[Closed] Driving gods to the forum - help stop me reacting!

Just think how bad their life is that they are in such a hurry, don’t have time to say thanks, ignore others etc...

It's probably something else you're unhappy with. Sex, work, the yawning chasm of impending death after squandering your one chance of life on this earth

I’m the same as you. I’m actually going to buy a decent dash cam as a) I drive sensibly most of the time and it’s only a matter of time before something happens to me which isn’t my fault and b) because it’s recording my voice it’ll make me stay calm so I ensure I’m still the innocent party!
A friend of my is an insurance fraud investigator and he said he wouldn’t drive a car without one anyway.

I had a bit of a lightbulb moment years ago...

I’d been “on the road” for work so the usual, considered myself well above average in skillz, everybody else on the road was there purely to hold me up, they were mostly shit drivers, etc etc.

I simultaneously started a rant at some poor woman in a services car park (she didn’t know I was ranting) who’d probably had the temerity to pull out and pocket dialled someone in the office whose answering machine kicked in and recorded my full rant. She rang me back on her mobile and played it to me. Oh how we laughed but it was then that I realised how utterly ridiculous I sounded. Someone had just momentarily inconvenienced me and I was talking about her like she was out to kill my family. 😀

So, I dunno, maybe record yourself in the car, play it back and see how you sound.

I was/am the same as you @dashed. I am getting less reactionary by remembering my new mantra for life: People are dicks.
You can do very little to change them, especially in a vehicle, so just let it go.

Have the Benny Hill music in your head and overlay it across the driving you see...

On motorways, I find driving slower makes me a lot less prone to being ragey.

I think many of us are in the same boat. One thing I've realised is actually a lot of people drive quite well, you just don't notice because they don't cut you up. For me it's a conscious effort not to react, I'm getting better but it's something I have to work on. I also realised the people who wind me up are the least likely to care about me, my ranting, my reaction to them so all it's doing is stressing me out, making the roads incrementally less safe and having no effect on the dicks. You know thatmsmug feeling when you've got your own back on someone who has cut you up, you need to try and generate that feeling in yourself when you don't react, when you give way to the dicks just to keep the traffic flowing smoothly. Reward yourself mentally for being the clearly better driver.

Dash cam also sounds like a good idea, bit like having a black box, something to keep you honest.

This is more of a question on how you can handle idiots in life rather than a question for driving gods. No tips by the way as I am same as you, I get overly annoyed by careless/dangerous drivers and even more so when I am cycling.

Guitarhero speaks truth, possibly something else is bothering you.
I drive a coach for a living, so see the occasional bit of muppet driving, with practice you can train yourself to just think* ‘oh for **ck sake’ and then carry on with your life, it’s really not worth having a heart attack about some halfwit that you’re never going to see again.
Make a conscious effort to do it and it will get easier.
Obviously, if they’re on their phone, or doing something equally stupid you may consider phoning the rozzers.

*or say it.

I find sarcasm helps me on the bike and in the car. 'Sorry, my fault. I was obviously cycling so fast you weren't able to judge my speed which is why you looked at me, made eye contact, and pulled out anyway."

@pondo
That’s interesting, my default speed on a clear motorway is 60-65, 70 actually feels slightly too fast for me, mainly because coaches have 100kmh speed limiters and that’s what I spend my working life doing.

I think you need to separate the being annoyed by bad driving which isn't unreasonable - it's putting other people's safety at risk - and how you react to it. You seem to be beating yourself up about being annoyed, but I think it's fair to resent people driving badly within reason. I guess ideally you just observe it dispassionately and take appropriate action, which would be a more mindful way of dealing with it, but being resentful's not irrational and very human.

What's not reasonable is behaving irrationally and disproportionately as a next step.

How are you reacting to it? I mean are you gesticulating / cutting them up / banging your head against the steering wheel / taking it out on other people later / chasing them down and starting a fist fight? It sounds a little like an anger management issue. Cars do weird things to people. I think somewhere in the whole driving mentality is the idea that you are or should be 'in control' and safe, but in reality you have very limited control over the actions of others, which is frustrating. It's also a sort of microcosm of everyday life.

Anyway, if the way you react is distressing you - which it seems to be - maybe it's worth considering some sort of counselling to help you find coping strategies or get to the bottom of why it's annoying you to an extent which you feel is disproportionate?

I used to get quite wound up, I think as a result of riding motorbikes for years, which means other people's mistakes have potentially serious consequences, but it doesn't really get you anywhere good.

More a driving dog than a driving god fwiw 🙂

On motorways, I find driving slower makes me a lot less prone to being ragey.

I'm looking forward to the Smart Motorway default speed limit being set to 50mph.

The M27 along the 20mile stretch of enforced 50mph has been a pleasure to drive along... and before anyone says "yerbutt" every vehicle actually drives pretty much safer and gets to the end of the enforced limit in probably the same time.

As for reacting, you are better than them don't forget. Rise above the nobends, slow down a bit more and create those lovely gaps in front of you and behind.

I’m looking forward to the Smart Motorway default speed limit being set to 50mph.

While it may reduce the impact of crashes somewhat, which would obviously be a positive for many reasons.  I don't think it would do anything to reduce speeding or bad driving. (those things still  tend to occur at the same rates) The default 70mph limit does nothing to prevent those things. and I think it's speed cameras and not the limit that makes people drive to 50mph

To answer the OP, agree with guitarhero and BWD, try to work out what it is in your life that is winding you up. I think it's easy to shout and gesticulate in your car, because you're in you're own private space, you obviously wouldn't act like that on the street or at the shops. (well most of us wouldn't)

Most folk haven't set out to annoy you personally, they're just trying to get along, yep they may be bad at driving, but TBH, it's sometimes confusing if you're driving around an unfamiliar town, and folk drive slowly or erratically or make poor decisions because they're stressed. Try not to let it bother you. Which is hard I know, but a good test of ones perseverance.

My own remedy is comedy, I try to pretend that I'm writing to them (poor drivers) in the style of those pompous 18th C vicars you get in Jane Austen novels...Dear sir, imagine my surprise this morning when I set out in my motorised carriage...etcetc... It's just a distraction technique to get myself to smile. Works for me, find what works for you

Just think how bad their life is that they are in such a hurry, don’t have time to say thanks, ignore others etc…

Yup

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an angry man in possession of a motorised carriage must be in want of a wife?

I've become aware recently that I get more shouty/blamey when there are other people in the car than when I'm alone. I'm normally to be found doing 77mph on cruise on motorways (1.6tdi engine is not very economical above these speeds) and driving a bit slower than I used to means I've had more time to watch out for driving habits rather than simply pressing on.

FWIW to the OP, I've found that watching out for the pricks/potential pricks means that I consciously make decisions to move away from their path thereby changing road rage into mild bafflement.

This works very well on the 4-lane motorway network which have a constant display of inside lanes empty except for trucks, outside lanes rammed full of cars nose to tail (24/7). The whole look ahead/plan ahead thing really works in your favour - and this works for dealing with Captain AlphaMale in Merc/Audi/pickup swerving between lanes at 100, Doris/Ernest in her Korean car of choice dawdling in whatever lane takes their fancy, and Chardonnay in her Fiat 500/Merc A class rigidly in lane 3.

Spot and avoid = destress.

Indeed, quite so...He has £10, 000 a year, you know?

just imagine giving them some coaching tips.

Many many people i sit in a car with are very poor drivers (myself included)

just think* ‘oh for **ck sake’ and then carry on with your life,

I mostly do this and / or have a little laugh to myself about them.

But the thing that does wind me up though is lane hogging and it happens a lot on my commute. 2 lane motorway, inside lane sits at 50 - 60mph with big gaps and outside lane is often a queue bumper to bumper at less than 5mph quicker than lane 1 with the car at the front refusing to pull in. I do give the odd flash or slightly dodgy undertake that I’m not proud of.

I mostly try and avoid the motorway though and go to the A/B roads where I just laugh off drivers that get angry at being overtaken safely and legally.

Oh, try listening for R4 podcasts like Monkey Cage or something with heavy scientific content. I find it makes me concentrate much more on everything.

Don't get worked up, it just isn't good for your health. Driving standards are terrible. When I cycle commuted I wasn't too bad until I had the deliberate cut ups etc then I'd be shouting back. Stopped the commuting after a few bad incidents of stupid driving, the last one left me in hospital for a long time with a broken back.

I drive to work, and just let the idiots get on with it. Pop on some tunes and plod away - maybe leave earlier to reduce the traffic. It's no good for blood pressure/stress getting worked up.

My son's recently got a car, but fitted front/rear dash cam, and he says he sees so much bad driving, he could start a you-tube channel (but doesn't).

I learned my lesson one day when I had a rant at a guy who cut me up badly in a slowly moving queue of traffic. He turned out to be a VERY big and VERY angry man who got out of his car and invited me to sort it out at the side of the road! A very unpleasant character. Thank goodness for central locking 😳

I'm the same as OP, overreact terribly to shit driving... I wonder if getting a dashcam would help.
On the bike, I get annoyed and shouty cos the're basically putting my life in danger, or so it feels at the time. I usually just think, I'll check that on the cam, watch the footage back later and it's nothing... Maybe that would help with the driving scenario too.

Ps. IANADG

It's interesting, I drive between 100 and 300 miles a day, in cities and all over the country.
My lodger drives maybe 30-40 a day, he seems to have some story of idiot driving every week.
I barely remember any, there is the odd stand out moment where I've feared for my life. Such as near head on etc. The thing is in such a situation I don't have time to get a rage on or blowing the horn as i'm avoiding an accident then recovering.

If I've had the time to get all stroppy etc then it's probably just an inconvenience rather than near death. So why get angry?

I can let most things go on the road but it's the idiots texting / facebooking / whatever on the motorway in rush hour that get me. They always get a lean on the horn and gesticulation. It won't change their habits though, I know that, so why do I bother?

There is a marked difference in the driving style between my brother and me. I drift between lanes on the motorway and let the weight of the car take me up to junctions etc. He jumps between lanes and accelerates up to junctions before chucking the anchors out. He always seems stressed when driving but I like to enjoy the drive and sometimes that means going with the flow. For me anyway.
FWIW he started his driving life commuting an hour each way on the M25. I started when I was living in the sticks driving to the farm for work. I don't believe this is a coincidence.

But the thing that does wind me up though is lane hogging and it happens a lot on my commute. 2 lane motorway, inside lane sits at 50 – 60mph with big gaps and outside lane is often a queue bumper to bumper at less than 5mph quicker than lane 1 with the car at the front refusing to pull in. I do give the odd flash or slightly dodgy undertake that I’m not proud of.

Unfortunately, the problem isn't people staying in the outside lane, it's basically traffic*

* It would be better if people would show good lane discipline, but let's be realistic, people are pricks about letting others back into the outside lane, so hogging it happens, so it barely moves faster than the inside.

and I think it’s speed cameras and not the limit that makes people drive to 50mph

oh thats for sure but im in favour of average speed cams on arterial routes .

both the a9 and the a90 are now pleasures to drive comparitively to what they once were.

they have also reduced the traffic build up at either end by giving a staggered arrival time instead of everyone that left at 7am arriving - as well as those that left at 7.15-7.30 and did various degrees of speeding to get there at the same time.

the traffic is less chaotic and people seem in less of a rush as the speed is the speed.

but that wont appease the driving gods.

Automatic boxes and cruise control are how i personally tune out from the idiots. When you stick cruise on you realise how bad people are at holding a specific speed.

and I think it’s speed cameras and not the limit that makes people drive to 50mph

Ohh.. theres no doubt at all that the 50mph limit and cameras every 2k make people drive at 50mph...

So.. Yay!!! for speed cameras.

I'm looking forward to the new gantries and the new speed cameras they're going to stick on them.

If people break the speed limits, they deserve to get punished.

And in the first month of the cameras being put up on the M27 6000 people received points and a fine.

Says it all really.

But the advent of smart motorways and cameras will have an effect, thats for sure.

I use the mantra " feel free to overtake and drive your car into somebody else, that other person will also be driving like a XXXX (takes two idiots to cause an accident) so that's two less morons on the motorway"

But the advent of smart motorways and cameras will have an effect, thats for sure.

Give it time. Eventually autonomous, electric-powered cars will restrict proper road rage to a select group of very stupid people who would become irate even though the guy in the other car isn't actually controlling it. You just know it'll happen, give it time.

Meanwhile this is all too many motorised rats in too small a space no? I mean at base. And yet we still insist on building more and more roads instead of trying to reduce car use and dependence on it.

I got a dash cam front and rear about a month ago. Drive approx 500 miles per week and only had one incident in that time where I even considered taking out the SD card to view it on a bigger screen.
But then by the time the journey ended I realised I had stopped caring about it any more and didn't bother.
My usual tactic with bad drivers is normally calling them a couple of very strong swearwords and then I feel better. Except the man pulling a caravan down the M1 the other night who decided the he could indicate and instantly pull in front of me even though I was just about level with the rear of his van and going around 10mph faster than him with traffic in the lane next to me and nowhere to go. He got a long blast of my horn after I'd anchored on.

But generally I try to pre-empt the proper dicks and get out of the way. No point getting myself wound up over their own self importance.

@martymac
I think it's a combination of two things - firstly, I'm out of the way of the stressy overtaking lanes where gaps are small and no-one gives you an inch. Secondly, in order to get there on time I've had to set off early to allow for my lack of progress - not being worried about making it on time instantly removes a load of stress, for me. 🙂 You go faster than me - if I'm on my own*, I'll set the cruise control around truck pace. 🙂

I'm with bikebuoy - smart motorways and sections of roadworks with average speed cameras are the most well-behaved bits of the motorway network in England, I reckon. 🙂

* Mrs Pondo demands a more lively pace.

I’m with bikebuoy – smart motorways and sections of roadworks with average speed cameras are the most well-behaved bits of the motorway network in England, I reckon.

Apart from the Jct 10 to Jct 8 of the M20 which has been 'prepared for Brexit' for nearly a year now. The two remaining lanes are too narrow with little/no safety devices on the nearside & a steel barrier on the outside. The biggest issue though, is the authorities electing to not bother trying to prosecute foreign vehicles/drivers as it's "not cost effective". Word soon got around & now you simply get HGVs hammering down the outside lane on their limiters which is terrifying, especially in wet conditions.

I'm with a few others on here, fitting a decent dash cam has calmed me down - in the beginning I couldn't really have shared footage of any bellendery with the authorities (or anyone else) without some audio editing at least.

I used to react mwith anger but realised it was ruining my day ( this is to near misses when cycling) Having realised that I decided to ensure it spoils the idiots day more than mine so nowadays I do not get so angry. I will confront them but I laugh at them if the over react then I leave. Its petty but knowing the are wound up and I am laughing means I "won"

Probably better to just miss out the confronting bit.

I just can’t seem to help myself reacting to folk driving like tits. I’m not an aggressive driver normally, pretty laid bad, let folk out of junctions, trundle along at 70mph on the motorway, have done some advanced driver training etc but I don’t half go off it if someone does something stupid.

I know all the logical stuff – let them get on with it, keep out of the way etc etc, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference in the heat of the moment.

You should stop driving.

Play a game where you try to predict which drivers will be the biggest idiots long before they even think about doing the stupid/selfish thing that is likely to get you raging.
Obviously you have their car type, any stickers or adornments such as backshelf hattery or 'powered by fairydust'. Then their general demeanour, driving style and lack of awareness. Round here, full size Leeds Rhino window badge or Nurburgring sticker on the boot lid are the biggest red flags.

That allows you not only the satisfaction of being some kind of driving Nostradamus, but also allows you to give them a wider berth than usual in anticipation.

My usual tactic with bad drivers is normally calling them a couple of very strong swearwords and then I feel better.

I'm broadly the same.

When I was younger I used to try not to get pissed off with idiots, net result was that I'd spend the next 20 minutes quietly simmering away every time something happened. A few more of those, it's cumulative damage and I'd end up a steaming ball of rage.

Nowadays someone carves me up or some such, I'll go "oh for ****'s sake!" and after that momentary outburst my brain can throw it away, I'm immediately perfectly calm and relaxed.

Or get some anger management training if its that bad.

Most folk haven’t set out to annoy you personally, they’re just trying to get along, yep they may be bad at driving, but TBH, it’s sometimes confusing if you’re driving around an unfamiliar town, and folk drive slowly or erratically or make poor decisions because they’re stressed.

That sort of thing doesn't bother me - the kind of thing that winds me up is the deliberate aggressive, self-entitled style of driving that I've found is much more prevalent in Manchester than other places I've lived.

So if I'm sat in the "straight ahead" lane at traffic lights and some tit deliberately uses the "right turn only" lane to try and jump the queue and then aggressively barge in front of me, I'll have a few shouty words, flashing of lights and a bit of horn. I'm not about to stop the car and have a roll around on the verge with anyone and I don't stew for hours afterwards, but it bothers me and I'd rather not react at all. Flashing my lights or trying to "block" someone out from forcing their way in etc ain't going to change their behaviour - it just gets me wound up.

I've got a dashcam fitted - not sure if makes much difference as I can chose to watch / delete / ignore.

I’ve got a dashcam fitted – not sure if makes much difference as I can chose to watch / delete / ignore.

....until you actually have an accident when the cops can seize it as evidence and prosecute you for tampering with evidence if you don't like what it shows and delete it.

So if I’m sat in the “straight ahead” lane at traffic lights and some tit deliberately uses the “right turn only” lane to try and jump the queue and then aggressively barge in front of me, I’ll have a few shouty words, flashing of lights and a bit of horn

Stop driving. You need help.

So if I’m sat in the “straight ahead” lane at traffic lights and some tit deliberately uses the “right turn only” lane to try and jump the queue and then aggressively barge in front of me, I’ll have a few shouty words, flashing of lights and a bit of horn

To be fair if they indicate I don't mind them moving over . Really don't care.

How ever if they just move in assuming I will yield.... They picked the wrong car.

Unfortunately, the problem isn’t people staying in the outside lane, it’s basically traffic*

@philjunior I live in Scotland where there’s likely not as much traffic as where you are, sometimes it is just because people don’t pull back in. When it’s heavy traffic I just accept it and go with it.

brant

Subscriber
So if I’m sat in the “straight ahead” lane at traffic lights and some tit deliberately uses the “right turn only” lane to try and jump the queue and then aggressively barge in front of me, I’ll have a few shouty words, flashing of lights and a bit of horn

Stop driving. You need help.

Woohoo! Here's the driving god I was searching.

trail_rat

Member
So if I’m sat in the “straight ahead” lane at traffic lights and some tit deliberately uses the “right turn only” lane to try and jump the queue and then aggressively barge in front of me, I’ll have a few shouty words, flashing of lights and a bit of horn

To be fair if they indicate I don’t mind them moving over . Really don’t care.

How ever if they just move in assuming I will yield…. They picked the wrong car.

Yep, key word was "aggressively". If someone is clearly confused / in the wrong lane / having a bad day etc then no issue with that. But it's the deliberate and aggressive forcing their way in that riles me.

Looks like that's 2 of us that need to give up driving then...

Stop driving. You need help.

Stop posting. You need help.

the deliberate aggressive, self-entitled style of driving that I’ve found is much more prevalent in Manchester than other places I’ve lived.

Try Bolton. I drove through there the other day, the amount of deliberate bellendery I saw was astonishing. I was intentionally run off the road at least twice.

I was in a similar situation:normally calm behind the wheel, let people out, go with the flow, professionally had extra training etc and very rarely had any issues that made me boil. Cue 18 months ago and I was reacting to all sorts of things with anger. Beginning of this year I had a mini breakdown caused by stress. As soon as I recognised that all anger behind the wheel disappeared. Now have a dashcam which helps calm me down even further. Have caught 4 separate accidents on it in that time too!!

Definitely look at other things that could be causing it, I reckon 90%+ of road rage is caused by underlying issues totally unrelated to driving.

This has been all over my FB feed this evening:

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/white-van-rams-car-motorway-17287638

Apart from all the usual "u ok hun?" comments, it has been refreshing to note how many people have referred to the Astra driver as being a twunt as well.

Buy a dashcam and point in inwards. You might be surprised.
I used to commute to west London daily and it was a nightmare so I changed jobs.

Watch some Reg Local observation vids on YouTube and take pleasure spotting idiots, sorry, 'hazards' well in advance of coming into conflict.

Flashing my lights or trying to “block” someone out from forcing their way in etc ain’t going to change their behaviour – it just gets me wound up.

But you're not normally like that and have done "some advanced driver training".

Either you are normally like that and you don't recognise it, the training didn't benefit you at all, or you really do have a more serious anger issue you haven't realised yet.

No, I think that's fairly normal.

TL:DR

We can’t be responsible for the actions of others, the ONLY thing we can take responsibility for is our reactions.

OP, the driving/road rage thing is an outlet, go seek help for what’s really going on for you.

What winds me up is people who love their jobs so much & are in such a rush to get there that they have to tailgate me through 30mph areas expecting me to speed up & as soon as the national speed limit sign's visible they tear past. Usually to get stuck behind another vehicle.

I hate people who love their jobs that much!

I do think that people who drive like ****s need to have that pointed out to them every now & then, otherwise it legitimises their behaviour. Having a phone on your lap or parking like a ****? they should get it pointed out too.

Once Boris gives us (back) all those coppers, perhaps some of them could do it ?

The trick, is to improve YOUR driving to the point where you can pre-empt the idiots and therefore be in a possition to just sit back and watch them be idiots from a safe distance!

Applying defensive and advanced driving techniques not only keeps you safe, it gives you the tools to be able to actually enjoy other people being idiots!

I now spend a lot of time spotting idiots before they do the inevitably idiotic thing they were about to do, but that i have distanced myself from, and therefore avoiding "getting caught up" in it!.

Classic examples are slow cars on the motorway pulling out from behind a truck at the last minute because they haven't even spotted the slow truck ahead (which has been pbvious for at least a mile up front) or the 100 mph "lunatic" arriving at warp speed behind them. That ALWAYS causes conflict, but nto conflict that i will be anywhere near!

Or people coming down slip roads, and managing to prefectly position themselves right next to a massive truck, and then running out of slip road (100% of the time, there is a completely empty road ahead / behind should they have just changed there speed minutely)

Or people on roundabouts, clearly people who can't even correctly operate a small plastic switch on the steering column and indictate correctly, so what chance do they have of navigating a complex, multilane road feature without cutting up about 3 other motorists

All these types of situations are all BLATANLTY obvious, sometimes even minutes before they happen if you just learn to observe properly. Once you learn the basic skills and signs to be able to spot these incidents before they happen, your own driving becomes much, much less stressful, at whatever speed you drive 🙂

BTW the example of being "cut up" by someone in the turn right lane at a traffic light going straight on:

You may have no idea they are going straight on, but you should always consider it as a possibility, either deliberate "queue jumping" or just someome unfamilar with the road or lost.

Assuming you aren't leaving the lights on the yellow like an F1 driver at the start of a GP, there should be plenty of time to spot the fact they haven't actually turned right, and are encroaching on your lane, which gives you 2 further options:

a) Use your car as a battering ram, and spin them into the central reservation or oncoming lane of traffic.

b) just Lift off / brake if necessary to re-establish your safety zone and just let them in.

Option a) despite being satisfying in theory really has no point. Your car is wrecked, you've just ended up with a load of hassles / paperwork, your insurance is going up next year, and you may end up in jail due to causing death by dangerous driving. Realistically, all that has happened is that there is another car in front of you. so what? there's probably 100 other cars in front of you already!!

If the person doing the "cutting up" is the sort of person who cuts people up deliberately then do you really think that you are going to change their mind or stop them doing it? If that IS really important to you, become a police officer and join TrafPol so at least you can do it officially.......

How do you increase your safety zone for example on a slip road.

Situation A ( real life , last weeek ) long straight slip road, good vis , can see 200mtrs ahead.
I can see 5- 6 cars all braking toward the end of the slip road and lane 1 is pretty full ( NSL dually ) . I continue at approx 50mph with the obligatory white Transit trying to enter me from behind and flashing his lights as im not going full speed ahead. I can see the traffic bunching , so leave maybe 50mtr - 60 mtr before accelaerating to maybe 55mph which is the speed lane 1 is going at , join smoothly into traffic flow without barging in .- Transit goes straight into lane 2 and close passes on the horn. Lane 2 is going slightly faster and I maybe could have joined Lane 1 1 car earlier , so saving 3 seconds

Situation B . Driving to work, Vectra Estate is clearly on a mission but cannot actually drive . He is tail gating a Macan , I am behind him . I leave a nice 100mt gap and use it to accelerate and overtake both safely with quick toot to let him know Im there , and I am gone.
He overtakes at the next opportunity , maybe 1 mile further down the raod. He then blasts through the 30mph zone I am now in , at around 55mph judging by the closure rate.
I then get the tail gate treatment and there is allsorts of arm waving going on . I should have stopped to let this tool be on his way , but its solid whites and oncoming traffic
I turned off 2 miles up the road and he did his best to nearly ram me into te right turn I was entering.

I was going to say, you can spot the idiots, so just stay out the way, and have a giggle when they get in horn wars a little further down the road. I also watch out for the last minute lane changers, you usually can see them drifting a little out of lane, or partially blocking two lanes.

quick toot to let him know Im there

😉
I wonder what he thought your friendly toot was for

@philjunior I live in Scotland where there’s likely not as much traffic as where you are, sometimes it is just because people don’t pull back in. When it’s heavy traffic I just accept it and go with it.

I live in Scotland too haha.

I get that if people had strong lane discipline it would be better for all and require less tarmac, but often it's simply nose to tail for everyone who thinks they'd be going faster if it wasn't for everyone else in that lane.

@philjunior where abouts?

I drove up from Hartlepool last week and never had any problems such as you describe until I hit Glasgow. It must be a central belt thing.

@philjunior where abouts?

I drove up from Hartlepool last week and never had any problems such as you describe until I hit Glasgow. It must be a central belt thing.

Outskirts of Glasgow.

I agree it's generally not too bad except around the central belt at peak times, unless you're driving up north around bank holidays.

I tried a new thing this morning - something I learned from CBT therapy stuff - (in brief) put your focus elsewhere, rather than on the thing that causes you anxiety. So instead of thinking, "argh that **** in the Jag! Driving like a ****!" think about the Jag, the shape of it's lights, the colour of the car...etc. .Worked for me today, be good if I can keep it up.
I shall become A GOD.

Yeah thought as much. That's why I hate driving, if you're not hooning along in the outside lane with someone up your arse you're stuck on the inside behind someone doing 50 with nose to tail traffic overtaking you.

stuck on the inside behind someone doing 50 with nose to tail traffic overtaking you.

This is the "fear" that makes people middle lane hog. But in all my years of driving... it just [i]never happens[/i]!