What’s happened to the standard of driving in the UK?

[thelakes0310]

Every day on my commute I feel like it’s getting worse and worse. My main gripe is cars sitting on a dual carriageway and not moving back once overtaking, and in turn a huge queue of cars in the outside lane all because a HGV is a third of a mile ahead. No lane discipline, absolutely zero awareness of what is going on other than straight ahead and genuine bad manners when it comes to being on the road. Merge in turn and becoming paper mache traffic police and blocking cars from entering!

Is this a countrywide thing or just local to the A19?! I regularly drive the A66 and it’s the same there, except a lot more HGV’s obviously.

I think it's a mixture of too many people on the roads, too many people in a hurry, too many lorries trundling along at 55mph causing chaos in the outer lane, and too many drivers who aren't taxed and insured and don't actually have a UK driving license 😬 (certainly where I live anyway)

I live in Birmingham - I am convinced a sizeable minority don’t actually have a driving licence.

Meh, it's why as a driving instructor I should be legally allowed to carry and deploy a range of weapons and ordnance. After a few very visible examples are made, I anticipate a much improved standard of driving from most.

Too many of those things, Mermaid, and far too few police officers.

What's the point in having the Highway Code if there aren't any cops about to enforce the law and penalise people for their appalling driving?

The roads never ever change, yet there’s an accident nearly every day on my commute. It makes you think what awareness people have of what’s going on.
The amount of times a car is trundling along at 60mph completely clear in the inside and outside lane and I flash them to move over as they have zero awareness…it makes you wonder if they’ve ever passed their test!

Periodically my local transport police updates their Facebook page with the days haul of traffic stops for untaxed, uninsured, unlicensed drivers - a huge number of people are stopped, and yet I bet it's minimal compared to all those who aren't.

I live in Birmingham too and the standard of driving is appalling. Mainly young men in fancy cars going too fast and not giving a hoot about anyone else. And taxis everywhere.

It's all the forriners.

The A19 is a racetrack though, always has been always will be. Its a truly awful road.

I’m not sure, I more think it’s people completely oblivious to what’s going on around them. They seem to get set to do an entire drive in the outside lane to save the hassle of pulling in/out and screw every other driver on the road! You do of course get your standard idiots, but I will say every morning I end up behind a car that shouldn’t be in the lane they’re in. Or, a tractor in rush hour delaying traffic because of every car needing to move over.

Last time it as there I noticed that people drive really, really fast

Yes, but they never seem to catch all those driving without due care and attention, not indicating at junctions, undertaking on roundabouts, pulling out in front of other drivers, not stopping at give way signs, cutting people up, tailgating, and the rest.

Driving standards are godawful now. I consider it a good day if no one does anything actively dangerous near me!

too many people/cars, not enough attention paid to the road/conditions, impatient, distracted by radio, phone, whatever. Lack of education about driving. Yes, an awful lot of people dont seem to have a license/insurance etc. But since they dont care and might not get caught they arent bothered.

Someone will be along to say it's cyclists and their lanes/lack of registration or it's 'foreigners'

Forriner?!

We recently had to drive through Birmingham on a Saturday night. It was genuinely frightening, loads of pointlessly aggressive and dangerous driving and not a single police vehicle to be seen.

I actively avoid some towns on my bike as the driving there is aggressive. generally young men in german cars. A lot of people are sensible but in major places like Manchester/birmingham obv road behaviour changes as there are more people fighting for that road space.

Not using indicators and stopping over keep clear markings drive me mad. Also the people who glide onto roundabouts without turning their heads right at all.

I've been driving for 30 years and I hate the A19. It's always had a bad vibe. The A1 is fine though, I never have any problems on there, even on the western bypass.

The M62 is a shocker though and the worst motorway I've ever driven on, particularly as you approach Manchester. Thems wild over there, especially the Audis/BMWs/Mercs drivers. We used to joke they were drug dealers rushing to their next drop off 😂

Too many without passing their test and learning by playing Grand Theft Auto.

It's everywhere, perpetuated by all genders and ages. No-one cares about driving well; no-one is out there policing it anyway.

Anything goes, it's shit.

People in my village seem to think indicators are optional and that pedestrians are psychic.......

Driving standards in Birmingham are awful. A couple of days ago there was a report that said over half of the top postcode areas for uninsured drivers are in the West Midlands - B11 and B21 being the Birmingham postcodes highest on the list which also includes B8, B33 and B18. So, in Birmingham we not only face appalling driving standards but it's quite likely that if you're involved in an accident the other driver won't be insured.

Very little courtesy on the road today
Not many people want to ease down and let others out.
It's silly because everyone needs help sometimes on the road.

Totally agree, as someone who's taking driving lessons. Without fail every lesson we encounter multiple people not driving as they should. It doesn't make me feel confident when I have take my test.

@MissMarplesNiece yes, we had a minor crash some years ago now and of course the driver wasn't insured! They came out ready for a fight and then saw we had our toddler in the car and backed down.