Road rage incident learner driver

freddieot · 05-08-2020 7:54am

Keep going out and practicing OP. Unfortunately there are lots of drivers like this guy but don't let it affect your enjoyment of your car and the freedom it gives you.

The best policy is to to totally ignore anyone that starts acting like that. That's also the best revenge. That guy might be driving longer than you but still cannot drive properly as at least a modicum of patience is always required for other drivers, especially learners. At least you are in the process of learning and are probably a more considerate and therefore better driver than him already.

As others have said, getting out of the car is always a bad move. It can also sometimes end up in either Hospital or Prison for at least one, if not both of the participants.

I'm driving over 40 years but still make the odd small mistake (especially easy in cities with roundabouts \ lanes ending suddenly etc.). Anyone who says they don't is a liar. Don't dwell on this incident but hopefully it will reinforce your own tolerance for others when you start to get a fair bit more experience and confidence.

antix80 · 05-08-2020 8:02am

TK Lemon wrote: »

Mr. Lemon got out to politely point out that I'm a learner driver.

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

Yep the guy behind you probably shouldn't be on the road but your husband should have told you to concentrate on your driving. He could have discreetly noted the angry driver's number plate and made a call to the local gardai. Not saying they would have done anything but that's what he should have done.

Muscles Schultz · 05-08-2020 8:04am

Del2005 wrote: »

While beeping the horn is illegal, in most circumstances, getting out to record someone beeping their horn is a complete over reaction. The accompanying driver should have been reassuring the learner so that they can pull away not getting out of the car confronting the other driver.

There was a discussion on this a while back

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057252759/1/#post91354352

ExoPolitic · 05-08-2020 8:10am

antix80 wrote: »

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

Yep the guy behind you probably shouldn't be on the road but your husband should have told you to concentrate on your driving. He could have discreetly noted the angry driver's number plate and made a call to the local gardai. Not saying they would have done anything but that's what he should have done.

Bad advice on rule 1. If a car is about to hit you and they haven't noticed you, you use the horn. That's what it is there for.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 8:20am

Has anyone on this thread suggested to the OP that they should just get better at driving?

Sure people should be patient and take their time with other motorists, but the incident started because of an inability to drive correctly, it was exasperated by people’s reactions but the starting point (pun intended) was the OP not being able to take off correctly on the green light and clearly (And understandably) they need to improve as a driver.

storker · 05-08-2020 8:23am

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Has anyone on this thread suggested to the OP that they should just get better at driving?

Sure people should be patient and take their time with other motorists, but the incident started because of an inability to drive correctly, it was exasperated by people’s reactions but the starting point (pun intended) was the OP not being able to take off correctly on the green light and clearly (And understandably) they need to improve as a driver.

The best way to do that is to...er...drive.

begbysback · 05-08-2020 8:30am

Every learner driver should face the wrath of the horn, toughens them up and prepares for real life on the road, if not on your game then you’re getting a beep, it’s a jungle out there people.

antix80 · 05-08-2020 8:35am

antix80 wrote: »

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

ExoPolitic wrote: »

Bad advice on rule 1. If a car is about to hit you and they haven't noticed you, you use the horn. That's what it is there for.

Well in case you hadn't noticed, it's bad advice for #2 as well unless you plan on living in your car.

I meant don't use the horn to intimidate someone .. like leaning on the horn to punish someone for making a mistake.

begbysback · 05-08-2020 8:48am

Although I do believe the horn is necessary on certain occasions, I do now remember when I had L plates up, not actually a learner, just hadn’t bothered with the test. Was sitting at traffic lights one morning, now we’ve all been slow when the lights turn green from time to time, and a little bip is called for, an actual beep is not necessary, but on this occasion I’m on me game and alert, lights go green and pretty much on synch I let’s the handbrake down and about to accelerate when someone behind me gives it large on the horn. I looks in my mirror and it’s a lady in her fifties with glasses dangling sideways across her nose, I have to admit it took every bit of strength I had to stay in the car. After this experience I decided to take the L plates down for public safety reasons. Thought it better to appear in court for having no L plate, than for dislocating somebody’s jaw.

Hotblack Desiato · 05-08-2020 8:54am

storker wrote: »

The best way to do that is to...er...drive.

Someone who is that inexperienced should really be in a driving school car with a professional instructor, for their own sake. No excuses though for the other driver's behaviour.

Days of any randomer with a full licence teaching people how to drive are gone. That's what the minimum number of lessons is for.

beauf · 05-08-2020 9:08am

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Someone who is that inexperienced should really be in a driving school car with a professional instructor, for their own sake. No excuses though for the other driver's behaviour.

Days of any randomer with a full licence teaching people how to drive are gone. That's what the minimum number of lessons is for.

Yes what every thread needs, victim blaming.

A professional instructor makes no different to this situation. Learners stall. Even an experienced driver can stall, and sometimes if the car has problem it will stall.

The only problem in this thread is the road rage driver. There's no rational reason to defend that behaviour and blame the victim. If your can't control your impatience and anger you shouldn't be driving. End of..

copeyhagen · 05-08-2020 9:10am

buy an automatic. seriously, i have no idea why people would buy a manual car now, like every car will be automatic in ten years.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 9:13am

beauf wrote: »

Yes what every thread needs, victim blaming.

A professional instructor makes no different to this situation. Learners stall. Even an experienced driver can stall, and sometimes if the car has problem it will stall.

The only problem in this thread is the road rage driver. There's no rational reason to defend that behaviour and blame the victim. If your can't control your impatience and anger you shouldn't be driving. End of..

Not Everyone stalls, but a lot of people do and that’s fine. In this instance it happened twice and that’s down to the driver.

There isn’t a victim here to be blaming, there is somebody whose lack of experience behind the wheel has come in contact with a lack of patience behind another wheel.

If the OP doesn’t want it to happen again then they can only control what is within their ability to control, and that equates to being a better driver. Learning to predict lights, when first at traffic lights watching to be sure they are anticipating as early as possible and Getting the biting point on the pedals to take off correctly.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 9:14am

copeyhagen wrote: »

buy an automatic. seriously, i have no idea why people would buy a manual car now, like every car will be automatic in ten years.

I hate automatics.
Everyone should be able to drive both.

Ta ceist agam · 05-08-2020 9:16am

copeyhagen wrote: »

buy an automatic. seriously, i have no idea why people would buy a manual car now, like every car will be automatic in ten years.

I don't know why people buy cars that require humans to drive them, like every car will be self driving in ten years.

beauf · 05-08-2020 9:19am

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Not Everyone stalls, but a lot of people do and that’s fine. In this instance it happened twice and that’s down to the driver.

There isn’t a victim here to be blaming, there is somebody whose lack of experience behind the wheel has come in contact with a lack of patience behind another wheel.

If the OP doesn’t want it to happen again then they can only control what is within their ability to control, and that equates to being a better driver. Learning to predict lights, when first at traffic lights watching to be sure they are anticipating as early as possible and Getting the biting point on the pedals to take off correctly.

Getting out of your car trying someone's door handle and threating physical violence is not "lack of patience".

So not everyone stalls. In their entire history of driving manual cars and learning they've never stalled not even once. Really?

Yes it is victim blaming. It doesn't even have to be a stall. Cars break down.

Sky King · 05-08-2020 9:20am

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Someone who is that inexperienced should really be in a driving school car with a professional instructor, for their own sake. No excuses though for the other driver's behaviour.

Days of any randomer with a full licence teaching people how to drive are gone. That's what the minimum number of lessons is for.

I dont agree with this at all, having taught quite a few people to drive, one as recently as last year. Proper lessons are important of course, but what is equally important is consolidating what has been taught to the learner in their lessons with practice on the road, and that means just getting out there and doing it.

Drivers being d*cks to obvious learners absolutely amazes me.... Like did none of these people ever learn themselves?

The last person I taught was quite competent - just lacking in the confidence department. The cure for that is regular driving under supervision. But they regularly got flustered under pressure and stalled the car - often at a roundabout. It's a tiny car with big L plates on it, clearly a learner, yet still you would have guys(and yes it almost always was guys) going mental on the horn and dangerously overtaking. A-holes :rolleyes:

Muscles Schultz · 05-08-2020 9:20am

copeyhagen wrote: »

buy an automatic. seriously, i have no idea why people would buy a manual car now, like every car will be automatic in ten years.

Automatics are for geeks and weaks

beauf · 05-08-2020 9:22am

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

I don't know why people buy cars that require humans to drive them, like every car will be self driving in ten years.

What car can you buy that doesn't require a human to drive it.

air · 05-08-2020 9:45am

Agree with everyone that this is totally unacceptable behaviour.
However I think there is also a lot to be said for learners truly mastering the basic mechanical functions of driving in an empty car park or other safe space before taking to the roads.

It will increase confidence when all the starting, stopping, gear changes etc are already second nature & leave the learner in a better position to deal with everything else on the road.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 9:46am

beauf wrote: »

Getting out of your car trying someone's door handle and threating physical violence is not "lack of patience".

So not everyone stalls. In their entire history of driving manual cars and learning they've never stalled not even once. Really?

Yes it is victim blaming. It doesn't even have to be a stall. Cars break down.

The first person to get out of the car was as much at fault. Nobody should get out of their car in a situation like this.

The way this could have been avoided was by being a better driver, that doesn’t excuse the person behind not being patient, but it avoids it happening again.

Pkiernan · 05-08-2020 9:46am

The OP should report this incident to the Guards.

copeyhagen · 05-08-2020 10:00am

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

I don't know why people buy cars that require humans to drive them, like every car will be self driving in ten years.

as a Tesla owner, i concur

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:03am

lawrencesummers wrote: »

The first person to get out of the car was as much at fault. Nobody should get out of their car in a situation like this.

The way this could have been avoided was by being a better driver, that doesn’t excuse the person behind not being patient, but it avoids it happening again.

There issue here is not stalling. Car could have a failure to cause it to stall.

The issue is road rage.

What you're implying here is that learner drivers should not hold up other drivers. Indeed any driver should not have to wait because of an issue with the car in front.

Are people here that impatient that they are unable to deal with a minute or two delay while an obstruction clears. Wow. Speaks volumes.

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:05am

copeyhagen wrote: »

as a Tesla owner, i concur

A Telsa isn't self driving. I can't tell one to pick me up from the pub.

givyjoe · 05-08-2020 10:06am

beauf wrote: »

Yes what every thread needs, victim blaming.

A professional instructor makes no different to this situation. Learners stall. Even an experienced driver can stall, and sometimes if the car has problem it will stall.

The only problem in this thread is the road rage driver. There's no rational reason to defend that behaviour and blame the victim. If your can't control your impatience and anger you shouldn't be driving. End of..

Professional instructor probably wouldn't have gotten out of the car and inflamed the situation further. Not really victim blaming as the OP isn't responsible for her other half's behaviour. It's not victim blaming to state the obvious, he shouldn't have gotten out of the car (that's what L plates are for), other guy shouldn't have gone berserk.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 10:07am

beauf wrote: »

There issue here is not stalling. Car could have a failure to cause it to stall.

The issue is road rage.

What you're implying here is that learner drivers should not hold up other drivers. Indeed any driver should not have to wait because of an issue with the car in front.

Are people here that impatient that they are unable to deal with a minute or two delay while an obstruction clears. Wow. Speaks volumes.

It could have but it didn’t. It stalled twice because of the driver.

The first person to get out of the car was the OP’s passenger. That added to the situation unnecessarily and can be viewed as the initial instance of road rage.

I’m not implying that learner drivers shouldn’t hold up other drivers, I’m saying the best thing the OP can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again is get better at driving.

twin_beacon · 05-08-2020 10:08am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBxloSkObYc

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 10:09am

Pkiernan wrote: »

The OP should report this incident to the Guards.

That would be foolish, as their passenger was the first to get out of the car and their actions can be seen as threatening to the other driver.

Best bet is to admit their own failings and work on them to avoid this situation happening again.

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:10am

air wrote: »

Agree with everyone that this is totally unacceptable behaviour.
However I think there is also a lot to be said for learners truly mastering the basic mechanical functions of driving in an empty car park or other safe space before taking to the roads.

It will increase confidence when all the starting, stopping, gear changes etc are already second nature & leave the learner in a better position to deal with everything else on the road.

Let me know when you find some private property that allows unlimited amount of learner drivers to practise on it.

copeyhagen · 05-08-2020 10:10am

beauf wrote: »

A Telsa isn't self driving. I can't tell one to pick me up from the pub.

well the software/hardware and technology is there, its just a matter of legislation, which will take years obviously.

lawrencesummers · 05-08-2020 10:14am

beauf wrote: »

Let me know when you find some private property that allows unlimited amount of learner drivers to practise on it.

No shortage of industrial estates, car parks, quiet roads housing estates and other places where people can practice, but you know that and your just being unnecessarily argumentative.

hoodie6029 · 05-08-2020 10:22am

Jesus, this thread descended very quickly. Just waiting for the name calling to start....

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:46am

copeyhagen wrote: »

well the software/hardware and technology is there, its just a matter of legislation, which will take years obviously.

Someone said they didn't understand why people don't buy self driving cars. There isn't one you can buy today. That's why.

begbysback · 05-08-2020 10:48am

hoodie6029 wrote: »

Jesus, this thread descended very quickly. Just waiting for the name calling to start....

It’s called alternative opinions, ye banana

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:50am

lawrencesummers wrote: »

No shortage of industrial estates, car parks, quiet roads housing estates and other places where people can practice, but you know that and your just being unnecessarily argumentative.

Some one said to find a safe place. Which basically implies you won't meet another car, and potential delay someone for a few secs.

Where of all these places you've listed will you not 100% meet another car.

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:50am

begbysback wrote: »

It’s called alternative opinions, ye banana

Now there's a slippery slope...

beauf · 05-08-2020 10:51am

lawrencesummers wrote: »

It could have but it didn’t. It stalled twice because of the driver.

The first person to get out of the car was the OP’s passenger. That added to the situation unnecessarily and can be viewed as the initial instance of road rage.

I’m not implying that learner drivers shouldn’t hold up other drivers, I’m saying the best thing the OP can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again is get better at driving.

So no one should ever stall or get out of their car, for fear of physical violence.

Is that really how we want to live.

Clare Kat · 05-08-2020 11:05am

beauf wrote: »

Yes what every thread needs, victim blaming.

A professional instructor makes no different to this situation. Learners stall. Even an experienced driver can stall, and sometimes if the car has problem it will stall.

The only problem in this thread is the road rage driver. There's no rational reason to defend that behaviour and blame the victim. If your can't control your impatience and anger you shouldn't be driving. End of..

You are so on point. It’s a common occurrence in today’s world to deflect from the actual topic and twist the story around. No excuse for that type of behavior under any circumstances. Well said.

beauf · 05-08-2020 11:11am

I will add that i agree you shouldn't get out of the car either. But thats because of self protection and it might trigger some unstable person into violence. Also it can be used against you.

But that, that is the reality is poor reflection on society.

Muscles Schultz · 05-08-2020 11:20am

Stalling a car should be eliminated before a learner takes to the road. It’s very easy to practise taking off smoothly over and over again in a car park or driveway. It’s a simple fundamental skill that’s needed. There’s no excuse for stalling a car learner driver or not.

Ta ceist agam · 05-08-2020 11:34am

Muscles Schultz wrote: »

Stalling a car should be eliminated before a learner takes to the road. It’s very easy to practise taking off smoothly over and over again in a car park or driveway. It’s a simple fundamental skill that’s needed. There’s no excuse for stalling a car learner driver or not.

Ehm...I have advanced driving courses awared to me. I normally drive an electric car (no gears) but yesterday I was driving a 1.25 n/a manual Fiesta and stalled it, because I'm not used to the car.

Should I be struck off the roads??

Also, people forget cars are mechanical objects that fail sometimes....for all that ignorant driver knew the car could have a fuelling/clutch/gearbox/engine issue and it being driven by an advanced driver.

Some people are so pathetic, their only opportunity to feel important is when they are behind a fickle car steering wheel!

shaveAbullock · 05-08-2020 11:37am

Just like non segregated bike lanes, L plates make the road more dangerous.

Ta ceist agam · 05-08-2020 11:43am

shaveAbullock wrote: »

Just like non segregated bike lanes, L plates make the road more dangerous.

So do buses and lorries.

Let's get rid of them too eh?

shaveAbullock · 05-08-2020 11:45am

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

So do buses and lorries.

Let's get rid of them too eh?

Buses and lorries provide a service to people, L plates do not.

air · 05-08-2020 11:45am

beauf wrote: »

Let me know when you find some private property that allows unlimited amount of learner drivers to practise on it.

I never mentioned private property or unlimited numbers.
You only need to find space for one car as an individual learner.
As someone else has since mentioned, even a decent driveway is sufficient to learn how to manage the clutch.

Nothing else seems to provoke panic in a learner like stalling so why not eliminiate it right away.

One could easily do 50+ practice starts within a 1 hour session, by which time the vast majority would have surely gotten the hang of it.

The road rage is a separate issue really.

Ta ceist agam · 05-08-2020 11:47am

shaveAbullock wrote: »

Buses and lorries provide a service to people, L plates do not.

Were those bus and lorry drivers ever on L plates or were they born with a bus/lorry steering wheel?

Ta ceist agam · 05-08-2020 11:48am

beauf wrote: »

Let me know when you find some private property that allows unlimited amount of learner drivers to practise on it.

There's a place down in Mallow Cork that does this!

An Ri rua · 05-08-2020 11:48am

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

Or we will soon just be sitting in a car allowing computers and sensors to drive us!

They'll probably have a module included for autobeeping the f**k out of the car in front that hasn't upgraded it's software.

shaveAbullock · 05-08-2020 11:49am

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

Were those bus and lorry drivers ever on L plates or were they born with a bus/lorry steering wheel?

The L plate never helped them practice their driving in a safer manner, despite the use of L plate making it more dangerous for them to improve their driving they still managed to progress.

Why make things more difficult for learners?

Road rage incident learner driver

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