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Its not even surprising anymore.
But its scary how close people drive to parked cars.
Its not even a narrow road.
And then driving off... I hope they end up reversing into a gate post.
I was pulled over dropping something off the other day and a car buzzed me so fast and close the wind pressure rocked my car on its suspension.
The all too often combination of driving way too fast and having zero spacial awareness.
There's just no need for it.
Watched a woman this morning properly reverse back into a BMW parked behind her.
She then looked around all over to see if anyone had seen........to see me staring right at her.....
She then got out - no doubt to leave a note and her details*......
They don't care.
* I doubt
They don't care. Neighbour's carer turned her car round and drove straight into the front wheel of our knock about Aygo, the car visibly shook (on CCTV), then you see her bumper fall off. She drives off 20 yards scraping the bumper. Stops, gets out and shoves it on and drives off. Daughter heard the noise and took a photo. We didn't know anything was up as we were away, and came back to a scuffed up front bumper. I managed to fix it and touch it up. I've yet to catch them coming back to my neighbour then I'll have words. Dare not put it through insurance as it will whack the insurance right up, and I've fixed it. Not reported it as it then becomes a reportable accident, and the car isn't worth much. Now had they hit my 'expensive' van, there would have been trouble and a police call. I have the footage and just waiting to 'catch' their return.
Do they not test for this kind of mental impairment these days... In the driving test?
The amount of people I see driving big SUVs who clearly think their 'car' is no bigger than a 60's mini cooper is astounding.
I think a condition of the driving test should mean you already hold a forklift licence and you have to have done 200hrs mandatory and traceable riding a bicycle on a busy main road.
That would solve a lot of problems!
The amount of people I see driving big SUVs who clearly think their 'car' is no bigger than a 60's mini cooper is astounding.
The converse is also true people have no idea of their vehicle's width and either hit other ones driving too close or leave enough room to the kerb that a bike could pass safely between them.
They should know how close they are, as my van's parking sensors go off when some folk pass me, they are that close.
I think it's a spacial awareness thing.
Maybe as children they were so wrapped up in cotton wool they never stubbed their toe or banged thier head on a low beam or whatever...
It's like it's thier first day on planet earth and they are still trying to understand nursery school level physics.
I think it's a combination of cars being very easy to drive these days - power steering, sensors everywhere, quick acceleration, even a pick-up truck feels pretty "light" and easy to drive - and the fact that cars now are just SO big.
Recipe for disaster, driving something that *feels* like a go-kart but is actually the size of a bus.
Plus most people are absolutely terrible at reversing.
That's also a good point...
Last van I hired was a brand new ford tranny of some description.. But an LWB big body one.. Basically the biggest thing you can drive unless you have a licence for a 7.5ton rigid lorry. It was scarily easy to drive.. Almost like a fiesta... But frigging huge.. A much different beast to the vans I remember driving when I used to do warehousing and forklift driving etc many moons ago.
Does anyone you know however stupid/agressive/anti-social/ unneighbourly/criminal/selfish/ignorant/uncoordinated/sight deficient/alcoholic/drug dependant... not drive?
The only adults I know who don't drive are realy good human beings.
In fact sometimes I'm surprised by how good driving standards are given how crap people are at the rest of their lives 🙂
About 800km of road cycling over the last few days and only one moderately close pass to report. I'd guess a good few of the drivers were pissed or stoned, some on the phone, some argueing with the kids or their spouse, some uninsured or banned. Just as well driving is really easy.
Last van I hired was a brand new ford tranny of some description.. But an LWB big body one.. Basically the biggest thing you can drive unless you have a licence for a 7.5ton rigid lorry. It was scarily easy to drive.. Almost like a fiesta... But frigging huge..
When I got a job with British Car Auctions as a logistics driver, I’d never driven anything bigger than my Octavia, and I was tasked with picking up and driving anything up to 7 tons! I was picking up LWB hi-top Mercedes vans, Luton box vans, tipper trucks, giving them a check over, then getting in and driving them sometimes a couple of hundred miles. It was a steep learning curve!
The upside was driving Range Rovers, Audi Q7, Mercedes C63 AMG, Maserati Ghibli…
And I never hit anything with any vehicle I drove.
I did, however, break the door mirror on a car that I came alongside in a cycle lane, which had its nearside wheels on the white line, which was actually inside the width of my handlebars, which then inexplicably stopped as I rode past, causing my knuckles to impact the door mirror with quite a bang as it folded the wrong way. It caused me no pain, I was wearing Oakley gloves with carbon fibre knuckle protection, what would now be called tactical gloves. I would expect it caused the inattentive driver some financial distress having to replace the mirror - they aren’t designed to fold forward… 😙
Coming from a wee village in Scotland,to then driving in North London was a proper eye opener,but I was pleasantly surprised(IME) how rare it was for mirrors to get 'clipped'. Everyone appeared expert at doing a space dance without (most of the time)any fuss,so maybe the spatial awareness thing is down to practice.
This part of South Manchester is blighted with many Granma who all feel the need to drive v large black German saloons for some reason; regardless of whether they have a need, can see out, or adjudge the space around them. The roads are littered with the detritus of other cars.
with many Granma who all feel the need to drive v large black German saloons for some reason; regardless of whether they have a need, can see out, or adjudge the space around them.
Sounds like St Andrews at a weekend. 😉 🙃
We live on a narrow road that idiots use as a ‘short cut’*to avoid the traffic lights on the main road. It’s one of the main reasons we embrace bangernomics. You just wouldn’t own a decent car if you live here. Everyone’s car has scuffs and dings where they’ve been hit. Missing wing mirrors are a regular thing.
I had someone totally misjudge how much room was available and go right down the side of my car, stoving in the front wing and the door. She got out, looked at the serious damage she’d done, got back in her car and did one. Luckily a neighbour witnessed and photographed the whole thing. I just sent the photos to my insurance company with the claim. Others haven’t been so lucky. Mrs Binners has had the same, 3 times now.
People just don’t give a ****!
* They don’t actually save any time as they invariably end up in a Mexican stand off with another idiot doing the same thing in the opposite direction. They’re unfailingly owners of a particular type of vehicle….
About 800km of road cycling over the last few days and only one moderately close pass to report.
Merging the close pass and being hitting things due to being incapable of judging distances etc.
Anyone else notice incompetent close passes where they seem to have understood they should pass with plenty of room but havent figured that means the manoeuvre needs to start before the cyclists rear wheel resulting in them getting to the correct distance a car length or so after passing.
WTF is a "tanner"?
The amount of people I see driving big SUVs who clearly think their 'car' is no bigger than a 60's mini cooper is astounding.
I think a condition of the driving test should mean you already hold a forklift licence and you have to have done 200hrs mandatory and traceable riding a bicycle on a busy main road.
That would solve a lot of problems!
My suggetsion as I've mentioned before, is "road tax" 😉 /RFL to be on a scale based on unladen vehicle weight.
Anything below 1 tonne, free, 1.2 tonnes as the low rate mayber £100/year for a small car like a Yaris. Anything over 2.5 tonnes something really punitive like £1000/year. Graduated scale between that.
See how quickly manufacturers and the buying public suddenly realise how shaving a little off the length and width (and to a lesser extent, height) can really get the weight down.
WTF is a "tanner"?
It’s a street name. A street where angry, red-faced people in the inevitable 4x4 will get out of their cars and have a stand-up row in the street rather than reverse 6ft to let somebody else through.
It always amazes me the trivial, stupid things that people will have a barny about. We once watched 2 blokes have an actual fight at 9.30 on a Sunday morning. They were the only 2 vehicles on the street, nose to nose in a Mexican stand off. Neither of these alpha males would reverse literally 6ft to let the other through, then things got a bit shouty, then that escalated quickly to full fisticuffs. 😂
Thought it was a sixpence coin in ye olde money
I did, however, break the door mirror on a car that I came alongside in a cycle lane, which had its nearside wheels on the white line, which was actually inside the width of my handlebars, which then inexplicably stopped as I rode past, causing my knuckles to impact the door mirror with quite a bang as it folded the wrong way. It caused me no pain, I was wearing Oakley gloves with carbon fibre knuckle protection, what would now be called tactical gloves. I would expect it caused the inattentive driver some financial distress having to replace the mirror - they aren’t designed to fold forward…
I've done similar bare handed, it's surprisingly pain free.
Anyone else notice incompetent close passes where they seem to have understood they should pass with plenty of room but havent figured that means the manoeuvre needs to start before the cyclists rear wheel resulting in them getting to the correct distance a car length or so after passing.
All the bloody time
I had one this morning, came past too close, but maintained that trajectory onto the other side of the road for another 30-40m, then had to swerve back as a car came the outer way round the corner. If they'd pulled out then back in again they'd have been back in the right (left) lane already 😂
I think part of it is you're taught to wait until the front of the thing you've overtake is visible in your wing mirror, which means it's out of your blindspot and behind you. Which means the perception of being 'past' something is actually quite a generous margin. That's great for making sure you don't cut someone up at 70 on a motorway, but in an NSL overtaking a cyclist you may as well make the cyclists the apex of your maneuver and start pulling back in as soon as you're alongside because by the time you're back in your lane you'll be well clear.