How often do you get beeped?

[Saffrondoormouse]

I’m an anxious driver who had an accident a couple of years ago and I’m currently undergoing CBT therapy for this and other anxiety issues. My homework this week is to ask people the following questions in order to get a bit of perspective:

Have you ever been beeped while driving?

If so, how often on average do you get beeped?

When you get beeped how often is it for something that was your fault?

Thank you so much!

Quite often for sitting at a green light. Generally a light pip. Maybe once a year for misjudging a roundabout or slip road. I quite often beep at other people for pulling in front of me with inadequate space on A roads or motorways.

I get beeped quite regularly. I think it's because I city drive and I go at the speed limit.
I find it's usually men who are mouthing expletives at me as they do it.
I let them get on with it.
My sister has a similar experience. She blows kisses at them !!

I rarely get beeped, but when I have recently it’s been for something the beep-ee has misjudged - taxi drivers often do it here if they think you’re not moving off quickly enough at a junction or roundabout, but they can’t actually see why you aren’t.

Very annoying, for example the last time I was beeped I was at a junction turning left, and could see a cyclist haring down on me in the cycle lane too fast for them to stop, and too fast for me to turn in front, so I waited until the cyclist had passed (cyclists can go straight on at that junction while you turn left), and got beeped by a taxi behind me - who hadn’t seen the cyclist because there was a lorry between me and taxi blocking the taxi’s view of the cycle lane.

I just ignore stupid men beeping like that but it’s still irritating. I’d rather not kill a cyclist and risk a beeping from an impatient idiot instead!

I can’t really remember the last time it happened, however, I find the car your driving seems to attract beeps. The car I have now is a nice but fairly standard car, I’ve never been beeped that I can remember, nor the car I had before this one. But when I owned a German convertible I would get beeped all the bloody time it drove me mad. My driving was no different in that car to any other car I’ve owned but for some reason it used to irritate everyone else on the road.

The beep-er has misjudged I mean!

Oh and yes it’s almost always men who beep, I find! (I have been known to beep but largely at pedestrians doing something dangerous like running across the road in front of cars).

I don't remember the last time I was beeped, but I am not a fast driver and occasionally some idiot will come right up to my bumper and flash his lights.

I am usually going the speed limit or slightly faster. That apparently is not good enough.

Vancouver drivers are notorious for a good reason.

I probably get beeped a couple of times a year. Not normally for doing something wrong either.

I do take that extra half second to process the consistency of car indicating/ speed/ angle of approach and often that instinct has served me well when something didn't add up to that first impression. Everyone makes mistakes and can be hasty/ slightly hestitant/ last minute. Sensible people recognise that and allow margin for variation in others' driving.

I use my horn occasionally if someone elses driving has forced me into evasive action (e.g. sharp braking). It tends to be reactive because I'm too busy processing the hazard and responding to press the horn at that moment.

I find P plates useful like L plates. I don't get up people's backsides anyway, but it does help me accomodate that they may be more hestitant/ accelerate slower/ drive wide and anticipate a less experienced driving style.

Pass plus is well worth doing.
Mine concentrated on motorways but it can be used to cover a range of driving experiences.
I moved area pretty much immediately after passing my test and not only had to get used to a new town/ county but also different styles of driving and learned a lot on the go including a couple of moments that can still make me cringe nearly 20 years later; but I learned from them.

Agree the city thing makes a big difference. I live in North London and there’s a lot more aggressive driving here than I’ve experienced when living more rurally. Tube strike today with a massive local tailback .. could almost taste the testosterone in the air when I went to pick up the kids!

Yes definitely re the city driving - lots more beeps as more taxis and vans driven by impatient men.

I never beep anyone who’s a bit hesitant/cautious pulling off at a roundabout or junction - it’s much better driving to be slightly cautious rather than too hasty. And sometimes the drives behind don’t she a good enough view to see why caution is needed. But some people are stupidly impatient and can’t imagine someone might not be pulling away at top speed for a good reason!

Agree too with the men who speed. Especially on motorways where you get tailgated by impatient idiots who are clearly driving a long way above the limit but seem to think everyone else should too!

*sometimes the drivers behind don’t have a good enough view

Fat fingers today, sorry for typos!!!

I find I also get stressed when I witness aggression directed at others too. The other day I was driving down a residential road alongside a park. There’s an entrance to the park on the road and a very long flat bed lorry was trying to reverse into it to do some grounds work. The lorry didn’t have much articulation / it was a tight turn and the poor bugger driving it was having to attempt the reverse again and again while he blocked the cars that were trying to get past. He looked really stressed and everyone was hooting furiously (like that’s going to help!) when suddenly an idiot sped out in front of him mounted the curb and narrowly missed being squashed as he pulled forward. I was literally shaking it was such a near miss! Wish I’d had a dash cam to capture and report him!

Yeah I get beeped at. Probably a couple of times a year. Sometimes it’s my fault, in which case I just wave my hand to apologise. Mostly I have no idea why they’re beeping, so I either assume they’re not beeping at me, or they’re a grumpy /impatient arse having a bad day!

Being beeped at used to cause me a lot of anxiety. Then I started working in the public sector and realised how many angry unpleasent idiots there are in the world. Now I just do my own thing and don’t give a monkeys about the angry feckers!

I can't think of a recent case where I have been beeped - maybe if I've not been paying full attention at traffic lights and they've changed?

I do hear people beeping a lot though and it's very annoying, especially if you are on foot. I also hear people beeping when there's a red light - I don't know where they expect you to go if the light is red, or you are waiting for a filter to turn right! You can't just drive into people.

My mum always says if you have time to beep you have time to brake. That is generally true.

I did beep a couple of teenagers who walked out in front of me wearing headphones a few weeks ago. It was a narrow road and they were walking along it, rather than on the pavement, so I couldn't actually proceed along the road. So I thought it was wise to alert them to my presence! They did move. I think that's what a car horn is for.

On the odd occasion I've been beeped ( been driving nearly 40 years) it was because I didn't see the lights change.
I recall , one evening, being beeped loads of times and being flashed at several times.
When I arrived home I realised that my handbag was on my roof!

I'm rarely beeped at but I often get all sorts of hand gestures from either men or German make cars for sticking to the speed limit.

I use dash cams, I'd be a complete idiot to film myself routinely breaking the law!

My horn is only ever used as a warning to others...like it's meant to be. If someone irritates me I just do a running commentary on how much of an idiot they are rather than gesturing or trying to intimidate them.

I don't drive right now (no car) but did for five years. I got beeped on occasion. Usually motorways or roundabouts when people are being impatient or are in the wrong lane.

It's part of driving. Though if you're getting beeped often every time you drive I'd check none of your lights have stopped working or something.

And on occasion yes it was my fault. Once the wind blew my car into another lane. Once I came off a junction not noticing the van speeding up behind me. Once I went to turn off and cut off another driver. Only on occasion but of course we all make mistakes.

I would say I've been beeped at 4 or 5 times in 30 years of driving.

I beep at other people perhaps once or twice a year. I don't mind if people make a mistake, but if they make another mistake and then dawdle and don't even raise a hand to acknowledge/apologise, they will finally get a little beep!

I've been driving for over 25 years, so I'm sure I've been beeped a fair amount. It will fall in to 2 categories:

• an actual cock up where I maybe haven't seen someone in a blind spot; or, more likely
• an idiot who doesn't think I'm pulling out of a junction quick enough. This has happened a few times and even my driving instructor dad, who happened to be in the car with me, said "if you'd pulled out then you'd have had an accident - ignore him".

Where it is my fault, I will always hold a hand up in apology.

In the case of an idiot I'll just fume at them for a while, contemplate revenge (which I'll never act on), then realise they're likely to have a miserable life to act like an idiot like that and thank goodness I don't know them personally!

I should have added, I definitely use my hooter more often than I receive a beep!

I’ve been driving for 30+ years. I’ve been beeped at and I beep at others. If I’m in the wrong I just put my hand up and mouth whoops sorry! Perhaps you could put some green ‘P’ plates on your car. This alerts other drivers that you are an inexperienced or nervous driver. It won’t stop the beeping but others will be aware that you may be a less confident driver

@Saffrondoormouse

Thank you so much - it’s really helpful to read these! To give you some background I’ve been beeped quite a bit recently maybe a few times a month due to hesitation- I’m a bit over cautious at junctions and I think I often over estimate my size of car so I slow down when passing large vehicles perhaps more than I should. The accident I had involved me being aggressively tailgated then rammed so it really knocked my confidence. I want to book some pass plus confidence lessons when I can afford them.

You can practice to get better with this. Find a quiet road and drive far left so you can feel where you go over the drains. You can see where the pavement looks through your windscreen to get a feel for how it looks when you’re near the edge of something. Or play about on your road/driveway by parking and seeing if you guessed how far over you were. Take your time, you’ll get there.

Almost never, thankfully (been driving since the mid-90s). The last time was on a dual carriageway where a young man in a Golf GTI took umbrage at me "only" doing 75mph while overtaking a lorry. He got the middle finger salute and I took my sweet time moving back to the left-hand lane. Can't stand it.

I only beep dangerous driving eg where they've cut me up. Thankfully relatively rare. I would never beep someone taking their time at a roundabout and I would give pretty short shrift to anyone who did it to me. I haven't had an accident since 2005 and that wasn't my fault. Famous last words...

That said, I have friends who accuse me of terrible road rage - I definitely get irate at shitty driving but am trying to be more zen because getting angry affects my own driving.

Good luck OP!