Stupid and Uninformed Drivers

[Boggo]

Maybe its just me but I have been under the impression that drivers licences are just being handed out.
The number near misses and incidents based on ignorance, arrogance and stupidity seems to be escalating recently.

Last Friday night in SA in a twelve hour period the police caught 108 drivers who were over the alcohol limit

This is what has prompted me to write this
On a short drive home from the Mother in-law's at Unley last night some eighteen year old P-plater decided that staying in the right hand lane with about six other cars that were behind a car that was turning right was not for her. She decided that she would do a rapid turn into the left lane, unfortunately for me that's where I happened to be.

Result, I now have an almost new Honda Accord in the garage that is about three inches narrower than what it usually is and a drivers side door that opens about six inches.
Apparently its just as much my fault as hers, quote "because I put my indicator on and I looked before I pulled out so you got in my way" unquote

Anyway, my wife and two witnesses kept me calm, we got all the details and thought we may as well go and report it to the police before we go home.

Episode two...
Excellent friendly and helpful police officer records all the details at the police station on Sturt Road and off we head up Shepherds Hill road to go home.

Driving in the left lane, four or five cars around when the car driving alongside in the right lane puts on her indicator and starts to move left, I honk the horn for a couple of seconds and she pulls back into the right lane.
Then the male partner winds down his window and starts to yell muffled obscenities at me.

Are there just more uneducated morons on the roads nowadays or am I encountering more than my share. How are some of these people passing driving tests.

 

[overit]

Very timely post as I was just watching a video of the traffic in India. I dont think they have any road rules over there. Oddly enough it must work as no-one got cleaned up! - LOL!

http://www.wimp.com/indiatraffic/

 

[jono1887]

Very timely post as I was just watching a video of the traffic in India. I dont think they have any road rules over there. Oddly enough it must work as no-one got cleaned up! - LOL!

http://www.wimp.com/indiatraffic/

they have their own system of road rules which only the locals understand

 

[ajjack]

Sorry to hear your driving problems guys, however to cheer you up
here is a link to another crazy drive video.

I think its still there, havent watched it for years.
Good for a laugh.

Tra

www.YouTube - Driving Around New York City - 1928

 

[Boggo]

Sorry to hear your driving problems guys, however to cheer you up
here is a link to another crazy drive video.

I think its still there, havent watched it for years.
Good for a laugh.

Tra

www.YouTube - Driving Around New York City - 1928

Adelaide is like that now, except that gen Y needs to be texting as well while they drive, they are important and precious little creatures so get out of the way

Very funny stuff ajjack
This link works better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkqz3lpUBp0

 

[wayneL]

Maybe its just me but I have been under the impression that drivers licences are just being handed out.

The standard of driving in Oz has always been pretty crap and agro. UK drivers are *generally* a million times better and far more considerate and polite. That said, there are places much worse than Oz... France, Italy and just about anywhere in Asia are totally diabolical.

Not one of Oz's best points though.

 

[Aargh!]

I've spent time in the following countries/regions: SE Asia, India, UAE, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. That is the order (from best to worst) I rate them. I wouldn't dare drive in Saudi that's outright suicide. Instead I get a driver to chauffeur me (usually the compound which I live and work in to the airport to get the hell outta there).

It's generally a good experience when I return to Aus. I am certainly more relaxed and forgiving to other drivers. It makes it easier when they're not dressed in a white casper dress and trying to run you over.

 

[Bafana]

Do a lot of country road driving and am pretty fed up with most drivers as well.

Tailgating with lights on high beam refusing to overtake cause they want you to be wiped out by the Kangaroo (insert other native animal or escaped farm animal here) seems to be a national @$#%ing past time. Tailgating in general, day or night, is alive and well. This people have to realise they cause accidents and its not funny. What also gets me is that no matter how you try they just won't overtake until its totally unsafe to do so, bar pulling over completely which I have to do sometimes when I am really knackered.

BTW I generally travel 100-110km on country roads and 110-120km on the freeway so its not like I am slowing everyone down.

Was at a function the other day and one lady starting suggesting to me that because I do a lot of night driving I taligate someone between towns so I could arrive relaxed. Nearly shoved her coffee mug down her throat.

On top of the consistent pain in the butts we were coming back home from Wollongong yesterday and a couple of guys in a ute crossed the double yellow line heading straight for us instead of slowing down he speed up and swerved back onto his side of the road as my ABS was allowing my wife a closer inspection (without contact) of the glove compartment cover. Than the guy behind me who was still catching up tailgated me for 5 minutes.

My other pet hate is people who travel at 80km along double line sections of road and speed up to 105-110km in sections that allow overtaking. These are also the morons who accelerate as you are overtaking them. Again another prime generator of accidents on the roads who usually take out the youngest of our drivers cause they don't have the patience for these idiots and their cars that are just as good as everyone else's car.

 

[Tink]

Good thread Boggo

We all have a story to tell in here lol

there are places much worse than Oz... France, Italy and just about anywhere in Asia are totally diabolical.

Yep I agree Wayne,

I remember thinking I was in a car race whilst a passenger over there, not to mention, who cares about traffic lights

 

[Julia]

Boggo, sorry to hear about your car.

I agree that driver education seems pretty bad. My pet hate is the inability to use roundabouts. What is hard about this? Seems very straightforward to me, but no, I reckon 80% of the population sit at the entrance clearly uncertain as to when they can move into it.

 

[mini696]

There was an accident this morning where a crazy person pushed a Yellow-Red light and Tee-Boned another car... Not pretty.

As I look out my back window there is a schoolkids car parked across my back driveway. They obviously have no consideration and also don't know what the yellow line marked on the road edge means.

 

[awg]

This is what has prompted me to write this
On a short drive home from the Mother in-law's at Unley last night some eighteen year old P-plater decided that staying in the right hand lane with about six other cars that were behind a car that was turning right was not for her. She decided that she would do a rapid turn into the left lane, unfortunately for me that's where I happened to be.

Whilst teaching my son to drive, I constantly emphasised to not place his vehicle in the blindspot of cars travelling alongside.

This has saved me from several instances of what happened to you

many newer vehicles have poor rear and side vision

and drivers dont turn their necks to check the blindspot, or indicate early to signify their intention.

I endeavour to maintain maximum spacing between vehicles as a safety factor, I like one in front as it protects from headons, radar and reduce wind resistance fuel drag, but never too close, as that breaks safety spacing rule.

I also told him, if someone is tailgaiting or wants to get past, get them in front, if they are erratic, get in front of them.

tailgaters can be discouraged by speeding and slowing, whilst touching brake light and throttle simultaneously.

I used to love the old V8 Scout, any fool that harrassed me knew they would could only come second, as it had 1/4" steel plate bumpers, and was very battered from off-roading, had a huge torque motor, and could master every ******** on the road, and as it was so high, they could also see that a crazy bastard was behind the wheel.

ps I have had no collisions in 30yrs, touch wood

 

[Punisher]

The Playstation taught most of these people how to drive.
They think they are immortal and not prone to injury in an accident like the rest of us.
And they think they can fix their car by pushing the reset button.

 

[Happy]

Not to mention that left hand rear view mirrors are hardly ever flat these days, which makes a lot of happy drivers cut in front of me oblivious to fact that they are only few inches in front of my car.

 

[misterS]

Boggo, It used to be once understood that indicators were for other drivers - and you probably didn't realise that indicators now have several different functions:

1. "hey look, I have already entered the slip road to make my turn and I just wanted to show that I really did it on purpose and I haven't changed my mind - how about that?"

2. "the reason I have already come to a halt at this intersection is to turn and my right to do have done so is like, obviously, the indicator which I have now switched on, so what's your problem?"

3. "I now have right of way, move"

 

[prawn_86]

And they think they can fix their car by pushing the reset button.

You cant?! Thats how i always fix mine...

 

[drsmith]

Not to mention that left hand rear view mirrors are hardly ever flat these days, which makes a lot of happy drivers cut in front of me oblivious to fact that they are only few inches in front of my car.

Is that to increase the field of view from that mirror ?

 

[Happy]

Yes, but many drivers do not realise, that it also alters the perception of distance.

 

[gav]

Having to drive along the Nepean HWY & St Kilda Rd everyday to work played a major role in why I took out life insurance...

A couple of months ago I got cleaned up by a tram that ran a read light. Took 3 weeks for my car to be fixed, I was told it was almost a ride-off. Yet there is a sign stating trams are only allowed do 30km through that intersection. Did a hell of a lot of damage considering he was only supposed to be doing 30KM! The tram driver didn't hang around until Police arrived either. I later found out that tram drivers have part of their pay docked if they run late...

That's the only accident I've been involved in so far but would have 2-3 near misses every week, it's getting beyond a joke.

 

[Boggo]

Boggo, sorry to hear about your car.

I agree that driver education seems pretty bad. My pet hate is the inability to use roundabouts. What is hard about this? Seems very straightforward to me, but no, I reckon 80% of the population sit at the entrance clearly uncertain as to when they can move into it.

Thanks Julia.
Yep, basic concepts at roundabouts are too hard for some but the one that really amazes me is where you have two lanes turning right at an intersection, 9 times out of 10 the car on the outside does not stay in their lane, they seem to work on the shortest distance between two points is a straight line theory, all they got to do is stay between the lines, amazing.

Whilst teaching my son to drive, I constantly emphasised to not place his vehicle in the blindspot of cars travelling alongside.

This has saved me from several instances of what happened to you

I agree awg, in this incident I had she was actually stopped with about five other cars but she decided that her time was too important so she just 'jumped' into the left lane, can't be late for an 18th birthday party eh. !

They think they are immortal and not prone to injury in an accident like the rest of us.

Their attitude is amazing, they are bullet proof in their opinions.

Boggo, It used to be once understood that indicators were for other drivers - and you probably didn't realise that indicators now have several different functions:

1. "hey look, I have already entered the slip road to make my turn and I just wanted to show that I really did it on purpose and I haven't changed my mind - how about that?"

2. "the reason I have already come to a halt at this intersection is to turn and my right to do have done so is like, obviously, the indicator which I have now switched on, so what's your problem?"

3. "I now have right of way, move"

On the subject of indicators, a very misunderstood area. I recently travelled down South Road and as I approached roadworks there was a sign saying left lane closed, merge right. I put my right indicator on to indicate that I was merging right when the car that was about a car length behind in the right lane sped up to cut me off and then started beeping at me.
What this clown does not realise is that in that situation my indicator does actually give me right of way even if my car is only one inch in front of his he legally has to let me in (I wouldn't force my way just to be silly).
Lack of education of the road rules again, see diagram below. (Road traffic act rule 149).


The other interesting area at the moment is that the police are having a field day collecting $149 from all the clowns that drive around with their fog lamps on in a built up area (illegal as of Jan 25th 2009).

Got a quote on my Honda this morning, around $4500, lovely