Idiots who can't drive!

[phil d]

I'm convinced there should be an extra driving test to drive bigger cars, people learn in the likes of a Nissan Micra, then pass their test and think they can drive a 4x4! this was proved to me thanks to some tosser at my local Aldi on Wednesday night.

I'd called in to get some dog food (she'd finished the postman the night before, lol) I parked in a space and there was a 4x4 on either side of me, when I came out, the one on my drivers side had gone, I got in my car and drove home.

Yesterday I noticed a "clean patch" on the off side rear quarter, the rest of the car is covered in a film of road muck. I looked at this patch and noticed the wing is pushed inward, not massively but it's pretty obvious in bright light, it,s at just the right height for a 4x4, and it wasn't there before my visit to Aldi, They were obviously only going slow as it hasn't damaged the paint, which to my mind makes me think they knew they were going to hit it.

I'm so flaming annoyed,it might be an old car(02) but it's my car!

 

[ruston]

It amazes me that money can buy you the right to drive a high power car that can cause more havoc than a runnawy artic , then to ride a motorbike an experienced driver has to go through a series of tests before they are allowed to drive the 'fast stuff'. unless you have a side car on off course .

 It is a bit of a farce really.

 

[phil d]

It amazes me that money can buy you the right to drive a high power car that can cause more havoc than a runnawy artic , then to ride a motorbike an experienced driver has to go through a series of tests before they are allowed to drive the 'fast stuff'. unless you have a side car on off course .

 It is a bit of a farce really.

Too right, same with the driving test, they want you to know how to check the oil, top up the coolant and screenwash, and loads of other stuff, do they bother about if you can change a wheel? NO! It annoys me the number of people you see sat at the side of the road with a puncture, waiting for the recovery, because they either don't know how , or can't be ar5ed changing a tyre.

I know that quite a few new cars have those stupid, tyre fix kits, if you get a rip in the tyre they're useless, but when the car does carry a spare then you should be capable of changing it, personally as a bloke I'd be too embarrassed to call out the garage to change a flat.

e

 

[Sharpend]

Rumour has it that in your neck of the woods, wheel changing is taught from an early age! :innocent  

 

[Blue Duck]

Come to london for the day, you'll love it. 

Aside from the plethora of uber drivers and mentally challenged cyclists there are a lot of young Turkish lads driving (usually white) AMG Mercedes like they own the roads, very dangerous IMO.

Also reminds me of a thread on another forum where a 17 year old was seeking advice on what to do after crashing his Audi Q5 in a supermarket carpark.

His daddy bought the other drivers car off them for double the value in the end...

:redcard

 

[phil d]

Rumour has it that in your neck of the woods, wheel changing is taught from an early age! :innocent  

No that's Liverpool, 20 miles from me, lol. I remember being up there once and getting a puncture, I'm just taking the wheel off and I notice this guy leaning through the passenger window, "Oi mate what ya doing" I yelled, "If your having the alloy's I'm having the stereo" was the answer. lol

 

[ProDave]

I passed my driving test in a mini, the original proper one.

The largest vehicle I have driven is a 7.5 tone box van. Now you are going to tell me you think I should have to pass another test to drive that? (actually you would have to if you passed your test now)

 

[phil d]

I passed my driving test in a mini, the original proper one.

The largest vehicle I have driven is a 7.5 tone box van. Now you are going to tell me you think I should have to pass another test to drive that? (actually you would have to if you passed your test now)

If you were going to do it straight off, then yes I would!

As I'm sure you are aware there's a big difference between your Mini and a Luton van, you would not believe the number of KSI's that are caused because someone passes their test in a Micra, then jumps straight into a performance car.I remember one case a couple of years ago, a Chinese lad passed his test on a Monday morning, in a small low powered car, on Tuesday, his father, a wealthy businessman presented him with a brand new Porsche,for being a clever boy.On Wednesday morning the police responded to a fatal RTC involving a Porsche and a wall, at the inquest a lack of experience,and excessive speed were cited as being the cause of the accident.

The coroner commented that were it within his power to charge the boy's father with contributing to his son's death,he would do so, as he was clearly to blame since he'd handed a performance vehicle to an inexperienced driver,who died as a direct result

For some people driving a large vehicle is virtually impossible, some even find small cars a trial.  I've seen people unable to get a Fiesta into a space and drive away, a lot of the time I've managed to get my Volvo estate into that same space.

experience counts.

 

[Lurch]

I'd just be happy if people could USE THE CORRECT F'ING LANE ON THE M1 FFS.

 

[apprentice87]

Funnily enough, i have got a full car licence. I have also got a class one HGV, but i STILL had to do more tests again to ride a poxy motorbike..

Being smart of course, there was no way that i was going to go on all courses just to have some muppet try to tell me how to ride a motorbike... Soooo, i just booked the tests and did them. Passed the CBT on my own bike. Went and passed the theory and "hazard perception" [both of which are designed by cretins] and them just went and did the module one [one minor fault for going 1mph too slow in the swerve test] and the module two [no faults at all] all under my own steam and on my own bike..

But, i am STILL lettuced at parking a car!!! I think it is because, because i am cautious by nature, i do not want to take the risk of damaging my vehicle [or someone else's] so i do not try!!

john..

 

[binky]

where I live I had to learn to park in tight spaces, or walk half a mile. Got really good at jamming the car between ignorant neighbours vehicles, the ones that leave half a car space between them and the next car.

Driving is more attitude of mind, you can drive anything forward, the skill is in tight spaces and reversing. Looking around before reversing helps a lot, especially with vans with wing mirrors only. Too many people avoid the difficult stuff, so can't do it when they need to. I used to practice in safe to places, like supermarket car parks - pick a space with one vehicle on 1 side and try to park perfectly beside it, or an empty space and park perfectly between the lines. Eventually got the confidence to take on any space available.

 

[binky]

One thing I am finding confusing is 4 lane motorways, I don't get much chance to drive these so I'm still trying to work out the best approach / lane discipline. Middle lane hogging is still defo an issue on all motorways, but then they don't really teach motorway driving for the test.

 

[Tony S]

One thing I am finding confusing is 4 lane motorways, I don't get much chance to drive these so I'm still trying to work out the best approach / lane discipline. Middle lane hogging is still defo an issue on all motorways, but then they don't really teach motorway driving for the test.

Try driving in to Rotterdam! It scared the hell out of me.

 

[phil d]

where I live I had to learn to park in tight spaces, or walk half a mile. Got really good at jamming the car between ignorant neighbours vehicles, the ones that leave half a car space between them and the next car.

Driving is more attitude of mind, you can drive anything forward, the skill is in tight spaces and reversing. Looking around before reversing helps a lot, especially with vans with wing mirrors only. Too many people avoid the difficult stuff, so can't do it when they need to. I used to practice in safe to places, like supermarket car parks - pick a space with one vehicle on 1 side and try to park perfectly beside it, or an empty space and park perfectly between the lines. Eventually got the confidence to take on any space available.

you mean jamming your car into the space between people who can't drive.lol.

 

[apprentice87]

Do not misunderstand, i can get an artic into some silly places you would not think possible, just not even trying with my car!!

john..

 

[phil d]

Do not misunderstand, i can get an artic into some silly places you would not think possible, just not even trying with my car!!

john..

Ha, now that reminds me of a story, A mate of mine drove artics, one job they had every week was a delivery to a small factory at the end of a street full of terraced houses, it was drive in and reverse out. The delivery was always on the same day and for many years the residents moved their cars on delivery day. However over the years quite a number of new people had moved in, they wouldn't move their cars, you knew it wasnt going to end well. There'd been letters sent out, people spoken too, it made no difference, one day my mate got a new job, on his last day with the old firm he got a delivery to that very factory, it was terrible for the parked cars and he lost the plot.

He inched slowly along the street, hitting all the cars parked on the left, reversing back out, he hit all the cars on the right, the insurance bill was massive, apparently they went back to moving their cars on delivery day.

 

[binky]

you mean jamming your car into the space between people who can't drive.lol.

yep - it improved their parking skills  :^O

 

[Andy™]

But, i am STILL lettuced at parking a car!!!

same here. i can get my van into a space that most people can struggle to get a car into. parking my own car though, always a mess.

another thing that drivers usually do, drive into a parking space then struggle to reverse out. far easier to reverse in then drive out. usually the same idiots who live on a busy road and insist reversing out into traffic instead of reversing off the road

One thing I am finding confusing is 4 lane motorways, I don't get much chance to drive these so I'm still trying to work out the best approach / lane discipline. Middle lane hogging is still defo an issue on all motorways, but then they don't really teach motorway driving for the test.

stay in left lane unless overtaking or the road is splitting, simples. unless you come to geordie land, some of the motorway slip roads are on the right. thats always fun in rush hour if youve never been there before

for middle lane hoggers, if you have time, see how many times you can lap them (overtake, move into left lane, slow a little, once they are past overtake, repeat)

 

[phil d]

same here. i can get my van into a space that most people can struggle to get a car into. parking my own car though, always a mess.

another thing that drivers usually do, drive into a parking space then struggle to reverse out. far easier to reverse in then drive out. usually the same idiots who live on a busy road and insist reversing out into traffic instead of reversing off the road

stay in left lane unless overtaking or the road is splitting, simples. unless you come to geordie land, some of the motorway slip roads are on the right. thats always fun in rush hour if youve never been there before

for middle lane hoggers, if you have time, see how many times you can lap them (overtake, move into left lane, slow a little, once they are past overtake, repeat)

I usually drive past, give them a hard stare,( it's usually some complete pillock) pull in in front, switch on flashing rear reds, illuminate left indicator while gesturing to move into left hand lane.

It never fails where I live, I drove down the motorway last week, there's a 50 mph limit due to roadworks, I was doing bang on 50, I looked in my mirror and there was a brilliant sight behind me, cars in all 3 lanes running side by side, it looked like a warm up lap at a motor race, nobody would come past me, it was the most pleasant ride ever through roadworks. Nobody sat on my rear, nobody driving like an arse, it was great, apparently it has something to do with my local force starting to use some older motors as unmarked, there's even one the same make, model, colour, and year as mine, lol.

One of the lads on traffic thinks it's hilarious,he said it's like having a free patrol car out on the network, to quote him recently, "well if they're slowing down for you then it saves me dealing with another accident".

The funniest one I ever had with an idiot parking was in Weston Super Mare some years ago, a guy parked this battered old car right on my rear bumper, there was no room to get out, behind him was a pedestrian crossing, I pushed him back about 3 foot, right onto the crossing.

I drove out and spotted a couple of traffic wardens further up the road, ticketing a car that had overstayed the 1 hour limit, I pulled over to enquire why they were bothering with him when there was a guy parked on a crossing a little way down the road.I often chuckle to myself thinking about him trying to explain that he hadn't parked like that.lol

 

[Rob.]

Try driving in to Rotterdam! It scared the hell out of me.

I've just had a job out in Italy where I had to drive out of Rome, from what I can work out road rules/speed limits aren't a thing.

Pakistan on the other hand. Well, i wasn't driving but it still left lasting memories.