Motorists who DO NOT indicate when driving/Ignore Speed Warning Signs, Endangering law abiders

Grey_Critic

Try driving in Bradford

Bigphil1474

MattMattMattUK said:

Bigphil1474 said:

Appreciate some people think they are exemplars of perfect driving, but most of us will only see one small moment of another drivers day, so to suggest that any error they make is a "pattern of either total incompetence or a deliberate pattern of behaviour taken because those doing so are not decent people", is a bit much. The person who doesn't indicate when you see them, might indicate 99% of the time, or never. Same as speed or lane positioning. We don't know, so we can either get on our high horse about other peoples driving, or just let it go as the song says, and try to be better safer drivers our self. After all, safe drivers save money.

To reiterate, again, the issue is that there are some behaviours which are very obviously either total incompetence or they are deliberate acts. Does everyone drift a few mph over the speed limit on at least a rare occasion, yes, almost certainly, so those people ever exceed the speed limit by 20-50 mph, almost certainly not. Someone who is doing 60mph in a 30 is not someone who has drifted slightly over the speed limit, that is a deliberate act and demonstrates that they have no care for other road users, or the law. I never use my phone behind the week, I never have, I never will. If I need to make or receive a call I use handsfree in a fully legal fashion, anything else can wait, almost everyone I know is the same. If someone chooses to watch Netflix whilst driving along the motorway, or chooses to hold their phone whilst driving that is not a momentarily lapse, that is a deliberate choice. No one is talking about the marginal cases here, everyone almost certainly makes those little mistakes, we are talking about transgressions so obvious and blatant that they can only come down to either being totally incompetent or they must be deliberate acts of people who care nothing for the general public or the law. 

Or are you claiming that you accidentally, without realising, race other cars on the street, exceed the speed limit by 30mph, stop at a red light, then drive thorough blaring your horn and flashing your lights, us your mobile phone to watch a video or hold it in your hand whilst driving, drive the wrong way around roundabouts to jump traffic etc. and that behaviour is reasonable? 

Have you read the subject of this thread? Basically about people who do not indicate, or people who ignore speed warning signs. Nobody was talking about people driving 50mph over the limit, or running red lights, until you mentioned it. The thread is about the minor issues that the OP finds annoying, hence my more than adequate response. 

born_again

Grey_Critic said:

Try driving in Bradford

Not a chance... Would rather go 50 miles out of my way... 

forgotmyname

Law abiding motorists often cause as many accidents as those the OP says are the problem.

If the OP is relying on the slow down and the digital speed limit signs they are not calibrated. Local one in a 20mph zone
will show sub 20mph at any speed upto 27mph. (calibrated lorry speedometer).
And yes I have driven at 27mph in a 20 zone because it's not legally enforceable so the original 30mph still
applies until they do the paperwork correctly.

Where another location a slow down sign in a 40mph zone will flash slow down at 35mph. I have not driven past at a slower
speed to find the limit where it does not flash but shows how inaccurate both signs are.

twopenny

As the start of the thread, the problem of people crossing roads having right of way it seems a lot of pedestrians have taken this onboard to mean they can cross in front of oncoming cars.
I've had people see the oncoming car and just stepped out with yards to spare. One woman with 6 children did it and even the children looked 'this isn't right '.

The other new thing seems to be blue badge holders. Great scheme but should come with some rules.
Guy parked huge ca, wrong side of road on a junction. On double yellow lines in front of a bus stop. With the other blue badges pared on the opposite side of the junction on double yellow the bus couldn't get round resulting in delayed travel, back up of traffic in town a mile back.
Yesterday one parked a campervan on double yellows across the lifeboat house when there were 5 easily accessible spaces including a disabled space outside the next door pub, which is where they were going.

Something needs to change.

Car_54

twopenny said:

As the start of the thread, the problem of people crossing roads having right of way it seems a lot of pedestrians have taken this onboard to mean they can cross in front of oncoming cars.

"The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance, but they advise you when you should give way to others." 

"Right of way" simply does not exist in the context of road traffic law.

stuart45

I've in general that the drivers who constantly find fault with everyone else on the road tend to be worse drivers than the ones who drive from A to B safely and efficiently and rarely mention other road users. The people who constantly have near collisions due to all the other idiots on the road should realize that they aren't assessing the road properly.

ididgetwhereiamtoday

stuart45 said:

I've in general that the drivers who constantly find fault with everyone else on the road tend to be worse drivers than the ones who drive from A to B safely and efficiently and rarely mention other road users. The people who constantly have near collisions due to all the other idiots on the road should realize that they aren't assessing the road properly.

Let them without sins cast the first stone!

facade

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Let them without sins cast the first stone!

Wheeeeeeeeeee-Clunk!

5unnyphoto5

Good afternoon fellow motorists and pedestrians.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your time and varied thoughts and viewpoints.
When I raised this Post after my morning walk, I did not know what type of response it would generate!
Then the 58 unread messages I came across today, answered that question!!
So this topic obviously impacts all the participants in their own way with a cross section of perspectives and feelings and personal experience examples.

Here is my prospective on a few points to compliment the Post I raised.

1) Every driver, Good, Bad or indifferent, at one stage or other would also be or was at some stage wearing the Pedestrians Badge. So put yourself in each other’s shoes and see how YOU would like to be treated.

2) The 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 Mph speed limits are displayed in Bold lettering and on illuminated displays. They have been put up by various competent authorities throughout the country. The respective roads have been analysed by these bodies and the appropriate Speed limits levied.  Simply put, rules are set to be adhered to. It is not a choose as you please multiple-choice option which is applicable to ones whim.

3) Common sense dictates you do not speed up when you approach a zebra crossing. But then common sense also dictates that if a car is practically on top of the zebra crossing, then don't be an inconsiderate pedestrian and step out onto the crossing forcing the driver to do an emergency stop, risk the rear cars back ending that driver and then the resulting inevitable probable exchange of profanities. What is grossly wrong is when a driver sees a pedestrian at a crossing waiting to cross safely and they do not have the etiquette to slow down and stop and continue unashamedly. Neither is it acceptable when the pedestrian is crossing at their respective paces and the waiting driver revs their engine to expedite their crossing.

4) In built up areas where these crossings generally are and there is footfall, the driver of the various types of transport approaching this crossing should be vigilant and be prepared to stop, not accelerate.

5) Listening to what you have said on this post and from my personal long term insight and understanding, if your car has reached the amber traffic light and you are in the process of going past it, you continue to do so and exit the junction as stopping risks an accident. If however, you are approaching the lights and they turn amber, then by all means make every effort to bring your vehicle to a controlled stop without endangering yourself, pedestrians or other road users.

6) I note the many comments about the incorrect calibration of the Speed Warning Signs and the false reading that people have experienced. Irrespective of these variable calibrations, the sign says 30, adhere to it. Your vehicles speedometer, the cars inbuilt Navigator and Google Maps are your visual and vocal aid.

7) With reference to the very first reply on my post was from mebu60, can you please post a link for this National Dash Cam Safety Portal! Are you saying that members of the public can actively post footage of the “Dangerous” road offenders? Do they need to be a registered user for this service? Is this database accessible and actively used by the insurance companies to highlight the unsafe drivers? This may even help to reduce everyone's extortionate car insurance bills.

8) This posts underlying topic was related to “indicators” and I have left this as my last point.

Using your vehicles indicator is a manifestation of your willingness and ability to visually advise other road users and pedestrians what your intentions are.

It is as simple as that.

You may know where you are going, but others are not telepathic / mind readers and it would be great if they were also party to your thinking.

Don’t indicate as you are virtually on your exit/turn, show your willingness and awareness in good time so others have time to react appropriately and safely. This will save so many accidents.

So do everyone a favour, pedestrian and road users alike, use your indicators consistently, every car is provided with one for a reason and it is not an optional accessory to be used when you feel like it.

So be Thoughtful, Courteous, Conscientious, Vigilant and be aware of your environment.

Look forward to your constructive thoughts.

Thank You.