Other drivers

[Desperatetime]

I've noticed that everybody seems to he in a rush and some have a attitude I'm sick of people up my rear end when I'm doing the speed limit and hovering to overtake.
Last night around 11pm I had somebody up my rear flashing and blowing thier horn at me when I was doing the speed limit maybe just under aibu to think this behaviour is getting worse.

If you google it, it's a fact that drivers have become more dangerous, impatient, etc. since the pandemic. I live in a small mountain town in the US and prior to covid I drove for Uber so I'm very familiar with roads & drivers here, and after Covid it's gotten so bad I don't drive unless I have to. I had someone follow me home (I realized they were following me and did not go to my actual home) and proceeded to scream and curse at me from their window- all because I went the speed limit and they wanted to speed. Another time I braked suddenly as a bicyclist was crossing with right of way, and the driver behind me was so close they almost hit me- their fault! And they sped up to get beside me and scream obscenities at me. I gave them the finger and they got in front of me and slammed on their brakes. But I wasn't tailgating so they just ended up looking like psychos and really scaring me. I was being extra careful with the bicycle because a group of cyclists had been hit & killed on the same road recently. Another time a man in a big truck in the next lane over decided he wanted to be where I was, so he began to ram his truck against my tiny car to make me move over. He didn't actually hit me, just made that maneuver. Traffic was packed and there was nowhere for me to go! He basically tried to run me off the road because he realized he was in the wrong lane. He even put his arm out the window and motioned me to move over. Complete disregard for life. These are just a few examples. Prior to the pandemic drivers here were extraordinarily courteous. I don't know what happened but I've seen it reported on the news everywhere so it's not just you!

Yes
Tailgating
Flashing
Veering out onto other side of the road
Shouting obsenities

Then I got a large back window dash cam and I squirt screenwash to show the tailgator they are being recorded and they often back off.

The issue is its not just cars. Lorries, coaches also tailgate and veer in and out as well

Ive 36 yrs driving experience and I drive on the speed limits. Most of my tailgators have blacked out windows or I can barely see their head as they are lying almost flat in the drivers seat. They never indicate either so I have to guess where they are going on roundabouts.
It really puts me off

Yes, it's a thing where I am too. I hate to say it but it's usually men. I think pandemic cutbacks mean that there are just not enough traffic police on our roads anymore, people broke traffic laws during the pandemic and got away with it, and so have continued in that vein. ie. they want to do what they want. Drive as fast as they like. Not have to stop at reds. Park on double yellows. Once they've got away with it a few times they get a confidence that they can do what they want on the roads and there is very little comeback.

It is depressing, yes, because it indicates a decline in an aspect of behaviour that is part of what makes us a civilised nation.

Yep. I am noticing it too. There are some real, real idiots on the road. Pulling off without checking blind spot. Jumping into gaps on motorways that just are not there. Driving too closely behind you no matter the weather condition. Genuinely scares me.

It's not just you - every single day I encounter absolutely vile idiots on the roads (and this is just doing school dropoff/pickup which is only 15-20mins each way). Recently bought a front/rear dash cam and vivid yellow "video recording" stickers for my car. Definitely noticed a decrease in tailgating, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have put off the hardcore nutters. Would love to never have to drive again - downright scary dealing with all the absolute arseholes speeding, dangerously overtaking on blind bends/hills and general twatish/aggressive behaviour of some drivers. Makes me wonder how the hell they passed their driving test. 🙄

Yes I’m noticing it too. People don’t seem to stick to their side of the road and they turn right into side roads cutting the corner, then seem surprised to see me coming in opposite direction- it’s like they’ve forgotten it’s a two way road.
Not sure if it’s lack of police or police can’t be bothered to deal with it until someone gets hurt (witnessed a couple of incidents in front of police and they’ve done nothing)
Someone mentioned it being mainly men, tbh where I am it’s women.

I see dangerous driving every single day, I hate driving now. There's no deterrent, even if you kill someone, chances are you won't even get banned never mind jailed. Don't get me started on on the dickheads that drive like arseholes, kill themselves and are then regarded as the blessed martyrs, which requires more dickheads to assemble and drive like arseholes en masse to "show their respects" to the "hero".

When o see blue lights behind me, I out my hazards on and pull over to allow them a clear route through. Guaranteed, 3-6 cars will go around me rather than let the emergency services (usually an ambulance) past.

I drive a lot for work. It’s the dawdlers and the middle lane hoggers that are the dangerous ones. Fucking idiots. Too right I’m getting the hell away from them ASAP.

(also have front and back dashcams on all my cars and the footage gets uploaded to operation snap.)

If you’re putting your hazards on they will think you have broken down. No need to do that just because you’re pulling over for an emergency vehicle.

I live in Wales & we've just had the 1st week of the blanket 20mph limit on a third of our roads & the increase in tailgating & abuse has been staggering. We live in a rural village and very few stuck to the 30mph so they're certainly not going to stick to 20.
I've also noticed a big increase in poor driving on the motorways since the pandemic, particularly black Audis or BMW going from lane 3 or 4 to the exit in one manoeuvre, far too late to be safe, often with no indicators showing.

Yes it’s very prevalent. Last week I was driving along an A-road with 3 roundabouts spaced about half a mile apart. The majority of the traffic including myself were going directly across at each, so getting into the left lane to leave at the second exit directly ahead. A man cut me up on the first one, pulling into the right hand lane initially but then suddenly cutting across me to get ahead of me into my left lane. He beeped and gave me the finger as he passed, as if I was the one swerving across lanes.

I watched him do the same thing to other drivers at the next two roundabouts - nearly causing an accident at one - only for him to pull off at a petrol station just seconds later. So it wasn’t like he was in a rush or anything, he was just cutting up traffic for fun! Sadly not a one off these days.

Completely agree. Middle lane driver on the motorway drive me insane. I was on the inside lane on a 4 lane motorway earlier. Nothing in the second lane, everyone in lane 3! Why?!! I undertook all of them and I wasn't speeding. They should all have been in the inside lane.

Another thing that drives me mad is people sitting in the outside lane on a national speed limit duel carriage way thinking that 60 is the speed limit. Firstly, the speed limit is 70, you're slowing down the road, secondly, WHY ARE YOU IN THE OUTSIDE LANE WHEN YOURE NOT OVERTAKING ANYONE?!!!

Same. I want a scrolling message board to educate the idiots.

And a flamethrower front and back. ;)

Me too. Fucking stupid policy badly implemented. My 20 year old car is pumping more emissions into the atmosphere so it’s rather a slam dunk for the WG.

How does squirting screen wash show you are recording?

Glad it's not just me I'm probably doing wrong but I deliberately go slower to piss them off.

Get a rear dashcam installed plus warning sign and they'll soon back off.

Works for me every time and one was charged with failure to stop too when he hit me.

Yes you are doing wrong as if you're already doing 20 and slowing below that. That is entirely twattish behaviour.

I've noticed drivers who can't wait to come out of a side road, there is no gap then pull out then speed up down the wrong side of the road and push in ahead

Wish they'd get caught

It's the endless fucking dawdlers that get on my nerves. Sticking to 35 on a 60 mph road because ooh its the countryside and there are bends. Then getting all po faced if someone dares to overtake.

Ditto the massive arseholes who sit on the middle or outside lane parallell to the rest of the traffic not doing any overtaking whatsoever because that might cause them to go over 70 and that would be illegallllll so they just bottleneck the M6 until someone gets up their arse and they wake up.

You had my support until this.

Deliberately provoking an already stressed driver is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. You have no idea what is going on in other people's lives and this is just unnecessary. It will come back to bite you and will be your own fault.

Uh oh, OP.

So far so fine, OP, with most people expressing agreement with you. But I think you're on the cusp of getting the "if they flash you just move out of the way" replies, along with the "but 70 mph is just an arbitrary speed chosen aaaages ago and I think up to 100 mph on a clear road is perfectly fine, so there" people. So far most people think you are not being unreasonable, but your "I deliberately go slower to piss them off" is not going to help.

I don't agree with being intimated out of the way, but I also don't agree with deliberately trying to wind up a driver who's already shown that they are an aggressive and impatient driver. You want those people in front of you, not behind you.

And this was posted while I was writing my post.

You've said you were doing under the speed limit so it's not a surprise people behind you were getting frustrated. You need to progress better.