"Professional" drivers......

[bricol]

Balance?
I don't see many cars jumping reds lights compared to cyclists.

Can I tell you about a city near me . . . called Bradford . . . "jumping" red lights is the least of your worries about car drivers . . . seen 'em come down the pavement to avoid red lights . . . or down the other side of the road down the side of the queue for a red light . . then squeeze between the car at the front and the island the traffic light is on . .. and turn left through the red light, regardless of the traffic coming down the road . . .

Although, equally, I have seen a group of local cycling enthusiasts, all wearing the local club jackets, ignore the red light I was stopped at and pedal straight through . . .

 

[James1979]

Can I tell you about a city near me . . . called Bradford . . . "jumping" red lights is the least of your worries about car drivers . . . seen 'em come down the pavement to avoid red lights . . . or down the other side of the road down the side of the queue for a red light . . then squeeze between the car at the front and the island the traffic light is on . .. and turn left through the red light, regardless of the traffic coming down the road . . .

Although, equally, I have seen a group of local cycling enthusiasts, all wearing the local club jackets, ignore the red light I was stopped at and pedal straight through . . .

I was waiting to cross once and the local club just sped through the red light to them - green man to me. I may have accidentally caught one of them before I changed my mind about crossing

that may have resulted in a few coming off

 

[MattF]

Strange difference between cyclists and motorbike riders (proper ones, not scooters) is that motorbike riders think "I'm vulnerable, i need to be careful." whereas cyclists think "I'm vulnerable, you need to be careful."

Apparently no thoughts of self-preservation or anything.

Two motorcyclists I encountered today didn't seem to comprehend that. They were overtaking on the approach to a blind right hand curve, on which I happened to be coming round from the opposite direction. Good job one of us had some gorm, the pillocks.

 

[redlig]

It’s also why the met police always used Dagenham dustbins.

Could it be because they then have access to the police workshops and all that goes with it.. Just saying!

 

[James1979]

Could it be because they then have access to the police workshops and all that goes with it.. Just saying!

Bit o trivia for you. Suffolk Police had the only Ford body jig outside Ford dealers for a long time. Fords took it back when they stopped doing all that sort of work in house. Most of the police cars now are fleet hire so they get them at a stupid cheap day rate and if they smash them up they just get another

 

[Morrisman]

I'm so looking forward to the new range of self deploying calibrated magnetic 'passing tapes' from Stanley, but if one accidentally touches a bicyclist will the driver be charged with assault?

Will they work the other way round though; when you’ve taken an age to safely pass a cyclist at the correct distance, then you stop at traffic lights and he squeezes through an 18” gap to get in front of you again?

 

[Agrismith]

I don't sit in lane 1 with the lorries as if something does go wrong you're Fxxxed!
I see the old man, my mother in law or some young mum driving along at 55mph in that lane thinking they're safe but surrounded by ****** off lorry drivers trying to get past! Worst place to be as the chances of getting side swiped by one either as they pull out or back in again is high. I don't sit next to them trundling along either as at some point I'll be in a blind spot and wham! They cant see everything all the time even with these new camera mirrors!!!

Do they have the all lane running madness with no hard shoulder in Europe?

Alot of people don't realise how dangerous it is to be doing less than about 60 on a motorway in a car.
The safest place to be on a motorway is overtaking at a decent rate, even overtaking slowly is leaving you in a blind spot for to long


And with alot of people on the road they don't seem to realise that regardless of there right of way or being moraly correct, it doesn't make you any less squashed.
Do they really think that when they are living in hospital bed the fact they where in the right is going to make the experience any more pleasant

 

[RWD3M]

Alot of people don't realise how dangerous it is to be doing less than about 60 on a motorway in a car.
The safest place to be on a motorway is overtaking at a decent rate, even overtaking slowly is leaving you in a blind spot for to long


And with alot of people on the road they don't seem to realise that regardless of there right of way or being moraly correct, it doesn't make you any less squashed.
Do they really think that when they are living in hospital bed the fact they where in the right is going to make the experience any more pleasant

So, are you suggesting I don't drive my 1936 Morris (top speed around 45mph) onto the M5. M6 and M74 for my trip up to Shetland next year then?!

Kidding obviously, that would be the last place I'd take it, unless it was on a trailer of course

I do struggle to understand people driving what seem to be perfectly serviceable cars on motorways slower than HGV's I mean, what's that all about

 

[zx9]

^^^^^^^ That is how I see dash cams, I would rather avoid the incident ever happening than post it on You Tube.

Edit: was in reply to @Agrismith

 

[bricol]

Two motorcyclists I encountered today didn't seem to comprehend that. They were overtaking on the approach to a blind right hand curve, on which I happened to be coming round from the opposite direction. Good job one of us had some gorm, the pillocks.

In one trip I had two biker/organ donors do that on the same corner, and a few hundred yards further on on the way back, a twonk on a quad . .

In my Lancia, trailer tied on the back, caterham on the trailer, up a hill around a tightening, blind, right hand bend, double white lines in the center, car coming the other way (even tighter for them on the descending, blind, left hand bend) as they are on the inside of me . . . when some organ donor came around the back of him, overtaking . . watching in the offside mirror, it only just fitted between by trailer and the car he was determined to overtake . . . his mate following right behind him only just bailed out in time . . .

The clown on the quad decided overtaking a caravan over a blind crest into a dip head onto a car towing a trailer was a sensible thing to do . . .

 

[bricol]

Alot of people don't realise how dangerous it is to be doing less than about 60 on a motorway in a car.
The safest place to be on a motorway is overtaking at a decent rate, even overtaking slowly is leaving you in a blind spot for to long


And with alot of people on the road they don't seem to realise that regardless of there right of way or being moraly correct, it doesn't make you any less squashed.
Do they really think that when they are living in hospital bed the fact they where in the right is going to make the experience any more pleasant

I used to tell the two militant cyclists in the office (one used pavements, central reservations, islands etc as his personal speedy road system) that I would mention that they were in the right at their funerals . . .

 

[dobbslc]

That's a couple of people now that have called them militant!
Why are they like this? Are they being told things in cycling magazines or reading it online that make them arrogant and aggressive to cars, think they are always in the right?
Maybe I need another dash cam to prove it wasn't my fault one has ended up smashed under my van because he jumped the red light!

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Exactly that @Moose McAlpine !
The way some of them ride they must be stupid to think everyone else is going to see them/stop everytime they wander in front of a car or truck, at some point they will end up on their **** if they're lucky or under some wheels if they're not.
But it's still not their fault

A few years ago i was driving my van through a narrow twisty road near here (St Paul's road, near Highbury Corner.) and a girl on a bike came up the side between the van and kerb. The gap was tiny and she had to brake as she couldn't pass my wing mirror.

At the next set of lights i put the window down and told her to be more careful, buses use that road and if one comes the other way i wouldn't have a head-on collision with it over closing the gap she was in. Might only be a 3.5t van but it'd still go over her like she was a speedbump.

Her response? If i ran her over it'd be my fault. Well, yes, kinda. But she'd be dead, regardless of who was at fault. I tried to explain, but she wasn't having it. The lights went green and we both went on our way. Hopefully she hasn't ruined some poor driver's life and ended hers under the wheels of their truck.

They use the rumble strips like an auto pilot. Fine till you get a breakdown in front of you……

I used to work for the AA and did a lot of motorway work (lived right by M1 and M25) there's nothing quite like doing an offside wheelchange or loading a car up on the trailer and hearing brrrrrrrrrrr as you look up to see 44 tons of truck coming down the rumble strip at you.

This was Christmas eve one year. M25 17-16 i think. On a viaduct, hard shoulder tapered in and very narrow.

Someone needs to remind the high speed organ donors round here of that fact . . . and that doubling the speed limit isn't a minimum requirement . . .

We have a Brazilian bike shop nearby. My mate goes there (tool dealer) and apparently they have a pot of money there all the riders pay into each week. When one of them gets killed on the road they dip into the pot to repatriate them.. Around here they fly down the wrong side of the road all the time, it's a wonder that more aren't killed.

I do struggle to understand people driving what seem to be perfectly serviceable cars on motorways slower than HGV's I mean, what's that all about

Awareness? They don't actually know what speed they want to do or what lane they want to do it in. Driving on cruise control really highlights others' total inability to maintain speed.

Towing a trailer up to Milton Keynes the other week, between J2 and J8 i overtook the same car 4 times, all while i couldn't go over 60. One time, she overtook me, indicated, moved in front and immediately braked. I indicated, moved out, overtook her. What the hell???

That is how I see dash cams, I would rather avoid the incident ever happening than post it on You Tube.

The dash cam attitude is quite a fascinating aspect of psychology. It seems like having a dashcam (evidence) makes people almost willing to crash if they can prove they're not at fault. Got right of way? Got dashcam? Someone pulls out on you? F**kin' let 'em have it!

I don't know the legal ins and outs but i'm sure there must be something about actively trying to avoid an accident even if you have right of way. But they seem to think that evidence of another driver's wrongdoing is a divine right to crash into them without consequence. Bizarre.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

That's a couple of people now that have called them militant!
Why are they like this? Are they being told things in cycling magazines or reading it online that make them arrogant and aggressive to cars, think they are always in the right?

Arrogance, entitlement, lack of accountability maybe? As said before no numberplates so they get away with everything, they think being vulnerable means everyone else has to watch out for them. They're allowed on the roads so make full use of their "entitlement" to be there?

Who knows, it's very strange phenomenon; the cyclist psyche.

 

[minimutly]

So, are you suggesting I don't drive my 1936 Morris (top speed around 45mph) onto the M5. M6 and M74 for my trip up to Shetland next year then?!

Kidding obviously, that would be the last place I'd take it, unless it was on a trailer of course

I do struggle to understand people driving what seem to be perfectly serviceable cars on motorways slower than HGV's I mean, what's that all about

Well this is still missing the point.
You don't have to be slower than the hgv's, or the same speed, just a little faster puts you in the danger zone, even for a short time, and it just isn't right.
Dashcam fitting time I think, not that it will save anyones life..

 

[northwest]

I have just read the link about the proposed changes to the highway code:

Likewise, if you find yourself behind or alongside a cyclist or horserider whilst waiting to turn out of a junction, you will have to wait for the cyclist to go first.

So when you can get out you can crawl along behind causing more congestion, pushed into taking a chance at overtaking?

Another change that will particularly affect drivers regards safe clearance for overtaking cyclists. A clearance of 1.5 metres at speeds under 30mph and 2.0 metres at speeds over 30mph should be allowed. Pedestrians and horses should be given clearance of 2.0 metres and horses should be passed at a maximum of 15mph.

It goes on to say that you will have to wait until this is possible.

So, two cyclists riding abreast uphill making slow going ............ Or one cyclist on a country lane...........

Clearly this has been well thought through.

I am convinced that the motorist is being set up for another raft of fines and prosecutions to raise revenue. The alarm bells started to ring a few weeks ago when I had sight of a directive by the DVLA / VOSA or whatever they call themselves this week, setting out yet more stringent parameters for number plates. What this translates into are more fines and fees from ANPR cameras in my book.

Whatever it is, it isn't going to be good.

 

[redlig]

So, are you suggesting I don't drive my 1936 Morris (top speed around 45mph) onto the M5. M6 and M74 for my trip up to Shetland next year then?!

Kidding obviously, that would be the last place I'd take it, unless it was on a trailer of course

I do struggle to understand people driving what seem to be perfectly serviceable cars on motorways slower than HGV's I mean, what's that all about

Possibly because they travel at the same speed in all conditions and on all roads and don't see why they should alter the habit of a lifetime just to please everyone else plus the fact that they are probably scared s******s . Same gene pool failures as the center lane hoggers.

 

[Morrisman]

So, are you suggesting I don't drive my 1936 Morris (top speed around 45mph) onto the M5. M6 and M74 for my trip up to Shetland next year then?!

Kidding obviously, that would be the last place I'd take it, unless it was on a trailer of course

I do struggle to understand people driving what seem to be perfectly serviceable cars on motorways slower than HGV's I mean, what's that all about

Mate of mine drove a bog standard Ford Pop to the NEC from Telford couple of years ago, for the classic car show. He reckoned it was terrifying swapping from M6 to M54 with his max speed 55mph.

I remember first time I took my Morris hot rod on the motorway, not long after it was finished, 150 miles from Stafford down to Wheels day near London. I was nervous as hell, crawling along, wagons overtaking, 5 am in May, freezing cold..... but I soon got into the spirit and wound it up a bit, zooming along at 70-80 in places.

Running out of petrol on the M6 in Brum on the way back wasn’t so clever, passing a row of trucks, engine spluttered, I knew what it was and managed to dive through a gap to the hard shoulder.

Not sure how that would go when there are no hard shoulders and Mways have all gone ‘Smart’.

 

[Morrisman]

I was waiting to cross once and the local club just sped through the red light to them - green man to me. I may have accidentally caught one of them before I changed my mind about crossing

that may have resulted in a few coming off

I remember a pedestrian crossing in a village near me, I stopped at the red, a cyclist shot past on my left....straight into a cyclist on the crossing on his bike. SMACK, heads cracked together, bicycles all over the road.....
I drove on, but I would have loved to have stopped and heard the discussion that went on after that.

 

[James1979]

I remember a pedestrian crossing in a village near me, I stopped at the red, a cyclist shot past on my left....straight into a cyclist on the crossing on his bike. SMACK, heads cracked together, bicycles all over the road.....
I drove on, but I would have loved to have stopped and heard the discussion that went on after that.

I would say knocked some sense into them, but…. Well, you know.