To think the roads are becoming more unsafe

[Solonelywastheballard]

I've been driving for 16 years and never had an accident. I've lived in two major cities and driven all over the country.

I would consider myself an experienced and very good driver. I've never had an issue on the roads. Until this last month.

Two weeks ago a man became very very aggressive with me. I was really shaken for a while, he looked like a proper thug. This was because I overtook a parked car when he was coming in the opposite direction. I had plenty of time to get round, it's a 20 mph road with speed bumps. He deliberately sped right up, zoomed up to me as I was passing the parked car didn't stop until he was almost touching my bumper, I reversed out the way, he the drove beside me and started spouting abuse at me, calling me a stupid foreign bitch. I thought he was going to get out the car and rip my head of he was so angry. (I'm English and white btw)

Then today I stopped at a roundabout to give way to a car on the right and a van driver drove up the back of me. Another tattooed thug. Shouting about how I shouldn't have stopped I should just have carried on driving to keep the flow of traffic moving. I've noticed people have less and less regard for giving way at roundabouts, he's obviously one of them. I said he needed to take a driving course because you have to giveway to the right.

My dh has also had two road rage incidents in the last couple of weeks while I've been in the car - one was a thug on a bike.

I feel like the roads aren't safe and the world is being taken over by bully boy men. Right now I don't want to get behind the wheel again but my DS is disabled and I need to drive for him.

Is anyone else feeling like the roads are becoming lawless or is it just me.

[araiwa]

2 incidents where nothing happened in 16 years is completely lawless yanbu

[berlinbabylon]

There do seem to be some entitled nutters around and often in vans.

Two tales of my own: M25/M3 junction last weekend - 5 lanes - M3 London, M3 Southampton, and 3 M25 lanes. A horsebox was in the inside lane and moved out into the next lane over (inside lane for London, next lane over for Southampton). A green van came screaming down the Southampton lane and almost drove into the back of the horse box, leaning on the horn. Admittedly the horse box should have waited but then they probably didn't realise how fast the green van was coming down.

Seconds later, someone in the Southampton lane decides they want to stay on the M25 after all so stop (completely, on a motorway, yes, really) to force someone in an M25 lane to let them in (they'd only had about 2 miles' warning to get over). We and the car in front had to stop as well, and a car behind us comes screaming up behind, hand on horn, and moves into the London lane and back in again at the last minute. I should say there was a 40 limit in force on the M25 at the time as well.

What is wrong with these people? It's all about impatience (and seemingly thinking you can just disappear when the person in front of you does something stupid). Also why do they think leaning on the horn is going to help? My mum always says if you have time to beep you have time to brake.

[adaline]

I think there are more cars on the road than ever before, which certainly doesn't help the situation. Crowded roads mean people get impatient and frustrated - nobody likes being stuck in traffic or stuck behind a slow driver.

However saying that I've never felt unsafe and I've experienced my fair share of road rage and impatient drivers. I'd rather just let them past me and go on their way.

[Solonelywastheballard]

2 incidents where nothing happened in 16 years is completely lawless yanb

But that's my point. In 16 years I've never had an issue on the road. Now all of a sudden I've been party to multiple incidents. And something did happen, a van drove into the back of my car and smashed the back in. I would also consider a meat head bloke verbally abusing a small woman something happening.

[DeepDarkWoods]

More cars on the road now, just imagine what it will be like in another 16 years! People get frustrated they cant go as fast as they want.

[lorettalemon]

I think the driving has got a lot worse. People seem to undertake far more and I've felt annoyed I'm being tailgated too much on the motorway including by lorries when I'm traveling at the same speed as the other cars, rather than going slowly.

[reginafelangee]

The evidence is that roads are becoming safer.

There has been a long term decline in road traffic accidents since the 1960s.

Measures dealing with drink driving, wearing seatbelts, improvements to both vehicle and road safety have all contributed.

[tobypercy]

This is a common perception. But as far as accidents (road traffic collisons) go there are fewer than there used to be. Check out the statistics published by DfT, there is a clear downward trend.

Road rage is harder to judge - I remember a rash of incidents in the early '90s and have barely heard any since, but that may be affected by where I lived then and now, and also by media coverage which tends to come and go. I don't think statistics are collected officially.

[tobypercy]

It's a trope that you can't change other people's behaviour but you can change your reaction to it.
If you think driving is getting worse then it's quite likely to be your perception that's changed, not the behaviour.

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

I got abused yesterday for giving way to someone coming off their drive. There was no one else there. It was the person I gave way to that did the abusing

[TabbyMumz]

People are more aggressive in souped up cars. There is a particular duel carriage way on my route to work. Constantly people drive up behind you at 90mph up to your bumper. Not sure where they think you should go. Often I think "sod you, I'm doing 70, trying to get past a load of lorries, I'm not going to suddenly scoot in between lorries and near kill myself for you".Then they get more aggressive and when you do get in, they drive soo close to you when they go past, on purpose, then do same thing to the next car in front.

[adaline]

Road rage and number of accidents are two separate things though.

Accidents might have declined but I do think road rage is on the rise.

[amusedbush]

Honestly, there are days that I drive home wondering who left the gate open at the cunt farm. It seems like people just do what they want, weaving in and out, not indicating, pulling out of junctions across your car without proper space or warning, etc. One woman stopped at every junction to let out people who were waiting, even though she and I were the only people on the main road!

Three times in the past few weeks a car has appeared beside me after going straight on in a "right turn only" lane and I'd had to let them in as the road narrows.

At the weekend I was doing 30 in a 30 zone, the rain was so heavy my wipers could barely keep up and a guy behind me roared past at about 45mph in the bus lane. Go ahead if it's that important

[picklemepopcorn]

People aren't staying on their side of the road either! Constantly drifting across the middle.

Part of it is younger drivers being taught not to pause at the white lines unless it's necessary. I was taught to slow while looking, then pull out if clear. DSs were taught not to slow unless something is there. This means their driving feels aggressive to me, and mine looks dithery to them!

[ChristmasInJuly]

I reported a very frightening road rage incident to the police but they were useless because I didn’t have dash cam footage. I had a description of the car, the driver, the passengers - and DH even went on the DVLA website and found out the car wasn’t taxed. That was a surprise to the police, who hadn’t even bothered to run a check. I ranted about this to a friend, who said her friend did have dash cam footage of an incident that happened to her, and the police still did nothing.
So perhaps these people know they’re going to get away with their aggressive behaviour, so just do whatever they want.

[Freddiefox]

I think there is much more undertaking going on on motorways, and people who just sit in the middle lane with no regard for their speed and then fact that they are causing a problem. People get far to close to each other as well, and
Smart motor ways and closing lanes off if someone has broken down doesn’t seem to be working.

[TixieLix]

I am so in agreement with you OP. Roundabouts and junctions are the worst as people just don't stop or give way now, they just keep on going.

I was at a roundabout the other day and I gave way to the driver on my right. As the car passed me I took my turn entering the roundabout but the person to my left didn't want to wait and also entered the roundabout. I had to stop quickly to avoid hitting her car and she had a real go at me as though it was my fault.

Also this week I pulled out of a junction onto a road - there was tons of space before the next approaching vehicle, and I wasn't driving stupidly slow - but the approaching car deliberately sped up and sat on my bumper because he was annoyed I'd pulled out into his nice clear road!

I find too that people don't like to give way when you have right of way on a straight road (eg when there's cars parked on their side but not yours and you're already proceeding past them).

I disagree that it's men though. I see lots of young women who are very aggressive drivers.

Rant over

[TixieLix]

@amusedbush
there are days that I drive home wondering who left the gate open at the cunt farm

That made me spit my tea out

[Onesailwait]

There have always been twats out there on the road, unfortunately you just happened to run into 2 of them in a short space.of time. I hope you go at least another 16yrs before to you encounter them again.

[Beerincomechampagnetastes]

I was the victim of a road rage attack last week.
I didn’t do anything AT ALL - I had to come to a complete stop because the woman cut me up. She pulled up beside me and got out her car- screaming that it wasn’t her fault she’s got a big car.
My dd and I were just gobsmacked and in shock - the woman proceeded to kick my car door repeatedly before smashing her car door repeatedly against mine. At no point did we even speak.... I just watched it unfold in complete astonishment.
Hundreds of pounds of damage to my car and she had two young dc in her car- her ds joined in shouting obscenities her dd looked so sad and resigned.
It was awful

[FernBlarney]

Just the general selfishness, rudeness and rush I see all around me and people really go for it in the anonymity of their steel boxes. declined. A 70 year old woman started beeping me yesterday because I didn't move forward 2 metres within 2 seconds (we were in a traffic jam for goodness sake - we weren't going anywhere anytime soon!). Its all about rushing from A to B to C. Oh, for the wonderful days of "motoring"!

[FernBlarney]

declined was meant to mean manners and thoughtfulness for others declined!

[FernBlarney]

so sorry you had to experience that Beer, sounds awful.

I have dashcam on my car, though I'm not always sure it works or it would help, but I just don't want to get stuck with £££ debts because of someone else's unpleasantness or lies.

[amusedbush]

@TixieLix

[FudgeBrownie2019]

We witnessed a crash yesterday on a roundabout where a driver of a 4x4 was in the wrong lane so indicated to move across instead of leaving the roundabout in the exit lane he was in. The car in front of us was carrying on (and as far as I'm aware didn't have to let the 4x4 driver in or slow down for them) and by the looks of it didn't see the 4x4. The driver of the 4x4 was gesticulating and roaring in the front seat, DH and I both went "he's going to bloody hit that car" and he drove straight into the passenger side of the car - for no reason other than he was incandescent with rage. I've never seen anything like it before; deliberately driving into another car because you feel that your car has right of way is the absolute height of ridiculous (and before anyone gives out that I'm being unkind to 4x4 drivers, I drive one, just not like that).

People seem to be in much more of a rush over the last few years, which means tempers flare so much more quickly and more severely.