Why are there so many bad drivers on the roads?

[Mydinosaurnest]

Every day I seem to encounter awful drivers doing dangerous things and it’s beginning to make me nervous and anxious about driving, particularly when my children are in the car.
Where I live people are constantly speeding, they pull out at junctions without checking, rarely any indicating going on, road rage incidents, tailgating, serious accidents at least once a week and so on.
I like to consider myself a good driver. I obey the rules of the roads, I stick to the speed limit, I let people go in front of me, I wait my turn, I do everything I consider safe driving. I have never had an accident, near miss or any reason to contact my insurer. Yet there are idiots like previously described all over the roads putting us in danger with no care in the world. How do they pass their tests?
Just today I had 2 cab drivers who were parked up suddenly pull out onto the road in front of me. Neither indicated or reacted.
At the weekend my husband was on a motorway driving at 70mph when the car next to him pulled in front very closely without indicating and then slowed down to 50mph so he had to brake fast.
I just witnessed a young girl being intimated by a van driver who was tailgating because she was at the speed limit. Who then preceded to speed off through a bus Lane and should hopefully receive a fine.
I hate driving because I know I will be met with at least one asshole. It scares me knowing one wrong move and we could be involved in a serious accident.
Has anyone else found the roads are loitered with bad drivers lately?

It's definitely got worse where I live (just outside London). It's not speed around here, it's drivers going too slowly, stopping in the middle of the road for no reason, doing U turns just in the road, slowing down every time they get spooked - but a car coming the other way, or a traffic bollard. Parking is awful. Dropping kids off right outside the door of school/club etc rather than parking. And absolutely no clue on roundabouts.

I'm so uneasy saying it's foreign taught drivers, but I am coming to the conclusion that it is.

These are not boy racers. They are big, electric mercs, teslas etc, with personalised number plates, and they drive at 15 mph.

Very similar road near me. Drivers just sit at 30mph despite there being a long, straight 50mph section and most of the road being 40mph. Also braking when they enter the 30, even though they are already going 30. Half of my commutes I'm in a 15 car convoy behind one of these drivers

It can be incredibly frustrating, and I'm a pretty patient person. I definitely think drivers have got a lot more anxious since covid

People are so lazy.
My theory is that in general we (as in society/population in general) are more selfish than ever, with much less consideration for others than we used to have.

I completely agree. The laziness & selfishness also accounts for the massive amount of bad parking.

We've had over four decades now of the predominant political message being that the rights of the individual are supremely important and the welfare of society as a whole is nobody's responsibility: Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness" made flesh. (A horrifying number of supposedly mainstream conservative politicians are acolytes of Rand's extremism.) Alongside this, twenty years of social media and unreality TV leading many people to believe the world is just the set for their personal story and all other people are just extras in their story. Stars get angry when extras get in their way, and certainly won't give up their space on the road to them.

Also yes slowing down quite significantly when approaching traffic lights even though the light is green and the road clear, slowing down way before the junction. Not being able to park cars or navigate carparks. .

There's always been boy racers and tailgaters, I don't feel like tailgating has massively increased for me, if anything I think I get tailgated less these days but I do think when it does happen it's very aggressive and dangerous.

There was a thread on here a while ago asking why people drive in the middle lane on motorways, and posters replied saying they, or family members just 'preferred' it.

So to sum it up; people just do what the hell they like, regardless of how it affects others.

terrible, tailgaters, flashing their lights and hooting their horn while on your tail
overtaking dangerously
just in a hurry and no care or consideration for anyone else.
if you are late, leave earlier!

Where I live in NE Scotland has one of the worst road death rates. Every week someone is killed. People are obsessed with overtaking- if somebody is in front, they HAVE to pass them.
Every time I go to thd bigger town there is a near miss and last week I was terrified driving to Aberdeen. I'm a good driver but now take the bus or train when I can.

It's called a "killer road" but a road never killed anybody.

I’m a driving instructor and live somewhere fairly rural, but even the nearest big town people on the whole drive pretty well. There is the odd one who drives erratically or aggressively, and they loom large in my students minds, but I tell them to mentally make note of the people who are being pleasant and kind and they outnumber the bad.

I drove in Birmingham recently and had a totally different experience, it’s a different, more pushy place to drive, so I think it very much depends where you live. In London it’s going to be busy and more aggressive because people want to get where they are going in heavy traffic. The good news for you is you can literally drive anywhere, you’ve reached the zenith - many people where I live won’t drive into London, it’s terrifying to them.

All you can do is learn defensive driving techniques and make sure your observations are amazing.

Last time I drove in South London though everywhere was 20mph limit and there was a speed camera every few yards with everyone obeying it. Guess you’re somewhere different?

Ongoing driver education is a massive debate in the driving instructor community. We all think it’s a great idea but all fall out about how to do it!

There are also too many slow drivers. I live in an area with a lot of winding but wide B roads that are 60mph. They are awesome to drive on, especially in a sports car, but the experience is always spoiled by some old bid who won’t go over 40mph. Even when they hit the villages and the speed limit reduces to 30mph, they still continue to do 40mph.

Also yes slowing down quite significantly when approaching traffic lights even though the light is green and the road clear, slowing down way before the junction.

That's to avoid having to brake sharply if the lights change.

I was at a roundabout last weekend. Two lanes to my right. Outer lane is turn left and inner lane is right so would be for me to give way. Taxi in outer lane. He proceeds to go over/left. I move forward to go when suddenly he wacks his indicator on and swings right all the while in the outer lane. I put my foot down to get out of his way and he blasts me with his horn. He’d clearly changed his mind about where he was going at the last minute, but apparently it was my fault for not being telepathic and anticipating his sudden change of direction whilst in the wrong lane. Perhaps I just sit at the island forever in case every driver demonstrating they are going straight over is in fact going to swing right at the last minute. (This was Birmingham).

my colleague complains about people doing 50 yet that could be me, my car would struggle to go faster than 50,
just accept it

Police no longer bother with poor driving unless they're on an "initiative" to target particular things. Go back to, say, the 80s and all police would pull over a car driving badly, blown light bulb, speeding, etc - usually just to "give advice" rather than reporting them. That was ALL police, including section patrols, foot patrols, dog van, etc. Nowadays, it's only the dedicated traffic police who seem to bother at all, and then only when it's something very serious. "Normal" local police are happy to drive on and ignore things - their training is probably dumbed down so they won't know what offences actually are unless they're trained specialist traffic police!

That leads to more and more people not bothering as they know they're not going to be stopped unless they're doing something really serious. That leads to everyone else thinking the same. When you regularly see other people go straight through red traffic lights, you're less likely to make the effort to stop yourself if the lights are just changing. Same with speeding, when everyone around you is ignoring the speed limits, you think "sod it" and do 35 in a 30 limit yourself! Then the same happens with illegally spaced personalised number plates - no enforcement so no one cares and more people do it.

Or people parking on double yellows, blocking dropped kerbs, parking too close to junctions etc at night and weekends because they know the local council parking wardens only work 9-5 Monday to Friday!

So many cars driving around (especially Just Eat etc) that are untaxed, or no MOT, or no insurance. I once did some online checking whilst parked in a McDonalds Car Park and nearly ever other deliver driver car either had no MOT, no insurance or no road tax - probably some of the drivers didn't have licences either. An easy "win" for police to park and check, just like I did, but they can't be bothered!

At the same time, we have "remote" law enforcement, i.e. speed cameras, bus lane cameras, traffic light cameras, etc., that are just revenue generating cash cows which alienates generally law abiding motorists even more. You get a ticket through the post for accidentally straying into an empty bus lane in an unfamiliar town (each town have their own rules as to times you're allowed in bus lanes etc which isn't helpful and set to catch people out), but then see some boy racer speed through red traffic lights. It creates an environment of annoyance and unfairness.

Quite simply, the enforcement of traffic/road laws is wrong in so many ways, absent in so many ways, etc. Until the councils and police get a grip and start enforcing laws properly and in a fairer more logical manner, things will only get worse.

You can do the same in a manual if in neutral.

Doesn't make it right nor safe.

The thing is if you're holding the car on the foot brake, and get hit by behind, your body jerks back and your foot rises from the brake by reflex so your car is likely to jerk forward and into the car in front of you. Even worse if you're in the middle of the road waiting to turn right, perhaps on a slight bend or with your front wheels slightly turned. A rear shunt would push you right into the path of oncoming vehicles causing a head on collision!

If you put your handbrake on, your car will travel a much shorter distance as wheels are locked so far less chance of hitting another car.

Advanced drivers are taught to always put on the handbrake if you're going to be stopped for anything more than momentarily, so anything more than a few seconds - basically the time it would take to apply and release the handbrake. Anything longer, it's handbrake on!

Oh I'd totally forgotten the 30mph drivers who do 30 through the 40 and 50 areas and then put the brakes on as they enter a 30!

On one of the 50 stretches, there is a slight bend in the otherwise straight road with a 'slow down' sign. The number of 30mph drivers who will apply their brakes is mind boggling!

It doesn't mean you! You're already going 20mph slower than you need to be! 😭

i was taught to my put handbrake on, i think 11 seconds was the rule, whatever, not an advanced driver, but at traffic lights, save your clutch leg i was told

Many factors I suggest. My view is that about 25% of people should not have a licence who currently do, some for medical reasons, some for conduct.

The main one is the idea that in a motor vehicle (usually a car) you can behave in a way that in other aspects of life is completely different. Expressions such as 'motoring offences' for crimes committed whilst driving. Talking of a 'war on motorists' where there is no such thing except for parking payments designed to be difficult.

Around here N Wales we've noticed a decline since covid. It's as if locking people up for months on end three times their driving skills got rusty. We're a retirement area now with 20 mph speed limits some drivers are so confused/nervous they're now doing 15 mph which is causing impatience.

I think the lack of police enforcement has led to a permissive atmosphere where you can get away with anything. No camera on traffic lights means you can get another three cars over on red. No speed cameras no speed limit! etc, most of it is driven by politicians wanting to appeal to drivers. Even now Richi Sunak is wanting even less enforcement, it’s interesting to see how this is impacting people, especially women as ever and the most vulnerable in society that no longer want to go out.

I agree there aren't enough traffic cops. I didn't see any yesterday, despite driving for 3+ hours on A roads and motorways. I'm thinking of getting front and rear facing cameras fitted on my car. Some of the stuff I see beggars belief and I'd love to hand it over to the police.

i cant remember the last time i saw traffic cops, i see villagers with the yellow coats and speed cameras

My dear departed sister always drove on the motorway in the middle lane at just under 70 - 'if I'm in the left-hand lane I'm always pulling in and out to overtake lorries and if anyone who wants to do more than 70 they are breaking the law so im not holding anyone up'. I usually drove us!

There are clearly lots of people with the same attitude as your dear, departed sister @Lifestooshort71. And the thing is, those people actually upset the flow of traffic, because they block the people who are moving across to the left from going around the lorries, because there is a queue of middle-lane hoggers who trundle along at 66mph, so then the people who are driving correctly have to go around the lorry AND the middle-lane hoggers, necessitating crossing two (or three on four-lane stretches), lanes of the motorway, which is clearly much more dangerous than just moving across one lane. I wish the police would use the traffic cameras to prosecute the fuckers 😡

More people driving means more traffic, more frustration and so people make poor decisions. And once one person decides to do something dodgy, others often follow suit. A lot of people just aren't prepared to do anything without going in the car.

in a lot of places they can’t reasonably go without the car and this is a real problem. Especially as, after the pandemic, a lot of bus services near me got cut even more.
To drive to my friends house it’s 10/15 minutes. To get the bus it’s a 20 minute walk to a bus that comes every 20 minutes, then another 20 minute walk.
And I’m a walker, so sometimes I walk all the way, but if I’m going home late, or need to fit more things in a day it’s not feasible.
Another friend lives about the same distance driving, basically in the next suburb but across a valley. To get public transport I would have to take a bus into the city and then another bus out, minimum time 1 hour 10 mins..
I don’t WANT to drive but privatised buses really don’t give me a choice. And tbh the most dangerous drivers I’m seeing on the roads lately are 75+ . Back in the day a lot of them would not have been driving anymore.

We do have really bad 75+ drivers but they drive so slowly and only on some roads most of the time. The exception being hospital appointments. Their cars have dinks, from bad car parking. The waiting list here for glaucoma is just so long now, ditto hips, knees, etc. the bus services appalling, their children live in England there's really no other option in Wales but to drive.

The aggressive driving doesn't come from this age group.