either side), so I managed to just about squeeze past him.
He actually started beeping me and waving his arms. I gave him a big grin and a friendly wave as he drove past.
At some time this was actually quite popular in Ennis, it happened so often and they where so deliberate about it, it had to be on purpose.

One guy would actually park in a space, put it in reverse and have the ignition on with his foot on the brake. So there was always traffic chaos as hopeful people would wait behind him for 5 minutes to pull out, till they realised he was reading the paper.
Hilarious!

twowheelsonly · 08-05-2014 05:24PM

Most of mine are well covered in this thread, indicators, fog lights, lane hoggers etc.

A major one that pisses me off is driving with parking lights on -why can't people just put on the dipped lights? It's only one extra flip of the switch and you're not going to get a bill for using them.. :mad:

The other one is dopes parked on 'my' side of the road, facing into oncoming traffic, lights on. Doesn't matter that they're dipped, lights are angled to the left so will blind oncoming drivers that are on that side of the road.

truedoom wrote: »

Just in regards to the fog lights, i've reason to keep them on at night.

Dipped lights are pretty rubbish. It's a legitimate fault with my car, so it's either fogs on, or have to do 20-30kph under the limit, because i can't see far enough ahead.

Sorry lads.

Get your lights adjusted or replaced/upgraded?

angwd wrote: »

Rubberneckers, grrr.

And the cheeky beggar at the petrol station the other day, stood between me and the cash desk trying to force me to go and pump his petrol because "he'd left his glasses at home".

I'd always have sympathy for someone like this unless they were a total ar**h*le. From my days in retail I learnt that "glasses at home" could often be a pseudonym for "can't read and write" - a more common problem than you'd think.

foxy farmer wrote: »

What about the muppet who almost drives their car through the filling station door because they couldn't be bothered walking 20-30 metres. Came out of a shop recently and the door hit an Audi parked outside. Nearly had to climb over the bonnet to get by. Waited to see who was the culprit. A healthy well dressed man in his 30s. Didn't seem to be in any hurry either. Why ffs?

Worst of these offenders is the woman in a tracksuit either going to or coming from a walk/gym or whatever yet is too lazy to walk across a forecourt! Drives me nuts!!

jameshayes wrote: »

A huge pet hate of mine is people that go on about indicators and others not using them.

1. an indicator should only be used when it will benefit other road users.. if you are the only user on / approaching a roundabout, don't worry about it

2. they are / should never be taken as a persons action, only their indication to action... it is a hint, a tip or a clue to what they are going to do, sometimes tips, clues and hints don't work out.

BS. ALWAYS use the indicator and then there can be no argument. What about blind spots? Pedestrians? Traffic at other points of the roundabout that you possibly can't see when you start your move?

Your driving pet hates

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