Can I start a rules of the road you don’t learn on driving lessons thread?

[RebornFlame]

These are mine:
You will be treated differently depending on what car you drive (having passed in my 30’s people see my banger of a tiny hatchback and treat me far worse on the roads than when I’m driving dh’s estate)

2: a tractor that slows down and indicates right is telling you it’s safe to overtake them.

3: playing rock anthems so loudly the static kicks in is a very sad look for a mum on a school run and cars and not sound proof to the outside world. (I am the sad twat in question here!).

Please add your own

Local etiquette - the road leading up to dd’s school is quite tight. People are perfectly entitled to park on both sides (no double yellow lines, or any lines at all for that matter) and yet everyone sticks to one side. It’s an unbreakable local rule.

... And the flow of traffic would be an absolute nightmare if people parked on both sides, so no one does.

Agree with another pp who says that other road users treat you differently depending on what you're driving. I drove dh's van recently and it was a revelation.

Going with the little wave of appreciation, even if it,s dark and you know they won,t even see it.

If you want to see a display of spectacularly awful driving, go to Milton Keynes.

Passing horses - slow down and don't "ideally" leave plenty of space. You leave the space you are supposed to. Only pass if you can give them as much space as you would if you're overtaking a car. The same applies to cyclists... believe it or not.

When passing horses (and as a horse rider) please also look to the rider for any instructions - if I’m asking you to stop over taking me on a bend it might be because I can see a car coming the other way - I’m higher up that you. Also, please don’t toot your horn to say thanks or whatever when passing a horse (I wound up in a hedge as a result of this!) horses and cyclists should be given as much space as a car.

And as for unwritten rules around here: indicators on roundabouts are entirely optional.

On the school run its ok to leave your car anywhere... The school doesn't really need fire engine access and no one uses the entrance road to that block of flats next to the school.

In the winter just leave your lights on. We have short daylight hours, if there is sun it will be low for most of the day but at the moment it is just crap weather. Not worth switching your lights off.

Most modern cars have running lights these days Northern

You have to be able to see the car to call shotgun.
And it's the shot gun's responsibility to DJ the trip. However, the driver has final say on the music choices.

All towns have their 'local' driving rules.

In Manchester do not stop at an amber light, you will be hit from behind, also do not wait until the green light to put your car into gear, if you are a millisecond late with setting off you will be hit from behind.

In London if there is a gap gig enough for you racr pull out into it, do not do this in other parts of the country as it is considered cutting someone up.

If you are on a fast road in a country area do not take your life in your hands to overtake, the tractor driver knows you are there and will pull in to let you and the other 20 cars go past when there is an appropriate place.

Dear horse riders under age 16, yes you can wave me past but you and your three mates are taking up the entire width of the road and I don't know if I can safely get past you on the other side of the road and pull n before I hit a car coming the other way.

I know you know much more about horses than me but I know this road well and I know more about driving than you, I'm not in a hurry. Concentrate on riding and I'll wait until you turn into the yard 50m ahead.

Nannewnannew

Even better if it is a row of cars in disabled bays who may not see your child running the full length of the car park and who's head is lower than my read window. I only knew he was around because you and his gran helped him out of the car while I was packing and now I can't see him.

Also- there is NEVER an inappropriate time to sarcastically hand clap.

Apparently, on dull, foggy, misty, rainy days like we are having right now, it's fine to just have on running lights with no rear lights at all. Or just side lights. Or no lights at all if you're really important. Of course, in v light fog, you must put on fog lights, full beam etc.

Nillynally - your post reminded me of one of my and DS's favourite quotes from Supernatural

If you’re driving on the motorway or dual carriageway, you stay to the left unless you are overtaking. After overtaking you move back to the left lane again.

Absolutely written in the Highway Code so hard to imagine how you could pass a driving test without knowing this.

If you are collecting children from school you are allowed to park on the zig zags and double yellow lines. This is because you are super special and your ickle babies (age 11-16) might have tired leggy-poos and are so exhausted that they cannot walk down the road to mummy or daddy's car. Ah duddums!

Indicating is largely optional

To horse rider above, I don't look for instruction from you. I am responsible for my own decisions. If I have an accident 'the rider indicated the road was clear' won't be a defense in court.

If someone is flashing their lights at you whilst going in opposite direction, and there's not anything wrong with your car, it means there is a police speed trap ahead. Be grateful and slow down should you need to

Make sure you flash your lights to say thank you in the dark. It's VERY rude not to blind someone who's stopped to let you through.

Don't undertake a row of cars when pulling out of a junction - just because you are sick of waiting and want to get home quicker

Just because someone flashes you to "go" (i.e. at a junction, both cars in different directions) you do NOT have to go! I've had this on a few occasions where if I had 'gone' I'd have driven into the path of an oncoming car/truck/bus that the other driver had not or could not see coming.

Don't park your massive 4×4 directly opposite my drive and two feet away from the pavement so that I can't physically get my relatively small car out of my drive to go to work.

Drivers pay no attention to one way systems in supermarket car parks. I do feel strongly that I will meet my end in my local tesco car park one day.

Have rules changed with indicators and roundabouts? I keep seeing cars going round the outside of roundabouts but with their right indicator on which makes no sense - if you're going right you should be on the inside of the roundabout. Is this a new thing or are people stupid?

Sort of related to what you said but not entirely:

Avoid older BMW’s/Mercs unless you can see they’re being driven by older people
Avoid little Audi’s
Avoid anyone with a customised number plate/weird pain job
Avoid tiny hatchbacks
Avoid slower cars (ones that are designed for city driving) on the motorway.
If someone is driving strangely just overtake them and get well ahead or drop right back depending on what is safe.