Is this level of insanity commonplace?

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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

I had similar last night. The thing that made it stand out in my mind was that I was driving at the time, at the posted speed limit.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
iviehoff
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by iviehoff »

Yesterday there was a report of a head on collision between car doing 100mph going around the wrong side of a traffic island with a London night bus. There are levels of insanity far beyond.
nez
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by nez »

Vantage wrote:
maff1977 wrote:there is hope - the oil's running out. :lol:


Erm....what do you put on your chain then? :mrgreen:

Whale oil. ;-)
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mjr
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by mjr »

Maybe it's something about the summer. I just had a bad one on my way home, overtake on the entry to a blind left-hander. To add insult, it was "V & J Safety Wear And ..." (then something else I didn't catch as it went around the bend) of King's Lynn. I see they sell a range of ear protection. They would have needed some if I'd caught up with them again! (Let's see if they look at their referring pages...) It would be safer if they drove better.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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ndmbike
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by ndmbike »

I saw this ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYeYgiHBdwQ

not sure whether this is a solution, problem or both :shock:

Please God, help me not to wave my fist or finger(s) at a motorist who has just narrowly missed killing me...
because they might be bigger than me and may stop and get out and try to hit me!
(This has happened :cry: )
ian s
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by ian s »

Out with the family yesterday afternoon, and at one point we were in a compact group of three, approaching a right angle bend (corner) in the road, me at the back, when a car comes along side me, just as my wife is at the bend. I shouted "are you mad" at the car driver, who shouted, "pull over". He then pulled in behind me, and overtook after the corner. What, if anything, was he thinking of before the attempted pass?
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maff1977
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by maff1977 »

presumably it had a pullover wrapped around its face so as to restrict its vision and was trying to warn you. :?
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squeaker
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Post by squeaker »

USA, but suspect prevalent here - love the police seatbelt quote :roll:
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Mark1978
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by Mark1978 »

Assumption that it's always possible to overtake a cyclist within the lane, if only that pesky cyclist wasn't being selfish and riding in the middle of the road.
Going past a bicycle isn't really overtaking and they are so slow that it doesn't matter if there is oncoming traffic or not.
reohn2
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by reohn2 »

Mark1978 wrote:Assumption that it's always possible to overtake a cyclist within the lane, if only that pesky cyclist wasn't being selfish and riding in the middle of the road.
Going past a bicycle isn't really overtaking and they are so slow that it doesn't matter if there is oncoming traffic or not.


There seems to be somekind of mental block/blindfold or idiotic stupidity/lunacy with some motorists when overtaking cyclists.
Within a mile yesterday on the tandem I took primary on a blind right hander when I spotted a big Volvo approaching from behind PDQ,the driver sensibly waited and as soon as I could see the road was clear I waved him through as I moved over to secondary.
He gave a little toot and a friendly wave as he passed us.It cost him all of 2to3 seconds max.

The next left hander,again blind(high hedges narrow lanes),a newish Fiesta overtook giving me plenty of room but in the face of an oncoming R/Rover who was flashing his headlights at him and leaning on the horn whilst having to dive for the grass verge :shock: .
Further on,I again took primary on two right handers only to be overtaken blind,luckily there wasn't anything oncoming.
It seems these idiots really don't care for their own safety or anyone else's and I really can't get my head around it.
In primary I'm ensuring my own safety by creating an escape zone to my left and narrowing the overtaking area to my right, whereas by staying in secondary I lessen my EZ and widen the OA.
Yet these people are so willing to take potentially catastrophic risk.
If the road is wide enough I don't bother and remain in secondary but even then,on occasion I've seen some near misses with vehicles overtaking me(giving me more than ample space but very little room for error between theirs and oncoming vehicles.
It really is bizarre and I really struggle to understand such mentality.
I also have noted there's no single type of driver,say young and inexperienced but it seems to be across the board ie; the Fiesta R/Rover incident was a chap of about 60 with presumably his wife sat beside him,nor was he speeding :?
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Flinders
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by Flinders »

Some drivers can't tolerate a car in front of them, even if that car is doing the limit. When they have overtaken, which they will do regardless of bends, solid white lines, oncoming traffic which has to brake, or indeed anything, they may even go slower that the original car was doing. I have no idea why some drivers think this way. I see they do, but just can't understand why.

It's even worse with bikes, in that some drivers classify all bikes as slow moving and will overtake on the assumption that the bike is only doing walking pace. They then find the bike is doing 20mph or more and takes a lot longer to overtake than they thought.
TonyR
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by TonyR »

The one that puzzles me is the desperation to get past when there is an obvious stationary queue just ahead where you sail back past them. When I'm in that position driving I'll pootle behind and am very rarely delayed because I still catch up with the queue in front although it may take slightly longer to get to it.
Postboxer
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by Postboxer »

I think part of this is people not realising you can sometimes drive faster when following someone else than when out in front, especially in fog, so they catch up with you, think you're holding them up so overtake, then slow down, as they don't have a marker up the road to follow.
drossall
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by drossall »

TonyR wrote:The one that puzzles me is the desperation to get past when there is an obvious stationary queue just ahead where you sail back past them.


Oh, that's easy. The idea that everyone hates traffic jams is rubbish. Some people love them so much that they will take any risk to reach one more quickly, and hence get a few extra seconds of enjoying the hold-up, albeit in exactly the same place in the queue as they could have found themselves anyway.
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Graham
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Re: Is this level of insanity commonplace?

Post by Graham »

This is a variation on the same overall theme.

From Petersfield, there is a country lane that runs southwards, through the back of a forest towards Rowlands Castle.
It is narrow, scenic, within the South Downs National Park and very popular with cyclists.

Normally motor traffic is sparse : drivers tend to be courteous and careful.

But when the adjacent major road (A3) starts clogging-up the unpleasantness begins. . . . . .
Batches of cars, vans, whatever start to barrel along this lane, driving in a manner that appears to be a deliberate attempt to intimidate an oncoming cyclist.

Yesterday, after the first batch had pushed me to a stop in a flintly gutter I had to revert to assertive, obstructive tactics to make the subsequent batches slow down.
I found myself shouting "SLOW DOWN" whenever the approach speed was too high.
Some drivers responded well.
Others shouted obscenities.

Oh yes, driving a motor vehicle has an extraordinary psychological niche. Some cope well, but many revert to lower life instincts !!
There doesn't seem to be an easy way of improving their behaviour.
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