...to not understand why some drivers are so aggressive!

[AnguaUberwaldIronfoundersson]

I know it’s been done to death but I’m so frustrated with the aggression of other drivers! I had a serious accident a couple of weeks ago - a car crashed into mine because the driver was distracted and drove off without exchanging details. I don’t know whether it’s made me hyper aware of others driving.

So many incidents today alone. The first was a BMW driver who was trapped behind my vehicle as the road split into two lanes. It wasn’t yet wide enough for two cars and unfortunately I was at the back of a long queue to turn right. To get around me and drive straight ahead in the clear lane, the BMW driver aggressively mounted the pavement on the left, almost hitting my car and then stuck the V’s up at me as he passed!

The second was a speed restricted to 62MPH van trundling along in the overtaking lane. I was near my junction and didn’t have time to overtake him so sat to the rear of him to avoid undertaking. This won me a lovely “wanker” hand gesture and beeping!

Three separate incidents of people not just narrowly scraping through the amber/red lights but completely ignoring them and going through on red regardless. The first was a woman completely ignoring the red light and turning left (luckily a T-junction with nothing coming the other way and no pedestrians). The second was cars cutting through the bus lane to jump the red light because the normal lane had traffic. The last was a car about four cars back from me that went through a red light to get on the motorway. The car in front of me stopped in plenty of time, as did I and the next few cars. The fourth car back decided the red light wasn’t for him and just carried on going (the lane splits as you get to the lights, he just pulled out and went for it)

Is it just me or are some drivers becoming arseholes!

It’s not just you. Something about being behind the wheel of a car just ruins people’s common sense and courtesy.

I drive a meriva this seems to wind people up, it's quite a biggish car but it's only 1.3l. I cannot pull out fast at junctions or roundabouts it's not a sports car. The amount of times white van man blasts his horn at me! But I will not be bullied out into traffic

You are right, I don’t like driving anymore. People are too impatient and ready to argue, it’s ridiculous.

I'll never understand aggressive drivers! I have sympathy for you op.

I saw a parked car the other day that had a window sticker on it reading 'installed with a black box because trust me... I'm far more fucked off than you!'. With this driver the aggression is on display 24/7 even when there's no-one in the car!

I think it’s like Batari’s Box so if someone’s an arse to me I feel a bit grrr then I go out and be an arse to the next person. In theory.

A car full of The Jeremy Kyle Show guests pulled out on me earlier (out of KFC of course), driver looked like a relative of Fred West gormless as hell staring at me as if to say “wot”.

A guy behind me tonight tooted his horn and did all kinds of gestures at me when I had to stop suddenly. The reason I stopped? The dickhead in front of me stopped, stuck his reversing lights on and proceeded to reverse into a parking space to the side of the road. How that was my fault I couldn’t quite work out.
People are arseholes when behind the wheel of a car. It’s why I now have a dash cam.

Many people can't drive.

They can put their foot on the accelerator and steer the car but I'm quite sure that you could teach a monkey to do that.

They do not understand road markings, so overtake on hatching and double lines; they cannot match their speed to the road- every road is a motorway to them and they carry along at 70 mph on a single lane or country road; they do not understand weather conditions and zoom along a motorway with standing water on it and they don't understand the give way system or traffic lights.

They are thick, dangerous, unthinking, bags of shit.

I took DD out for a driving lesson later on on a Sunday afternoon - around 3 pm.

She had L plates clearly displayed and was not driving excessively slowly - around 35 in a 40 mph zone. We came up to a large roundabout with 4 exits and were going straight over 2nd exit. The arse behind us decided to overtake her but not on the roundabout where there were at least 2 lanes. He did it by racing around her as we exited the roundabout even though the exit was only one lane wide. If there had been someone else coming down the road he would have hit them or us.

I wish we had had a dash cam fitted as he then sped up the road at more than the speed limit though he didn't get him that far as he was held up by the next set of lights and we ended up behind him again.

I really want a dash cam - especially after the accident the other week. Luckily for me the driver behind the car that hit me had one and sent me the details

My worry with dash cam is that I’ll watch it back with slow realisation that it’s actually me that’s the aggressive bad driving wanker

This is why I now have a dash cam. I think that the reduction in traffic police, who seem to have been replaced by speed cameras, may just have something to do with it. Speed cameras don't do much to tackle dangerous driving like undertaking, pulling out of junctions without looking, tailgating etc.

The reason I stopped? The dickhead in front of me stopped, stuck his reversing lights on and proceeded to reverse into a parking space to the side of the road.

@Bringmewineandcake how does parking make him a dickhead? Maybe you are part of the problem....

YANBU OP, there are so many impatient and reckless drivers now, it feels like you take your life in your hands every time you drive. Also, there are speed cameras everywhere, so you need to be fixated on your speedo to avoid a ticket for going a few miles over the limit, even when there are no other cars or pedestrians around (say late at night, when doing 35 in a 30 limit wouldn't harm anyone).

I drive to work and back (no public transport to speak of for my journey), and drive to visit friends and the supermarket, but that's it. No long car journeys for me, I hate driving now.

@Bringmewineandcake how does parking make him a dickhead? Maybe you are part of the problem....

If I'm going to need to reverse to park at the side of a road I put my indicators on......

If I'm going to need to reverse to park at the side of a road I put my indicators on.....

Of course, and PP didn't say whether they did or didn't. In my experience about half of people stick on my bumper when I indicate when approaching a parking space and seem surprised when I stop and are horrified when my reversing lights go on (if they aren't so close that they can't see them)

I haven't been driving long and it's been
an education in how bat shit some people are.

@mamalicious16

Because he stopped abruptly after doing approx 30mph, put his vehicle in reverse and proceeded to reverse without any indication of his plans. I had no choice but to slam on my brakes, likewise the guy behind me had to do the same.

Sorry...should have tagged @TheresNoSuchThingAsRoadTax

Is this the anti "AIBU to hate cyclists" post?
I usually walk or cycle to work, this week I drove as I've been feeling unwell. It is such an eye opener. everyone is in such a rush to get to where they are going any common sense they do have disappears. In busy town centres I'd say it's most drivers that are bad drivers not just a few. You can see them getting panicky and agitated because they lack confidence, or aggressive because they are too confident.

Tailgating, straddling crossings in stationary traffic, looking at mobile phones, not indicating, accelerating aggressively, breaking sharply or even just not looking properly at what is going on around them.

I blame the whole 'fast and furious' type movies where driving like a nob makes you super cool. That and the Ken Block Hoonagin stuff. Brings out the boy racer types who think their dick will fall clean off if they're not doing at least 20mph over the limit.

I'm only partly joking too...

I think it's another of those situations where you get the split in the population type - half are faffers, half are constantly in a hurry.

I am firmly of the belief that half the traffic jams are caused by people faffing around, for example not moving off promptly when traffic lights change, or slowing down and panicking because you've missed a turning (in that case pull over somewhere safe and look at a map or reset your satnav).

The roads are getting more and more crowded and life is speeding up, so people are trying to do things quickly just at a time when they can't - and so they get agitated.

Admittedly some people are just a*holes like the ones who insist on overtaking you when you are doing 60mph on a 60 limit road. Or beeping when you are waiting to turn right because cars are coming - apparently you are just supposed to drive into them.

I don't actually see any problem with going round someone on the left if they are stuck in a queue to turn right, not sure what the rude hand gestures were about though.

I think saying most drivers are bad is an exaggeration. But there are certainly a few awful ones.

Oh yes and the SUV a*hole who parked partly on a double yellow line, partly on a pavement on a road near me yesterday evening. A few yards away from empty, legal parking bays. They are the ones I would really like to slap massive fines on (along with the drivers using their mobile phones, though with them I would like to remove their licences for a while, too).

I was thinking this just an hour ago. Someone overtook me in the city centre, very dangerously. Then drove in front of me for the next 20 minutes. Overtaking me hadn't hasn't benefitted them in the slightest.
It also scares me that so many drivers see an orange light (and sometimes a red one) as a reason to speed up. I'm convinced that one day some idiot is going to drive into me.

It's not drivers, it's some people generally whether they're driving, cycling, walking or even standing still. Far too many people just haven't the faintest idea of people around them, no consideration and no empathy.

I do a lot of walking along narrow footpaths and lanes. So many times you get couples, threesomes or groups coming towards you and despite it being them who are taking up the full width, they expect me to move into the mud/hedges to let them past. Well, No! I just carry on at the edge of the path and then they usually barge past, often almost knocking me over. I can imagine they'll behave exactly the same if they are on a bike or in a car!

YANBU.

I think it’s a little bit like keyboard warriors. People feel safe driving in their little box on wheels, untouchable almost. They seemingly release all of their pent up aggression at other drivers because they know the other drivers won’t be able to do shit about it.

I hate aggressive and impatient drivers. So many people would rather risk causing a crash or even risk losing their licence than just wait a minute or two longer. Ridiculous.

YANBU

We have got 3 cars, but the behaviour of people depending on which one I am driving is astonishing, but equally nasty in their own way.

One is a sports car, and seem to bring the most enraged competitive mood in so many drivers, it's unreal - they become even more aggressive and dangerous when they realise it's a woman driving!
My car can be very fast, but I don't need to be aggressive, I leave them to it and just put my food down when it's safe. No one seems able to wait at a red light without pretending they are in a race though and make the most dangerous moves. Idiots.

The other car is a fiat 500, people no longer try to race me but to intimidate me, refuse priority, overtake dangerously (in a 20mph zone FFS!).

I am dreaming of buying a tank and just cruising and leaving the idiots kill themselves, sadly it's the innocent people around who are at risk.

I had a rare moment of glee recently. Trundling happily along a 30mph residential road at shock horror 30mph. I was about to adjust my driving to take into account the upcoming cyclist and parked car on my side ahead, when some clapped out newbie-boyracer type car roars past me. Oh joy of joys, the oncoming police van spotted this little manouver and within 20 seconds had done a turn in the road, overtook me with lights flashing and pulled the stupid little sod over.

The focus on speed in isolation and loss of active police on the roads doesn't help. Speeding is most dangerous when it's not considering road condtions, lack of due care and attention, mobile phone use, poor vehicle condition etc, but all these other issues aren't picked up easily on camera based detection.

People are overly busy with a lot of mental load. Even if not deliberately distracted, there is a lot chuntering on through people's heads.

Vehicles are little bubbles (like the keyboard warrior mentality). You're not connected with the other humans you affect.

Driving skill isn't monitored or assessed through life and a lot of sloppy habits creep in. That's why elderly driver threads get contentious. Some people never were particularly observant in the first place. The roads and layouts are busy and increasingly complicated. When I drive in to town, I have to remember which lane I need to take now to be in the right place at the 4th junction 200m away. Getting it wrong is a pain to rectify.

People can be knobs however they're transporting around, pavement hogging, jumping lights on bikes, tail gating in BMWs/ Audis.

We generally need more patience. I'm far from perfect but manage not to vent frustrations by tail gating, using my horn or lights, or overtaking. Just using indicators makes a massive difference!