No respect for learner drivers!

Lum

Just noticed this post, missed it earlier.

BargainGalore wrote: »

I have done 27-28 odd years driving in 2 jobs using commercial vans and I never thought of driving like a idiot up ones backside or need to overtake recklessly as some drivers do. I also never got overtime either if I was late

I rather end up 30 mins late than endanger my life or others just because you get stuck behind a driver who wants to drive slow, yes it can be annoying being stuck on a B road when driver is at 40mph and yes I over take when safe to do so

Obviously my post was not intended to tar all professional drivers with the same brush. In my current job if I'm late home I get to claim for a takeaway and leave early the next day to compensate, it was my last job where I worked for a bunch of w⚓s.

Not all slow drivers are rubbish drivers obviously that depends on your viewpoint and is open to interpretation, but equally one can argue that driver who endangers themselves and others by driving too close, or overtaking when its not safe to do so is also a menace

Absolutely, however in all those years you must have come across the situation where you do a perfectly safe overtake and when you finally pull in there is more than a 2 second gap, yet you still get the middle finger and flashing lights treatment from the person you overtook.

I've been a passenger in a car with drivers much older than myself, had someone overtake perfectly safely (one was on a 2 mile long straight) and had the driver start f-ing and blinding about the lunatics on the road these days. I'm under no doubt that there are people exactly like this posting on this forum, which is why it's worth taking anyone's complaint with a pinch of salt.

I just think it's worth trying to look at these situations from the point of view of everyone involved.


On an unrelated note. I love doing long distance night time driving. Almost everyone you encounter on the road is on there for work and understands that everyone else is. Car and van drivers in the middle lane will move over to the outside as soon as an HGV puts it's left signal on as it approaches a slower HGV, and they will move back over in plenty of time when the inevitable repmobile doing 90+ comes tanking down the road, and that repmobile will usually do the left/right/left flash to say thanks. I personally wouldn't go that fast but I appreciate that that guy has probably been on the road since 9AM and just wants to get home. It's a much more pleasant experience than day time driving, everyone is so much more courteous and helpful.

At least until you come across the old duffer towing a caravan at 50 in the middle lane and flashing his lights at every HGV that undertakes him.

cyclonebri1

pulliptears wrote: »

I followed a girl a few weeks ago who never drove above 20mph and stalled a few times at the junction. I stayed back, let her regain her confidence and recalled being in a similar position some 19 years ago. Shame the line of cars behind who could see her stress decided that hammering on the horn and adding to it was the way forward.

Impatience on the part of experienced drivers only serves to scare and stress a learner and would I imagine increase the likelyhood of any accidents.

This again adds to the argument that the Instructer should be a bit more proactive in such a situation, pull over to allow traffic by, and possibly find somewhere a little more suited to the learners present ability.;)

[Deleted User]

When I was learning I had people over taking me on NSL roads even when I was doing NSL and doing everything correct. People who would over take and then just sit in front of me so it wasn't like they were in a rush to get anywhere fast.

It's just some people don't want to be behind a learner simply because it's a learner.

DaveF327

Deleted_User wrote: »

When I was learning I had people over taking me on NSL roads even when I was doing NSL and doing everything correct.

At least you were doing the speed limit. Aside from the instructor bashing that's been going on in this thread, I feel that the biggest nuisance on the roads are the "private" learners in the family car with mum or dad in the passenger seat with neither of them having a clue what they should be doing.

Once I had the misfortune of being stuck behind a learner doing 30mph on a national speed limit country lane. There were limited safe and legal places to overtake, but constant oncoming traffic at each of these, so I was well and truly stuck. Trying my best to hold back and not appear too threatening to the young girl - accompanied by her mum in the family Renault Clio - it was challenging to do this as she kept slowing unexpectedly for no visible reason at all. I can just imagine the tutting taking place in the car as I kept taking the overtaking position to find a view. Her mum was probably telling her "slow down dear, you're going slightly over 30! Let this nasty man wait his turn!"

If you can't drive confidently at a reasonable speed on 60mph roads, you need more training before attempting them. Either that or a little encouragement to get a move on or to pull over to let the huge queues pass. Having accompanying drivers who know what a national speed limit is would certainly help.

Oh, and after many miles and a following queue that stretched back to the previous town, they finally turned off just after a 30 sign at the next village. :mad:

Shoshannah

I think it is extremely inconsiderate when people blow their horns at learner drivers. I've seen it happen at traffic lights when the learner at the front of the queue has stalled as the lights turn green, and the cars behind blow their horns. I mean, how is that going to help anything? I could understand if you're back down the queue and might to understand what's going on, but if you know it's a learner then why make them more flustered and likely to c**k up by hassling them?

Worst DI I saw overtook me at 45mph in a 30mph zone with no seatbelt on. I couldn't quite believe my eyes; I mean, he had his phone number and business name written on the car, what kind of an advert is that?

BTW I'm not bashing DIs in general, my friend is one.

Shoshannah

Lum wrote: »

Just noticed this post, missed it earlier.



Obviously my post was not intended to tar all professional drivers with the same brush. In my current job if I'm late home I get to claim for a takeaway and leave early the next day to compensate, it was my last job where I worked for a bunch of w⚓s.



Absolutely, however in all those years you must have come across the situation where you do a perfectly safe overtake and when you finally pull in there is more than a 2 second gap, yet you still get the middle finger and flashing lights treatment from the person you overtook.

I've been a passenger in a car with drivers much older than myself, had someone overtake perfectly safely (one was on a 2 mile long straight) and had the driver start f-ing and blinding about the lunatics on the road these days. I'm under no doubt that there are people exactly like this posting on this forum, which is why it's worth taking anyone's complaint with a pinch of salt.

I just think it's worth trying to look at these situations from the point of view of everyone involved.


On an unrelated note. I love doing long distance night time driving. Almost everyone you encounter on the road is on there for work and understands that everyone else is. Car and van drivers in the middle lane will move over to the outside as soon as an HGV puts it's left signal on as it approaches a slower HGV, and they will move back over in plenty of time when the inevitable repmobile doing 90+ comes tanking down the road, and that repmobile will usually do the left/right/left flash to say thanks. I personally wouldn't go that fast but I appreciate that that guy has probably been on the road since 9AM and just wants to get home. It's a much more pleasant experience than day time driving, everyone is so much more courteous and helpful.

At least until you come across the old duffer towing a caravan at 50 in the middle lane and flashing his lights at every HGV that undertakes him.

Have also found that other drivers seem to be more courteous at night when the roads are quiet. I assume its because all the rush-hour drivers and shopping traffic etc are all filtered out.

optimus_primera

I think like motorbikes, you should have to do a 'basic driver course' to learn how to control the car before going out on the rd. then you can go out and get used to traffic withouhaving to worry the car control as well.
Bikers have to be trained, car drivers only have to be tested,there is no requirement for car drivers to have lessons before taking a test.

anewman

They even do it to non-learner drivers. The other week I went over the recently opened Newport Transporter bridge and found at the otherside there are roadworks with light controlled contraflow on the road to the left at the end where most cars go. This inevitably leads to a queue, and people thinking "well I'm going right at the end so it's okay if I drive down the wrong side of the road past 20 or so cars some of which will also probably want to turn right but f em anyway cause I can't be assed waiting - and well if a car happens to come up the other way then it's their problem."

Oh and there's the single carriageways which are probably just wide enough for 3 lanes where idiots force themselves down the centre to overtake regardless of if traffic is coming the other way or not. I hope that such people find other people happy to do the same in the other direction and they have a happy meeting.

mad_as_a_march_hare

My other half is a driving instructor, i read all the Driving instructor magazines and press he gets and i'm always trying to get him to invest in a new sticker for the back of the car as it's my fave one" Please Be Patient you were a learner once".

The saying he has. is L plates- stands for leap out i'm a learner, P plates stand for pi!! off i've passed. And i have to say when i passed my test with him, i had some P plates on my car and he made me take them off after a week, as people just see them know you are a new driver and get very impatient.

And also our other family car is a BMW and he drives that and obeys the rules of the road no different to the way he would in the Driving school car, he always says to me that he pays his road tax and has every right to be on the road and after all we were all learners once so we just need to be patient with them whatever time of the day it is.

rev_henry

anewman wrote: »

Oh and there's the single carriageways which are probably just wide enough for 3 lanes where idiots force themselves down the centre to overtake regardless of if traffic is coming the other way or not. I hope that such people find other people happy to do the same in the other direction and they have a happy meeting.

Whats wrong with that, as long as there is genuinely space for 3 lanes? As long as everyone is paying attention then they can make plenty of space...