Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

AIBU?

idiot bastard car drivers

137 replies

JoanByers · 18/01/2013 12:01

Fucking hell.

We've got 1/2cm of snow on the roads, I just went out, within 2 miles of home a car coming out of the leisure centre drive overshoots the junction and nearly smashes into me as I'm driving past - he obviously didn't think to test his brakes on a snow covered, downhill slope (leisure centre drive not gritted).

Half-a-mile up the road went to pick something up off freecycle, but no, the road is blocked, so I get out and see what's going on, an idiot has gone into the back of a 4x4, impaled on the towbar.

It's not that hard. Either stay at home, or don't drive like a cunt.

OP posts:

Report

DizzyHoneyBee · 18/01/2013 12:46

higher gears yes, but not when going down hill.

JoanByers · 18/01/2013 12:53

"Your journey wasn't 'essential'. I hate the spoilt and precious use of the word essential.. Nobody was going to die if you didn't drive. It only mattered in your little microcosm. "

Like I said, people have a choice, stay at home or drive sensibly.

I don't believe it is official government advice not to go to work when there's 1/2 a cm of snow on the ground.

OP posts:

Narked · 18/01/2013 12:54

YANBU. 1cm of snow and some fuckwits forget how to drive. It's not difficult and it's not 'extreme weather.'

Narked · 18/01/2013 12:55

The South East as a whole is wussy.

RandallPinkFloyd · 18/01/2013 12:55

Surely there must have been more than half a centimetre if people were skidding all over the place

FutTheShuckUp · 18/01/2013 13:01

Funny though how you only mentioned taking your DH to work after being asked about your non essential journey though...

DSM · 18/01/2013 13:01

Not everyone who gets in an accident hasn't driven sensibly

Accidents happen. Like when my uncle lost control of his car in a blizzard, even though he'd spent 6 years living and driving in Alaska.

Accidents can happen to anyone. You'll feel like a right dick if you ever skid your car in the snow.

Of course, that wouldn't happen because you're such a good driver...

countrykitten · 18/01/2013 13:04

Hope that you don't ever have an accident Joan because you know it will all have been your fault for driving like such a cunt.

StickEmUp · 18/01/2013 13:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RandallPinkFloyd · 18/01/2013 13:43

You'll be fine stick, if you've never done it before its good that you're nervous, it means you won't be complacent.

We don't have enough snow in this country for anyone to be an expert at it. It's the ones who think they know it all that are the most dangerous. (And I say that as someone who spent half their life living half way up a Welsh mountain!)

Just use the highest gear you can, use as little revs as possible and only break if you have no other choice; and even then do it very gently.

You can do it

Pendeen · 18/01/2013 14:55

Quite agree RandallPinkFloyd.

The main problem is that many people assume that because they are "experienced" that automatically means they are a superior driver. Driving thousands of miles doesn't mean any extra skill has been attained.

Spatsky · 18/01/2013 15:00

How to you crash into a disco??

MurderOfGoths · 18/01/2013 15:08

We've got a small roundabout directly outside our flat, which has lots of near misses at the best of times. Since the snow started we've seen so many crashes. No one seems to be able to make the connection between snow = slippery = slow down. Of course this isn't helped by the teenagers who think it's funny to play chicken with the cars!

It's absolutely nuts out there!

Figgygal · 18/01/2013 15:11

It could have happened to anyone in conditions like today including you so yabu

Lifeissweet · 18/01/2013 15:12

I haven't driven today and won't until some of the snow has cleared, but a couple of years ago - the last time it snowed this heavily - I had to make a journey and did so very carefully and slowly, using high gears and using minimal brakes to slow down...right up until a pedestrian stepped out in front if my car. It was the kind of distance where I could easily have stopped in time had it not been so icy, but it was totally impossible while I was unable to slam on the brakes and I ended up having to swerve instead. I was really angry. It's not just drivers who are idiots in the snow. It's something I've noticed when riding my bike too - pedestrians often cross the road using their ears instead of there eyes and as slow moving cars on snow are quieter, they don't look properly.

MurderOfGoths · 18/01/2013 15:13

Should point out, I have skidded the car the first ever time I drove in snow. Turned a corner and the car glided gracefully sideways across the road. Luckily there was no one else there to hit and I'd only been doing 5mph thankfully.

But the idiots outside our flat? There's a signpost for the roundabout, it's not on a slope or round a bend, the accidents could have been avoided if they'd just started slowing the car much earlier. It was so obvious what was going to happen! But they seemed to assume that the roundabout would just be clear for them and they wouldn't need to brake at all. Which seems to happen a lot at this particular roundabout, except normally an emergency stop saves there being any major incidents.

AnnaBegins · 18/01/2013 15:17

Wow people, be nice! I have to say, although I've not been out today, last night when it had just started snowing I saw some awful driving, sharp braking, hesitant driving (which is very dangerous) as people were not used to driving in snow (or plain scared of it), so I can only imagine what hell it is today. Also been watching delivery vans zooming up our ungritted road and skidding, very funny but worrying.

I am not driving today as I don't need to and my car is not great in snow. DH is as he has a Land rover (one that is used for its proper purpose ) and is very good at driving in snow. Makes sense to us. (And means I get to stay snug inside!)

It is only a tiny bit of snow, any competent driver should know to adjust their driving in wet, icy or snowy conditions (Exactly as Randall and Pendeen said) or not drive at all; if they did, we wouldn't need warnings about "essential" trips when there's 1cm of snow on the ground! From the OP's description, the first car at least was driving badly.

countrykitten · 18/01/2013 15:20

Pendeen the people who are saying on here that they drive a lot or consider themselves experienced drivers are the ones who are saying that it could happen to anyone - in fact agreeing with you and randal. We could all have been in the position of those drivers (or idiotic bastards depending on your pov) this morning. I was just relieved that I didn't have to go out as school was closed!

JustAHolyFool · 18/01/2013 15:22

1/2 a cm of snow, fuck, that's crazy.

countrykitten · 18/01/2013 15:22

1cm where you are Anna? I have just walked the mutts in a full foot of snow!! It was GREAT!

Marlinspike you made me laugh with your lovely image!

Dogsmom · 18/01/2013 15:23

We've got about 4-5 inches here and it's amazing how many cars, clearly not able to cope with the conditions, were out today slipping and sliding all over the place.

I waved as I passed them in my 4x4 on my non essential journey to walk the dogs......

(sorry, couldn't resist the temptation to wind up a few mn'ers)

malinois · 18/01/2013 15:24

I've just come back from working in Austria - plenty of snow there and no accidents. And it's nothing to do with "knowing how to drive in snow".

I'ts all about the tyres. Almost all cars in the UK are sold with summer tyres which are ABSOLUTELY FECKING USELESS in just a few millimeters of snow, mud, wet leaves, ice or even wet roads if the temperature is less than 7C. Even 4WD won't help you if you have crap tyres.

In Germany and Austria, everyone switches to winter tyres at the beginning of the winter, and back to their summer tyres in spring.

Here in SE England (a very hilly, rural bit), we also have winter tyres that we switch to on our sporty, rear wheel drive car - and guess what, we have never been stuck, not once. We have 13cm of snow so far today and it's just not an issue.

And of course the best thing is, there is no real net cost to having winter tyres, as while they are on the car, the summer tyres are not having any wear on them. And if you buy a cheap set of used wheels to put them on, you won't need to pay the garage to swap them over twice a year.

countrykitten · 18/01/2013 15:25

Dogs must always be walked...but I don't tend to walk mine in a 4x4....bit cramped....

countrykitten · 18/01/2013 15:26

malinois speaketh the truth.

malinois · 18/01/2013 15:28

countrykitten I'm just going to go out for a non-essential journey (pick up my mountain bike from being serviced) on the scary, snow roads.

And say a wee prayer to whichever Finnish genius invented Nokian tyres :)

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.