Or are drivers on the road getting worse?

[BertieDrapper]

I'm on the road more then I used to be - used to commute on the train - now WFH and have days with DD driving to classes etc but am I wrong in thinking the way people drive on the roads now is absolutely rubbish??
You even wonder if they've read the Highway Code?

1. came to round about, car to my right was turning into the road I was in, so I was clear to go. Guy driver on my left pulls out, and gives me a raised fist for pulling out when I clearly had right of way considering I was too his right..... I was indicating as well!

2. today driving down a busy high street, car in front is driving particular slow and breaking unnecessarily. A car on the other side of the road cuts across the slow driver to try and parallel park in a space far to small.... blocking our flow of traffic in the process. Instead of mr slow driver, driving around the bad parker, when it was clear to do so, he sat.... and waited.... for ages. Then eventually drove around him...
   I have no problem waiting for someone to park, but surely if it's clear to go around them, you do?

That's just two examples but I see plenty of people in wrong lanes for round abouts, not indicating and not looking where they are going!!

I don't know if driving is getting worse or just that I am noticing it more.

A car on the other side of the road cuts across the slow driver to try and parallel park in a space far to small.... blocking our flow of traffic in the process

I've had this happen to me as well and they glared at me as if I was at fault when they cut in front of me. I wish we had a rule like in other countries where you can only park on your side of the road.

But my biggest bugbear at the moment is people parking up and then leaving their engines running. Turn them off, you can wear a coat if you are cold. I even have an extra coat in the car so I can pull it over me if I have to wait for any length of time.

Yanbu. I'm particularly pissed off today after a guy undertook me on the motorway just as I was about to overtake a lorry (diagram prob required on here). At least he indicated as he squeezed into the gap

On the other hand I think that people speed less than previously. Particularly in 30-zones where I remember it used to be perfectly normal for people to zoom about at 40. Before there were any speed cameras, that is.

Strange you should post this, I was just coming on to start a thread. Yes, I think driving is getting worse. My friend and I spent 25 minutes on the M20 today, driving in a slightly higher off the road than average vehicle (meaning a good view) at a fairly low traffic time of day.

Just for the hell of it she made a note -Bear in mind this is just the ones we actually saw - - 20 drivers, including drivers of big lorries - visibly on mobile phones. 8 clear cases of middle lane hogging (when cars are pulling out of the first lane to go round them, some are undertaking them). 22 cases where the driver didn't anticipate that they'd need to pull into the next lane to pass a slower vehicle, instead driving until they were right up close then jumping out signalling at the same time (or not signalling at all). And 3 drivers in the outside lane left it far too late to pull over to exit the motorway, but didn't care, they just shot across all 3 lanes of traffic and did it anyway.
We didn't do it again on the way back, I was starting to feel too stressed to drive.

Didn't even bother counting people going over 70, too many to mention.

I had a bloke pull out in front of me when I was actually on the roundabout and then he gesticulated as if it was my fault! I had to brake and let him go as he was blocking my lane. Also a lot of people cutting across the right hand lane on roundabouts as they want to take the quickest route across.

And not forgetting the buggers who block roundabouts, exits and sideroads whilst waiting in traffic.

I have a 30 minute commute each way into work, thankfully most of it on rural lanes but those 10 minutes driving through a busy town are utterly horrendous. People don't give way, don't seem to understand what lanes are for, and are so bloody rude. And the worst offenders are people who jump queues of traffic then force their way in again, almost taking the wing off your car while doing so! I wish I had a James Bond style missile in my bumpers most days.............

Agree with @cologne4711 (great username) . I learnt to drive in a country where it was illegal to park on the ‘wrong’ side of the road and it was better. I think bad driving is probably just a symptom of more entitled behaviour in society.

Everyone is getting faster. I live in a very rural location and cars fly round blind corners at breakneck speed.

It's not just drivers, it's people doing anything, whether driving, cycling or even walking. Far too many people just don't give a toss anymore and do what THEY want to do and sod everyone else. We're becoming a very selfish society.

Yup, I’m constantly breaking for people who do ridiculous things. Two mini roundabouts near me, people just have no idea to check their right before plowing across. I worried it was me but I naturally approach a roundabout and check my right (and the rest of course) I now approach both gingerly as I’ve had to slam on my breaks too many times with people flying over as I’m going round.
That’s just one issue, I could go on and on, I drive 3 motorways to work, kids go to school right across town so drive a lot. Wish I could walk more

the worst offenders are people who jump queues of traffic then force their way in again,

Although it also annoys me that where you have two lanes of traffic coming up to traffic lights that merge into one lane afterwards that people get really arsey about letting you merge in. I don't think they realise that if some of us weren't in the lane that merges, the queues for the lights would be twice as long because only half the cars would get through each time.

Undertaking! Yes another annoyance!!

Do people just memorise the Highway Code to pass their theory test and then quickly forgot it?? Not actually connecting the dots that it's the rules of the road!!!

I even questioned myself with the round about incident, I wondered if I was in the wrong for a second or two!

Completely agree OP. I use the motorway every day for my job. The AMOUNT of undertaking, people getting right up my arse (I never go too slow on the motorway, either the limit or just over) and being intimidating, drivers going 50 in the middle lane, not indicating. The list is endless.

I’ve noticed this too. People indicating the wrong way to exit a roundabout (or not indicating at all), turning right out of a junction and cutting across my path when there isn’t enough time so forcing me to brake sharply, whizzing across FOUR lanes on a motorway to take an exit. One guy recently was almost in my boot on a straight stretch of residential road (I was doing 30 - the limit!) and he was so furious about it I pulled over and he roared past me at an outrageous speed.

I feel like I rarely complete a journey without encountering some complete dickhead.

My huge bugbear is yellow box junctions. I want to get out with a copy of the page in the highway code on the rules for using yellow box junction and hand it out to all the idiots blocking the road because they'd driven into a yellow box junctions when their exit wasn't clear!. Drives me crazy when the traffic who has right of way because their light's on green can't move because of these idiots.

This is why I’ve started getting the bus to work, now that I don’t have to do the school run. 15 minute walk-20 minutes on the bus- 5 minute walk. Takes more than twice as long than driving but much less than half the stress.

@BertieDrapper

Yes! On my drive home there are three box junctions and heavy queues of traffic. Without fail, people turning left to join my lane will pull out into the gap and sit on the box, so people turning right into that street can’t get through.

it happens so often I’d started to worry I’d misunderstood what box junctions are for!

Ffs, that was for ArsenicNLace - the tag feature changed the username I’d copied and pasted??

Seems about the same as it ever was to me

There's alot more cars on the road than when i started driving, but i don't notice a higher incidence of them being shit drivers.

I drive at least 9 hours a week and am constantly on the look out for drivers doing silly things, especially on the motorways. It's like dodgems some days, especially on big junctions.