AIBU to think there are more bad drivers in recent years?

[Justploughingthrough]

Is it just me?

I dropped one of my DC at the station this evening and was struck by the amount of erratic and dodgy driving that I witnessed. For context - I've been driving for around 30 years, never had so much as a parking ticket - and I'm a pretty mellow person. I think most people are perfectly ok drivers and most people can make a poor decision from time to time - but tonight just felt nuts.

First off, on a bit of 30mph dual carriageway a white van which was right up the back of my car (I was doing around 32mph) and then zigzagged between cars in and out of lanes to get ahead.

Second - in a line of traffic waiting at a roundabout - there is one lane of traffic but a man in hatchback sort of forced his way up the inside - at one point putting wheels on the pavement - to try and get past more quickly.

But it wasn't just speeding! On the way home I was on a one way street which is quite long, but no room for overtaking and the driver in front of me was doing - 8mph (in a 20mph zone). I thought maybe he / she was looking for a parking space or an address - but apparently not as we slowly got to a part of the road with nothing on either side and they SLOWED DOWN to 5mph. I eventually flashed my lights (as I thought maybe they didn't know there was a large queue of traffic behind them) and the car slowly pulled to one side, no indicators of course, and stopped.

And when I was nearly home, I got stuck in a bit of road where there was only space for cars going in one direction to pass one at a time (literally only about 10 metres long section) and I met a car coming in the opposite direction. Usually I'll just reverse back to where the road widens out briefly, but there was a queue of traffic behind me. The other car had no-one behind it, so I tried to indidate that maybe it should reverse a bit to let the queue of cars past, but before I could even put the car into gear someone shot out of the passenger seat and starting yelling at me saying 'its my right of way, get out of the way!' (it wasn't their right of way btw) So there was then a very slow process as multiple cars in a queue all reversing to let this car through - it would have been SOO much easier if they had gone back literally a couple of metres, but the driver was just refusing.

I promise its not me! And it's not just today - I actually feel like for the past few years there are more people driving really erratically. Is it all just in my head, or has anybody else felt the same?

So many people say there’s so many bad drivers on the road but nobody actually thinks they’re the bad driver so I’m not sure what the solution is 😂

Agreed - it's so scary out there now. I've only a 20 minute walk to work but never 100% sure I'll make it!

One zebra crossing that drivers almost never stop at, traffic lights that drivers jump/ push through so it's dangerous to cross on a green man, a 20mph/one way road that drivers frequently drive the wrong way up and a bus gate that gets ignored all the time.

Far too many selfish and incompetent drivers. Lots would appear to be driving without a valid licence too, and ever increasing numbers without insurance etc. I've had the misfortune to drive on the M62 between the Leeds and Manchester areas a lot lately and it's like Whacky Races with people weaving between lanes to overtake (usually taxis or white vans or BMWs/Audis), people leaving it to the last possible minute to swerve over from the right hand lane to the exit sliproad causing others to brake harshly to avoid crashing into them, so lane 3/4 dawdlers at 50/60 mph completely obliviously to the queue forming behind them and other traffic overtaking them in lanes 1 and 2, etc.

We desperately need traffic police to get out there and start pulling people over and prosecuting them, crush their vehicles, etc., and of course more police recruited. It's a race to the bottom when there's bugger all policing.

Accidents are a daily occurrence on that stretch, so a lot of the drivers will see other accidents and their aftermath, but it doesn't seem to knock any sense into them as the severity of accidents and the disruption and consequences.

The solution is to get the police out there and TELLING people they're bad drivers via fines, prosecutions, etc.

Traffic police, an end to any claim of hardship to avoid a driving ban, two for starters.

Though if I made the laws on motoring crimes, about 1 in 4 people who have a licence would lose theirs.

Yes, today I was on the M56. Lane 1 was mostly empty, lane 2 lorries and dangerously slow people, lane 3 lorries overtaking and then people flying up in lane 4. Further along I was in lane 1 and the person in front was doing about 62, I went to overtake and suddenly they found the ability to do 70, so I went back behind them and they do 62 and the cycle repeats. In the city you get idiots tailgating you for doing the speed limit. On the way back I was on national speed limit single carriageway roads and kept getting stuck behind people doing 40 when it's 60. Not raining either and good visibility.
I drive every day and I love the experience of being behind the wheel but I wish everyone followed the highway code. Stick to the rules, be confident but not aggressive, don't create dangerous situations just because someone annoyed you, and don't use your phone!!

Yes driving standards do seem to be getting worse.

On my drive home from work there is a national speed limit road, which goes down a hill and a 30mph side road joins at the bottom. Basically if you are pulling out of rhe side road and you can see a car coming down the hill, then you shouldn’t pull out. The amount of people who come dawdling out, with no appreciation that a car is bearing down on them at 60mph.