Why don't people slow down?

[Notyomama]

One thing I notice a lot when I'm driving is how little others seem to react to changes in the traffic/hazards. It makes me wonder, are they just not seeing them?

For example, this evening I was driving quite a distance behind another car (no other car between me and them). The car looked to be doing about the speed limit (30mph). A boy of about 14 shot across the road on a bike, having not looked at all where he was going. The car kept going at the same speed, no brakes applied, nothing. Luckily the boy managed to speed up and the car just missed him. The thing that horrified me was the car driver definitely had time to react - I was much further behind and I reacted, even though I didn't technically need to. The car driver just didn't react. It was pure luck that it didn't result in a terrible accident. The boy was in the wrong but the driver seemed not to be paying any attention.

The thing is, this isn't an isolated incident. I regularly see drivers not slowing down to take traffic conditions into account - they barrel onwards regardless. I can't tell if they think there's no need to slow down or if they just don't see what's going on. I notice DH doing it sometimes - I can see there's a clear hazard ahead, but rather than slow to make reacting easier he just keeps going and every so often he has to suddenly slow down which is much more dangerous.

To be clear I'm not talking about reacting to absolutely everything or constantly slowing causing a hazard to drivers behind me. I mean taking into account what's going and being safe by reducing the risk of a collision.

Is it that some drivers are just shit drivers who are tempting fate?

Drivers think they own the roads

Because the roads are full of terrible drivers. I’m constantly amazed that there aren’t more accidents.

I think when you're a long way behind it can often look like someone is going to go into another road user when if you were closer you'd realise they weren't. But I agree that people often seem to react to hazards in a very last minute sort of way.

I agree it can be deceiving but in this case it wasn't - the poor boy looked like his life flashed before his eyes. One positive is that it might have taught him a lesson. The very noticeable thing is that the car driver didn't apply any brakes at all. It makes me think that some drivers treat driving like some sort of video game with no consequences or they just don't realise what could happen. If I were in a similar situation and I felt far enough away from the boy, I would still slow down just in case he fell over or did something stupid at the last second. In the scenario I described, if one tiny thing had gone wrong the car would have ploughed into the boy at 30ish mph. It would have been awful.

its due to the fact most people are overworked and have very little time to get everything done and are rushing around as fast as

add to that you can pass your driving test and then forget the highway code afterward as most people dont care about following it or the law anyway

and cuts to traffic police to deal with bad driving

get a dash cam

The short answer is because almost all systematic driving errors are self-reinforcing. In the case given, the driver has calculated the child will be out of the way, the child gets out of the way, the driver congratulates themselves on their skill and judgement - guess what they are going to do next time?

The longer answer... After years as a driving instructor the thing that continues to blow my mind is how systematically bad the vast majority of drivers are.

If I was to keep track, I wouldn't be surprised if a substantial majority of drivers I follow for some distance didn't have some fundamental flaws that considerably increased their risk profile - and yes - that means a lot (or most, or even possibly all) of people here as well. I don't mean standalone mistakes - we can all make those - I am talking about systematic errors.

In particular speed on approach issues (such as highlighted by the OP), road position issues or observation issues.

For example stand at a junction for a while and watch people emerging to the left. How many never look left until they cross the give way lines? How many only look right once?

Or instead see how many people cut the corner turning into the side road? Or position to turn right into the side road with their wheels already turned? Or position partially across the centre line to emerge right? Or don't position up to the centre line to emerge right?

These is just a tiny fraction of the habitual errors I see in nearly all drivers. I doubtless have my own that I haven't recognised and eliminated yet.

Yanbu
Alot of people are driving too fast.

I think there is generally a breakdown of law and order in this country at the moment. Partly because people know there are too few police and partly because of the soft sentences handed out generally for crime.

People travelling in reinforced metal boxes generally think they're invincible

The number of people distracted by phones while driving is alarming. So many not even looking at the roads.

I see lots of people looking down when driving these days - clearly they're looking at a mobile phone on their lap. Also people driving too fast and too close to people in front and taking risks when overtaking.
The 20mph limit introduced here in Waies is largely ignored.

Can you give top safety tips & classic mistakes please.

I was glad when an elderly relative stopped driving - they habitually swung into their street across the wrong lane. Fortunately a very quiet area but still risky.

Probably they're on their phone. Sometimes I go out with DH in his van, and am consequently sat nice and high up with a lovely view of the cars next to us when not in the inside lane. I would estimate 1 in 10 to 1 in 15 motorway drivers are on their phone. If I see a company vehicle driver offending, I photograph the driver on the phone and email it to their head office.

I guarantee everyone reading your post will be nodding along about all these "other" awful drivers but won't think it applies to themselves

I'm not a driver so it actually doesn't

The flip side of this is that you may be an overly cautious driver and it is just your perception that people don’t react in time or don’t notice. They may be fully aware and in complete control. What would your DH say if asked about his driving and yours?

Exactly until they crash into another reinforced box or something that proved them wrong.

I don’t think enough people take into account the responsibility and privilege it is to drive and that all it takes is one action or inaction to injure or kill someone.

I see drivers not paying attention to anyone but other drivers, run red lights knowing there are people waiting to cross, not stopping for pedestrians, reaching back for things and taking their eyes off the road, speeding through residential areas and school zones forcing areas to install speed bumps to stop it, choosing to park right up to bus stops making it difficult for buses to pick up passengers, making illegal turns and almost running into other cars, etc.

I look both ways when crossing, one way or not because I don’t have much trust in drivers.

I would agree with 3 other PP's who've suggested that the driver was on their phone. They thought the road was clear and free-flowing so engaged with phone and didn't see boy on bike. Phone use while driving has become absolutely endemic. I see it al the time.

Very true OP.

Petrifying to be a pedestrian or cyclist these days. Drivers are too cocky and rely too heavily on modern safety tech. Safer inside the car, but safer outside?

Slow down!!! Give space.

Not in a few words... But for me the most overlooked thing in most people's driving is road position, and even that covers a multitude of things.

Used well, road position (in combination with speed) is one of the best indications of your intention (often better than an indicator), one of the best ways to control and manipulate other drivers (that isn't a bad thing - well it can be done to excess - but also an essential part of safe driving) and one of the best ways to minimise your exposure to risks from others mistakes.

I see sooo many people blatantly on their phones whilst driving…

50% of drivers are below average, and the average isn't an exacting standard...

As a pedestrian, often walking with a child, I commonly approach zebra crossings, and sometimes am already waiting at the zebra crossing, and drivers sail past staring fixedly ahead (not on phone) without having apparently seen us at all. Not that they’ve seen us but judged it’s too late to stop. Just no awareness we’re there. It’s frightening.

But I also acknowledge that as a driver I make mistakes and am almost certainly guilty of some / much of what @WrigglyDonCat describes.

Some drivers (too many) are just shit drivers who don’t realise they are in control of a deadly weapon, it’s something that has bugged me for far more years than I care to remember 😩

Today my DM and DF nearly had a bad accident. All becuase an elderly gentleman tried to avoid half a tire on the road in the middle lane of a motorway instead of keeping in the middle and letting the tire go under the car he swirved into my parents car who were on the vast lane. My DF who is level headed and calm reacted and moved closer to the central reservation narrowly missing being hit.
What and absolute bell end.
More people need to be tested on an annual basis. People should be able to report bad drivers and if they get a certain oercebtage of complaints then they have to leasons, redo theory and practical test.

I never ever trust that I am at a safe crossing and walk out. I always wait until all vehicles have actually stopped before setting foot off the pavement. Now that's I have children I am very date a but thats fine as long as we stay safe and well.