What annoys you about driving in the UK?

[SpookTheHamster]

3) People who park opposite another car that is parked up when there is clearly space to park 20 yards up, thereby creating a 1 lane obstruction - and especially if they don't have the courtesy to chuck the car half up on the kerb.

You mean the courtesy to block the kerb for the elderly, the blind, the disabled or people with pushchairs? Parking on the kerb isn't allowed for a reason, only when there is a white line on the kerb should you park up on it.

 

[thecritix]

What bugs me:

1. M4 Offside Bus Lane.. Absolutely unnecessary, at least should be a peak time scheme.. congests the rest of the motorway unncessarily.

2. Speed Camera's there are situations where speeding should not be illegal..
Why on earth at 3 in the morning should I have to drive down a straight road at 30mph, or on the motorway at 70.. ridiculous.

3. Foreign Drivers (Particularly Asian)
Many of them have very poor driving standards, little or no courtesy, often crappy cars so they'll pull out straight in front of you knowing you have to stop.

4. Taxi's/Taxi drivers, the invention of the bluetooth headset has made these people think they're like emergency service vechiles or something. Who do they honestly call?

5. Too much traffic (Overpopulated country, thats another issue)

6. Traffic wardens (this is just a council tax these days) the signing isn't clear.. for example i parked right in front of the ticket machine and yet apparently was 3 spaces into the residential permit holders only.

7. People who have headphones on while driving.

8. Lane Hogs, though equally undertakers.

9. Lorries who overtake for 1mph advantage at 5pm on the M25...

10. Cyclists who sit in front of you in the middle of the road at the traffic lights and take forever to get their green arses out of my way.

11. Motorcyclists who overtake you then don't overtake the car in front, just as rude as a car doing the same.

12. Zebra Crossings that should be pedestrian crossings and vice versa.

13. Van drivers, Lorry drivers..

14. Anyone who wears a bluetooth headset.

15. People who won't pull over when they're travelling slowly and theres not room to pass.. when i've had to drive slower I've always given way like this.

16. Speed Humps, what a contradiction these are.. going green.. Accelerate, Brake, Accelerate Brake.. wear on cars etc.

17. Old Japanese cars, these just annoy me.. just pathetic.

18. People who let vehicles turn right when there is oncoming traffic, so the vehicle turning right blocks the road forever while they wait for a gap.

19. People who just expect to be given way to.

20. People who put their hand up in thanks without even looking at you, its so unfriendly.


Thats all for now, but I have loads more i just cant think of.

21. Petrol Prices..

22. London Bus drivers (saw in earlier post) theyre usually high as a kite, but they get so close to you its so unncessary.

23. Bendy Buses, artics on minor roads etc.

24. School mums, they're just pathetic

25. Poor traffic light sequences.

 

[thecritix]

WTF? There is no issue with driving with headlights on dipped beam. Even in daylight it improves your visibility and is of no harm to anyone. In fact it's required by law in many Scandinavian countries.

Fog lights I can understand being annoying, but not dipped beam headlights.

Like your lotus my cars quite low as well (Sunbeam Alpine)
I put my lights on if on the motorway or country lanes with hedges..

If someone catches glimpse of a reflection or through a hedge first all the better

 

[CHAOS STEP]

You mean the courtesy to block the kerb for the elderly, the blind, the disabled or people with pushchairs? Parking on the kerb isn't allowed for a reason, only when there is a white line on the kerb should you park up on it.

Well, my main gripe is when someone parks opposite someone else blocking most of the road, when they could have just parked further up or down the road.

But if you are going to do that (if there aren't any other reasonably near spaces), putting the car half up on the pavement is a 'token' gesture against blocking the road.

OK, so the blind, elderly single mum with a push chair might have to move over on the pavement for 6 yards, that's no biggie, I'm not saying park totally on the pavement.

It's like an unwritten code of residential parking.

 

[skunk]

What bugs me:3. Foreign Drivers (Particularly Asian)
Many of them have very poor driving standards, little or no courtesy, often crappy cars so they'll pull out straight in front of you knowing you have to stop.

Wow, that's a pretty comprehensively prejudiced statement. White boys are always so courteous, aren't they?

8. undertakers.

Undertakers provide a valuable service. Can't you just wait until the cortège has passed?

9. Lorries who overtake for 1mph advantage at 5pm on the M25...

I'm guessing that you have never driven a lorry.

10. Cyclists who sit in front of you in the middle of the road at the traffic lights and take forever to get their green arses out of my way.

It's their road, too, and their space at the front at the lights.

11. Motorcyclists who overtake you then don't overtake the car in front, just as rude as a car doing the same.

What's rude about that?

13. Van drivers, Lorry drivers..

Perhaps goods should be delivered in private cars?

14. Anyone who wears a bluetooth headset.

I wear a BT headset when driving, as it's illegal not to. Wanna make something of it?

17. Old Japanese cars, these just annoy me.. just pathetic.

Some people can't afford anything else.

18. People who let vehicles turn right when there is oncoming traffic, so the vehicle turning right blocks the road forever while they wait for a gap.

Courtesy is such a pain in the arse, isn't it?

20. People who put their hand up in thanks without even looking at you, its so unfriendly.

Better than no acknowledgment at all.

To be honest, you sound like you'd be an absolute nightmare on the road.

 

[cazlar]

Uhhh I kinda do that when I want to cross a road... Because I'm too busy looking for a break in the traffic than expecting someone to be considerate enough to let me cross.

Yeah, I found this a bit strange when I moved from Australia to the US. If I'm not at a designated pedestrian crossing but want to cross somewhere, I always assume the car has the right of way and is going to continue at its current speed. And at least in Sydney, that's what will happen. So I don't cross but will wait for a safe gap between cars. But here in the US, sometimes drivers will give way to me. It's nice and all, but really it makes it harder to judge when to cross, plus I feel bad for slowing them down when I know I could have safely crossed a touch later when the gap does open up.

 

[Trip.Tucker]

What annoys me about driving in the UK?

...being in the UK

 

[thecritix]

Ok skunk...

So I'm prejudiced.. I'm prejudiced against bad drivers, broadly speaking british people who have UK licenses have passed a higher standard of driving test than those of asian or eastern european origin.

They drive in the UK with little knowledge or experience of UK laws and are a menace.. I don't know where you live, but where I live there is a highly multicultural population, and in my experience people with foreign number plates, or of foreign appearance be it white or otherwise are more likely to be poor drivers.

On the lorry drivers point.. No i've never driven a lorry, but Its absolutely ridiculous to at peak times, cause the motorway to effectively become 1 lane for a mile or maybe more while they decide to creep past the next artic.

Cyclists... 'It's their road, too, and their space at the front at the lights.'
Well when they can show me a valid tax disc and insurance certificate then i'll happily acknowledge it is 'their road' too.

Van drivers and lorry drivers, drive too fast, park wherever they like and are generally arrogant on the road.

Old japanese cars, ok perhaps it was a stupid point to add... i just dont like the cars and they annoy me, which is the title of the thread.

Courtesy is great, I'm very courteous, but when its appropriate.. its not appropriate to let a vehicle block your side of the road while a stream of traffic is not going to let it out...
Appropriate courtesy is much better.

I didn't really want an argument.. just my opinions after all, I'm not a nightmare on the road I try to drive considerately and safely.
Frankly i'd rather see you driving before commenting on it based on an internet forum post, but each to his own.

Oh and Horses..
They ride side by side on the roads... if ever theres an off road vehicle its a bloody horse.. get on the fields and stop endangering, cyclists motorcyclists and all road users.

 

[skunk]

Oh and Horses..
They ride side by side on the roads... if ever theres an off road vehicle its a bloody horse.. get on the fields and stop endangering, cyclists motorcyclists and all road users.

I thought you didn't want cyclists on the road because they don't have a tax disc. Wouldn't endangering them be a good thing?

 

[dops7107]

Cyclists... 'It's their road, too, and their space at the front at the lights.'
Well when they can show me a valid tax disc and insurance certificate then i'll happily acknowledge it is 'their road' too.

Looks like I spoke too soon in an earlier post about the lack of complaints about cyclists. They should be paid to use the road - they cause essentially zero wear and tear, and make traffic conditions lighter because otherwise they would be driving a car. The environmental benefits allow them a zero-rated tax status if you ask me. And let's not forget the practical problems of insuring and taxing bikes for children.

Old japanese cars, ok perhaps it was a stupid point to add... i just dont like the cars and they annoy me, which is the title of the thread.

How old is "old"? I have a 15 year old Daihatsu. Does that count? Best car I've ever owned*. But how can they possibly be "annoying"? They're an inanimate object that uses the road just as much - maybe less in fact as they tend to be small in stature and numbers - as everything else.

[* OK, it's the only car I've ever owned, but it still rocks ]

 

[bartelby]

Oh and Horses..
They ride side by side on the roads... if ever theres an off road vehicle its a bloody horse.. get on the fields and stop endangering, cyclists motorcyclists and all road users.

How do they endanger other road users?

 

[Counterfit]

As much as I suspect many of our American cousins will have plenty to complain about on this front, I'd like to hear from fellow inhabitants of this sceptred isle...

Here's my list for starters:

• People who change lanes without using indicators
• People who use mobile phones while driving
• People who bully/tailgate/undertake you because they've got a bigger, faster car - especially when you're already doing the speed limit
• People blocking junctions when stuck in traffic queues
• People driving into box junctions when there's clearly no way out
• People waiting til the last second to force their way into a single lane of traffic, when the outside lane gets closed for maintenance
• People who don't say thanks or acknowledge you when you give way to them
• Petrol prices!

Bit of a rant, but I'm sure it'll start a healthy debate!

You know, most of those (and other points, except for tax discs, road tax, etc.) apply to the US if you swap some terms around, except for "rotaries", which aren't really that common outside of New England. Newer is better. =P

 

[®îçhå®?]

Cyclists... 'It's their road, too, and their space at the front at the lights.'
Well when they can show me a valid tax disc and insurance certificate then i'll happily acknowledge it is 'their road' too.

I presume here you are referring to pedal cyclists. In which case, as they do not have an engine, they do not need to be taxed so that point is completely irrelevant.

Yeah, I found this a bit strange when I moved from Australia to the US. If I'm not at a designated pedestrian crossing but want to cross somewhere, I always assume the car has the right of way and is going to continue at its current speed.

Italy is awful for this. I was in Naples and when i went to stop for a woman waiting at a zebra crossing, she looked so startled that i had actually stopped that she did not even cross after 5 seconds of waiting for her to do so.
Italy is just a terrible place to drive in anyway. Its almost as bad as Portugal, it seems like no one has read the highway code (if it is the same in Italy as in the UK).

 

[robbieduncan]

Its almost as bad as Portugal, it seems like no one has read the highway code (if it is the same in Italy as in the UK).

It's not. The UK highway code is only valid in the UK.

 

[®îçhå®?]

It's not. The UK highway code is only valid in the UK.

I thought as much but there must be something similar in Italy

 

[robbieduncan]

I thought as much but there must be something similar in Italy

Probably but it'd be unwise to assume that individual rules are the same...

 

[Brianstorm91]

I hate that people don't indicate properly at roundabouts, it can waste so much time waiting at one to check they're not going to ram straight into me.
Also, people who leave huge gaps between parked cars, it may not seem like a lot but down a whole street it adds up to quite a few spaces.
Skunk, do you bash people's opinions for fun? They may be unproven/in your opinion wrong/strange, whatever, but they're his; I doubt he needs you to come in and straight-down slam the door on them.

 

[®îçhå®?]

In response to Brianstorm91's point about indicating at roundabouts, which lane do you use to go straight on at a roundabout if their are no roadmarkings??

 

[robbieduncan]

In response to Brianstorm91's point about indicating at roundabouts, which lane do you use to go straight on at a roundabout if their are no roadmarkings??

How many lanes into the roundabout are there (1,2,3)? If it's 2 lanes and there are the standard 4 exists then either of the lanes is acceptable (iirc)...

 

[®îçhå®?]

How many lanes into the roundabout are there (1,2,3)? If it's 2 lanes and there are the standard 4 exists then either of the lanes is acceptable (iirc)...

Yeah 2 lanes.
I was just wondering as when i did my driving test, the instructor and examiner both said left lane but other people that are learning at the moment are being told right lane so i just wanted people's opinions

 

[Brianstorm91]

How many lanes into the roundabout are there (1,2,3)? If it's 2 lanes and there are the standard 4 exists then either of the lanes is acceptable (iirc)...

There's one near me with 3 lanes, but I'm talking indicating left and then going straight round to the last exit or something. You indicate right in the right hand lane, then indicate left when you pass the exit before yours, it's really not that hard is it.

In response to reply: it depends, normally if there's 4 exits, there'll be 2 lanes, left for first two, then right for the last pair. Indicate left for first exit, indicate left when you pass the first to take the second exit (I presume) straight ahead.

 

[robbieduncan]

There's one near me with 3 lanes, but I'm talking indicating left and then going straight round to the last exit or something. You indicate right in the right hand lane, then indicate left when you pass the exit before yours, it's really not that hard is it.

No, it's not hard, especially the indicating left before your exit to allow people waiting a good chance to pull out but I see almost no-one do it. Even Police cars and driving instructors rarely seem to...

 

[skunk]

I doubt he needs you to come in and straight-down slam the door on them.

On the other hand, perhaps he does.

 

[Kebabselector]

As a driver:

Taxis, both Black Cab and Private Hire - Neither seem to know what an indicator is for.

BMW X5 - (or X3 for those that can't affrod the X5) Parking in the disabled/parent and child bays cos it's a big vehicle.

Speed Cameras. Not the camera, just the people that think they have to slow down by 10mph less than the speed limit.

Failing to indicate at a right hand turn at traffic lights.

As a cyclist:

People who think it's funny to shout abuse at you when driving past. Though when the stop at the lights a few hundred metres up the road their door mirrors seem to fall off.

 

[drlunanerd]

Yeah 2 lanes.
I was just wondering as when i did my driving test, the instructor and examiner both said left lane but other people that are learning at the moment are being told right lane so i just wanted people's opinions

Oh yeah, you can use the right lane alright, indicating like a good boy, but just watch out for the moron on your left who's going to cut you up as they're in totally the wrong lane for the exit they're heading for This is the real rule of the road - you have to anticipate what errors other people are going to make and take appropriate defensive action, whether that's "the highway code way" or not. As a biker this helps me stay alive - that and immense acceleration

BTW props for a 17 year old driving in Naples, that's a kerazy city and I love it. Did you do a Grand Tour or something after passing your test? Did you know that in Italy they used to drive on different sides of the road whether you were in the city or the country, and you could buy left or right hand drive cars to suit? Bonkers.