to think if you don't know how wide you're vehicle is then you're not safe to be on the road??!!

[MadreInglese]

Had a ridiculous near miss this morning with a muppet who seemed to think that her car was two feet wider on the passenger side than it actually was.

She's not the only one, I see loads of people (esp town centre) driving way out in the middle of the road. Yes, be cautious, but to the point of being dangerous? It always seems to be larger cars too IME, why drive a car about that you don't know the size of?

I don't get it

It makes me laugh when people say it's 4x4 drivers who hesitate to go through small gaps. Most 4x4 drivers can get through gaps because they have to know what space they can get through having a bigger car (with the exception of coarse.) In my experience, it's normally some dippy idiot in the smallest car in the world hesitating to go through a gap that you could fit three of their tiny little cars through!

rofl at oim'ere iam

Disagree MsS - I live in an area of high density unnecessary 4x4s - they seem to need the entire width of the street to get through. Often because they can't see over the steering wheel as well.

I drive a big fecking van so get out of my feckingway , used to be a nice little 4x4, but I don't tow trailers now or go off road (which I did).

I love people that think they can scare me out of the way, then they see how battered my van is and back off. My call is usually,
"Comming through!"

To be fair there are a few breeds of 4x4 drivers, with all their own traits.

I can say with utmost confidence that I am an excellent driver, I learnt to drive in snowy, icy, northwest Scotland. It took me a while to get used to motorways but nowadays I am an excellent driver with full (in excess) no claims. Oh yes.

I could, but don't, drive any kind of 4x4 vehicle as a 2 wheel drive is perfectly acceptable for even occasional off road driving as experienced by most mums and dads.

I defy any, but the most rural parent to state that they could not get by with a decent, front wheel drive, family vehicle.

I am currently being harrassed on my private property by a 4x4 driver who seems incapable of identifying and aligning themselves with a curb. It would be less pitiful were they a mondeo driver. Silly Fucker!

I think that there are natural drivers and people who struggle with spatial awareness (me). But even unnatural drivers can become highly competent if they drive a lot.

IMO the worst encounters on the road are with nervous drivers who know they are not competent and therefore do not drive a lot which makes the whole situation worse.

lol skramble - my Dh had a bashed old panel van with a bull-bar on the front in Australia - he learnt the "outa my way" mode of driving too - totally inappropriate in Surrey in a medium hatchback of inocuous appearance! We nearly had a few accidents until he got the hang of it...

I'm appalled by some of the sweeping generalisations here that women are rubbish drivers.

Some are, but so are plenty of men who also suffer spatial awareness problems.

And as a middle-aged estate car driver (my dd plays a large instrument which we need to transport), I'd take anyone on in a reverse parking test - I'm brilliant at it. So good in fact that I'm often tempted to do what one of dd1's friends does and take a picture on my mobile when I've reversed into a space, first time, only slightly bigger than the car