To ask if anyone else has noticed lots of appalling driving since restrictions were eased?

[GoldenLabbie]

Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed some absolutely appalling driving when I’m going to and from work. I know there’s always been shit driving but it seems a lot worse since restrictions were eased. It’s almost as though they’ve either forgotten how to drive. Today I got stuck in the inside lane behind someone doing about 50 MPH trying to over take a lorry causing a huge tail back. I’ve had been nearly clip me as they overtake me, I’ve seen people pooling along way below the speed limit obvious to the fact they are holding everyone up also so many people not indicating.

Sorry that should say I’ve had people nearly clip me while overtaking.

Yes. Went to the station on Friday evening and there was a lot of straightforward dangerous and discourteous driving. Bloke in a van pulled straight out across my path from a side road in a 30 limit forcing me to brake quite sharply, a couple of people weaving and lane changing without indicating that I only avoided hitting by predicting they would cut across in front of me with no warning from their generally dickhead aggressive driving style. I was surprised and quite glad to get home.

Yes! I really enjoyed lockdown, there was hardly anyone on the roads, and my journey time was halved! It's worse at night, I think. Lights on full beam, people trundling along at 30 in 60mph zone (whils using full beam) and recently I've come across little groups of hot(ish) hatches, all driving in a line as if they are on a Scaletrix set. That was scary - as all far too close, and far too fast

Yes but you should see my parking its gone to shit i parked cockeyed in three out of four carparks today and I had to pull my nose back in twice as I parked with it poking out onetime it wasn't my fault as I lined myself up with the car next to me he had his nose hanging out too 🤦‍♀️ i need way more practice

No, it's been the opposite for me, I did a 200 mile round trip today and it was fine, even enjoyable. Not many cars on the road, everyone driving sensibly. I was on A roads and dual carriageways so perhaps it's different on motorways.

I suspect a lot of it is people who wouldn’t ordinarily drive very often or in particular circumstances but who are still concerned about using public transport - they now went to be out and about but are going by car and there are more of them so more noticeable when they drive like idiots.

I can honestly say in many years of cycling in London that I’ve never felt as in fear for my life as I have the past few weeks. The school run is especially bad, at least five times in the past fortnight I’ve had drivers opening car doors into my path without warning, overtaking without judging my speed correctly so that I have to brake sharply, or just randomly pulling over outside the school gates without indicating.

Yes, I've noticed it too. People veering over the centre line, overtaking cyclists dangerously, being in the wrong lane at roundabouts and cutting people off. I think loads of people have got used to their bad habits not having as big an impact during lockdown, with the roads being so quiet.

Yes - appalling things!

Seems to be so much more traffic about than there was before all this started.

Yes some terrible driving at the minute, but even worse parking, why do I now spend most of my walking, on the road so the cars and vans can park fully on the pavement ?

Mum was driving us to the local factory shop yesterday morning. Driving into the village next to us and an arsehat driver decided to overtake a lady walking on a blind corner. Driver came round the corner smack bang in the middle of the road. Poor Mum had to swerve right over to avoid colliding with arsehat. Proper shook both of us up!!

Oh god yes! Absolutely awful! Just today I came round the corner to be faced with someone who’d decided that they needed to swing out onto the opposite side of the road in order to turn left 🤷‍♀️.

Yes, I saw someone stop on a roundabout the other day, straddling both lanes, as she tried to work out which exit to take

Oh aye. It seems every day is “drive like a daft twat” Day

Yup. I drive along a short but busy stretch of the A3 every day and the twits driving at 40 with a load of clear air ahead of them.

One arse nearly caused a pile up this morning it took so long for them to pull off onto the exit.

Plus all the others who think indicators are optional.

Oh and the arseholes on motorbikes who just drive AT you on the wrong side of the road to avoid traffic.

Yeah. But since probably early April near me. I'm obviously not perfect but like to think I'm quite cautious without being annoying or unsafe. Loads of people not being in the right lane at roundabouts and just swerving in front of me!

People not looking before moving lanes too. I wonder if it's just being used to less people on the road?

I just couldn’t get over the prat I got stuck behind this afternoon. If you don’t like speeding up to overtake, then don’t ease off and let those of us who want to use the overtaking lane properly do so!

Yes!
I was at a set of traffic lights, left lane is painted with arrows showing that that lane is for turning left or going straight on only. Right lane is painted as right turn only.
I'm in the righthand lane, indicating right, as we set off I'm alerted to a moped from the left lane following me round to the right. I take evasive action to stop us colliding but, I was planning to take the immediate left turn after the traffic lights so I had to do an almost emergency stop and the moped just carried on undertaking me like he's completely oblivious to everything around him - and then sailed through the next junction, also in the wrong bloody lane again 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ frigging maniac!

Yes!!!!
I noticed it after the over 70,s were vaccinated driving like utter loons after a year, bloody terrible driving!
And more recently young people driving like idiots... had some very near misses recently

I drive for work and have worked through the pandemic

Yes and people cannot park properly. They also do not use their indicators until far too late.

Totally.

I nearly had a heart attack today on a motorway. People across all 3 lanes and back in between traffic moving not very fast. The slow Lane was only 50 and lorries were pulling out between cars in spaces smaller than their lorries and still only doing 50 in the middle lane. Causing the snake effect of breaking and people pulling out to third lane.

I just stuck to the slowest lane at 50 to save my nerves!

I'm assuming the lorry drivers have had empty roads for a long time and they are now getting fed up of traffic!

Yes terrifying. I’ve had to re coach my 7 year old on the zebra crossing I cross with him every night on the way home from school. We have nearly been run over several times by cars just not stopping. We always wait and check and don’t just expect cars to stop....thank fuck or we would be squashed. Also the spatial awareness and speed limits seems to have gone out the window.

Yes. Nobody knows how to use roundabouts anymore. You're in the inner or right lane because you're turning right but then need to move left to take your exit but cars pull out and cut you up because they're only going round by one exit. Every single day. People definitely knew how to use roundabouts (mostly) before the pandemic.

I've noticed it too.

Coming down the slip road the other day to join the dual carriageway, building my speed, indicating. Silver car approaching from behind moved over into the other lane to allow me to join, meanwhile a red car already travelling in the right lane whizzed back into the left hand lane just as I started to drift across, I had to slam brake hard to avoid hitting the arsehole.

Have also recently had three cyclists riding along an unlit country lane side-by-side at twilight, not a single helmet or piece of high-vis between the lot of them. That was fun on a blind bend, they were very lucky I was only going 30 as I'd been stuck behind a tractor because its a NSL road. I then had to crawl along behind them as they dilly-dallied around, making no effort to move to single file. I couldn't overtake because of oncoming traffic (main route in and out of the village) and at every bend I half expected to have someone suddenly appear doing the actual speed limit and ram straight into the back of me.

Friend of DD got knocked down by a bike on a zebra crossing recently, the man riding it said he saw her as she was about to cross but he didn't think zebra crossings applied to cyclists.

Also recently I had a car undertake me on a roundabout, a car in front of me suddenly change lanes then immediately attempt to change back again.

On local FB there was a picture shared of a small car driving along the central lane of a busy road with a surfboard lying on the backseat and both rear doors wide open and encroaching on the lanes either side, to accommodate it sticking out either side of the car.

It started even before lockdown. DH and I attended a wedding on the very last day you could have a wedding, and we were close to terrified on the journey home - people were crazy!

And I don't think it ever got any better. People who were out and about got used to the roads being empty, and still drive as if they're the only ones on the roads. Lots of overtaking cyclists dangerously.

I also think a lot of elderly people didn't go out, or hardly went out, and not driving for a year isn't a recipe for confidence.