People lacking driving skills/knowledge and slowing down traffic/etc

[EveryoneEnviesMeEverywhere]

At times I drop off, and pick up some of our grandchildren
On the way to school, we encounter 4 mini roundabout and one proper roundabout

Drivers possibly lack skills/knowledge/are careless/selfish often refuse to indicate a left turn. This is turns results in at times missed chance/s to carry straight on/etc.

Not indicating at roundabouts and or indicating not just slows down traffic but can result in accidents and I don't need to go into examples as all good drivers will be aware of this.

More often than not the same people can be seen using and hand-held phone and or driving generally erratically and often fast

This is slightly different but this group of drivers are dangerous and it happens every time I drive I see - a driver shoot down a side road with no intention of stopping and giving way as per highway rules and only pull up when they note the driver that has right of way is not going to stop. This lot often stops past the dotted lines and my heart sinks to my stomach

another gripe of mis is the is very dangerous e types that fling their car door open regardless of what is coming down the road. Just as bad are the idiots that come off the pavement and just walk very quickly to the driver's side door in the middle of the road and just fling their door open often resulting in other drivers braking hard and or swerving. Often, the careless person who caused the problem will rant if you sound your horn at them

I hope reading this thread will get you to change your attitude to dangerous driving/behaviours on our roads and speed up the flow of traffic.

My OH has a dash cam and we've just put it off on my car as I'm always worried in case I need the evidence, it wont be saved and also worried having the car damaged by some thief who wants to steal the dashcam

Do you suffer from these types and if so, what is the solution?

Well, perhaps they feel similarly judgy about your command of written language?

To take your points in order:

• not indicating left isn't good, true. But good drivers wouldn't be relying on an indicator anyway - you've not 'lost' a turn.
• Yes, no one should be using a phone, driving too fast, or driving erratically.
• I'm not sure follow your bit about side roads and dotted lines. You mean someone coming out of a side road doesn't give way/overshoots the markings? If so, that's not good either.
• Doors: You should be aware of the possibility of people opening doors on parked cars, and you should not pass a parked car so closely or so fast that you risk hitting a suddenly-opening door.
• Likewise, you should be aware of pedestrians moving into the road.

I think you need to calm down and read the Highway Code. You're mostly worrying about things that you should know to anticipate and avoid.

You made two points. The first was being offensive to me about my ability to write. If that was the case why respond other than just to be plain nasty!

Then you demonstrate you have no understanding of the highway code whatsoever. One can not anticipate safely a car approaching a min roundabout at speed which by all accounts it looks as though it is going straight across as no indicators are used then taking the left turn at speeds where they could easily lose control and hit another vehicle and or pedestrians.

You made two points. The first was being offensive to me about my ability to write. If that was the case why respond other than just to be plain nasty!

Erm ... did you see your own post?!

You really do need to read the Highway Code. It doesn't ask you to anticipate car speeds. It does point out that you should not rely upon other people's indicators (or lack of them). You should only move when it's genuinely safe to do so.

HTH.

Erm, you need to read the highway code re smooth flow of traffic and using indicators

Perhaps, others will confirm that not indicating appropriacy may result in
careless and inconsiderate driving, - not indicating when turning as per my OP puts pedestrians at risk, high risk.

HTH

You are confusing two different issues.

The Highway Code describes what road users should do - and you're right, they should indicate appropriately.

But, it also describes how road users should response to other road users. It's quite clear that you need to learn to drive defensively. You can't assume other drivers will indicate, just because they should.

Where I live, you can easily book refresher lessons, and you might want to do that.

Are you disputing the fact that not indicating appropriately could result in a charge of careless driving or similar?

I hope reading this thread will get you to change your attitude to dangerous driving/behaviours on our roads and speed up the flow of traffic.

Yeah, dangerous drivers are totally going to change their ways because of your Mumsnet thread 😁👍👍

I don't even drive and even I can't see why you think they would.

Yeah, consider us told.
I don't do any of those things but if I did I'd be driving like a complete angel after reading your missive.
Happy driving OP!

So, this is interesting. I have lived in the same place for five years, between two villages, quite rural. Since the new year there have been six very serious road traffic accidents nearby, with none in preceeding five years. All in 20-30mph zones, involving police, ambulance etc. At least two fatal and two hitting pedestrians (20mph areas). Two were meters apart from each other same day, morning and evening.

It is really strange to have such a cluster of accidents. I think there is something in your post. People not paying attention and are more accident prone for some reason.

I had two cars in front of me driving home today indicating one way but turning the opposite.

No, only that, as a driver, you need to be wary of other road users.

Lets hope you have fully noted the benefits of my thread. I will ignore the insulting comments you made in your initial postings and urge you to take your own advice and consider using the local facilities you posted about.

Not indicating are per highway codes puts those on the roads around you at greater risk as well as pedestrian sfatey

HTH

My main way of thinking about driving is to assume that I can't control other road users. They don't always do things right, but when I'm on the road, I'm in control of the car and how fast I go and how cautiously I approach things, anticipating they may not use indicators, or pull out too slowly or open a car door.

ROSPA do a great advanced course for drivers who have passed their test and want to improve their skills, it can be summed up as 'anticipatory driving' where you anticipate what silly thing might happen from driver error to weather issues and drive defensively so you can cope with that. My husband did it and was a much better driver afterwards.

@Fluffywhitecloudsintheskyis right.

If you are really struggling, there are courses out there that will help you refresh your defensive driving. My dad absolutely swears by them. It helps you to anticipate people who are doing potentially dangerous things, but it also helps you to identify lazy habits you've got into in terms of assuming that a signal/absence of a signal can be trusted.

OP I understand

Also, the passing by cars so close that an opening door might be a problem...where there's narrow streets and numpties who open their doors without looking or thinking...

I can no longer drive for health reasons. Watching people driving from the top of a bus on a near daily basis is an eye opener. I am sad I can't drive any more but I wonder if I'd enjoy it now.

Also, a lot of people seem entirely lost without a sat nav. I suppose it's a whole new way of driving but I sometimes think people do really weird stuff when they have no clue where they are going, looking up a route in advance kind of got it in my head a bit. If you learned to drive without one and drove years without one, it makes a difference.

I was hoping to do an advanced course before health issues put the kibosh on it but yeah....I don't know if I'd still enjoy it.

You can’t trust an indicator you still have to judge if it is safe to proceed.

Mini roundabouts ‘Less Space Less Speed’.

Especially can’t judge an indicator as so many people either struggle with left and right, indicate too soon, or not at all/incorrectly, many don’t know to give way to the right - maybe also issue with L/R - my dad (and I) are dyslexic he was hopeless with l/r he had no idea being in a car with him is downright dangerous. Thankfully I have no issues in that area.

I usually just watch for position in road and if I’m not sure of a drivers intention I just wait. I rarely see people on their phones now. I have a hands free thing in car but I’ve not set my car up with my phone.

People are on phones though whilst steering with phone at their ear

This makes me cross

I agree it's best to indicate

@Taciturn "It is really strange to have such a cluster of accidents. I think there is something in your post. People not paying attention and are more accident prone for some reason."

Unless that stretch of road has racers playing games on it, is that a possibility?

I'm also astonished that those display screens are allowed - the ones where you can read your social media feed or whatever.

lack of indicating was annoying me when I was still driving as well.

Hello
Thank you and I'm sorry you are unable to drive. This happened to my dad and he had driven since the age of 18 and was the first to have a car on our street. Dad loved his cars .

Indicating is a rule and sadly some here possibly don't understand the Highway rules and others are possibly deliberately obtuse

Not indicating as you know can result in careless driving charges

You sound like a very decent person and one who drove very carefully and within the rules like me

At times I feel like standing on a main road and taking videos of them on their mobile whilst making a feeble attempt to drive, especially the mid-sized lorry drivers.

The attitude of several posters here thinks its not to indicate and making silly excuses is just proof why people drive without indicating

On motorways, even those that indicate dont do it correctly, EG, start changing lanes then indicate.

Thank you for your nice post

Thank you OP, I passed my test at 17 and it was awful to have to give up. Most people don't seem to understand that upset me on an emotional level, (it's not just a practical issue) so I really appreciate your comment.

I think in a decade or so, the "get in the car, go where sat nav says to go, ignore other road users" drivers will be the majority sadly.

I think that today’s hectic lifestyle has had a negative impact on driving. Delivery drivers drive aggressively because they have deadlines and aren’t considerate about pulling out in front of others, parking on yellow lines, on bends, on the pavement. Lorry drivers have such large vehicles that they feel they can decide that they have right of way.

I appreciate that people who drive and deliver goods for a living need to keep to deadlines, but surely not at the expense of other road users’ safety.

No worries @EmmaEmerald

I can fully understand how you must have felt at the time as dad got depressed for reasons you stated and was not 100% dependent like I am as I'm just used to it.

More recently one of our children was unable to drive and our DS is almost 40, it was last year, suddenly and rapid eyesight loss. He'd had eye probs since 7/8 years of age but glasses did the trich and last 15 years very thick glasses, he paid to have them thinned as much as possible but in early 2023 within a few months he was not only unable to drive but given up his job as he is a pharmacist as it was not safe to work at speeds they work at. We were all very worried and the loss of his licence and job at this young age. Thankfully via private health care fast tracking and NHS docs and seeing private dovs/specials, eyesight saved and resorted to a good extent now. This son of ours loves cars and only last year was able to my dream car as well as his, a Ford Mustang

Having anything taken away rather than giving it up freely is always painful.

What you said about people not understanding I get it - usually they compare not driving with, managing via public transport but forget what was taken from you was not by choice and I guess you loved driving at times and the freedom when you needed it.

Thank you again for your posts.

OP I do agree with you, I feel like the standard of driving these days is dreadful! The roads are littered with irresponsible/lazy/aggressive drivers who act so.

The best thing is just to be wary, at roundabouts I also find that sometimes indicators can be unreliable. I always try to gauge their speed and positioning on the road. There’s one small roundabout I cross everyday, and unfortunately indicating is a hit and miss. To be on the safe side I sometimes wait for the cars to pass (2/3) and then proceed when it’s clear. Obviously that doesn’t work for all roundabouts and it depends on the level of traffic, but I would rather wait an extra few seconds to make sure it’s safe.

I had an incident recently where I was going straight at a roundabout and a car came steaming ahead from the left driving at 40mph (they should have stopped and given way, as I was on their right). I knew they weren’t going to stop for me, so I just slowed down and let them carry on. They went so fast round the corner they almost lost control of the car and into the opposite lane of traffic. I predicted this moronic move from the get go and stayed well away from them. They then did exactly the same thing at a junction a little bit further ahead.

I feel like every time I go out driving now, there’s always some dangerous level of driving, turning right from the left hand lane, not stopping at red lights, pulling out aggressively and dangerously at junctions …etc there’s always an idiot behind the wheel somewhere that shouldn’t be allowed to drive full stop.

@EveryoneEnviesMeEverywhere

If you rely on indicators actually showing what the driver intends you are either an idiot or have never ridden a motorcycle, (or bicycle). Otherwise you'd be dead.