Aggressive driving

[Manky Monkey]

Is it just me? Am I just getting old & slowing down, or are the rest of the World all driving like absolute pillocks now?
I know I'm getting older & I've probably slowed down a bit -can't see the point of charging around everywhere. Doesn't get you there any quicker -but I'm not that slow.
I've just driven down to Dorset & back & I've had morons right up my backside, trying to intimidate me out of their way, the whole journey. Not just one or two idiots, but everybody, even when I'm doing 70 in the slow lane of the M3. Where do they think I'm going to go? Throw myself onto the hard shoulder so they can get past? -& when it starts to hammer down with rain & there's spray everywhere, they actually speed up.
They'd happily kill you just to get one car length ahead.
What is wrong with people?!
It's not just today's trip. There have been a few journies recently when I've thought this is genuinely unpleasant. Starting to wonder what's it's going to be like by the time I've got my bike & my truck on the road.
Is it just me?

[Olds]

Nope. It's not just you.
At one time we would just go for a drive, for no particular reason, just for the sake of it but now it's no fun (bike and trike excepted). There are far too many idiots in a rush on the road.

[morrag]

Nope, it aint you Mr. M. to me it stems from an attitude that seems to imply that..."I'm more important than you, and my time is more important than yours! so get out of my bloody way", I have often read in recent years that 'Good Manners' are unimportant in todays society, so, is it any wonder we are, where we are..................ahh, now I feel better.... ..Morrag

[minimutly]

I see it too, every day - bmw, audi and recently merc drivers mostly. Its also an issue on the rural roads around here, i believe due to modern turbo diesels - one time idiots went too quickly down hill, now the turbo kicks in, boost builds and the car flies up hill as well, the engine is just chugging along, not even being revved hard, and the car is considerably faster than the "performance" cars of the 90s. aunty Sally just doesn't know she's doing it...

[Iceman]

Yep! Me too. What I don't understand is why the driving test gets harder to pass every year and yet every generation of new drivers is more ignorant and selfish than the one previous to it . I hate knocking the younger generation , my kids and their friends are a lovely bunch, but every day I witness appalling driving by young drivers, driving cars that they shouldn't ( in my mind ) be able to afford...
I cycle to work ( cue outrage ) and in the last five years folks have gone from patient and polite to down right hateful - and it's mostly young drivers. I blame a lot on social media where you can rant and swear and form outrageous opinions, unchecked , giving the illusion that the whole world spins round them.
I'd better calm down or the nurse will give me another of those nasty jags....... It is consoling to know I'm not alone.....
Tom

[JayJay]

Get ready ...

I like to drive close to the speed of the road and that is how I was taught. If you are on a multi-laned road then there is more choice and if someone is going slower than me then I can overtake. If I am in the outside lane because I am going faster than the inside cars but I am doing 70 miles per hour then tough s**t to anyone behind me. Once I overtake I get back into the inner lane(s) as soon as it is safe to do so. Whatever lane I'm in, I try to leave a decent gap between myself and the car in front but more times than not someone pulls into the gap. I hate being all boxed together because I'm very much aware how easy a pile up is in those circumstances.

Obviously conditions of the roads always play a part but unless it's dicey conditions or you are in/on a vehicle limited to a certain speed, in a classic car or near a school, I am probably one of those behind you wondering why you are not going faster.

There are plenty of people around where I live who should not be driving. They can hardly see over the wheel, they take a corner like they are driving an artic and 20 mph is too fast for them. Also a lot of visitors to the New Forest think every road with trees at the side of it is 40 mph. Duh! So annoying when you are on one that is 60 mph.

Anyway, if I see you I'll wave and you can give me the finger if you want but I would rather you put your foot down while you are doing it! 

[stinkey]

JJ, I'm amazed your buggy goes that fast ?
I do like to surprise the fools behind me sometimes, I guess they see the blue disabled sticker on the back window and assume I'm some doddering old codger who's going to drive along at 20mph ?
It has definitely got busier on the roads down here and I'm afraid it's not going to improve ? A few years ago my son in law ( who had just passed his test ?) bought a nice new honda civic type R..total Carlos fandango car with everything on it and fasttttt..".
"Do you want a go old man ?"     10 mins later. He was screaming..he didn't know a car could be driven around corners so fast or go sideways around roundabouts ? I didn't tell him I'd been taught a few things by an ex rally driver ( female ) many years ago..

[JayJay]

JJ, I'm amazed your buggy goes that fast ?
 ...

Very funny.   

[paulywombats]

Very interesting reading everyone's comments.

I am a bus driver in Derby. The main difference between the car driver and a bus driver is the training we receive.

That said it is then up to the individual to put that training in to practice. So good bus drivers and not so good.

Spending 45 hours a week driving the roads of Derby at an elevated height in a 40 foot vehicle does give you some good observations of other road users actions and habits.

When training to drive a bus, the emphasis is on hazard perception. The main reason for this is so a driver of a bus can predict a situation another road user will put you in much faster than they will.(if they notice at all)

The number of occasions I have been able, by my actions, to prevent another user having an accident or collision with a pedestrian I have lost count of.

The bit that amuses me is when they then call you a Richard Head for your trouble.

I really could right a book.

[BikerGran]

I'm always amazed at the aggressive driving I see - and so often for no reason - trying to make me go faster by getting up my backside just makes me go slower as it distracts me from the road ahead, but I'm quite happy to make it easy for them to overtake.  Nope, they don't want to do that!  Do they not realise what they are doing?

Or the ones that just HAVE to get past me inspite of the fact that I'm in a queue of traffic behind a slow vehicle and they're not going to get anywhere any faster?

And then there's the steaming past me on the dual carriageway and immediately swerving off left up the sliproad.

I could write a book but no-one would read it cos we all see the same thing.  I know I'm probably slower than I used to be - mainly because of those two speeding tickets in the back of my mind - but it's the WAY they do what they do!

[trev]

yes,what happened to good manners,like giving way to someone in a busy street then they just drive through and don,t acknowledge you ,or give way to someone coming up bank past parked cars,mostly young drivers,is ignorance part of the test now ?

[morrag]

This subject was always going to open a can of worms, however, I would ask you to consider this, firstly, I am certain that there are many, most?, accidents caused by too much and inappropriate speed on the highway, as opposed to the opposite ie. someone traveling slowly! And for the many car drivers who will condemn a motorcyclist, I hate the term "biker"! for filtering, or having the affront to overtake them, how often have you ever read in the Press, ..."Motorcyclist kills car driver..." sadly we are all too aware of the reverse of that statement, so all you "trained" & would be rally drivers, etc, how about exercising your skills off road hey, and leave this old geezer to his meandering way, with a little patience, you never know you might reach there yourself one day .....ttfn, Morrag

[Archie]

Love my Audi. It's grey and everything.

[stinkey]

I love a can of worms..and I can't stand fishing ?

[Manky Monkey]

Oops!