Anyone else finding driving more stressful these days? Not sure if it’s perimenopause or all the pot holes

[Stuckinthemiddlewithyouuhoh]

But driving is actually starting to put me off going places

I experience all the above concerns when driving. It makes me think that when I start ageing, I will choose a place with excellent transport links so I never have to drive to hospitals or the theatre.

Can't say potholes affect me wanting to drive. Super bright head lights on the other hand are now seriously impacting my ability and safety.

Or they indicate after/during they maneuvre which makes it pointless! Switching lanes then indicating during the switch is not helpful!!!

This is really sad to read. I’ve just started driving mid 40s and love it, but so many seem to have been doing it since being a teen and hate it?

A friend and I were going to meet at a garden centre on Wednesday, each driving in our cars. She pointed out how bad the roads were around there, especially as there are potholes hidden under puddles. Instead she is coming to my house, we can have coffee and homemade cake.

So we will not be spending money at the cafe, browsing the plants and gifts where no doubt we would have spent more money. It really is not good for the economy to keep roads in a poor state. I know vast amounts of council funds go on adult care but something will have to be done.

My nephew has recently been awarded a sum of money for the damage done to his car by a pothole. Council money should not need to be spent on that, it must add up if many people are making claims.

•Reduced street lighting. Those stupid white streetlights don't help. Bring back orange streetlights where you can see everything. There's a street near me, a posh street unsurprisingly, and they still have amazing orange street lights. It's bliss to walk down it. Feels really safe.
•Modern cars with LED lights. Thanks for blinding me.
•Potholes.

I almost totally avoid going out after dark now. The pavements are too dark and the roads are torture.

Im on holiday at the moment in Europe- roads are so smooth and hole free.

It’s the bright lights that have put me off. It’s too dangerous now. I’m selling my car as am too scared to use it.

It's all the knobhead drivers for me but I am also in perimenopause so everyone is a knobhead these days.

I was back in the UK recently and was horrified by the state of the roads. Potholes EVERYWHERE and I covered several counties. I don't remember it being this bad on previous visits.

Potholes, bright headlights plus rain = total nightmare, I've needed three new tyres due to potholes in the last three years and now try to slow right down for the large/deep ones only to have arseholes tailgate me. Plus its been icy recently, my car slid four times the other morning and I haven't seen a single gritting lorry in the last two years, it is not fun and i would be quite happy to rely on public transport / cabs if I didn't work in the middle of nowhere and have a school run.

I’m just back in the UK for a few days and I have to say the potholes are crazy but also most of the road markings seem to have faded to the point of not knowing where the hell the filter lanes actually are. That, coupled with an arsehole of a rental car, have made driving here an absolute misery.

Apprently...the bearar sp tapestry can't come here because our pot holes are to bad and would damage it.

@Georgiepud same !
Many people wanted to retire to London but obviously that's not great ...inwas thinking London

Potholes are shocking, I keep expecting to be pulled over by the police for erratic driving "no officer, I have not been drinking, I am trying to avoid bursting my tyres on all the potholes" Being dazzled by too bright LED headlights, road signs too dirty to read, road/lane markings too worn to see....

I live in rural Ireland. Roads are disintegrating due to heavy rain and flooding. No matter how careful I am I can't avoid every pothole. Getting the tracking fixed is expensive and tires wear out very quickly.
I also find that people are more aggressive on narrow roads. People would pull in at gaps before but fewer drivers do now.
I plan to downsize to a town in the next few years. I feel like every trip in the winter is fraught with difficulties.
LED headlights are a complete menace and drivers seem to have forgotten how to dip them, especially if they are coming up behind you.

Yes in the dark mostly. Those LED headlights are criminal.

Smart motorways terrify me, and the thought of breaking down on one.

Runners in the middle of the road, dressed in black at night, cyclists with no lights (dressed in black) pot holes, rain, painted lines on the roads faded so you have to guess you lane on a large roundabout. I do not enjoy driving anymore.

My poor ds had a flat tyre today after hitting a pothole on a country road. He's not long had new tyres. The roads around us are appalling.

Ah yes the runners and cyclists all in black so much fun, I actually had a small child / toddler run out right in front of me a few weeks ago to rejoin her parents who were on the other side of the fcuking road, she wasn't even as tall as my car bonnet but I saw her leave the pavement and my DD who was in the passenger seat hadn't seen her at all and wondered why I hit the brakes.

I had something similar recently, 2 parents slowly walking their toddler across the road. I stopped of course to allow them, then just as I started moving, about 3 metres behind them came their daughter on a pink bike out from behind a car. Very near miss!

The roads are disintegrating, in the past week I've had half a dozen really bad stone chips, almost every day, another loud bang and another game of hunt the damage. At this rate I'll need a new windscreen by the spring.

I still love driving. Have noticed a few more potholes this week but not until then. Driving in the dark infinitely preferable to being blinded by glare from low sun.

I have a 4-5 hour drive coming up soon on my own and I'm already looking forward to it.

I agree - the potholes are an absolute nightmare. It has a very bad effect on my concentration too, because I am constantly scanning the road ahead rather than paying full attention to the traffic and other conditions. It has made driving like navigating around an obstacle course! Also agree about the blinding headlights and those thoughtless people who don't even bother to dim them when they see you.