What are your biggest driving pet peeves?

[DrivingCrazy]

inspired by the fact I encountered one of mine this morning! What are your biggest pet peeves on the road?

not necessarily something that is breaking the Highway Code etc, but just something irritating! Or something you’d change about the current system!

here’s a few of mine:

Lorries overtaking on a duel carriageway that is uphill, resulting in a huge queue that feels like it lasts ages!

Cyclists on back roads who don’t duck into the passing places to let cars go past

People who drive at 10mph under the speed limit in a 50, but carry on at that speed in a 30!

People who wander aimlessly around a car park with no sense of danger and don’t look for cars moving around

Dogs on long leads right next to the pavement - gives me anxiety that it will run right out into the road

Slightly different tangent but another one is that over 70s should have to sit a very basic driving test each year (not like the one a new driver sits, a much more simple ‘are you safe on main roads’ type test) and it should not be based on a self assessment

Looking forward to hearing what other people hate on the road! Just a bit of fun on a miserable Monday morning :)

Cyclists who wear headphones, so have absolutely no idea what’s going on around them.
Cyclists who cycle on pavements and shout at pedestrians to get out of the way. Pedestrians who are actually walking on the pavement, which is what the pavement was designed for.
Driving too close- tyres and tarmac.
Anyone who rides an e scooter anywhere.

Pet annoyance, even though they probably mean well - when I’m patiently (and happily) waiting in a ‘turn right’ space at a junction, and have observed a sensible gap coming up in, say, 5 cars’ time, but the 3rd car’s driver thinks I’ve got plenty of time to go in front of them, so flashes and gestures urgently for me to do a sudden, unexpected right turn at speed from a standing start… If the kind offer is declined, and I stay put, they always look personally affronted as they drive by!

People who just use their wing mirrors to reverse park.

People who tow caravans.

Middle lane hoggers.

I'd rather cyclists cycle well out from the kerb than risk hitting potholes and coming off in a car's path! A pet hate is people who squeeze past cyclists - or zoom past horses - without thinking about the consequences.

But as a driver, pet hate is people who either flash and wave at you to go out when you can't see whether it's safe (and then get stroppy if you won't), or people who honk at you for not pushing out when it's not your road. It's very common round here - vans, especially, do this terrifying thing where they just pull out onto the main road and sit there waiting to turn right, meaning anyone coming down the main road has to slam on the brakes for them because they're blocking the whole carriageway. It scares the heck out of me.

over cautious drivers, if you are not confident driving do not drive

people driving large cars who are unable to gauge how much space they need

potholes

Not indicating left at roundabouts so you sit waiting to give way when you could've gone.

Middle lane hoggers on the motorway, especially when they're driving at 50mph.

Drivers who are practically in my boot in the local 20 zone, because I'm sticking to the 20 limit (it's regularly got a speed camera van parked up so no, I'm not risking a fine cos some impatient twat wants to try and intimidate me)

Also locally, taxis that pull up randomly without indicating. Often on double yellow lines on roads where it's bloody awkward to get round them.

How are you supposed to reverse park without using your wing mirrors?

Mine are people who pull out to the right before turning left into a side road. You’re not driving an HGV!

Mine include:

1. Ridiculously bright headlights at night. I know that country lanes aren't generally lit, but please stop blinding me, even as I pass through the well-lit town centre!
2. People who drive 10mph below the speed limit at all times. We flit between 50 and 20 around here, and trying to overtake is tricky due to a lot of country lanes. I make exceptions for tractors and farm vehicles, who do stop in passing places to let traffic go by, but if you're in a tiny Toyota Yaris, please put your foot down!
3. Terrible parking (I've just endured this while attending a doctor's appointment). It's a tiny car-park where everyone plays Tetris, so please park in one space, not over two!
4. Lack of indicators
5. People who do illegal U-turns (usually more popular in a town near where the rest of my family lives). I always swore that if I could drive there, I could drive anywhere!
6. A recent one... when there are accidents on the motorway, please don't walk up to the accident to take photos/videos. You wouldn't like to be photographed in your more vulnerable moments, so I doubt that other people do.
7. Traffic in general.

I recently had to commute in a small city for two whole days (I usually just walk to work in a rural area) and I was sat there thinking, "Good GRIEF, how do people cope with this, day in, day out?"

Controversial I know but my area is popular is learner drivers (lots of nice, quiet wide roads) and when they are on the busy main roads the delays…fml…driving at 20mph on a 40mph road with a mile of traffic behind them. I don’t blame the drivers at all but the instructors. I sat behind a learner at a roundabout yesterday. No traffic coming from his right but he was not moving at all while it seems the instructor is explaining something to him?!

Traffic lights also apply to cyclists.
People who undertake - especially when I am in the middle lane, having overtaken and at the correct speed and who prevent me from going back to the inside line whilst they break the law and drive well above the speed limit.

People who don't know what to do at roundabouts !

They stop, dither, panic, then pull out in front of a truck, with no clue what they have done wrong.

For God's sake, if you don't understand roundabouts, go to Bracknell or Milton Keynes and have a driving lesson, just practicing roundabouts.

The arsehole in the Range Rover on Saturday who refused to let me merge back into the lane after I moved over to let him join the dual carriageway.

People who drive massive cars whilst being unable to see over the steering wheel properly. You look ridiculous with your barely visible head!

The stupid woman who comes flying out of the side road by me on her push bike without looking to see if it’s clear first. She then cycles in the middle of the road making it difficult for the traffic to flow in both directions.

Dopey people on their phone at traffic lights (illegal anyway) and then don’t realise it’s turned green, holding everyone up

"A recent one... when there are accidents on the motorway, please don't walk up to the accident to take photos/videos. You wouldn't like to be photographed in your more vulnerable moments, so I doubt that other people do."

I can't believe anyone would do this. How thick can some people be ?!

I live in east London and drive a 20 minute school drop off which can be 40-60 minutes back owing to insane traffic - because my husband and I are sadists who enjoy making life as difficult as possible for ourselves.

I mean: where do I fucking START? There is such abysmal driving on display during that round trip - but my biggest peeve has to be typical London drivers, who push out across a lane of traffic aiming to turn right and block the traffic in the other lane. It is SO SELFISH. Happens literally about 10 times every drive I do.

Close second is drivers right up my backside. With 6 penalty points on my licence for speeding, I can categorically say I am NOT a slow driver.

Third is probably people who turn off the road into side streets so slowly, it’s like they’re captaining a fucking shipping tanker.

Lorries flashing lights. WHY? It blinds everyone on your side of the road and the opposite with the equivalent of a football pitch illumination and no one knows if you are cross/thankful or who at and is hugely distracting.

Do you mean on a motorway or dual carriageway? They often flash to let other long vehicles know that the back of their vehicle has passed the front of theirs - ie. it's safe to pull in. I think it can be hard to judge that for the overtaking vehicle.

Living in a rural area popular with tourists mine are
Caravans and enormous campervans.
People who don't understand how to drive on a single track road and ignore passing places.
People who slam their brakes on and come to a virtual halt on bends but then speed up at the few places where it would be possible to safely overtake. Yes, I get it. You don't know the roads and there are indeed some challenging roads around here but show some consideration for other road users. The number of times I find myself in a queue of traffic behind someone who slows down to under 20mph on a bend then accelerates up to 60 or over on the following straight before slamming their brakes on again at the next bend is ridiculous. Sure, if 20mph is the fastest you feel you can safely negotiate the bends that's what you have to do, but please let people pass you safely when the opportunity arises. Also drivers who suddenly stop in inappropriate places to take photos. There are indeed lots of lovely views here but there are also plenty of lay byes etc where you can stop safely. You may be on holiday but this isn't a theme park and the roads are busy so don't stand in the middle of them to take your pictures.

Ive seen videos of a man who blocks the people who try to do this! It must be infuriating!

Cyclists dressed completely in black on a completely black bike with no lights.
This is usually food delivery guys.
Surely Uber eats and Deliveroo etc should be forced to provide lights and high vis jackets and refuse to deal with those who refuse to wear them.

Cyclists are told not to hug the kerb for their own safety. Strange that you hate them for obeying official advice.

People who crawl down slip roads at 40 mph to a dual carriageway, and only speed up once they’ve joined. Gives me the rage!

Middle lane hogging. The M25 is appalling for it.

Drivers who are impatient and overtake on blind bends when you are doing the legal maximum speed - the roads may be quiet but the death rate is high for a clear reason

drivers who veer wildly between lanes trying to shave 2 seconds off their best time

drivers intimidating cyclists driving too close

Drivers mounting the pavement rather than wait for a car get past

When people indicate AFTER they’ve already moved over and taken their exit. I see it on a near daily basis and it infuriates me. You’ve already moved over lanes and have completed the exit, and now you think you’ll indicate??