Attitudes of road users

[hattymender]

There's adverts on the telly that I hate, you know the ones, 'drive this and people will **** themselves' or 'drive this and they think you're Yoda' etc.

But today I've driven the 110, the Escort and the 'Moggy' around the same round about on different errands with different results.

110. Transit van was thinking about pulling across me, thought again and stopped.

Escort. Some muppet in a Skoda carved me up as if I wasn't there. Pretended he hadn't seen me.

Moggy. Botched getting it into 1st (no syncro). Cars actually stopped on roundabout and waved me out with a smile.

The answer? A Series 2? Big enough to have presence but old enough to get a smile?

[Retroanaconda]

One of the joys of owning something like a big Defender. Default right of way

I often see people eyeing up their chances and think "Go on try it, I don't mind a dent in my bumper...I'm sure you do"

[landmannnn]

Works the other way too. I naturally assume I have the right of way at all mini-roundabouts.

I didn't even realise it until I took out my wife's RAV4.

Then I discovered some strange rule about giving way to the left, or is it the right? (I can't remember but I don't suppose it matters)

[steve_d]

I now have two cars that attract attention. The Dakar and an Ultima sportscar.

Both have the same annoying effect.

You approach a roundabout still carrying speed and plan your entry to merge with the traffic. However the traffic on the roundabout sees you coming and slows to get a better look so you then have to drop anchor to avoid hitting them as they sit there almost motionless in the middle of said roundabout.

Steve

[GBMUD]

There's adverts on the telly that I hate, you know the ones, 'drive this and people will **** themselves' or 'drive this and they think you're Yoda' etc.

But today I've driven the 110, the Escort and the 'Moggy' around the same round about on different errands with different results.

110. Transit van was thinking about pulling across me, thought again and stopped.

Escort. Some muppet in a Skoda carved me up as if I wasn't there. Pretended he hadn't seen me.

Moggy. Botched getting it into 1st (no syncro). Cars actually stopped on roundabout and waved me out with a smile.

The answer? A Series 2? Big enough to have presence but old enough to get a smile?

I have noticed this difference between the Defender and the MX5 I have - most noticeable in the narrow lane where my wife's work is, when I am in the MX5 other cars bully me and force me into the verge, when in the Defender they throw themselves into hedges etc. well ahead of my arrival. Is seems very much that 'Might is right'

Chris

[Steve King]

Driving my 110, I find most other cars and vans give way to me (but are inclined to do nasty overtakes just as I'm building up speed following traffic lights or a roundabout).

Driving my Mum's Fiesta, cars rarely give way when they see me coming at a roundabout, but get few if any silly overtakes as the acceration is fairly nifty for the car's size and CC.

Steve

[sparg]

I have noticed, though, that New RR and Disco drivers still drive down the middle of the road, and are less impressed by the defender than other people are. Also, with a 90, I've noticed that people tend to tailgate more than you'd think (and I'm not hanging around) - in fact, had a big road rage thang with a jeep driver who pushed - in a steam of traffic- for about 1.5 miles - then had to llock up and nearly hit when I had to brake for a muppet in front of me - and he's the one with ABS! - in the end, had to threaten to push him off the road to head off a fight - he left sharply. But many bigger 4x4 drivers have no idea of their stopping distance, think they're in a mobile castle. In contrast, even in a TD5 (they actually have decent brakes!) I tend to err on the side of caution - it's not really fair to ely so heavily on other people's crumple zones!

[missingsid]

I now have two cars that attract attention. The Dakar and an Ultima sportscar.

Both have the same annoying effect.

You approach a roundabout still carrying speed and plan your entry to merge with the traffic. However the traffic on the roundabout sees you coming and slows to get a better look so you then have to drop anchor to avoid hitting them as they sit there almost motionless in the middle of said roundabout.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Can I borrow your Ultima (just in the name of an experiment of course)

Actually I understand the upset, it is a real pain when I see my favourite bend coming up

- plan my route (sets expectation)

- and a carp driver gets bin the way and balls it all up

I have a new step daughter (7) so I am new to picking her up from school.

Jeez is that fun, unfortunately I have currently got both my Land Rovers in the garage for quite some time as I could realy pay back those dumb women drivers. I watched 4 women choose not to park in a gap 1mm smaller than they were used to and instead parked across the front of my car in a parking bay!

Please can I borrow something like a Mog or 101

Marc.

[Roverdrive]

He he he. The 101 is the way to go. My missus used to use one on the school run, and could squeeze it in to gaps where Minis feared to tread! Mind you the PAS helped.

Never had much of a problem at roundabouts either funnily enough.

Certainly one thing to bear in mind with a camouflaged vehicle is being seen in poor weather conditions, which I guess is the whole point of the camouflage in the first place. I was on the way to a trial and had arranged to meet up with a mate en route. A quick ( hands free) phone call identified that I was about 1/4 mile in front of him on the straight dual carriage way, but he couldn't see me till I put the lights on.

[Anderzander]

One thing I've noticed round where I am is how people seem more prepared to sit behind me on a country lane.

If I'm in the car some people are always right up the back side trying to intimidate me into going faster - probably thinking "stupid slow driver"

In the Landy they seem more content to wait until they can overtake - I think the blame the slowness on the vehicule not the driver, just like they would with a Tractor.

I like that no pressure on the ride to work anymore

[Brookers]

Oh god I could go on all day about the standard of driving in this country. I spend my working time teaching learners for their car test and it never ceases to amaze me how drivers treat a car with the L sign on top. For some they have a default setting of I MUST overtake, dosn't matter if we are in a built up area traveling at the speed limit with on-coming traffic they still go round Following distance is often interesting, especialy when the learner gets confused and hits the brake rather than the clutch when going for a gear change! This happens often when people first start!

I often wonder how much fun I could have if I used a D90 rather than a Clio, would people give us more room then?

Best fun used to be going trundling round the lanes in the 101 then other drivers found the side of the road to give me room

Please remember a learner may be on their first ever lesson or may be about to take their test, but either way they will NOT speed when driving my car.

Oh and last month I had 3 incidents of old people driving the wrong way around roudabouts at me. I mean how do they do it? Gets really interesting when the Landcruiser to my right towing a Rover 800 on a car trailer has to swing in to my lane (time for quick reactions from the passenger seat) to avoide flattening a old man in a Fiesta who was too bussy shaking his fist at the landcruiser to realise he was going the wrong way around Poddimore roundabout on the A303!

Its about time driviers in this country had regular assesments of their driving. I'm not saying retest but a assesment where they could be advised to have some lessons if they needed it?

Brooker

[Mark90]

Oh god I could go on all day about the standard of driving in this country.

Agreed. Including those who think might is right. It's kinda understandable why many people are so anti 4x4 given how many of them are driven.

One of the joys of owning something like a big Defender. Default right of way

Works the other way too. I naturally assume I have the right of way at all mini-roundabouts.

[Discovan300tdi]

I had to borrow the neigh ours car earlier to get some brake bits for the disco and was cut up, at every chance as its only a little smart car, yet in the disco no-one cuts you up and most times you get flashed out at junctions

yet yesterday I had the misfortune to have to take my 44 tonne wagon into central london and noone gives way even when you are trying to reverse onto a building site, there was folk nipping behind the back of truck as they were too busy to stop for a few mins while I reversed in

[GBMUD]

That reminds me about the time I was made to drive a Smart car, terrible.

At work we used to drive in London a lot in plain white Sprinter vans. The company also had a 'Postman Pat van', a red Vauxhall Combi and I used to hate it when I had to use the PPvan as you would get cut up all the time.

One top tip that my father-in-law taught me was never to give way to a taxi in London as they are not allowed to work if they bend their cars. They always look like they will ram you but always back down in the end for fear of not working.

Not that I would advocate aggressive driving...

Chris

[simonr]

I've found driving a Land Rover - particularly a dented one tends to put people off cutting you up in case all the dents were previous victims!

In the X-Van (LWB Movano) I have terrible trouble! You see someone waiting to pull out of a junction. At the last moment they seem to think "I don't want to be stuck behind that!" and pull out in front of you.

I've had one where it was so close that I had the van sliding sideways fully laiden on a wet road to stop ploughing in to (a BMW). If I'd hit them - they and probably I would be dead! Thankfully I was doing less than 30 at the time.

I had a chap in an Alfa come up behind me on a narrow country lane. He started flashing his lights and hooting (I was doing 60 which as it was was on the limits of safety). He waited until a blind bend and overtook - then brake tested me while gesturing out the window.

People (previously me included) think white vans drive aggressively and generally badly - but I'm starting to see why. The only way to stop someone pulling out at the last moment is to floor it and make it a certainty that if they do it they will die. Stop people risking death by overtaking in stupid places - drive in the middle of the road! In fact, the only people who are curtious to you are Police and other vans / trucks.

Si

[Retroanaconda]

Agreed. Including those who think might is right. It's kinda understandable why many people are so anti 4x4 given how many of them are driven.

It might not be 'right', but people give way to you more. I'm not saying I purposefully try and muscle my way through situations just because I'm in a big truck....I'm saying people are more willing to give way and let you through. I drive the Defender no different than I drove my Focus when it comes down to road manners, it's how others react to your vehicle that is different.

[angusb]

I drive the Defender no different than I drove my Focus when it comes down to road manners, it's how others react to your vehicle that is different.

I'd agree with this, I drive my 110 the same as I used to drive my old Golf and people do give way more often. I think it helps to be in a large vehicle sometimes as you are more visible too, although last week when a transit driver reversed into the front of the 110 he did say he hadn't seen me. Bent my bumper a little and the back of his van a lot.

[Timmy511]

Works the other way too. I naturally assume I have the right of way at all mini-roundabouts.

I didn't even realise it until I took out my wife's RAV4.

Then I discovered some strange rule about giving way to the left, or is it the right? (I can't remember but I don't suppose it matters)

sorry i just wet my self!

[nas90]

But Friday night in Leigh, Kent, with cars parked on the opposite side of the road to my direction of travel, moving cars were overtaking the parked cars with me and the nas stuffed into the kerb stopped to avoid them hitting me. Talk about muppets with a 5mm mild steel winch bumper on the nas

I am sure that if the cameras were ditched, traffic cops allowed to stop and lecture errant motorists and 5 year refresher courses for all drivers, our roads would be a safer place.

Why do we have 4 year refresher courses for our fork lift drivers at work? To ensure that they remain safe in a very pedestrianised factory environment!

[Cat_J]

There's a bad road round here where people park all the way down a main road to get into the god awful Tory club. Almost everyone trys to cut everyone up there and nobody will give way. I've been driving passed the cars before (its a 30) when some idiot in a merc comes flying down there too, gets close enough to see I'm in a defender, realized his mistake and took out almost all the wing mirrors on the cars, ripped a panel off the last one and booted it off afterwards.

Some people just need to drive into a brick wall at 60 before they'll even consider thinking about what they're doing, thats if they survive.

[murray l]

For those who have a problem deciding who has right of way at roundabouts ,

a trip to South Africa will bemuse them even more . There mini roundabouts

also have stop signs , which is supposed to indicate first come has right of

way from whichever direction . Quite disconcerting initially , but you quickly

learn as the S.A. drivers leave you in no doubt about their feelings if you get

it wrong .

[landmannnn]

For those who have a problem deciding who has right of way at roundabouts ,

a trip to South Africa will bemuse them even more . There mini roundabouts

also have stop signs , which is supposed to indicate first come has right of

way from whichever direction . Quite disconcerting initially , but you quickly

learn as the S.A. drivers leave you in no doubt about their feelings if you get

it wrong .

That sounds a lot easier than the uk where nobody is 100% sure who has the right of way.

[Glue]

That sounds a lot easier than the uk where nobody is 100% sure who has the right of way.

Nobody has right of way, those coming from your left have priority over you, but that is all. (From my next door neighbour who is a driving examiner)

[landmannnn]

Nobody has right of way, those coming from your left have priority over you, but that is all. (From my next door neighbour who is a driving examiner)

Now I am even more confused. Are you sure it is the left? I guess Mark90's comment on page 1 is valid after all.

[Retroanaconda]

At a mini roundabout you give way to the right (ie traffic already on it) just as on a normal roundabout. This can cause issues where there's a car at each exit as then no-one has right of way. But eventually someone will go and then it'll be as normal.

Edit: Oh, and it's also standard practice to treat it like a junction for signalling purposes. That is to say you don't do the 'signal right until the exit then signal left' bit for turning right, or the 'signal left for the exit but not until it' for going straight over. You just indicate right, left, or not at all depending on where you're going.