:: Driving me Crazy... ::

:: Friday, August 16, 2002 ::

Saw a frightening example of not approaching a fast road at the right speed this evening. Green Clio heading on to the A50 Eastbound pulls onto the road at what looks like about 35mph seemingly oblivious to the 18-wheel monster bearing down at about 55. Had the driver pulled in behind, we would all have had to brake to get round her but the six cars between us are all pretty agile. Thankfully, the truck driver had realised what was about to happen and had already braked enough to let our heroine get away with it. Tense moments, though. When we all got past this Clio, the driver basically hadn't increased speed at all.

Another plea for thought in the car- if you're in the outside lane alongside another car, and you know the road ahead is only one lane, either speed up or slow down. If you're STILL alongside when the two lanes merge, there will be an accident. I know most of you realise this, but the driver of the orange Ka alongside me at the Badger Box this evening clearly hadn't. I'm getting sick of having to think for both drivers in that kind of situation. I braked, for the record.
:: Gary 16.8.02 [+] ::
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I know I said I wouldn't post every day, but...

If you're in the outside lane of any road, I assume you're there to overtake something. So GET ON WITH IT! Twice today I've been stuck behind cars that pulled up in the outside lane at a set of traffic lights and then crawled away as if they were out of fuel. One was a battered old silver BMW 316, the other was a much newer Rover 45. The Rover driver nearly hit me with an apple-core thrown out of the window as we both left the motorway, too. Please, ladies and gentlemen (both drivers were male, for the record) have a thought for those behind you who might actually want to accelerate.

And I haven't even mentioned the poor lady in the Nova who pulled out in front of me onto a roundabout in Burton. Had I not jumped on the brakes, I would have hit her car right in the middle of the driver's side. I don't think she even noticed me about a foot from her side window.
:: Gary 15.8.02 [+] ::
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Welcome! You've almost certainly stumbled across this blog by accident, but thanks for dropping in.

So why am I here? Why have I decided to start putting my thoughts up for public ridicule? Am I an egotist? Probably. But actually, I look on this as cheap therapy. Shall I get to the point? Why not.

Every time I drive, I encounter other motorists. And lo, the meeting of motorists did cause a great wailing and a gnashing of teeth - probably in both cars. I will never claim to be a perfect driver. In fact I don't even claim to be a good driver, average will suit me fine. I occasionally take opportunities that perhaps aren't the safest, and I'll occasionally miss a completely obvious gap at an island, sometimes in the same journey. I'm sure any number of complaints can and have been levelled at me in the past and will be in the future.

For the record, I live in England so for any non-UK visitors I hope the terminology becomes apparent.

OK, introduction over. Let's start with some common irritations.

1: Tailgaters (urban) - Speed limits are there for a reason, and usually a good one. That's why I tend to travel at the limit as published. So please don't sit on the rear bumper when I'm travelling past a school at or a little below the limit. It makes a real mess when I have to jump on the brakes because some kid has just run into the road. And you will be adding to the mass that I have to slow down with my car's brakes.

2: Tailgaters (Motorway) - Speed limits aren't quite as important here. Hell, even I stop being so paranoid about the limit (non-UK visitors, British speed limit is 70mph published, but appears to be about 85mph in practicality) on motorways. But if I'm passing a truck and you're steaming up behind me at 90mph+ don't expect me to compromise my safety by leaping out of your way. Or accelerate and risk being pulled over by the police officer in lane 1 that you haven't seen yet :)

3: FOSLs - Found this on www.Pseudodictionary.com which is a store of made-up words. FOSL stands for Fear of Speed Limits. I know that the speed limit is a limit not a target. However, if you're on a clear road in good conditions travelling at 20mph or more below the limit, don't be too surprised to find me looking for a way past. Which leads nicely into

4: Two-stage overtaking - this is where you're right behind a slower car, then pull out at the same speed and start to accelerate. OK, if you're driving something a bit special you can probably get away with it but if you're in a 1.0 Nova it's probably not the best idea. And more than likely you'll have seen me approach from a way behind you already at overtaking speed by the time I've pulled out. Granted, a well-executed overtaking on any road that is less than a dual carriageway can take good timing and I know I get it wrong sometimes. But I do at least try to get it right

5: Joining a Motorway - This is a bit similar to 4, actually. Let's see if I've got this right. A motorway is, at least nominally, a three-lane road with all the traffic going in the same direction at somewhere between 70 and 85 mph. There are frequently trucks in the inside lane which are probably doing about 56mph. So why do I find so many people approaching this chain of high-speed projectiles at a good 10 - 15mph less than the slowest and heaviest vehicles? I'm hardly Einstein (he's dead for a start) but even I can work out that your best chance of survival is to be at the same speed as the traffic flow when you try and join it.

6: Lane discipline (Motorway) - I've lost count of the times I've slotted into the stream of trucks heading one way or another on the M1 and driven at 50mph+ with two lanes of slower or standing traffic on my right. I've also lost count of the times I've gone from lane 1, across lane 2 completely, into lane 3, and back to lane 1 all to overtake a slower car that is in lane 2. Sometimes they get the hint, sometimes they don't. I can't wait for the day we adopt the US idea and allow passing on both sides. Maybe then people will watch both mirrors, and we'll avoid this ludicrous spectacle of two lanes standing with the inside clear.

7: Queue-jumping (Line-jumping for US visitors) - Take, for example, J21 southbound on the M1. This is a busy junction, leading into Leicester's Fosse Park area and also to the M69 motorway. Every morning and every evening there is a tailback from that junction that stretches back past the Leicester Forest East service station towards J21a. Why do people think it's acceptable to drive past this line of traffic and then force their way into the traffic stream at the last second?

8: Psychic Motorists - I hate to admit this, maybe they'll take my license away. I was never given the 'psychic' section of the driving test. I'm sure I would have failed it. If I want to know which way a car is going to turn, or whether the driver wants to pull out into the lane ahead of me, I have to rely on those funny flashing lights on the corner of other cars.

9: Communication Addicts - If your call is more important than your safety, fine, I don't have a problem with that. Just get the hell off the road and stop compromising mine. I once saw a driver approach a roundabout with a mobile phone clamped to his ear. Unable to change gear and steer with just one hand, he stalled on the roundabout in the middle of a Monday morning rush hour. I've also had near-misses with drivers drifting across lanes beside me. If you absolutely can't be out of touch while you drive at least get a hands-free kit. Please.

10: Mirror-Signal-Maneuver - This is not an unstoppable chain. Maybe it should be Mirror-signal-mirror-maneuver- but the trick is to look in the mirror and act on what you see. Just because you have signalled it does not automatically mean it is safe to pull out. I got this wrong once and got away with it. Just. I consider myself lucky and the driver I'd nearly pushed into the central reservation was well justified in the various gestures and comments on my parentage, intelligence and common sense he made as he hurtled past an inexperienced and badly shaken new driver.

Phew. I feel better already. With all that out of the way, future updates can concentrate on specific incidents. I will never mention registration numbers (I couldn't remember them for a start) but I might mention makes, models and colours. I travel from M1 J27 to M1 J24a, then A50 to J4 and A38 to Burton on Trent every morning. If you see a car on its own on the inside lane, wave. It might be me.
:: Gary 14.8.02 [+] ::
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