Bad news for drivers of black German cars...

[HillmanImp]

No, an indicator is not a request, an indicator is used to signal that you intend to move to the left or to the right. You are not aksing permission of the person behind. You look for a gap, indicate and move into it. You should not expect some goon to accellerate into the gap you are moving into, no matter how long it is since they last had sex or how many lights they have on their car.*

 

 

 

*Unless they are blue flashing lights.

[Bobthebeard]

Ahem....

As a side issue, what about all the drivers that rush down the outside lane when signs clearly indicate the lane is blocked ahead. All this does is create a huge traffic jam as they attempt to push into the only lane left open. Wagon drivers often try to stop this by blocking the mongs as they are big enough and can. The rest of us just watch and fume as it happens. Selfish? Oh yes. Surely if everyone just filtered into the inside lane(s) when the signs said so, traffic would flow much more freely. As usual, the culprits* seem to drive large German cars. Or similar wealth* indicators.

 

 

* I am busy, in a rush and clearly more important than everyone else.

[Pillock]

Two different driving instructors have told me to indicate my "intention" to change lanes. Don't indicate if you can't physically get in, but do indicate if the driver in the middle lane is a bit further back and can use lane 3 to let you out. Don't move lanes till the lane is clear.

 

I've been doing that for 17 years and it's served me well. The problem if you wait for a 4-second gap (i.e. a two-second gap for you, and leaving enough room for the car behind too) is that you'll be in the fugging inside lane behind an Eddie Stobart for 60-odd miles. I also don't get too wound up if someone indicates their intention to move into a tiny gap in front of me - I either drop back and let them in, or I don't and they have to wait till I pass.

 

As for middle lane hogs, we regularly get the gantry signs between 21 and 24 on the M1, no bugger takes any notice. Sometimes the 1-3-1 move works, sometimes I flash. Some lass flicked me the bird today for doing that on the M1, J28S. She was a bit tidy though so I didn't mind.

[Pillock]

Ahem....

As a side issue, what about all the drivers that rush down the outside lane when signs clearly indicate the lane is blocked ahead. All this does is create a huge traffic jam as they attempt to push into the only lane left open. Wagon drivers often try to stop this by blocking the mongs as they are big enough and can. The rest of us just watch and fume as it happens. Selfish? Oh yes. Surely if everyone just filtered into the inside lane(s) when the signs said so, traffic would flow much more freely. As usual, the culprits* seem to drive large German cars. Or similar wealth* indicators.

 

 

* I am busy, in a rush and clearly more important than everyone else.

 

BUT.... if they indicate that the lane is closed with two miles notice, you've got two miles of motorway doing nothing. The jam of three lanes worth of people cramming into one lane is just two miles further up the road, you've not changed anything. Better for some to filter in early, some to leave it a bit longer, and not get stressed at the people who want to chance it. 

[John F]

As a side issue, what about all the drivers that rush down the outside lane when signs clearly indicate the lane is blocked ahead.

 

Dragging them from their vehicles and beating them to death on the hard shoulder with their own laptops would probably have the desired result, once word got around.

[Bobthebeard]

BUT.... if they indicate that the lane is closed with two miles notice, you've got two miles of motorway doing nothing. The jam of three lanes worth of people cramming into one lane is just two miles further up the road, you've not changed anything. Better for some to filter in early, some to leave it a bit longer, and not get stressed at the people who want to chance it.

 

So, that's ok then! A metaphor for life in general. The weak move over early, the chancers push in at the last minute and everyone else down the line suffers? Sounds about right!

[chaseracer]

 

 

[Richard]

So, that's ok then! A metaphor for life in general. The weak move over early, the chancers push in at the last minute and everyone else down the line suffers? Sounds about right!

 

If two miles of traffic queue single file for a pinch point that means the queue is a mile longer than it needs to be, which can mean a slip lane (entrance or exit) is being blocked unnecessarily, which can lead to congestion on surrounding roads. All because people can't grasp the concept of taking turns.

 

The correct procedure, if the road is busy enough for the lane closure to slow traffic down, is to use the affected lane as far as it is open then filter in turn. Because so few people can grasp this the people who can are seen as queue jumpers, they probably even see themselves that way, but in fact they are doing the right thing.

[overrun]

 

 

I hate being 'that guy' when I am somewhere unfamiliar, and there are no lane marking until it is too late!

[Lord Sterling]

...but a Micra to me seems to be a typical culprit which springs to mind, especially in K11 flavour, Complete generalisations, but that's how all assumptions are made

And this is exactly why I get treated like a non-entity by other drivers of most other types of cars when I'm out in the Micra, even bloody blonde 'wag' wannabes in bloody BINIs. These kind of assumptions seriously anger and frustrate me to boiling point, I mean, all I'm doing is driving along minding my own business, so what if I drive a Micra? Doesnt mean to say I'm shy, retiring and feeble. People really are too stupid these days to think that anyone could be driving anything.

 

I really am left speechless by the twats who think its Ok to tailgate me, cut me up and generally bully try and bully me off the road just because I have chosen (or rather by circumstances, i.e Rover doesnt want to work) to drive, I give as good as I get though, anyone who thinks they can bully me get a rude awakening. Even dear old Mum_Sterling is getting frustrated by this now.

 

Just keep an open mind when out on the public road, NEVER make assumptions about what people drive, just because a bloke drives a Micra it doesnt mean to say he'll take the bullying from other drivers, a K11 holding you up? Wait until you find safe spot to pass and pass safely, it aint that hard ffs.

[overrun]

Wagon R, Meriva, Agila, Splash etc are the type that usually annoy me.

 

When I loom up behind one, fog lamps blazing, main beam active, I know they are going to get in my way.

[dieselnutjob]

In London there is a different rule on lane closures to the rest of the country.

In London the rule is that everyone drives right up to the lane closure and merges there. End of. It works.

 

The problem in other places you get a mixture of people who merge early and people who see empty tarmac.

The problem with the merge early idea is that it doesn't work if the number of cars approaching the restriction is greater than the number of cars that can get through.  If everyone sees the back of a queue in lane one and merges there at the back of the queue, the back of the queue will just go further and further back.

After years of driving in London, personally I think that half of the early mergers are not doing it out of politeness or fair mindedness, but simply because they are afraid of getting to the front and not being able to merge.  I am not afraid of this, and, they could have stayed in the right lane if they wanted to, and I didn't ask them to merge early, so screw it, I will go to the front and merge there.

It's not my fault that they are doing it wrong, and why should I sit there whilst loads of other cars go past, just to appease their sense of fairness thereby inflicting a ton of unfairness on myself.

Sod them. I'm going to the front.

[chaseracer]

Wagon R, Meriva, Agila, Splash etc are the type that usually annoy me.

 

When I loom up behind one, fog lamps blazing, main beam active, I know they are going to get in my way.

 

 I see what you did there...

[Pillock]

I once had a bloke who was frustrated at me bombing down the right hand lane of a dual carriageway, when it had been signposted as closed in 800 yards or so. So he pulled out in front of me from his spot in the barely-moving left lane just to block the road. A few yards further on, he moved forward next to his gap but the car that was previously behind him didn't move - so I nicked his spot. Cue lots of angry arm-waving and calling me various names. He dropped in behind me, I went back into the right hand lane and then used the turn right filter that was only 400 yards away which was my aim all along.

 

Why have empty tarmac? If the 3rd lane is closed M1 J30, let's just drop the whole 200 miles of motorway down to 2 lanes eh? Where's the sensible point to say "here's some road - use it, play nicely and take it in turns". The rest of Europe does this beautifully, it's the British who defend their spot in a queue like it's their birthright - but only because they pulled over three junctions ago and added an hour to their journey.

[HH-R]

Tailgating bothers me more than poor lane discipline, the latter you can deal with up to a point but there's nothing you can do if chummy decides to sit on your back bumper. It happens all the time too, and I've driven old cars, new cars, big cars and little cars, it doesn't matter. People are just in too much of a hurry to get home and have their pie and chips or watch Coronation Street. Some people are wildly aggressive for no reason too.

[dollywobbler]

I also hate seeing empty lanes and will often slowly drive past the stationary line. There are two reasons for this. One, I hope it shows that I'm not a rude twat in a hurry. Two, I hope it builds of a backlog of cars behind me so you do in fact create two lines of traffic eventually moving at a similar speed. The problem is, you can't communicate with other motorists, so they just assume you're a rude twat anyway.

[John F]

Tailgating bothers me more than poor lane discipline, the latter you can deal with up to a point but there's nothing you can do if chummy decides to sit on your back bumper. It happens all the time too, and I've driven old cars, new cars, big cars and little cars, it doesn't matter. People are just in too much of a hurry to get home and have their pie and chips or watch Coronation Street. Some people are wildly aggressive for no reason too.

 

Yes there is.

 

Pull over and let them past. They obviously want to travel faster than you, so why hold them up? Perhaps they are in a genuine hurry.

 

People always assume it's the tailgater that's at fault. This is emphatically NOT always the case in my experience, and so few dawdling inconsiderate twats have the courtesy to pull over and let others by.

[Albert Ross]

I drive a large slow vehicle. I get tailgated... But it soon stops when they realise that nearly three tons stops quite well on it's un-servoed single circuit drum brakes."Yes mate, they're 93% efficient, I checked them last week. How are you for clean underwear?"

[John F]

I drive a large slow vehicle. I get tailgated... But it soon stops when they realise that nearly three tons stops quite well on it's un-servoed single circuit drum brakes."Yes mate, they're 93% efficient, I checked them last week. How are you for clean underwear?"

 

So do I. But I also drive faster ones, and am aware that I'm not a bloody traffic policeman and it's not my job to dictate what speed other people drive at. So I pull over & let people past, especially if I'm towing or fully loaded up.

[Albert Ross]

I'm on about urban dual carriageways with traffic lights on them..... people could overtake, or just drop back a touch, there's room to do it at the times I travel. I also get retards who are late or whatever, overtake me, and get back into the nearside lane, just to slam their brakes on and turn left in front of me...... meaning I have to drop down 3 or 5 gears, and twin stick it back up to 8th gear, just to make progress again.... I have 38bhp at the wheels and a lot of mass. I think it's jolly unfair that I should be treated in this way. If people would only look around them, and give each other space, this wouldn't happen. It's a 40mph max speed limit on the roads I drive into work. I tend to cruise at 35-40. Not dawdling by any means, just slow to get going from stationary. It takes effort, and I do tend to use all of my intermediate gears because of the narrow rev band the engine possesses. It's 43 years old with an engine designed in the mid 1950s. I love driving it, it's fun and rewarding, it's also myopic retards that spoil the commute.

[John F]

That's fair enough. I'm not suggesting all people that tailgate are blameless - far from it - and I know how frustrating it can be to have to build up momentum again in a slow / heavy vehicle due to someone else's poor road manners.

[Richard]

If I'm on a road with limited overtaking opportunities I generally pull in and let people past if they want to go faster than I do. I'm happier without somebody behind me and they're happier without somebody in front of them.

[M'coli]

They piss me off mightly too, but..... was that a slip road being passed at the start of the clip?  If so, 'Captain Clueless' was in the right place to allow traffic to enter the main stream...

 

Those already on the motorway do not have to give way to those attempting to enter from the sliproad - that's the job of those joining the motorway especially when there's plenty of space, but you wouldn't think so these days.  The amount of abuse you can garner because you didn't allow someone else to come straight on in front of you or change lanes when lane 2's full is quite shocking.

[HH-R]

 

Yes there is.
 
Pull over and let them past. They obviously want to travel faster than you, so why hold them up? Perhaps they are in a genuine hurry.
 
People always assume it's the tailgater that's at fault. This is emphatically NOT always the case in my experience, and so few dawdling inconsiderate twats have the courtesy to pull over and let others by.

 

Are you having a laugh or being deliberately inflammatory? I don't make a habit of driving below speed limits unless there is a genuine reason so if they want to get past then they can do so by overtaking. I do pull over if they're persistent morons but why should I? I couldn't give a shit about their hurry, whatever it is is secondary to driving safely. BTW I was in a 5 car pile up from a tailgater who put at least three people in hospital and permanently damaged my back.

 

I don't tow and my cars have book 0-60 times of about 9 to 14 seconds so pretty average. So not driving like a "dawdling inconsiderate twat".

[John F]

Have another read of what you first wrote.

 

It makes you sound like a slow driver that is blithely unaware or just doesn't care about other road users. That's bad enough, and imo certainly represents the actions of a dawdling inconsiderate twat.

 

And then you add:

 

I do pull over if they're persistent morons but why should I? I couldn't give a shit about their hurry, whatever it is is secondary to driving safely.

 

 

Oh dear. Seems you haven't learnt a thing from your accident, have you? By the sound of it, you're the moron. You're infuriating other road users unnecessarily, and letting your ego create an unsafe driving situation.

[HH-R]

I've read it again and can't see where I come accross as a dawdler, sorry like. 90% of my driving is done in town at 30 or under and these people, no matter how hard you pull away, either match your acceleration or catch up a few seconds later anyway, then turn off into the street they live in. As you say, I'm not a traffic policeman, I might think they're idiots for doing so but they are free to tear past at whatever speed they please.

 

Tailgating achives nothing in that situation for them. If anything they are making it worse for themselves as if I pull over, they would have to slow with me and stop if there is oncoming traffic stopping them from passing, and on approach to junctions I'd show my brake lights earlier and lose speed more gradually to avoid them having to slam on. I believe the latter behaviour is recommended in Roadcraft.

 

BTW, I wasn't driving in the crash, and there were three cars between chummy tailgating and the car I was in. By calling me a moron and making massive presumptions about how I drive, it gives your argument a lot of weight, top marks!

[catsinthewelder]

I hate being 'that guy' when I am somewhere unfamiliar, and there are no lane marking until it is too late!

 

 

Why in gods arse do they change from one lane to two 500yds from the junction them paint the arrows on the road 20yds from the stop line where they are hidden under queueing cars?

 

I wouldn't mind if all junctions had the same patten but theres loads of exceptions especially in town centres.

[John F]

I've read it again and can't see where I come accross as a dawdler, sorry like. 90% of my driving is done in town at 30 or under and these people, no matter how hard you pull away, either match your acceleration or catch up a few seconds later anyway, then turn off into the street they live in. As you say, I'm not a traffic policeman, I might think they're idiots for doing so but they are free to tear past at whatever speed they please.

 

Tailgating achives nothing in that situation for them. If anything they are making it worse for themselves as if I pull over, they would have to slow with me and stop if there is oncoming traffic stopping them from passing, and on approach to junctions I'd show my brake lights earlier and lose speed more gradually to avoid them having to slam on. I believe the latter behaviour is recommended in Roadcraft.

 

BTW, I wasn't driving in the crash, and there were three cars between chummy tailgating and the car I was in. By calling me a moron and making massive presumptions about how I drive, it gives your argument a lot of weight, top marks!

 

OK, I'll help you out: it was the "people are just in too much of a hurry" and your comment that tailgating happens all the time. BTW you've told us how you drive - you "do pull over if they're persistent morons" in your estimation - but not always because you "don't give a shit about their hurry".

 

[Cavcraft]

I once had a bloke who was frustrated at me bombing down the right hand lane of a dual carriageway, when it had been signposted as closed in 800 yards or so. So he pulled out in front of me from his spot in the barely-moving left lane just to block the road. A few yards further on, he moved forward next to his gap but the car that was previously behind him didn't move - so I nicked his spot. Cue lots of angry arm-waving and calling me various names. He dropped in behind me, I went back into the right hand lane and then used the turn right filter that was only 400 yards away which was my aim all along.

 

Why have empty tarmac? If the 3rd lane is closed M1 J30, let's just drop the whole 200 miles of motorway down to 2 lanes eh? Where's the sensible point to say "here's some road - use it, play nicely and take it in turns". The rest of Europe does this beautifully, it's the British who defend their spot in a queue like it's their birthright - but only because they pulled over three junctions ago and added an hour to their journey.

 

I'm glad it's not just me then. I've noticed a tiny minority of truck drivers do this (sit side by side) when traffic is filtering from one lane into another, so you get fucking miles of traffic in one lane and clogged up roundabouts because some dicksplash in a shiney wheeled Scania can play Traffic God for the day.

Car drivers who do it are just as bad and it is great fun when you can pre-empt them and sneak round in front. I like the one who get all lairy and start calling you swear words as I find they usually have very little to say when you challenge them over it.

One bloke near Chester did this and his wife kept on giving it loads, wouldn't shut up with the name calling and wanker signs so I merely opened my window and suggested she was so fat she had her own postcode. This suggestion wasn't very well received and she just went slightly mental but turned on her husband instead.