Are peoples driving skills getting worse?

[TheHallsHall]

I don't know about you but I have witnessed and experienced some god awful drivers that have appeared from coming out of the pandemic.
There seems to be trend of having an over sized and noisy exhaust pipe, never using indicators and round abouts or junctions and just being damn ignorant and having a lack of care on the roads..
I'm not saying I'm a perfect driver but I am very conscientious of other road users and always do my best to have a positive attitude when behind the wheel..
Anyone feel this way?! 🚗

I completely agree, there seem to be a lot of people out of practice or used to lower traffic volumes on the roads. Coupled with low batteries from lack of regular driving, meaning lights etc aren't working consistently or at all.

Absolutely. Some shocking driving. I think too many people got used to having the roads to themselves. I'm hoping, but not expecting, people to shape up a bit as the roads get busier.

Fingers crossed.

Lane discipline on dual carriageways near where I live is almost non existent, with people pulling out of side roads, going straight to the outside lane and trundling along well below the speed limit with an empty lane to their left for miles. Also a lack of awareness generally as to whats going on around them. Dropping kids off at school but letting them out of the car, but stopping in the outside lane of a dual carriageway 🤦🏼‍♀️. My personal fave is when Im out on my bike and people pull out in front of me but give me a wave to let me know that yes, they have seen me approaching but they dont give a shite and/or want to play "chicken". Lost count of the number of near misses I've had that way. Also, if Im out on my bicycle, Im often overtaken when approaching a junction, then the car will immediately turn left across me at the T junction (more often than not without indicating), causing me to jam on the brakes or take an unexpected left turn also to avoid being splattered across their bonnet or side of their vehicle.

Completely agree. I’ve rarely been out over the last few months but when I have, I’ve seen some atrocious driving. Much worse than usual! Last week a woman pulled straight out in front of me at a roundabout when it was my right of way - she didn’t even look! This was in the middle of the day in a busy area.

I think it’s a combination of people either driving less regularly, being used to the roads being quieter, or impatience due to general anxiety/low mood.

Definitely noticing a lot of awful driving, there's a lot of it usually but it's noticeably worse.

I've been thinking this recently. Of course I'm not perfect. I'd like to think I'm careful without being over cautious. A few weeks ago I'd had to use my horn three times within les sthan 5 mins from leaving the house.

I feel like my horn is being overly used, not that I want to it's because I have to.. I live in Bedfordshire near Luton so it's notorious for people cramming on to the M1 but recent times haven't allowed that as much but, even in MK with the round abouts is horrendous when they are either not bothered for slowing down or on their phones or both

Yes, people’s driving skills are getting worse. It’s because people no longer see being able to drive well as a learned skill. They simply want to know enough to drive from A to B in the shortest time and most convenient way. Many people also seem incapable of concentrating on driving while they’re doing it and believe that their road needs trump everyone else’s.

Two things that I think have made things worse, quieter roads for a time (so higher speeds, expected travel times etc) and also in March the usual rush to complete roadworks by 31 March the end of the financial year (so people held up by temporary traffic lights try to make up time and are annoyed by the delays). The mad rush for roadworks happens every year and is inexcusable, as the financial year end date has been the same for many years and works can be planned properly.

I’ve noticed this as well. I’ve also realised that there’s one thing I’ve not missed about lockdown, and that’s parents on the school run. I live near a primary school and am used to the terrible parking etc but this week has been on a whole new level. I saw one near collision when a parent decided to turn around in the entrance to a cul de sac, then reversed into a main road without looking. Another one decided to drive on a pavement. Astonishing!

I went 15 junctions up the M8 today, plus bits either side and honestly only saw one wanker, who was speeding and weeving in and out of lanes as he pleased.
Oh, a lorry in the wrong lane too, (I noticed this as I ended up sandwiched between two with really bad spray),but that's not bad at all for the time and place.

My dad moved to the U.K. in the early 80s and maintains the standard of driving has dropped hugely during his driving experience in this country.

I work by an upstairs window beside a main road into town & am AMAZED at the number of drivers who drive past on their phones - texting, scrolling, god knows what they are doing but they aren’t watching the bloody road! And the failure of people to indicate drives me potty.

@Cactus1982

I’ve noticed this as well. I’ve also realised that there’s one thing I’ve not missed about lockdown, and that’s parents on the school run. I live near a primary school and am used to the terrible parking etc but this week has been on a whole new level. I saw one near collision when a parent decided to turn around in the entrance to a cul de sac, then reversed into a main road without looking. Another one decided to drive on a pavement. Astonishing!

Theres a primary school near me. Parent parking is appalling, cillection time is worse because they usually leave their engines running for about 30 minutes so there's stinking diesel fumes spewing out, theyll block driveways and chuck litter everywhere (there was a noticeable lack of it during lockdown), unloading their offspring into the road rather than onto the pavement for some reason, and parking on junctions making it impossible to see whether its safe to pull out. One idiot has taken to parking diagonally across the pavement at the junction 🤦🏼‍♀️🤬. Just because theyre too lazy to walk an extra 50 metres where theres plenty of space.

The ones who piss me off the most are the twats who turn right into a road by cutting the. fucking. corner. Then act is if you aren't there even though they have had to brake because they can't get past you. So many do it, someone must be 'teaching' them to do this.

I do wonder how some idiots manage to pass their test.

I'm so dumbfounded sometimes it takes me AGES to move on. Whist they continue to stare straight ahead as if that means I can't be seen, so not I'm there there

@skeggycaggy

My dad moved to the U.K. in the early 80s and maintains the standard of driving has dropped hugely during his driving experience in this country.

I work by an upstairs window beside a main road into town & am AMAZED at the number of drivers who drive past on their phones - texting, scrolling, god knows what they are doing but they aren’t watching the bloody road! And the failure of people to indicate drives me potty.

We were driving on the A2 recently and the car in front of us in the outside lane kept speeding up, slowing down and swerving towards the middle lane. This went on for quite some distance and eventually, cars started to undertake it, mainly to try and get out of its way.

We finally did the same as it was showing no signs of moving over despite doing 10mph under the limit. I looked across as we passed and the driver had her phone balanced on the centre of the steering wheel while typing on it.

Her passenger was sat looking at his phone too. I really wish I’d got the registration to report her because her driving was so erratic and she clearly wasn’t paying attention to notice multiple cars having to pass her on the inside and the fact she nearly hit several cars in the middle lane.

My personal fave is when Im out on my bike and people pull out in front of me but give me a wave to let me know that yes, they have seen me approaching but they dont give a shite

I’ve noticed this as a pedestrian at zebra crossings. Apparently now you don’t have to stop if you don’t want to, as long as you smile and wave at the pedestrian, even if they’ve already stepped out into the road.

Seems like the boy/girl racers have spend lockdown souping up their motors - around here anyway.

Generally driving does seem to have got worse - all the bad habits have got worse - like middle lane hogging, staying in lane, running the red lights and people generally driving like their brain's in neutral with no awareness of what and who's around them.

I think a lot of people appear to be playing GTA in real life. No indicators, swerving in and out of traffic, undertaking, overtaking then cutting you up and slamming on the brakes. Going too slow, going too fast, driving cars that are wider than the road but thinking they are not.....

On my (rural) route to work I've noticed a lot more elderly drivers back out on the roads in recent weeks, presumably because they feel safer now they've had the vaccine. The driving skills of this type of driver seems to have nosedived since last year - lack of indicators, inconsistent speed with the limits (e.g. driving at 40 in both 30 and 50 zones), pulling out on you etc. It's so dangerous.

I live in a town in the middle of a rural area. I notice a shedload of:

• no indicating at roundabouts
• not giving right of way at roundabouts (the other day a driver failed to stop and almost hit me sideways on to the rear....where DD2's car seat is)
• driving the wrong way down one way streets (this is a regular occurrence near where I live, the other day I counted 4 vehicles doing this as I walked the length of the street.....which takes a minute or so)
• not indicating when overtaking or pulling in on dual carriageways or the motorway
• 'drifting' from the right hand lane, all the way across and onto an exit sliproad on the motorway, with no indicators and in between lots of other traffic, as if nobody else existed
• tailgating when I am doing the speed limit (30/50/60 whatever)
• I was going to mention Londoners and Brummies not knowing how to drive down country lanes. But that's the same in holiday season every year, so I doubt it's lockdown!

I've felt like posting something similar recently as I'm so nervous going out in the car after a long period of WFH and not driving!

People's speeds are crazy (I need to use dual carriageway and motorway to get to our nearest big supermarket/shop) and cars are flying past me!

I had a survey from the RAC about driving experiences since lockdown so I think there are generally concerns about speeding and bad habits being formed while the roads were quieter.

Hoping I'll get used to it again as going back into the office in a few months time and have an hour daily commute on the motorway.....

Yes noticing terrible motorway driving - mainly people in second and theirs lane driving at 60. Not noticing it as much in C London since the 20mph speed limit was brought in. It was very disorienting driving after a long time though.

@CuthbertDibbleandGrubb

Two things that I think have made things worse, quieter roads for a time (so higher speeds, expected travel times etc) and also in March the usual rush to complete roadworks by 31 March the end of the financial year (so people held up by temporary traffic lights try to make up time and are annoyed by the delays). The mad rush for roadworks happens every year and is inexcusable, as the financial year end date has been the same for many years and works can be planned properly.

Oh, so that's what causes the indicators on Audis and BMWs to fail.

Yes! We’re rural and round here it’s people driving too fast for the road and cutting corners, combined with newly confident to go out (but clearly not confident to drive) elderly drivers doing 25mph on a straight bit of a National speed limit road (genuinely seen this happening this week), motorbikers thinking they’re doing the TT and going round corners with their heads sticking out into the opposite lane, cyclones riding 4 abreast, it’s chaos!

*cyclists