James and Jessica (atypical vag drivers)

[Tayne]

.

[blimp]

I have no problem with being overtaken - as long as it is safely done. What I can't stand are the people who have to overtake even when it is quite clear that they are only going to get 1 car length further up the road. Driving old ropey minis with a complete lack of brakes, I quickly got used to leaving a healthy gap between me and the car in front and carry on doing so even when I drive any other car. Still doesn't stop mindless twunts from overtaking cos I'm in an old smoky diesel, and then getting no further up the road after that.

 

 

Examples of pointlessness: last saturday - boy racer in his clapped out fiesta zetec-s, forces his way in behind me off a roundabout cos he thought the he could race around the middle of the round about, not thinking that there might be slower traffic. Then proceeds to sit up my chuff until the next roundabout, tries to under take me where there are two lanes and fails (yay for smoky turbos - saw him off there), then on the next stretch, dead straight bit of road, line of cars as far as the eye can see, has to overtake. Absolute twunt.

 

Best one was the day I followed a van with no brake lighs. Mr sensible here leaves a healthy gap, girl racer overtakes, despite us being in a long line of traffic on a twisty bit of A road. I happily backed even further off and wished her luck.

 

If only some could understand that we all don't have all that ABS, ESP and eleventy-million air bags, so we all can't drive 2mm off everyone eles chuffing rear bumper.

[Milford Cubicle]

I think there's a general lack of responsibility for one's own actions these days.

A young lad crashed into a tree near here and died. His friends chopped down the tree. It was hardly the tree's fault.

[pogweasel]

Hmm.

I could not give a stuff about 'getting there first' or any form of vehicular one-up-manship.

 

 

There are some drivers though who are utterly incompehensible.

 

Pour Exemple:

Last saturday night i had reason to travel to doncaster (& not just to supply Albert Ross with bus pr0n). Travelling northbound on the A1 around colsterworth at a "steady speed" [reminder]. I happen across a mondeo travelling at less velocity than me. As I approach, said rep-mobile (with twat-nav blazing in the centre of the screen) moves right to pass a HGV. This is no bother, expecting a left move when manouvre complete & I may proceed. Except Mondeo does not move left. 4 or 5 miles of sitting behind the at 68mph. I am gettiing a bit peeved. As is the hurry-up-harry behind me in an X5. Eventually X5 man passes in an undertaking manoevre, both me & Mondeo man. No beef from me, as an X5 has enough grunt to clear the atea even if I or Mondeo Man swap lanes. This does not raise even the slightest reaction from MM. After another couple of miles I am getting cheesed. Maybe this guy is concentrating on his twat-nav, radio, phone etc and has not noticed me. So I give a momentary flash of full beam to acknowledge my presence. Nothing nasty, just a "hello, I've been sat behind you for 10 miles observing the law of the road...".

Well, Mondeo Man obviously takes umbradge at this and slams his anchors on to the max. Luckily I am observing safe thinking distance and avoid an accident. Having enough of this foo', I move left and match his 68mph pace, soon enough he has a sprinter hanging 2mm off his bumper, flashing, tooting, the whole works and Mondeo twat cedes to the larger aggressive vehicle & moves left. I slot neatly in behind the sprinter and pass too, allowing me to proceed at the desired speed.

 

This is not an isolated incident, I have experienced many times people 'blocking' the overtaking lane of a two-lane DC and then doing really twattish stuff when you eventuallu ge around them. Really makes you wonder...

[Pete-M]

Wasn't someone in here not that long ago saying how he'll happily slam the brakes on if they're being tailgated?

[pogweasel]

If they were it wasn't me.

I see that as very poor form.

 

And I was not really tail-gaiting.

Only a fool breaks the two second rule and all that.

[Pete-M]

I know it wasn't you, Pog, old bean.

 

I'm just sure I remember a thread where someone was being all self-congratulatory about hitting the anchors if someone tailgated 'em.

 

Can't remember who it was though. Pretty sure it was 'ere... surprised me a bit, seems to be more Practical Classics behaviour than something a shitist would do.

[trigger]

I agree, the shitters way would be to pull up the handbrake, No brake lights then!

[autofive]

i often scare a tailgator by touching the brake while rapidly accelerating, no danger to me or them, thinking time of the tailgator prevents any sudden rear ending

 

i have no problem with overtaking, at any time, anywhere - if they can catch me and then overtake good luck to 'em

 

but people on their phones, and gettting slower and slower because they are not concentrating really pisses me off - especially when they are on the motorway or dual carraigeway and start driftiing around without looking in their mirrors

 

tonight (in fog) some bint in a punto decided to stop dead on a winding twisting road - i was forced to stop behind her, she then reaches into the back of the car to get her phone and answered it - i couldnt overtake her as i couldnt see far enough ahead

 

i hope she could lip read

[Formula Autos]

i hope she could lip read

Use 'international sign language' - it never fails.

[Albert Ross]

Can't be me, if I slammed my brakes on it would still be a week or two before anything actually slowed down. As for the handbrake, no, no, no, I would end up with gearbox soup on the floor.

[Mr Lobster]

Can't remember who it was though. Pretty sure it was 'ere... surprised me a bit, seems to be more Practical Classics behaviour than something a shitist would do.

It was here. Can't remember who though.

[Guest]

Wasn't me, I tend to just let tailgaters past - always better to have a rubbish driver in front of you than behind.

[Pillock]

Only a fool breaks the two second rule and all that.

I've learned to say that really quickly.

 

I've done your trick more than once pog.... got so frustrated at someone blocking the outside lane that I'll swap to the inside and match them. To anyone coming up behind it looks like they're the ones that can't pull off an overtaking move. and eventually they'll have no option but to floor it or drop in behind when some rep in an Audi tries to melt their back bumper with the xenons.

[pogweasel]

I have found the offending post regarding brake-testing.

 

I am now open to offers not to republish it.... just a ctrl+v away.

[worldofceri]

A good trick for tailgaters if you're approaching slower traffic or a junction: In plenty of time come off the gas and apply the brakes gently, just enough to light up the brake lights. After a second or two stand on the brakes hard and watch them have a heart stopping moment 2 inches from your bumper.

 

NB. Only suitable if you don't mind occasionally being rear-ended.

[scooters]

Hmm.

I could not give a stuff about 'getting there first' or any form of vehicular one-up-manship.

 

 

There are some drivers though who are utterly incompehensible.

 

Pour Exemple:

Last saturday night i had reason to travel to doncaster (& not just to supply Albert Ross with bus pr0n). Travelling northbound on the A1 around colsterworth at a "steady speed" [reminder]. I happen across a mondeo travelling at less velocity than me. As I approach, said rep-mobile (with twat-nav blazing in the centre of the screen) moves right to pass a HGV. This is no bother, expecting a left move when manouvre complete & I may proceed. Except Mondeo does not move left. 4 or 5 miles of sitting behind the at 68mph. I am gettiing a bit peeved. As is the hurry-up-harry behind me in an X5. Eventually X5 man passes in an undertaking manoevre, both me & Mondeo man. No beef from me, as an X5 has enough grunt to clear the atea even if I or Mondeo Man swap lanes. This does not raise even the slightest reaction from MM. After another couple of miles I am getting cheesed. Maybe this guy is concentrating on his twat-nav, radio, phone etc and has not noticed me. So I give a momentary flash of full beam to acknowledge my presence. Nothing nasty, just a "hello, I've been sat behind you for 10 miles observing the law of the road...".

Well, Mondeo Man obviously takes umbradge at this and slams his anchors on to the max. Luckily I am observing safe thinking distance and avoid an accident. Having enough of this foo', I move left and match his 68mph pace, soon enough he has a sprinter hanging 2mm off his bumper, flashing, tooting, the whole works and Mondeo twat cedes to the larger aggressive vehicle & moves left. I slot neatly in behind the sprinter and pass too, allowing me to proceed at the desired speed.

 

This is not an isolated incident, I have experienced many times people 'blocking' the overtaking lane of a two-lane DC and then doing really twattish stuff when you eventuallu ge around them. Really makes you wonder...

 

spot on pw -

 

I usually do between 800 and 1200 miles a week on top of the day job - thus I drive defensively as possible remembering the idea is to get there in 1 piece and without killing anyone else!

 

What angered me about the A6 twunt is that not only did he race me on a single carraigeway when I was overtaking but had I wanted to pull back in behid him he was matching my speed and had no intention of allowing this - how fortunate it was that I had more grunt than him so was able to get away - but only after reaching speeds far too high for an A road in an agricultural area.

 

Booting it on crowded motorways buys you little time - my gripe is drivers who drive without due care and attention to other road users - those who won't let you pass when you are clearly travelling more quickly, those who race, those who drive up your arse, those who use their 2 tonnes of 70mph metal as a weapon and those who lose their temper.

 

Driving older cars in modern traffic is stressful as so many drivers have no idea of braking distances and safe gaps - when approaching a junction it is amazinf how many will try and duck ino front of you without realising you need the space to stop -

 

I found a sign on the back of the moggy helped - "The brakes on this car are 50 years old you need to give me a lot of room front and back!"

 

till some stupid copper stopped me and suggested I get a more modern car - I informed him the car was taxed, insured and mot'd and was road legal and safe - and therein is the problem - the culture of the road user is now the culture of the car driver and no one gives a hoot about other road users - bikes, horses, agricultural, pedestrians - even the police have this attitude........rant rant rant blah blah blah!

[Lankytim]

I left for work 30 mins early today so I could refuel with gas. I was cut up on a roundabout, had two cars pull out of sideroads on me and was tailgated by a 3yr old Audi A6 TDI. When I drive to work at the normal time it all seems to be OK! I used to get it all the time in smaller cars, but I was in the Audi 100- which is a big motor and hardly difficult to see. It must be an old car thing.

 

Its worth noting that th two cars that pulled out on me from side roads were both piloted by suited women (think middle aged ball-busting female middle manager from hell), so its not just blokes that have shit driving habits.

 

Cant wait to get the maestro on the road. The fire brigade will be cutting my mangled corpse from it within a week.

[sporty-shite]

Wasn't someone in here not that long ago saying how he'll happily slam the brakes on if they're being tailgated?

Having fallen victim to a "braketester" I can attest how utterly infuriating that practice is.

 

Was in a similar situation to Pog, cheap-suited dickhead blocking the outside lane of the East Lancs (two lane dual) in a Puma.

 

Flashed him. Nothing.

 

Flashed him again. Bird in the rear view mirror.

 

Flashed him again. Foglight on.

 

Eventually approached a set of lights where I needed to turn left, so pulled to inside lane and indicated. So did dickhead.

 

He then proceeded to get out of his fiesta coupe hairdresser special edition, and come to my window telling me some shit about how I would die. It was 7am, and I just couldn't be arsed with a ruck, so I let him rant, and thought that would be it.

 

He got back in his car, we both turned left, and I thought that would be it. I wasn't tailgating him, and was reading traffic ahead, which was all moving at a steady 20-ish mph.

 

Then he hit the anchors full hard. I did, ABS rattled, but I hit him. Woman behind only stopped millimetres from me, too.

 

Upshot: fault claim against me, just because some cunt wanted to prove a point. Good job it was a company car, if I'd lost NCB, I would have been mighty pissed off.

[theorganist]

It must be an old car thing

I think you have hit the nail on the head there.

 

It was bad enough in my Maxi but is even worse in the 1100. Most people in modern cars don't let you out as they don't want to get behind you. But the thing that annoys me the most is that if they are waiting to pull out, say onto a dual carriageway and they see you coming down the road, they assume you are travelling slowly and so pull in front of you often with little time to spare. This happens to me so often now much more than it did in the Peugeot 206 I previously drove.

 

I finally snapped the other I did some thing the other day that I am not very proud off and I would not normally do. I was doing 60ish in the 1100 down a dual carriageway, someone pulled out from a side road in some modern silver anonymous car and I had to brake hard. I put my main beam on and blasted the horn, the look of shock on his face in the rear view mirror was a picture!

 

I felt very guilty afterwards though.

[M'coli]

I finally snapped the other I did some thing the other day that I am not very proud off and I would not normally do. I was doing 60ish in the 1100 down a dual carriageway, someone pulled out from a side road in some modern silver anonymous car and I had to brake hard. I put my main beam on and blasted the horn, the look of shock on his face in the rear view mirror was a picture!

 

I felt very guilty afterwards though.

Don't feel guilty, the use of the lights and horn in these circumstances is correct, as you weren't using them to rebuke but as a warning that "I am here".

 

All in all, there are a lot of ignorant twunts on the road, no matter what sort of vehicle they use.

[retrogeezer]

I have found the offending post regarding brake-testing.

 

I am now open to offers not to republish it.... just a ctrl+v away.

carry on Pog, I remember it was me saying how dangerous it was!

[Milford Cubicle]

NAME AND SHAME.

[Jon]

I remember who the poster was but don't wish to get involved, since I'm all timid and that. Leave that stuff to others who aren't rated 'Austin Maxi'....

 

Still, I hate it when people get right up your arse when you have the audacity to slow down for speedbumps. Have got to admit that I don't always keep to all the 20mph speed limits that sporadically pop up in housing estates, though I'll still stay below 30 due to bump infestation. Mrs_cav does keep to 20 and it's surprising how often she gets tailgated, which isn't really that much fun in an MX5 with the roof down.

[theorganist]

Don't feel guilty, the use of the lights and horn in these circumstances is correct, as you weren't using them to rebuke but as a warning that "I am here".

Your right of course, although I probably leant on the horn for a bit longer than was strictly necessary. Hopefully they might think twice before doing it again.

[Mr Lobster]

Its not an exclusively old car thing by any means although what car you drive does make a difference.

 

When I'm driving the Sprinter I very, very rarely get anyone cutting me up or trying to force their way in front of me. For the last few weeks I've had a Kia Ceed (which goes back tomorrow sadly) to run about in and I have noticed that the thrusting young exec does not like to be stuck behind that. Even though it can / does leave their 1.4 Astra 'Sport' for dead.

[Rocket88]

I used to have an old shed with an after market reversing light, with a switch on the dash. If you get a twunt up your chuff, and you had to stop at the lights, it'was quite entertaining to hit the switch as the lights turned green............ t

[red5]

I think there's a general lack of responsibility for one's own actions these days.

A young lad crashed into a tree near here and died. His friends chopped down the tree. It was hardly the tree's fault.

Couldn't agree more with both of these statements. Some middle-aged chap hit a tree on a dual-carriageway near me recently. Speeding, cut in early and clipped a car. Killed himself and one child and seriously injured the other. Apparently it's because there are trees lining the road. Nothing whatsoever to do with irresponsible,reckless driving beyond your abilities. Widow called for trees to be felled in local rag....

[Lord Sterling]

NAME AND SHAME.

T'was me all - let me explain.

 

What I wrote at the time sounded like I was some sort of self-appointed cop who was hell bent on brake-testing tailgaters. I was meant to say at the time was I would come off the gas and apply the brakes gently. One word I ommited to use.

 

I dont condone brake testing or pulling out on front of people or whatever, its all dangerous and could cost lives. If someone tailgates you, either speed up to increase the gap or move to the left at the earliest opportunity, let the tailgaters and speeders deal with thier own driving/consequences.

 

The problem is what I wrote sounded like I brake tested tailgaters, which isnt what I was meant to say. So whilst I argued one point, others continued accusing me of brake testing etc.... I did put this and I admitted that it had been written to sound like so. This was obviously missed.

 

It certainly taught me a thing or two about being clear about what you write.

 

Again, I dont condone any sort of dangerous driving that puts people in danger, even if they are trying to bully you out of thier way, you've just gotta keep your cool and get to your destination safely.

 

Make of it what you will.

 

That is all.

[pandamonium]

Yeah, lets not open that can of worms again eh?

Lets just agree that driving is perilous as too many drivers let their emotions control their actions.

... and I'm sure none of us are innocent there!