now i live 45 mins away from the motorway (all routes), the roads out are single carriageway "red" Aroads,over various bits of exmoor, & the BANE of my life are drivers going 30mph down them (limit of 60mph but any idiot can do 50 safely) which i can JUST about cope with...BUT THEN braking at each corner. why>???????? arent they going slow enough to be able to steer around a simple bend? it drives me nuts.
surely people can steer around bends in a road without braking? its no good for your brakes you want to save them for emergancys!!!
rant over!

I am a self-confessed 'moaner' when it comes to driving.  Nothing winds me up more than a car driving slowly for no reason   But the most annoying thing is when the car in front of me decides to brake sharply to allow someone out of a junction, not only god damn annoying but bloody dangerous too - yet who's fault would it be if I bumped into the back of them?  I drive my OH nuts moaning about other road users :D :D

oh you can moan to me if you like!!!!!

Surely across Exmoor there is lots of wild life that deserves the respect of the slower driver.  They were there before we came along with our infernal combustion engines.  Why are you in such a hurry, how about giving yourself a bit extra time and enjoying the countryside.

Driving too slowly is more polluting for the atmosphere and uses more fuel.

what in the dark?

im not in a hurry,i dont see why i have to crawl along behind someone who is incapable of STEERING a car at a slow sppeed without braking

I'm afraid that I'm probably one of the people that you moan about :D I refuse to drive any faster than I want to drive :) It is very dangerous to expect people to drive at a speed that they don't feel safe at. I'm not a slow driver, but I'm a careful driver - and there is a difference :) Would you feel safe if people expected you to drive faster than you feel comfortable with ?

Daisy

Ooh, I have to be honest, I'm annoyed by those braking drivers because i always think they are braking for a more important reason than just every corner. But, tend to be calm about it and worry more about anyone behind me getting impatient and overtaking through irritation. So I feel stressed due to driver behind!

I always drive as fast as i safely can and once I know the roads and keep up to speed most of the time, but if I feel unsure (esp. country roads at night, not lit) I would probably not drive at 60 unless the visibility was excellent and road was straight.

In the New Forest area there is a likelihood of ponies/cattle/donkeys straying onto some roads - so have to be esp. careful.
I agree drivers need to drive as fast as they safely can; it's what i do as i can't do anything else.

Lindsay
X

If me and mum are driving through Exmoor/Dartmoor/Cornwall and going at a leisurely speed and there is a car up our bum really wanting to overtake we will pull over and let them carry on at 90mph :D I know how annoying it is when you're late for a show and you seem to get stuck behind every car out for a sunday drive!

its NOT the slow daisy its the unneccessary braking at each bend,which is not needed when going slow! cars have steering wheels that er steer! ;)

Depends how slow you are going and how sharp the bend is :D People who are familiar with the bends know how fast they can go without braking :) Tolerance does come with age :D

Daisy

I agree there's wildlife that deserves more respect, there are also locals who have lives to live and aren't on holiday, we some times have to be places like work and to be stuck behind some one who is on holiday and enjoying the view is a real pain, there are plenty of laybys and passing places where I live where holiday makers can easily pull over for a few minutes and let the sizeable traffic jam thats built up behind them get past, but they never do.

What really winds me up is those people who not only brake for corners but also for big scary lorries that are on the oher side of the road coming towards them.  You also get those people who think it's acceptable to brake for every car too, this really drives me barmy. My other half usually drives at the speed limit the whole way there, with no braking at the corners allowed :D I tend to drive faster than him and if we are in a hurry or following someone to a show I normally get to drive. My OH also says people that show dogs have to drive as though they are in a formula one car :D :D I really hate it when we are heading to a show and I see the estate cars whizzing past and we are dawdling along conserving petrol!!!

My bug-bear is people who don't use their indicators...we are not all psychic drivers/pedestrians.

I must admit slow drivers are a pain to me too, we have a main road in Dundee and it is a 50mph speed limit.  Some people drive at 37-38mph along there, why that speed, why not go the extra 2-3mph and hit 40????     I was told whilst I was having driving lessons, by my instructor, that you can be marked down by the examiner for not driving at the max. speed limits for that road because you have to be seen to be aware of speed limit differences.

I'm with you re the indicators, Christine.  I am beginning to wonder whether they are an optional extra on some models.  I usually shout "INDICATE" out of the window - it makes them jump and me larf !  Just goes to show that they are not paying attention. 

"They" also say that faster drivers are safer drivers, as they have to concentrate more.  I tend to agree with this, as driving at 30mph makes me fall asleep.  I once did 18mph, but I think I was parked at the time! :)

My friend once followed someone who didn't use indicators once, and when they finally parked he kindly advised the driver that his indicators must be broken, because they hadn't been working at all ...the other driver got very blustery!

Another thing - (rant mode "on") - why do people forget to turn their hazards off when they drive off???  You would think that the flashing light on the dashboard, the annoying clicking sound, or the angry female driver behind them madly flashing their lights (cough....no names, no pack drill) would alert them, but oh no, just call me Mr (sorry, it's mainly blokes/male van drivers) oblivious.  Aarrgghh...

I actually think the speed limit on country roads are dangerous !! You never know what's around the next bend.  I don't drive dead slow but I take it easy and I'm a fairly young un :d

I believe country roads are the most dangerous aren't they? Aren't more people killed there than anywhere else?

Lindsay
x

This is one of my "pet bugbears" too.

Yes Lindsay, more people are probably killed on country roads than any other, but I have a theory, they are more dangerous because you get idiots crawling along doing 27mph, they frustrate the life out of everyone behind them and thats when you get dangerous overtaking manoeuvres that are hazardous for oncoming traffic/people/wildlife. We also suffer with cyclist riding 3 or 4 astride round here as well

Whenever I get behind one, which is all the time living in the country, I always wonder to myself how many accidents they have caused that they're not aware of It's quite simple, whenever I go to a place that I'm not sure of, or am looking for somewhere, I find a safe place to pull in and let the traffic behind me pass. Why can't others do the bloody same? They seem to take great pleasure in holding you up or worst of all, their mirrors are so badly positioned that they haven't a clue that you're there at all!!!

As for braking at every corner and for every large vehicle that comes in the other direction, if they're lacking in that much confidence then they shouldn't be on the road, they're a menace to everybody.

Or motorways, why do people have to be a member of the MLOC (middle lane owners club) when there isn't any traffic on the inside lane? And they're the ones that are doing 60mph, no more, no less, so if you're on the inside and want to overtake, not only do you have to overtake from the inside but the middle too. Grrrrr. Don't get me started on lane discipline at roundabouts, dual carriageways etc :P

Ooh yes, HP, it's the CLODs as I call them (Centre Lane Owner-Drivers!) who are terribly dangerous, as it's changing lanes on motorways that's dodgy, so they make you have to cross several lanes to get past them.

As I heard, it's impossible to undertake a good driver, because good drivers are in the correct lane! ;)

We have a bloke around here who drives his G-Wagon at a horse's trotting-pace, causing terrible hold-ups behind him. He really should have his licence taken away, because as someone said earlier, not driving to the speed limit when conditions are suitable is a driving-test fail. He's a menace.

Ok someone has to ask it, What on earth is a "Red" A road.
There are Motorways -A roads- B roads- Main roads-Side roads-country lanes. But I have never heard of a "Red A Road"

May be its a local thing but not where I live.

Bazza

Bazza, if you look on a map, all main trunk roads, ie, A roads, are coloured in red ;)

the green A roads are usually better

I have to agree, extreme slow drivers are a pet hate of mine also!
I tend to keep calm and leave lots of braking distance, especially if they step on the brakes at every corner as described above! Keeping distance means I rarely have to brake when they do, as I catch them up by the time they finish braking... which begs the question why the hell are they braking??!!
I do honestly believe that slow drivers cause a lot of accidents... they wind people up who end up making bad overtaking decisions which lead to accidents.
A friend of mine was stopped recently by a police man for driving too slow. He was early for meeting some one so decided to slow down and waste some time. The police were supsisious of him, thought he might have been drinking or something!

last night from dog club i tryed a experiment to drive slowley(couldnt bear to go under 40) & brake around all the bends. it was bloody difficult & had to keep changing gear!
didnt feel safe at all & was hard work.
much easier to drive approx 50,ease off going into the corner & excalarate out. these arent blind corners just bends! ;D

My pet hate is certainly those who drive at 28mph in a 60mph limit, drives me mental. I know I should say this but they usually wear driving gloves and hats.

& have really nice cars too. all the ones who brake around corners MUST have power steering, & if i can steer my van around that hasent without braking,im sure its more than poss if you have PS!

Someone earlier mentioned people on cycles, and that REALLY gets my back up.  They never ride in single file, it's always three or four people wide - how dangerous is that?  And to top it off, there was actually a cycle RACE  that entailed cycling down the A1 !!!  That was just beyond belief.  If anything annoys me the most, then cyclists would have to win.

Putting my neck on the chopping block here. I also get irrate at OAPs driving during rush hour, surely they have all day to go to the wool shop. Why 8.30 in the morning.

I work in the motor trade and there was this one customer who couldnt write a cheque as he couldnt see, then he couldnt see his car, 20 metres away. This worried me. Anyway to get out of  the car park he hit the same car 4 times, but did not come into to say sorry Ive hit another customers car.

Ooooohh another pet hate, is people openning car doors onto yours AAGGHHH!!!

<chews arm off>

YES Emma, >opening car doors onto yours<.......I could kill for that!! :rolleyes:

And what about the ones who sit at a junction for ages, watch you approach, then pull out in front of you at the last minute, normally you're doing about 50 or 60 and have to stand on the brakes, you haven't got anything behind you and they could have waited a few more seconds for you to pass and then pulled out safely behind you!! Then they've got the audacity to do 10 miles per hour and give you the finger or some other rude sign because you've tooted them or flashed your lights :(

We could all be on here for the next month citing bad examples of driving. The one thing that normally alerts me to a "careful" driver is the cap and tartan blanket on the rear parcel shelf :D I know, I know, it'll come to us all one day, if the menaces don't kill us first!!!!

Def. agree about the irritating braking, middle lane road hogs and cyclists - the latter are always out in force on Sundays and surely can't feel safe, cycling 2 or 3 abreast on 40mph roads?
And what about when there are 10 or so of them, all strung out on slightly bendy roads, so it's impossible to overtake without having to dangerously squeeze in between them? That's a real pet hate of mine because what they do is just plain dangerous!

However, I do feel there is a danger of impatience and intolerance taking over - I am sometimes doing a respectable 55-60 and someone always wants to go past me and usually at a bend, or dangerous place. This makes me most angry of all - that no matter how fast you DO go, someone always wants to go faster!! :(

Lindsay
X

if someone is up my bum,i pull over & let them go. i dont  go slowley but i wont be pressursed into going faster than i want. equally i dont want someone crashing into my back & hurting my dogs so im happy to pull over

Yes but Lindsay, whenever they overtake you, have you noticed how you nearly always catch them up ahead? whether it be at the lights or a junction and then they can't look at you in their r.view mirror through embarassment :P :P

gosh yes HP!

LOL so true!

Lindsay
x

HP, I overtook someone going ridiculosly slow last night and had to jump a read light to avoid the embarrassment of them catching me up :(

(it was safe to jump it before anyone jumps on me for that ;) )

BB88, Afraid I've also been there, done that.....worn the T shirt......seen the Video as they say :P

Then spent 5 minutes at the lights staring red faced at my steering wheel while they quitely seethe behind me, especially if I've cut them up in the process

Ah yes, the "Hat, coat and gloves" brigade.  Usually to be found on a Sunday morning doing 22mph IN FRONT OF ME....... :rolleyes:

after all that....you should she me trying to drive around big cities with big multi lane roundabouts!!!! i want a sign saying "beware im from the country"

Pet hates when driving, apart from some of the above (including middle lane sitters and cyclists - who i think are made and those that cycle on busy twisty roads should have extreme sport insurance) are people who put their fog lights on for no reason what so ever and people who think that just because your car is older/more battered that it doesn't matter when they smash your wing mirror off or reverse into your car when it's sitting in a car park!

Another 2 pet hates of mine. 

Drivers coming towards you on narrow country roads, I always pull as far into the verge as I can so we can both pass and they still sit on their side of the road with no intentions of pulling in a bit so my car ends up covered in muck.   And they don't even give a wave of thanks.   You can be guaranteed it's those driving teeny, narrow cars that are the worst offenders and I have a big wide Mondeo estate!!!!

No.2 - those who see you coming down a slip road to join onto a main dual carriageway and don't pull over to let you out even though no-one else is coming up the outside lane!!!   Arrgghhh, surely that's common courtesy to make way?

:D @ Christine!  It's well seen we drive the same roads ;)  Round here the lack of courtesy is appalling on country roads; I'm heartily fed up of being forced up onto the verge by oncoming cars whose drivers don't even have the common decency to wave in acknowledgement  

Also, as bad as no indication is using the wrong indication, especially at roundabouts, and that's endemic in this area!

Lesley

I have to say, living down a country lane, nothing gives me more pleasure than going to get the newspaper at peak times, and driving at or under the 30mph speed limit. Seeing all those idiots impatient to get past ( which they can't cause the lane is too narrow), just because they couldn't be bothered to leave 5 minutes earlier or take the main road,  is one of the sheer delights one has to enjoy.
Bazza

:)

Daisy

I just LURVE your attitude Bazza

:) :) :)