Does driving get crazier the further south you go?

[Tailtwister]

For the first time in a good number of years I was driving on the M25/M4 today and was taken aback by some of the crazy driving I witnessed. Undertaking and cutting people up seemed the norm, along with tail gating and generally dangerous driving.

I was amazed at how aggressive the general driving style was. Granted, you see plenty of dodgy driving in Scotland too, but today almost everyone seemed to have a death wish! Is this normal or have I caught a particularly bad day? If this is the normal state of affairs I'm amazed there aren't huge numbers of accidents.

No, the closer you are to London, the more aggressive it gets in my experience. Don't think there's much manic driving on the Isle of Wight.

Yes, I think the magnetic strength gets less the further down you go affecting judgment and balance

Sorry Stranger, should have said close to London. In general terms, London is the 'south' for us!

Londoners are psychotic on the roads. There's no nice way to say it. A friend and I had to drive through central London to a conference a couple of m

I'm from Northern Ireland. The first time I drove on the M25 I remarked to DH how civilised and non aggressive the driving was compared to what its like at home...

Posted too soon!
...months ago and it was terrifying.

I agree that as proximity to London increases the craziness increases. We had people undertake us on the hard shoulder on the M25, and it wasn't one of those times when the hard shoulder becomes a proper lane. Totally bonkers.

Definitely closer to London is the key. I avoid central London at all costs.

The M4 is particularly nuts, especially over by Heathrow.

OP - you are 100% correct.

You get random pockets all over the country. Driving near Heathrow is quite an experience... But so is driving through parts of west Yorks.

London isn't somewhere I'd choose to drive though

A week after I passed my driving test, and 24 hours after getting my car, I thought it'd be really clever to drive into central London on a Saturday evening. I got utterly lost, totally flustered by all the terrifying driving and then the car broke down outside Oxford Circus tube station. So then I got to sit next to my poor car watching other vehicles almost hitting it.

i love driving around hyde park corner when you the reach the 40mph stretch everyone puts their foot down apart from annoying out of towners it is quite exciting to move that fast in central london

i would love to drive in paris

It's not just the east side of "down south"

We went on holiday to Devon earlier this year. We found the locals extremely helpful and friendly, and the shop and restaurant staff provided without exception, outstanding customer service.

But behind the wheel of a car, everybody turned into demons! Aggressive, impatient road hoggs.

Bizarre.

I drive the M4/M25 near Heathrow every day, and it's only bonkers in the school holidays when all the clueless holidaymakers get in the way

The rest of the time we all drive confidently because we all know what we're doing and where we are going at junctions etc.

Totally agree re Northern Ireland. It's barmy there. My dad is the worst. Tail gating is just normal driving.

Yes, we moved as far south as Chile, and it's much worse here.

In Hastings we are dozy, sometimes everyone just drifts to a stop at the roundabout and we all stare at each other. London is INSANE though!

The isle of wight has its moments. Mainly caused by locals who think that traveling over 35mph will kill them. I've found the M25 to be quite civilised when it's actually moving. North Devon is manic.

I used to drive to work in London and had to go via Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner. This was always fine UNTIL Sunday afternoons. That was the time that you'd be guaranteed to be cut up by Sunday drivers and nervous nellies. During the week the majority of drivers are professional drivers and know what they are doing most of the time.

Yes! I had to drive South over the weekend, and in the end dp and I have decided that people south of Blackpool are a bit mental on the roads and we should stay further North. I'm not quite sure how we're going to visit relatives if we stick to that decision but Skype is fine surely?

Yes, come to Australia. It's like the bloody Wild West. Hoons!!! :D

No its no worse down south than anywhere else. Have you never seen Traffic Cops and the like on the telly? A lot of those are filmed on the M6 in the Midlands or in Yorkshire and are filled with total nutters. I can vouch for their madness too, having driven up and down the M6 rather a lot.

I don't mind driving in London. I don't do it often but I always find that the traffic goes so slowly it is easy to deal with. If you have no idea where you are going I suppose it is scary but be confident, know where you need to be and get on with and you are fine.

Shakirasma - how do you know the nutters behind the wheel were local? I wouldn't mind betting a fair few of them were holiday makers given the hordes of people that visit the area - probably a fair few of them were from the North too bringing their bad habits with them.

Apparently so, according to my mil, who lived down south all her life, got married to a chap from up norf, County Durham way, and has lived there the past 5 years. She reckons the traffics manic down south, and doesn't miss it.

However, I agree with pp about Oz. They are nuts. My sil was driving me yesterday, and some old lady was not being polite. Speeding up as soon as she saw my sil indicate to change lanes. Then, she decided to change lanes herself and pulled up beside us to honk at us. I gave her the traditional middle finger salute. I have never seen such bad driving in my life, since being here. Loads of hoons in powerful cars that tailgate you, even though you're doing past the speed limit. This is in boring Perth, so nowhere built up.