Jamesemt

Just been to the Lakes for a break, my god are there some bad drivers on the roads up there.

On one occasion, I was overtaken in a 30 zone by a family (couple, two kids and two dogs) in a 1.6 Focus...

They all seem to drive like maniac ned-boy racer types...but even the old grannies. What the hell is wrong with these people?

Don't they realise there is a reason for the 30 limit? I don't have a problem with progressive driving in a national speed limit but not through a town...obviously 35mph in a 30 zone is way too slow for them.

The classic example was while driving to Buttermere, virtually a single track road - the amount of cars hurtling around blind bends going way too quickly on the wrong side of the road was ridiculous - and we're not talking about young kids...

I always thought London was the worst place to drive...I was wrong.

(sorry for the rant, feel better now )

thundertiger

london is ok if you keep moving...

Reffro

London is a piece of ****, country driving is all about speed.....

If you want bad driving the worst drving in the UK is on dispay in Birmingham everyday. I used to live there for 5 years and it was bad, but having lived in London now for 5 years, I now realise how bad the driving standards really are in Brum. I went back there last month, and the drivers there are ****.

Big Den

Exactly, the opening point of my thread

[url http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=449824 url/]

Den

Leslie

Its just the same down here on our narrow West Country roads. Even the ones that have passing places. If they all arrive at a narrow bit at the same time they all try to push their way through at once and leave wing mirrors on the road. Then they get out and waste 15 minutes shouting at each other!

Les

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I find teh drivers out in the sticks much better than cities and towns. Admittedly they drive extremely fast on national speed limit roads, but they also seem to be able to control their car correctly too (i.e braking before the bends, taking the line that give them the best view rather than cutting corners racing line style). But there's always exceptions.

Brummy drivers don't seem to be on this planet and can't tell the difference to driving their usual desk at work and driving their car. And if they are paying some attention, it'll never be any further than the car infront. Also they'd rather burn in hell than let a fellow driver infront of them or out of a side junction in stationary or crawling traffic.

Vonzack

Most of the drivers in the lakes will have driven in from elsewhere in the UK!

Driving standards in the UK are terrible and they are only getting worse IMHO.

SiPie

Nope........

You are all wrong

Edinburgh and it's surrounding countryside during the Festival Fringe

The amount of foreign toursists in hire cars often on the wrong side of the road, (personally witnessed this twice in the last week...once the wrong way round a roundabout).

They can be excused as they are foreign.....but the locals ain't much better

imlach

Agreed
Road rage from my bike saddle has increased in the last weeks.....although mostly locals

Jamesemt

Not always - you find drivers in unfamiliar areas brake for bends - wether they need to or not...and not many of them ever braked

TBH I'm mainly talking about towns on the coast - Workington ish area.

Edited to ad - they also need to learn about stopping distances - 2cm from my back bumper at 70mph is not acceptable

M444GY

iTrader: (72)

i crashed me freelander on the trecherous lake district lanes. bloody sheep ran out in front of me and i hit a fookin great rock ripping off the undertray and cracking the exhaust manifold. not to much damage but still expensive!

mark@wrx

Probably because they are locals who know the roads, and don't have much time for tourists! I would rather drive on our roads up here than in a city.

There is an easy answer though. If you don't like it, stop coming!

SiPie

Spot the friendly local

mark@wrx

Get 'orf moi laand!

SiPie

lol

Reality

Royal DeeSide in the Summer during the Queen's Annual Holiday.

A heady mix of;

1. Local Youths
2. Bikers trying to establish a record for Aboyne-Braemar-Aboyne in 1 piece
3. Holidaymakers (as per Sipie post)
4. Queen Watchers (Average age 90 - average car maestro 1.3 Van Den Plas)
5. Queen's visitors (VIPs with no concept of rules of the road)
6. Farmers
7. Sheep (No fences on the Road)
8. Stags etc
9. Some great roads
10. My Mother in Law

Can be fun

Jamesemt

Don't worry, won't be returning

Ken 275

The reverse can also be true.

I remember hearing of a time when a tourist was on a single track road on the Isle of Lewis. A local was behind him, trying to catch the ferry but the tourist wouldn't pull over to let the local past. This is common courtesy to my mind, as is giving a wave when someone pulls into a passing place for you (you can usually tell the visitors when they go diagonally across the road for the layby, rather than just sitting opposite).

Anyway, the local was a PC and he reported the tourist for obstructing him. He was charged, but I can't remember what for. Due care and attention perhaps?

As a footnote, courtesy when driving costs nothing, if you're not thinking you're not safe.

You're a Tourist only if you don't live there...

K.

Abbylad

iTrader: (4)

LOL, virtually no-ones lives in or near Buttermere so you were probably being confronted with tourists, must say though that i usaully find around that area everyone drives like a right old ******, its hard to get anywhere quickly in the lakes, think i`d go nuts if i had to drive in a city every day.

Get yer foot down and you wont have people trying to get past you!!!!!!!!!! lol. Charge around, stop, get out, have a look round, then get back in car and charge off somewhere else........then repeat until you`re bored

Jamesemt

You are missing my point - it is DANGEROUS to go blasting about around Buttermere, as a lot of the bends are completely blind - unless you can see into the future? I know I can't.

My comments about 30mph zones was about in towns such as Workington.

Oh, and for the record, no-one kept up with me in the national speed limits...

Abbylad

iTrader: (4)

you`re missing my point, was winding you up

Didn`t nearly get run off the road by a red pug 205 did you? <whistles innocently>

mark@wrx

I'm not winding you up. The roads are brilliant round Buttermere and yes there are a lot of blind corners/crests. But I bet you take slight risks on your local roads like the locals do up here. The point is, to an outsider a road can be infinitely more unpredictable than to a local.

PS. Don't go round Buttermere on a dark winters night. They're the best time for high speed trips through the lakes!

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Could this potentially involve another SIAL??

<gets coat>

Rusty.

I live and work in Workington and it's a bloody nightmare

I take great pride in driving at 30 in the built up areas, even reducing my speed where it is not appropriate to travel as fast as 30 - many of the terraced streets have residenty parking on both sides and you never know when an animal/child/another car will jump out at you!

Unfortunately, you observations about the marras and the jam eaters is true - too many of them (I'm an outcomer ) think it is acceptable to drive in excess of 40mph along Solway Road just becuase it has wide grass verges and is an industrial estate. They don't see the cars pulling in and out of the junctions, not to mention the recycling spot which has queues outside of it most days....

It seems to have got worse of the last couple of weeks - I suspect all the local Cruisers are gearing up for their big show this coming Bank Holiday Weeked...You have been warned STAY AWAY - I know I'll be leaving the County that weekend !

mark@wrx

Not with me....I don't own one anymore.

Jamesemt

Nope - one of the advantages of being an advanced driver/noob biker and in a job that sees the error of people's ways on the roads (it's my job to scoop the remains up off the floor...)

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

You got a Scooby/Evo?

If so, that's most likely a contributing factor. I believe in adhering to the 30mph limit in built up areas too and the amount of peeps who tailgate or overtake is just daft. It's as if to them owning a fast car means you must drive it quickly everywhere and if you don't its unnacceptable to stay behind you!

You wouldn't mind, but the same people who drive at 40 in a 30mph zone then often proceed to drive at the same speed on sections of road set at the national speed limit! They then get the hump when you overtake them!

NS04

matchmaker

[QUOTE=SiPie]Nope........

You are all wrong

Edinburgh and it's surrounding countryside during the Festival Fringe /QUOTE]



Perthshire - any time of the year The number of 4 wheeled, and even more, 2 wheeled nutters is unbelievable. The worst example I saw in recent months was a bunch of maniacs on the Glen Shee to Blairgowrie road - excessive speed, tailgating, overtaking on blind bends and blind summits. More than a dozen cars. With the exception of a Celica GT4 all were driving Subarus

Jamesemt

I've got a newage Scoob, but take the wife's Fabia vRS for longer journeys due to fuel/quiet motorway cruising

Maybe the Skoda badge did it