Bad driving- tailgating

C

Carpenter

Registered User
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Driving into work this morning when I braked approaching a roundabout...the driver behind "tips" off me. I was livid naturally- I'm very conscious of braking distance and maintaining adequate space from the car in front of me. Luckily there was no damage done (to our two week old car!) but what annoys me is that this has also happened to me not more than 7 months ago, at another roundabout about 200 away. Why are Irish drivers so bloody appalling? We pay no heed to road conditions (it was icy this morning), traffic volumes (it was peak time, the road was very busy) and we ignore the basic rules of driving "anticipate and allow adequate braking distance". I am increasingly aware of people tailgating (and basically on my ass!) when driving, if people maintained adequate braking distance there would be a lot less minor (and completely avoidable) "accidents" on our roads. Rant over.
 
Oh how right you are about that Mr Carpenter

How is the new car going ?

Is it using any oil ?

The DTIs were devils for using oil when new ( but then I think your CDTI is an Isuzu engine & I think DTIs were made by GM )
 
Sorry OD, Am I missing something here? Your post doesnt seem to follow the Original Post.
aj
 
Carpenter said:
we ignore the basic rules of driving "anticipate and allow adequate braking distance".
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I use the M1 to get to work. I always leave a "safe space" between me and the car in front particularly in bad weather so I can brake and someone always ducks in front of me either with or without an indicator causing me to break sharply. Don't these idiots know this is how accidents happen? One morning in frosty weather this guy literally drove up to my bumper and flashed me to get out of his way i.e. move to inside lane. It's not like I was dawdling - I was doing the speed limit - 120 kph. Am I missing something?
 
Danmo said:
One morning in frosty weather this guy literally drove up to my bumper and flashed me to get out of his way i.e. move to inside lane. It's not like I was dawdling - I was doing the speed limit - 120 kph. Am I missing something?
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A couple of things probably.

1. 120kmph is probably too fast on a frosty morning.

2. If there was no other cars in the inside lane, then that's where you should have been. Outside lane is for overtaking, unless you're turning right.

Just cause you're doing the speed limit doesn't mean you're entitled to hog the outside lane, which many Irish drivers appear to believe to be the case.
 
ronan_d_john said:
2. If there was no other cars in the inside lane, then that's where you should have been. Outside lane is for overtaking, unless you're turning right. .
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You obviously have little or no experience of day to day motorway driving.
In reality, Learners (who shouldn't be there) and tipper trucks use inside while rest of traffic uses outside. You mightn't agree but that's the reality.

ronan_d_john said:
Just cause you're doing the speed limit doesn't mean you're entitled to hog the outside lane, which many Irish drivers appear to believe to be the case.
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How can you HOG outside lane if you are doing optimum speed for that road?
 
Danmo said:
How can you HOG outside lane if you are doing optimum speed for that road?
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Answer the question before posing another one, please.

Was there traffic inside you? Could you have moved to the left and let the other driver past? Or was it completely full of learners and lorries?

Or did you think that seeing as you were going the "optimum speed for the road" (which is unlikely given that it was a frosty morning) that you'd be the person to make sure that this person stuck to the speedlimit by getting in his way?

By hogging the road, keeping this guy behind you, and probably making him even more rushed and disturbed and likely to do something more stupid than driving 120kmph on a frosty morning, you were probably causing an even greater danger on the road.
 
Who said I didn't move over??? I did actually. I just found his/her behaviour agressive. Anyway if he was in such a hurry why couldn't he overtake me? And break the speed limit to do so to boot. Also, if he/she was that rushed and disturbed they should (A) get up earlier and (B) I am not responsible for that.
By the way - just for record, no frost on motorway. Just small country roads.
 
In Australia, they actually fine car drivers for staying in the outside lane when there is space in the inside lane. They will fine you even if you would only be moving in to the inside lane for 30 secs before pulling out again.

Their attitude, and I think it's right, is that the only thing the outside lane is for is OVERTAKING. (I believe our rules of the road also say that.)

And yes, it is annoying when you're at the speed limit and some eejit roars up behind you trying to push you out of the way. But that's their problem, not yours. Let them pass, and you reduce the risk to yourself!
 
It's everyone's perogitive to obey the speed limit or risk the consequences of breaking it. Holding people to the speed limit by driving to the speed limit in the overtaking lanes makes the roads more dangerous not less dangerous in my opinion. I think it is good practise to only use the right lane for overtaking. I disagree that the left driving lane is mainly used by heavy vehicles and learners. It's frustrating to be in both positions though - someone stuck on your This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language or stuck behind someone doing 90kph in the overtaking lane.
 
Danmo said:
.............In reality, Learners (who shouldn't be there) and tipper trucks use inside ...........
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Not to mention the tractor & trailer that I saw on the M50 last Monday afternoon
 
as a dundalkie I use the m1 between dundalk and the port tunnel bit (fairly) regularly. it is amazing the number of drivers who overtake you when you are driving at the max speed .
its also amazing the number of drivers who do hog the outside lane ie overtake and stay there . usually what happens is that some norn iron car going even faster has to actually slow down to 130 to stay on the road.
most lorries travel at around 100-110 but their speed is supposed to be 80.
also imo the number of latvian and lithuanian cars doing over 120 on the m1 is out of all proportion to the number on the road. and before cm deletes this I will state this is my honest observation. notice a number of (lt and lv) cars now have stickers showing a speed camera logo and the slogan ' stick it up your This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language' . they are exempt of course so well they might be able to display this sticker.
 
Polish colleague of mine insists that traffic cops in Poland will come down on you like a ton of bricks for speeding or even driving with your parking lights on - parking lights are for parking not driving - however the use of a ten Zloty note (say 4 to the €uro) will fix any problem. This system also applies in Russia were it is rampant and in LT and LV. Small wonder then that the two fingers are shown here where they cannot be fined nor can the car be confiscated!
 
Danmo said:
One morning in frosty weather this guy literally drove up to my bumper and flashed me to get out of his way i.e. move to inside lane. It's not like I was dawdling - I was doing the speed limit - 120 kph. Am I missing something?
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I find that this is a good time to put on the fog lamps.

Murt
 
Murt10 said:
I find that this is a good time to put on the fog lamps.

Murt
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Why not just dab on your brakes to give the guy a fright? Surely that would have the desired effect as well?
 
ronan_d_john said:
Why not just dab on your brakes to give the guy a fright? Surely that would have the desired effect as well?
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Good idea.

I was driving along the M50 a couple of years ago on the speed limit. I moving slightly faster than the traffic on the inside lane. There was line of cars in front of me and nothing behind me.

Someone in a Merk came up behind me and blew his horn and flashed me to get out of the way. I hadn't seen him coming. I got such a fright that I swerved slightly over the white line on the righthand side of the road. I succeeded in throwing all the debris (stones, bits of glass etc) that was on the side of the road onto his bonnet and windscreen.

He backed off and didn't flash me any more.

I also had to stop for some reason or other on another day on the same road. It was only when I was stopped on the hard shoulder that I realised just how fast the cars and trucks were actually travelling at. The wind kept rocking and buffering my car as the traffic went past.

Because the road is so wide and straight you are inclined no to realise actually how fast 75mph actually is.

Serious question. If you get a puncture on the motorway what are you suppost to do. Drive on, on the hard shoulder until you can pull off or stop and change the wheel. Personally, I'd abandon the car, climb up onto the bank and call the AA, but fornon AA members, what should they do



Murt
 
Murt10 said:
If you get a puncture on the motorway what are you suppost to do. Drive on, on the hard shoulder until you can pull off or stop and change the wheel. Personally, I'd abandon the car, climb up onto the bank and call the AA, but fornon AA members, what should they do
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In other EU countries, you put on your hazard lights and try to drive on along the hard shoulder until you reach one of the emergency 'phones that are located at 2km intervals along every motorway. You then walk back 150m from your stopped car and place a hazard triangle (which it is compulsory to carry in your car at all times) on the hard shoulder to warn other motorists. Only then do you return to the car and change your flat.

If it's a breakdown, you 'phone for a towtruck which will remove your car from the motorway to the nearest garage for about €50.
 
I was reluctant to say it in case it made dublin drivers mad(er) but I fully agree with DrM. 120kph is way way too fast for the M50 as its just too busy. if anything suddenly happens theres almost no escaping the mayhem that follows. even though I occsionally drive at 120 on the M1 I usually settle down around 100-110 as I find it more 'comfortable' also on the M1 there is not the concentration of traffic that there is on the M50.
 
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