Is it today? As my 10 mile trip to get the fancy dog food proved harrowing:

Woman parks right in the middle of a busy neighborhood street to chat with a friend instead of pulling OVER and no flashers to boot. Gave the the bird when I honked. W sticker.

Chevy Silverado, the whole family, including toddlers are obese and seatbeltless, drifting lazily over three lanes on the freeway. Back of truck is slathered in Jesus Saves! and W! stickers.

Man almost runs me down in parking lot. Is too busy listening to his iPod. Back of car has "Dont be a girly-man, vote Republican" sticker.

Woman merging to downtown loop ramp is driving half on, half off the road for several minutes. Honking does not work, as shes too busy talking to Trish on her cell. W sticker.

Theres a bout a dozen more examples, like passing me on the right at 90mph, then swerving in front of me and braking when they see the tractor trailer.

Sigh. You see the trend: Republicans cant drive, and the remainder have confused motoring with a video game.

/rant

Im usually a fairly easy to placate individual, but theres something about the mongs on the road that sets me swearing, gnashing my teeth and, yep, even giving them the bird on rare occasions.

I wonder how some of these people passed their tests, was it determination and blind luck after six or seven attempts or did some of them give favours to the examiners?

I think there should be compulsory tests every year or so for anyone over fifty. They are relics of a driving era that has long been forgotten where the test could be passed by moving the car a hundred yards down the road and their knowledge of the current highway code is dangerously inadequate.

Im not a flawless driver, but Im at least considerate and watchful for other road users, unlike most of these morons.

Dear lord, when I got my license in Illinois, all I had to do was written as Id held one for a decade, and an eye test. Now my vision is mainly affected by astigmatism and mild myopia--its not that bad--but I shouldnt be driving, especially at night without spex. What did the woman do? She let me guess several time! "Try again honey." :banghead:

I drive like a proper Swede as lifes too short to not take care on the road. I do speed when inbetween cities on the interstate, setting the cruise control to 90-95 when traffic is light and conditions are good.

The basic pass on the left rule is the one that gets me most irritated. I guess thats reversed over there. When you have 3-5 freeway lanes, the faster you go the further to the left you should be, but around these parts people who want to go fast just throw that rule out. I hate moving to the right to exit, and some hoodlum in an 87 Corsica has been sitting in my blind spot so long that I barely avoid whanging into him as even a craned neck can miss that one position.

/rant2

It amazes me on the motorways especially the number of idiots that dont grasp stopping distances or lane discipline and insist on driving up each others backsides at well over 80mph, switching lanes to fill the narrowest of gaps with playstation controller style digital movements, sweeping from lane to lane with indication an afterthought.

I drive as fast as the car will go on the motorway and constantly monitor all the cars ahead and behind and leave a considerable gap to allow for any problems, give plenty of indication and change lanes slowly so other people arnt stabbing on the brakes. Its really not that hard to drive safe at high speed, whether its 70mph or 90mph. Some of these people simply are not safe for themselves or others on the road. Its also pretty much the reason I prefer night time driving. Less traffic = less morons and at night its surprisingly good visibility. You can spot the rear lights of a car from a great distance on a well lit night time motorway.

Yup, I swear its the video games that are the problem with the younger drivers. Its like theyre playing Pole Position Reality Edition or something.

Yeah, lane discipline is uber important. Its why the Germans dont have any more motoryway accidents compared to the Americans.

I drive progressivly.... ie i dont hang about..... thats not to say i do 90 in a 30 tho, i just cant stand people going slow! If youve got somwhere to get, get there in the shortest possible, safe time.

Its like people who do 40 in a 60 with the excuse of "its an upper limit"..... yes it is, but its also a _safe_ speed to be doing so do it!!

I regulaly use horn/lights/bird when people cut me up tho.... one guy today (in my hire car) cut me up 5 times in about 1 mile! Grrrrr!

Quote from: Christopher MonkeyIts like people who do 40 in a 60 with the excuse of "its an upper limit"..... yes it is, but its also a _safe_ speed to be doing so do it!!

Depends on the road conditions and weather, I have been on a few where 60   is the limit but it would have been dangerous to travel at that speed. You also have to take into account peoples reasoning, a person driving somewhere for business, such as a salesman, will want to get there in the shortest possible time so they can do as much work as possible. OTOH a holiday maker might want to smell the roses or see the countryside, for them pure speed isnt important.

I have also been in vehicles where going 40 in a 60 zone is preferable...

The one thing you can say is the speed group tend to have more numerous and damaging accidents.

Valid points, however, what imeant was people traveling in new cars (not 4x4, MPVs etc) who dawdle along in perfect conditions!

LoL I dont Dardle when I drive friends cars, or new cars that is... Was driving me friends Daewoo Lanos the over day just put me foot down braked heavy for the first 300 meters till i got a place on the breaks and size then went for it Good little fun car, bar the power steering being way to light!


Whats with all these stickers btw? I dont follow American Politics and know very little about it..

Quote from: Clockd 0NeI drive as fast as the car will go on the motorway.

Borrow mine :mrgreen: or that lambo you went out in  

Quote from: Christopher MonkeyValid points, however, what imeant was people traveling in new cars (not 4x4, MPVs etc) who dawdle along in perfect conditions!

Valid point also, its usually easy to determine if someone is driving below the limit for a reason, usually its an old duffer. Whats worse is when youre on a stretch of road, and you have two old duffers, or a duffer and a driver who lacks confidence, either way refusing to overtake the other, that just makes it dangerous for those behind who now have to overtake 2 cars to make some kind of reasonable progression.


If you want a good example, drive on Lincolnshires roads, they are fing awful, its very rarely you get a chance to overtake safely on some of them. Ive driven the route from Nottingham to Skegness (glamour capital of the uk ) plenty of times and some parts of the route just plain suck. To make it worse, if you time when you travel wrong you will get drivers pootling along with huge chains of traffic behind.


My crowning glory on the road to Skegness once was a monster 8 car overtake, and yes before someone pipes up, it was safe.

Quote from: Poison_UKWhats with all these stickers btw? I dont follow American Politics and know very little about it..

Yeah whats all this w business about?

Walmart Employees??

George "W" Bush, I assume

the only thing infurating me lately is one strech of road i go home on.

turning off the main road, theres a road up over a hill,
beacuse it goes past a school and a housing estate to the top of the hill, its 30 mph....

fine, so 80% of cars go up there at 37 - 40, silly sods  

whats worse is, after the crest of the hill, its farm land, downhill with no junctions etc so is marked as a national limit at the crest....

YET THEY BLOODY GO 40 STILL        

im sure some drivers think theres a country wide limit on the roads of 40mph and stick to it regardless of the road signs saying otherwise

Quote from: matt5cottMy crowning glory on the road to Skegness once was a monster 8 car overtake, and yes before someone pipes up, it was safe.

I BET IT WASNT SAFE EHHH EHHH!!!



Aye I think I know the roads that you are going on about many trips have being made that way in my life

Its pritty bad at the moment in Durham, people who have lisences not understanding that you should not enter a round about when there is not safe enough room for other cars that have a way of getting off the round about to these destination instead they just block the entire thing up! FOOLS!
Also old people ive had one nearly run into me a week ago that im still annoyed about in his City Rover he had no idea I was there and was turning to join the road! Idiiotic man, went and over take him as he was then taken the piss on a 60 road that has a pritty steep climb from a 30 zone just put me foot to the ground and went flying past looking very annoyed...

Quote from: Christopher MonkeyValid points, however, what imeant was people traveling in new cars (not 4x4, MPVs etc) who dawdle along in perfect conditions!

Either they just bought a new car and they are thinking about their investment or they just dont want to drive fast, getting there is half the fun for many people.