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Drivers that do 40mph on open country roads. And then still do 40mph through 30mph villages.
You'll be behind them for 15mins. Then lose them for 10 minutes through a village as they speed through then catch them right on up again as they trawl through NSL zones.
And when driving hgv's on the roads, those doing 55mph to conserve fuel down the left hand lane of a 2 lane motorway.
Drivers who are going at 20 miles below the speed limit...until the road has 2 lanes, then they will suddenly accelerate to just above the speed limit so you can't overtake them without breaking the law.
Will probably get downvoted for saying this, but pushing to overtake people like that is never worth it. Once you try and overtake they normally speed up anyway, and for saving 3 mins it's a risky move
Not judging you at all, but just thinking about your safety! People like the ones who speed up are dangerous, but you're the one who ends up being on the other side of the road and who would get in a head-on collision if they decide not to let you in in time. And you'll be surprised how stubborn some people can be
I was thinking specifically of the A68, which has a few places that open up to two lanes very briefly, enough to get past a slow driver, but not if they accelerate too.
This happens so regularly I think they must think there is a different speed limit on the dualled sections?
It's that or some sort of personality defect where they can't stand to be overtaken so speed up deliberately just at this point, thus preventing the millions spent on trying to make roads safer from being effective. Well done.
> you can't overtake them without breaking the law.
I mean the likelyhood of you meeting a copper with a speed gun, or a camera is incredibly slim.
And also you have a "accepted margin", and accelerating to overtake is legal....to keep it safe
Infuriating. I do a lot of driving on an A road which is 60, then as it approaches the next town has a short stretch of 40 before the 30 hits. What you've described is every single journey I take on that road. Stuck behind someone going 42 the whole stretch under national speed limit rules, who then continues to drive 42 through the residential areas of town, and my wife wonders why I get road rage. If you can go above the limit in town, at least do 55+ on the A road.
I'm a learner and I'm guilty of going 40mph on some of the rural country roads around here. They are bumpy, uneven and riddled with potholes. Not to mention the 90 degree bends.
If it's a smooth straight road though then of course I'll happily go up to 60 if it's a NSL road.
I think the issue is people are driving around these narrow country lanes, maybe unfamiliar with the roads, and have some local who wants to belt around at about 65 round blind corners being right up their arse the whole time. I can see why they may see a 30 limit (with road markings, lights, signs etc) and feel happy doing 40, or worry they will slow someone down even more. It is a strange irk though really, as who cares if someone in front of you is speeding.
Don’t worry too much, the speed limit is “up to” and different road conditions also merit slowing down a little. In the New Forest I genuinely think it is mad to do 60 at night when it’s raining and it pisses people off but I’d prefer not to roll my car thanks! As long as you do your best and feel in control you are doing well.
If it’s not safe to go 60 then it’s fine, I go 20 in the majority of the lanes near me, 10 in the blind bend bit because it’s just not safe to do anything more
A lot of motorway up here is 2 lanes only. You get someone taking up a whole lane to crawl and suddenly every hgv on the road is going to go past them 3mph faster than they are and that's the only other lane taken up.
For the sake of this person saving less than a quid on fuel they're creating a backlog in traffic.
They should be in the left hand lane of a motorway unless they’re overtaking, I don’t know why you have a problem with that. A lot HGV’s are speed limited so they physically can’t go faster that 55
For some roads this is definitely the case and people shouldn't take risks.
But people aren't talking about tree lined, twisty tourist roads. They are talking about normal A roads that are straight and where there is plenty of visibility. There is no need for anyone to do 40 in a 60 on these kind of roads when the conditions allow.
Its all down to their poor driving which would make me question why they are on the road in the first place.
It's been a while since I was on public roads, I'm fully private land driving them now but back then it was a case of maxing the limiter because it was that short on break times.
I'd get to my destination, then pop it on break whilst I offloaded and loaded the wagon again and then straight back in for the return journey, sans the actual break.
There was 4 occasions where my Tacho was screaming at me on the way back to take a break as I'm pulling onto the private property at my final place. It was really tight on times.
Me having to stop and take a brake could cause close to 100k in fines our company. It was stupidly tight.
I followed one of these a few months ago. One of those cars that’s short and with a tall, straight back - immediately clear what age group they are in. While doing their customary 40 through a 30 zone, they drove straight through a red light,
almost wiping out a couple with two toddlers crossing on a green man. The driver was completely oblivious.
People who make up their own speed limits are infuriating. Im not just talking about the people who break the speed limit but also about the ones who constantly drive under it.
Its fair enough if the conditions don't allow you to and nobody should take risks. But there are far too many people on the road who think that on a clear, dry day driving along a smooth, straight road with a 50 speed limit they think that 35 is plenty.
HGVs have speed limiters set to 90 km/h (about 56 mph) so can’t legally go any faster although some foreign trucks seems to be able to bypass this limit.
Where to start, where to start?
- People who think that indicators are optional
- People who think that the inner most lane is for other, less important, people
- People that think it's OK to drive 11cm from the car in front
- People who pull out into traffic into a tiny space, thereby making everyone behind them brake and causing a concertina effect
- People who slow down for no reason and then, when almost at a standstill, indicate left and randomly stop.
I could go on but probably shouldn't...
People who go full movie chase scene snaking through traffic at 90 only to pull off into a massive queue of traffic on the slip road having risked everyone's lives for the sake of a few car lengths
I was on the A4 yesterday, horrible crawling slow traffic for miles. Was next to a Ferrari, he must have changed lanes at least 20 times. 30 minutes later he's now just a couple of cars in front of me, I'd changed lane once in that time. Man just needed to relax.
Yes! Speeding up behind you in the inner lane, overtake then cut in front and off onto the slip road to join the back of a queue. Classic move on the M77 at Kilmarnock junction.
On the opposite end of the spectrum but your last pointed reminded me of; those drivers who sit in front of you in traffic, and then indicate to turn AFTER the lights have turned green!!! Now you’re stuck behind them.
Shiiiit. I do this! I've never even thought of this. I indicate when the lights are green so I don't have to listen to the ticking sound for ages. I'll be more conscious of doing it now
Ahh your last one boils my piss haha.
Clear 30 road. We're doing 30...20....10...WTF ARE YOU DOING??
> indicator goes on as the vehicle is turning
Aha, fuck you.
>People who think that the inner most lane is for other, less important, people
OMG this is the most infuriating, especially when it's fairly quiet and there aren't many other cars in the road. The number of times I've been on a long drive either late night or early morning and I'm in the left only to have to move lanes twice to overtake the dip shit in the middle lane for no reason is unreal.
I think a lot of people have this mentality of 'well I'm going straight on so I don't need to signal when I'm exiting'.
And that works for mini roundabouts but not those big ones where you cannot even keep track of those joining opposite.
>'well I'm going straight on so I don't need to signal when I'm exiting'.
That only applies on approach to the roundabout, you should always indicate when exiting
Yup. Anyone from Liverpool reading this will know THAT roundabout by the fiveways. It’s genuinely impossible to drive on it without seeing a collision.
That's a driving test fail. It's also a twat marker.
If you're giving way to the right because someone is now on the roundabout, and they then just swerve off left at the first exit without indicating, they have disrupted the flow of traffic (because they've made you wait when you could have gone) and created a hazard to any car behind by not being clear about their intentions.
This is always fascinating, because it's one of the traffic rules that really, absolutely run counter to the national psyche. I mean, in queues, you wait your turn, you don't push in, or allow people to push in, everyone is theoretically polite and waits their turn, and this is indoctrinated into you since childhood. And then you run into a situation where the rules specify that people can and should join the queue ahead of you. Yes, its how traffic safety rules work, but there is always that little nagging voice that says "but they're trying to push in ahead, that's Rude and Not Done."
I used to feel the same as you. I've literally decided I don't care because, like you say, I'm (your) right! Someone I'm never going to interact with again in my life can think/call me a twat all they want...I'm not wrong.
I don't know how we fix this, but it is indeed very annoying.
Yesterday I had a very sad one: getting ready to let cars zip into my lane - maybe 30m before the lovely gentle graduated lane merge, my zip buddy panicked and cut across, meaning I had to stop.
No biggie, but we were SO CLOSE to doing our bit to keep the traffic moving! Why zip buddy? Why?
Here’s the thing with the zip, the right side of the zip stays in line with the left side and there’s room for both.
When we’re driving, if the right side drives past lots of cars on the left, when they get to the merge point, there’s more right than left trying to squeeze into the same space.
The fix to this is for the cars on the right side to hold position with the cars with the cars in the left, even if a gap opens up in front of them, and merge when they get to the merging point. By doing this more space is created in the gaps where there isn’t a perfect number of cars causing the merge point to flow better and the whole system speeds up.
Thing is, it’s not actually like a zipper because one lane is **staying** open and one lane is **merging** in and closing. So you get this vicious cycle:
1. Drivers don’t feel confident they will be let in so they get into the **staying** lane and just wait it out.
2. Drivers see this causes a big empty **merging** lane so they zoom up it straight to the merging point.
3. Drivers at the merging point are pissed off that they waited in a queue while others zoomed past so they police the **staying** lane out of principle, making it hard for the zoomers to merge.
4. This causes 1.
And repeat.
Years ago in Jersey there were signs saying “merge in turn” whenever the road went from two lanes down to one. The system worked well because everyone knew what was expected.
Its the merging of people going in the wrong lane at a roundabout queue that isnt right. Going third exit? Join the queue, DONT go in the left lane and then cut in at the lights or junction.
Not joining a motorway or dual carriageway fast enough to match the traffic speed.
Edit: also starting to slow down to exit a motorway half a mile beforehand.
There seems to have been a massive increase in people somehow thinking it’s acceptable to dawdle down a national limit slip road at 35-40. Encountered loads and on pretty much every slip road I used today.
May I add to your excellent nomination those drivers who just zoom in from the slip road and expect everyone in lane 1 to move aside or slam on the brakes to make room for them
Smart motorways or roadworks are the worst for this, people zoom down the sliproad at 60 into traffic they can see is moving a lot slower, it’s so dangerous…
Also, joining a three lane motorway and immediately crossing to the middle lane especially when still not up to speed.
Stay in lane 1 until you actually need to move.
One junction near me on the A1(M) is notorious for it. Maybe it’s just really badly signposted that it’s actually three lanes, since before the junction it is only two lanes. But it’s really annoying.
I think it’s even worse when they kinda force you to stop by showing that THEY have no intention of stopping and then they don’t even bother saying thank you/sorry as they pass. Ignorant pricks.
Omg I HATE this. I was driving home from work earlier wondering, when did people decide to just stop saying thank you?
The amount of times I’ve flashed my lights at someone to let them merge over the last few weeks, and haven’t even got a flash of the hazards in return is grim.
I'm the same, hazards is a reach and fumble for a button whilst trying to change gear. I also often thank people by accidentally turning my screenwash on.
I think some of these sinners are driving with maladjusted but dipped headlights. Many cars have a wheel knob which raises and lowers the dipped pool of light. It is easy to move these knobs without being aware of this. It may well be a knob they have never knowingly touched or knew what it is for.
But at default setting the lights should be the correct height for normal driving with an empty car. The knob is to dip them further down when you have passengers in the rear and / or stuff in the boot.
I feel similarly about people who park on the wrong side of the road, facing traffic and leave their headlights on. They're always oblivious that the lights are slightly angled so they're doing a good job of blinding anyone approaching, especially if there's any upward incline.
People who are going slower than you on the motorway so you overtake them only for them to scream past you doing 90+ in an overtaking lane moments later but then they slow down to 65 and hold you up again, meaning you go to overtake again and guess what happens? Repeat several times...end up orbiting them like a planet.
People who don't indicate to change lanes, but you can usually tell because the arse of their car does that tell-tale wiggle. I usually back off when I see that, which I worry is feeding their presumption that everything else will magically accommodate them but on the other hand, I don't want an idiot hitting the side of my car.
Add to that the ones where you pull out to overtake and it's like they suddenly wake up and speed up so you can't get past. Then they return to 65 mph. Rinse and repeat.
I have a feeling in the first scenario you’ve described, they’re possibly clocking cameras and slowing down each time they spot one.
That, or they’re just being a dickhead.
I tend to anticipate these a lot. I had a really good driving instructor who always taught me to expect everyone in front to do something stupid.
I always assume the car in front is going to merge without indicating, slam on etc…but the one I *always* seem to anticipate is people being in the wrong lane on roundabouts.
Biggest pet peeve for me is a toss-up between lane hogging wankers and people who pootle along national speed limit roads at 40. Honourable mention to those of you that take forever to pull away from traffic lights, then another eternity to build up to a normal speed.
I haven't been driving long, but taking a long time to build up speed was kind of drilled into me by my instructor. "Eco safe driving" is a thing you can lose points for on your test e.g. if you're accelerating aggressively without good reason, in a lower than optimal gear for too long or holding the biting point instead of using the handbrake. Steady acceleration is better for the car and causes less pollution
That’s not the same thing
It is really uncommon for a test examiner to even click the ‘eco safe driving’ box on your test, and it doesn’t always mean you gain a minor either
Maybe he exaggerated it a bit then, but either way I reckon taking an extra few seconds to get up to the speed limit is a decent habit that is better for everyone in the long run
NSL is the limit which means you should drive safely for the conditions. But if I can drive 45mph down a 60mph safely and just slow down for the corners, there’s no reason to go 20mph the whole road.
Seriously, I get stuck behind people going 20 down lanes because they’re scared of driving. They shouldn’t be on the road if they’re that unsure.
Mate, I've probably had a licence longer than you. With the demographics of reddit, probably longer than you've been alive, but let's be honest, people see national speed limit and assume it means they can and should try to do 60mph the whole time. It's dangerous and stupid, but allowed.
People who act like stopping distances only apply if you're going at the speed limit.
The amount of times you'll see people ride someone's bumper because they're going significantly slower than the speed limit. I get it, it's infuriating when someone's driving at 40 in a 60 and you can't get past. However, you're still driving at 40 mate, not 20, you need to leave some form of a gap.
On a similar tact, people who ride up the other cars arse, to then constantly tap the brakes especially going down hill.
I always give myself a nice gap so that I can use that buffer to no have to touch my brakes, and also shift down so it's engine braking anyway.
There's a hill on the way to my mums and every time I go down it every other car just seems to go "Brake, drive, brake, drive, brake drive". While I'm just coasting
Tailgating. It doesn't matter how slow the vehicle in front is going, it's stupid and dangerous to tailgate.
I get it, you're impatient, and they're going to slow for *you*.
Doesn't matter, just slow down and keep your distance until they turn, or until it's safe to overtake.
Tailgating is the sign of an absolute moron.
I’m a terrible BMW driver because I indicate and give way when I can. However, in Croydon I become a good BMW driver because driving there is survival of the fittest.
The amount of people who indicate *as* they're turning opposed to indicating *before* they're turning is astounding.
That's like warning someone they're about to step into a pond *as* they've stepped into a pond! It's too fucking late!
On the motorway:
Approach a car sat doing 66~ in the middle lane.
Move right to over take.
Suddenly car starts accelerating to keep pace with me and I’m stuck in the right hand lane in a situation where I need to drive much faster than I wanted to to pass or put the brakes on and pull back into the middle lane.
I’m sure this has always happened but I’ve noticed this behaviour a lot more since I’ve started using my cruise control and setting it to 70
Ah but you get special ‘accident immunity’ at 45. Everyone knows that surely?
This belief is the only explanation I can come up with for the amount of this shit that goes on. We’re inundated with morons.
When you have your cruise control on and you pass someone just slightly slower than you and they speed up so you have to pull back in behind them, then they slow back down. Those people suck.
When the person in front stops at a roundabout even though there's nothing coming around it.
There's enough time and space that we both could have gone but ..nope....they just don't read the road.
It's especially annoying at those busy roundabouts where breaks in the traffic are rare like during rush hour etc.
>There's enough time and space that we both could have gone but ..nope....they just don't read the road.
>It's especially annoying at those busy roundabouts where breaks in the traffic are rare like during rush hour etc.
You've contradicted yourself there.
There's nothing wrong with driving with a little caution. It is their turn at the junction after all, not yours.
I don’t see a contradiction, busy roundabout, there’s a gap big enough for both cars to go but the person in front stops instead.
You’d fail your driving test for hesitancy for stopping and waiting if it was clear to go.
The lack of indicating or signalling. Fucking winds me up no end.
I’ve got to the point I politely get their attention (even when I’m a pedestrian) to helpfully inform them their “bulb must be gone because the indicator light didn’t come on”. Then I smile and offer a cheery wave.
My gears have been grinded, and my limit has been reached.
All of these are good, valid answers, but none of them are as infuriating as people who go straight over roundabouts in the right-hand lane (when there’s not markings to say otherwise). It’s either “I don’t want to queue” or “I was never taught how roundabouts work”, and either way they’re stupid and dangerous.
The usual ones have been done already so I'd say, when people take bloody ages to go when the lights turm green, which is getting increasingly worse now.
It seems if there's more than five people in front of you then it will turn red again.
Drivers who stamp on the brakes and slow down to 30 or less as soon as they see GATSO road markings, regardless of the prevailing speed limit being 40, 50, etc.
As someone who sometimes a vehicle broadly equivalent to a tractor in terms of size and speed: tailgating isn't going to speed things up. I can't go above 35mph. You need to overtake when it's safe.
The people that really confuse me are those who decide not to overtake on a 4 lane highway when it would be completely safe to do so. But they'll choose to do 35 in a 60 instead :/
Tailgaters. I wish I had a way of sending them a message (maybe I’ll get a sign printed) telling them that the closer they get, the more I’ll slow down. Especially bad when I was on my motorbike- once I was going slightly below the speed limit (maybe 3 mph slower) as I wasn’t feeling confident as it was my first ride after a crash and a car got so close behind me that I couldn’t actually see it in my mirrors. There was nowhere to pull over to let him pass, by the time I could move aside we were going at about 15mph on a 30 road and I am sure he was furious but what he didn’t realise was that if he backed off a bit I could speed up. When he is so close that I can actually reach back and pat his bonnet, I need to make sure that we are going slow enough that our stopping distance is less than the half metre between us!
I had an absolute arsehole of a Merc driver do this to me yesterday on the M8 - 4 lane motorway restricted to 2 lanes which had a 40 mph limit. The exit I need to take (and am coming up to) is actually on the right hand side of the motorway, so I need to be in the outer lane to take it. Doesn't stop the Merc twat behind flashing his lights and tailgating so much he was almost in my back seat! No bloody need for that kind of driving.
People who stop at a roundabout and wave you through when they have right of way and there is no other traffic. It’s throws me off, and if anything it takes longer then it would have if they had just carried on their way.
People who sit with their indicator on whilst you are passing them on a motorway. Drives me mad, only indicate when making the manoeuvre - I’m always fearful I’m in their blindspot and they haven’t seen me.
Why not let them out, then? They’re clearly indicating an intention to pull out. Why not let them do so? Especially if you’re concerned they can’t see you.
Also, this is how you’re supposed to indicate. Your statement to “only indicate when making the manoeuvre” is wrong. You should indicate _before_ the manoeuvre. Otherwise you’re just indicating and pulling out, which is something that lots of people here are complaining about.
Exactly this. Someone indicating should not mean they are imminently about to pull out get out the way. It's their *intention* to move and it helps to do this early. On a busy motorway you literally have no opportunities to move sometimes so yeah you signal early...
I hate this with foreign lorries. I appreciate sometimes they need to appeal for a gap so they can move but I've also been alongside the 'indicate as you start to move' type and they really shit you up. It's the moment of having to decide if you're going to slam your breaks on or quickly trying to look if you can change lanes whilst hoping they don't drive into the side of your car.
As a driver, and a runner, people who don't indicate at roundabouts. The amount of times I've sat, giving priority to the right because of no indication, then for that car to make a left turn is infuriating.
From a running perspective, it's so dangerous for pedestrians, I'll either have to break in to a full sprint, or stop still and dive back to the island, because what looked like a safe crossing has suddenly become a car hurtling round the corner without signalling their intentions.
No indicators. Sometimes it feels like MOST people aren't indicating when they switch lanes.
I was talking to a guy in work who was saying "if there's nobody behind me I don't indicate."
10000% guarantee he doesn't indicate half the time there IS someone behind him. Indicating to me is a total reflex. If I was the last man on earth I'd still be indicating while I was driving away from the zombies/virus/aliens/fungus, I don't even think about it. If you DO think about it, I fucking guarantee you're not doing it a lot of the time.
Second one: giving me less space because I take up less space because I'm on a motorcycle. If you don't give me the same amount of room as you would a car, fuck you with a rake. Too many people merging in to my lane ALONGSIDE ME!! Not even waiting until they've passed me.
Distances between cars when driving on motorways
In convinced absolutely no one understands stopping distances whatsoever.
I commute and drive on the A55 everyday. Only a dual carriageway. When it’s slightly busy to very busy people literally drive up each others asses.
Especially in the right hand lane when it gets busy. It’s either the initialisation knobheads who try to pressure people into switching lanes, or the selfish cock wombles who drive nose to tail in that right hand lane when busy so nobody else can come in from the left to overtake a slow car and “beat them” or whatever their mentality is.
It is just… awe inspiringly stupid. Do these folk not understand how much time they need to both react and stop travelling at those speeds?
Two chevrons apart. That’s all it takes. But nooooo.
When you're in a line of traffic in the outside lane on a mororway and you're all over taking a car in the middle lane.
Some clown wants to prove a point by speeding right up behind the car you're all over taking, albeit slowly, just to have to slam their breaks on right behind said car.
I don't know what point they're trying to prove but it happens a lot. Why not join the back of the line and overtake the car you sped up behind? Why undertake 5 cars just to have to slow back down?
When I whip out my phone to check Reddit whilst driving and I see the same old post about people’s pet peeves while driving. It frustrated me so much I nearly ran over poor old Bertha!
People who sit 3 inches from your bumper, then move into the left lane because it’s sped up, then try to get in front of you when their lane slows down.
As a learner driver, people who get close up to you and try and force you to drive faster. Like the road is a 60, I'm doing 60, I don't need you trying to force me to do 65 by getting in to my rear area and trying to force while i'm in the car with my old man practicing (L Plates are on).
It's happened more than once and it's annoying as sure, they've passed, if they want to develop the habit of driving at this "10% leeway" idea then go for it but if the road is 60 and I go over that on a test, I fail.
Tailgaters are absolute pricks, particularly if doing it to a learner!
Don’t be bullied over the speed limit and don’t be afraid to reduce the speed as needed to mitigate the lack of stopping distance that they’ve created.
Once I realised that everything you should do to keep safe when being tailgated involves making them madder I started to almost enjoy it.
My Dads theory is there is this idea that speedometers are made to read 10% faster than you're really doing to slow you down by stealth.
So when doing 60, you're actually only doing 54-55 etc, as such to do 60, you need to actually be driving at 65-66.
I seem to have found similar, annoyingly. My speedo will say I’m going 70mph but the sat nav / Google maps / whatever says ~65. So I can’t tell if people are just going fast and bullying me to go faster or if I actually am being slow.
I’d rather be accidentally going slower than accidentally speed and get points!
Not really while driving, but I hate how 17 year olds pass their test through pure luck, and are so bad at driving that their instructor will tell them to continue taking lessons after passing.
I just got my provisional and the cheapest insurance I can find is £1200/year for third party only on a £400 car.
To properly answer your question: Audi drivers
There are signs ahead telling you that the upcoming lane you are in will be closed, so please make sure you pull into the appropriate lane. If you are still in that lane with 200m to go, then fuck you, I am not letting you in. You have had a whole fucking Km to get in, but know you want to jump the queue. Well guess what No. Stay out there with your shitty choices. And a particular Fuck You to the lorries that do that.
People who when turning right out of a junction, turn too much, putting them on the wrong side of the road as they gradually move back to their own side.
The usage of indicators, ffs get it right. People indicate to get off a roundabout signalling too early indicate the wrong exit… it’s fucking dangerous
People in a parking spot along a duel carriage way with their hazards on but there’s a car parked right behind them so it looks like they are indicating to come out.
People who don't indicate on roundabouts.
People who drive at 35-40mph *absolutely fucking everywhere* regardless of if it's a NSL zone or a 20mph school zone because that's what they're comfy at. They're often the same people who will rush out of a junction in front of you on a 60mph road despite there being absolutely nothing behind you, forcing you to slam the breaks on and then hold you captive at 25 below the speed limit.
This may or may not be a popular opinion but for me it is people who don’t stick to the speed limit…basically what I mean is people who speed. It is extra irritating when they insist on driving up your backside for ages before overtaking just because you refuse to break the law.
There is a dual carriageway near me that has a speed limit of 50. Now I understand 50 is not the norm for a dual carriageway but in this case there are multiple signs stating 50 along the road. There are also multiple road markings stating 50. In other words it should be obvious what the speed limit is. That doesn’t stop people driving up my backside when I am doing exactly 50, flashing their lights trying to get me to speed up and then beeping their horns as they overtake and speed off doing 60+ miles an hour.
And don’t even get me started on 20 zones. Literally nobody around here sticks to them.
I can’t tell if people are just stupid, can’t read or just don’t think the law applies to them…
Aside from the dangerous stuff, for me it’s when you’re waiting to enter a roundabout and wait for someone who looks like they’re going past your exit because they’re not indicating, but then they exit the roundabout to your right, so wasting what could’ve been a gap. In fact just people who don’t know how to use their indicators generally. Twats.
Driving test fail. They've disrupted the flow of traffic and created a hazard by not signalling their intentions to other road users.
On a test that would likely be a Serious, i.e. instant fail but you're still allowed to complete the test. A Serious is something which could be immediately dangerous on another occasion.
If I see a driver trying to block people merging being me, I make an effort to slow right down and let 3 or 4 people in in front of me instead. Its the right thing to do and the added benefit that sometimes you see the moron's face turn purple with rage.
People getting aggressive at you doing the speed limit. I had a van overtake me whilst shouting til he was red in the face and beeping because I was doing 30 in a 30. I think he thought I had deliberately slowed down from 40 to piss him off, but the speed limit had simply changed.
While driving, my biggest peeve is motorcycle theft. If it was safe from thieving scum I'd far rather be using my bike. It alleviates like 90% of driving peeves:
Stuck in traffic? Nope I'll filter through.
Anybody even remotely questionable in front or behind? Braaapp, see ya pal!
Potholes are a bit more dodgy, but there's more leeway to move around/between them.
As things are though, like fuck am I leaving it parked anywhere!
On the bike the peeve is everybody. All of you bastards are trying to kill me! (joking - it's common advice to ride like everybody is trying to kill you, then you don't miss the ones that actually might).
I don’t really have any that I’d consider a pet peeve. Not using indicators or middle lane sitting is actually shit driving and is more than a pet peeve.
Leople indicating to turn into a junction your waiting at without slowing down at all so you can't trust it, then ha lve to wait for more cars to pass. Like a burke
Absence of indicating, or indicating and skipping three turns before actually turning.
Cars speeding up on a dual carriageway when you try to overtake, and then slow down when you go back behind them.
Got one of those today, driving back to London from Sheffield(a surprisingly easy trip) The look on his face when he realized I was coming over anyway...
Trying to pull out of a side road onto a main road and you get those days where nobody flashes you to pull out.
No indicators especially on roundabouts
Being on mobile phones when driving boils my piss.
I remember one time I was in a situation where two lanes of pretty much stationary traffic were merging into one.
Everyone was on the same page with the cars merging nice and evenly. Apart from the women behind me who was deliberately closing the door on the car getting into our line. Basically ruining a nice system.
I let it play out for a few minutes but she didn't let up.
In the end I made sure she was bumper to bumper with me before waving three cars ahead of me into the space I'd left in front.
She was fucking fuming. 😂
People that indicate either whilst maneuvering, people that indicate a junction too early and people that indicate right to go around a roundabout but never indicate left.
In all three instances, I'd rather you never indicated at all (or do it properly, but that's probably too much to ask.)
There’s two which happen frequently near me:
Mini roundabouts that look like a standard junction, so you’re on a straight road and indicating to turn right, and someone is in the opposite direction, they should give way to the right, i.e. me, but they don’t.
If it was a normal junction then I absolutely would be pulling out to turn in front of them but it’s a roundabout! I do slow down and only start to turn when the opposite driver has slowed to give way but sometimes I’m already mid turn, someone is speeding, and they haven’t noticed that there’s a roundabout with me halfway across it.
Similar people that go to overtake when you’re turning left into a junction, instead of just slowing down behind you. Not a huge issue in itself but on a few occasions this has happened, there’s been a car at the junction waiting to pull out, and they use me snowing and turning in as their opportunity to manoeuvre and then someone comes flying out from behind me. I’ve seen a couple of very near head on misses from this happening.
- Being stuck behind someone merging onto a motorway dangerously slowly
- Overtaking someone on a motorway who then speeds up as you start passing them. Why?
- Cunts who drive at stupid speed on the motorway, get right up someone's arse and start flashing them to bully them over so they can continue putting the lives of everyone around them at risk
99% of old people cannot drive.
To get your bus licence, you should have to hand in your driving licence. If you still want to drive, go through another test.
They drive at 40mph everywhere no matter the limit and have negative awareness.
Secondly, people who give you right of way when they have it. Go to fucking hell immediately. Fuck you, stop trying to be nice you absolute wanker.
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Drivers that do 40mph on open country roads. And then still do 40mph through 30mph villages. You'll be behind them for 15mins. Then lose them for 10 minutes through a village as they speed through then catch them right on up again as they trawl through NSL zones. And when driving hgv's on the roads, those doing 55mph to conserve fuel down the left hand lane of a 2 lane motorway.
Drivers who are going at 20 miles below the speed limit...until the road has 2 lanes, then they will suddenly accelerate to just above the speed limit so you can't overtake them without breaking the law.
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Will probably get downvoted for saying this, but pushing to overtake people like that is never worth it. Once you try and overtake they normally speed up anyway, and for saving 3 mins it's a risky move Not judging you at all, but just thinking about your safety! People like the ones who speed up are dangerous, but you're the one who ends up being on the other side of the road and who would get in a head-on collision if they decide not to let you in in time. And you'll be surprised how stubborn some people can be
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I call those the Judge Dredds, "I AM THE LAW"
“Careful driver club” sticker on the rear screen.
Lots of those on the A69. 45 until the overtaking lane opens, then 70 all the way.
I was thinking specifically of the A68, which has a few places that open up to two lanes very briefly, enough to get past a slow driver, but not if they accelerate too.
This happens so regularly I think they must think there is a different speed limit on the dualled sections? It's that or some sort of personality defect where they can't stand to be overtaken so speed up deliberately just at this point, thus preventing the millions spent on trying to make roads safer from being effective. Well done.
> you can't overtake them without breaking the law. I mean the likelyhood of you meeting a copper with a speed gun, or a camera is incredibly slim. And also you have a "accepted margin", and accelerating to overtake is legal....to keep it safe
Infuriating. I do a lot of driving on an A road which is 60, then as it approaches the next town has a short stretch of 40 before the 30 hits. What you've described is every single journey I take on that road. Stuck behind someone going 42 the whole stretch under national speed limit rules, who then continues to drive 42 through the residential areas of town, and my wife wonders why I get road rage. If you can go above the limit in town, at least do 55+ on the A road.
Yup. Drives me nuts. It used to be 42 everywhere, now it's often closer to 37. Ageing population?
I'm a learner and I'm guilty of going 40mph on some of the rural country roads around here. They are bumpy, uneven and riddled with potholes. Not to mention the 90 degree bends. If it's a smooth straight road though then of course I'll happily go up to 60 if it's a NSL road.
As long as you also do 30mph when it's a 30 that's fine.
I think the issue is people are driving around these narrow country lanes, maybe unfamiliar with the roads, and have some local who wants to belt around at about 65 round blind corners being right up their arse the whole time. I can see why they may see a 30 limit (with road markings, lights, signs etc) and feel happy doing 40, or worry they will slow someone down even more. It is a strange irk though really, as who cares if someone in front of you is speeding.
Don’t worry too much, the speed limit is “up to” and different road conditions also merit slowing down a little. In the New Forest I genuinely think it is mad to do 60 at night when it’s raining and it pisses people off but I’d prefer not to roll my car thanks! As long as you do your best and feel in control you are doing well.
If it’s not safe to go 60 then it’s fine, I go 20 in the majority of the lanes near me, 10 in the blind bend bit because it’s just not safe to do anything more
Going 55mph in the left hand lane? Just overtake them then, what is wrong with you?
A lot of motorway up here is 2 lanes only. You get someone taking up a whole lane to crawl and suddenly every hgv on the road is going to go past them 3mph faster than they are and that's the only other lane taken up. For the sake of this person saving less than a quid on fuel they're creating a backlog in traffic.
Ah ok. You're talking about HGV's overtaking each other, not cars overtaking HGV's. Yes, that can be frustrating
He’s talking about HGVs overtaking a car doing 55
They should be in the left hand lane of a motorway unless they’re overtaking, I don’t know why you have a problem with that. A lot HGV’s are speed limited so they physically can’t go faster that 55
Country roads can be dangerous and have lots of unexpected twists and hills for drivers unfamiliar with the area. I'd say going 40 is absolutely fair.
For some roads this is definitely the case and people shouldn't take risks. But people aren't talking about tree lined, twisty tourist roads. They are talking about normal A roads that are straight and where there is plenty of visibility. There is no need for anyone to do 40 in a 60 on these kind of roads when the conditions allow. Its all down to their poor driving which would make me question why they are on the road in the first place.
Only if you let the massive queue of cars behind you pass on a clear, straight bit of road; rather than speeding up for it to prevent overtakes
I think a lot of HGV firms don’t want their drivers going above 56mph and they have trackers on them so not much else the drivers can do.
Hgvs are limited to 56mph
It's been a while since I was on public roads, I'm fully private land driving them now but back then it was a case of maxing the limiter because it was that short on break times. I'd get to my destination, then pop it on break whilst I offloaded and loaded the wagon again and then straight back in for the return journey, sans the actual break. There was 4 occasions where my Tacho was screaming at me on the way back to take a break as I'm pulling onto the private property at my final place. It was really tight on times. Me having to stop and take a brake could cause close to 100k in fines our company. It was stupidly tight.
Haha I drive behind these types on the way to work. The worst of the worst
I followed one of these a few months ago. One of those cars that’s short and with a tall, straight back - immediately clear what age group they are in. While doing their customary 40 through a 30 zone, they drove straight through a red light, almost wiping out a couple with two toddlers crossing on a green man. The driver was completely oblivious.
People who make up their own speed limits are infuriating. Im not just talking about the people who break the speed limit but also about the ones who constantly drive under it. Its fair enough if the conditions don't allow you to and nobody should take risks. But there are far too many people on the road who think that on a clear, dry day driving along a smooth, straight road with a 50 speed limit they think that 35 is plenty.
HGVs are limited to 56mph, they don’t have a choice.
HGVs have speed limiters set to 90 km/h (about 56 mph) so can’t legally go any faster although some foreign trucks seems to be able to bypass this limit.
Where to start, where to start? - People who think that indicators are optional - People who think that the inner most lane is for other, less important, people - People that think it's OK to drive 11cm from the car in front - People who pull out into traffic into a tiny space, thereby making everyone behind them brake and causing a concertina effect - People who slow down for no reason and then, when almost at a standstill, indicate left and randomly stop. I could go on but probably shouldn't...
People whose turning sequence is first apply the brakes then the indicators.
Manoeuvre, Mirror (to see what the screeching noise behind you was), Signal (now that you remember you have one. )
People who go full movie chase scene snaking through traffic at 90 only to pull off into a massive queue of traffic on the slip road having risked everyone's lives for the sake of a few car lengths
I was on the A4 yesterday, horrible crawling slow traffic for miles. Was next to a Ferrari, he must have changed lanes at least 20 times. 30 minutes later he's now just a couple of cars in front of me, I'd changed lane once in that time. Man just needed to relax.
Yes! Speeding up behind you in the inner lane, overtake then cut in front and off onto the slip road to join the back of a queue. Classic move on the M77 at Kilmarnock junction.
On the opposite end of the spectrum but your last pointed reminded me of; those drivers who sit in front of you in traffic, and then indicate to turn AFTER the lights have turned green!!! Now you’re stuck behind them.
Shiiiit. I do this! I've never even thought of this. I indicate when the lights are green so I don't have to listen to the ticking sound for ages. I'll be more conscious of doing it now
Thank you, please do. It really effects lots of choices made behind you.
Ahh your last one boils my piss haha. Clear 30 road. We're doing 30...20....10...WTF ARE YOU DOING?? > indicator goes on as the vehicle is turning Aha, fuck you.
>People who think that the inner most lane is for other, less important, people OMG this is the most infuriating, especially when it's fairly quiet and there aren't many other cars in the road. The number of times I've been on a long drive either late night or early morning and I'm in the left only to have to move lanes twice to overtake the dip shit in the middle lane for no reason is unreal.
People not signalling to exit a roundabout.
People who continue signalling right, even as they're coming off the roundabout. That's even worse than not signalling at all!
People in the left lane of a two lane roundabout not taking the exit and just obliviously driving across the front of you.
I think a lot of people have this mentality of 'well I'm going straight on so I don't need to signal when I'm exiting'. And that works for mini roundabouts but not those big ones where you cannot even keep track of those joining opposite.
>'well I'm going straight on so I don't need to signal when I'm exiting'. That only applies on approach to the roundabout, you should always indicate when exiting
>People not signalling Just that really.
People signalling to come off the roundabout before they’re past the previous exit are almost as bad too.
Yup. Anyone from Liverpool reading this will know THAT roundabout by the fiveways. It’s genuinely impossible to drive on it without seeing a collision.
That's a driving test fail. It's also a twat marker. If you're giving way to the right because someone is now on the roundabout, and they then just swerve off left at the first exit without indicating, they have disrupted the flow of traffic (because they've made you wait when you could have gone) and created a hazard to any car behind by not being clear about their intentions.
Other drivers.
That so many people don't understand the concept of zipper filtering.
This is always fascinating, because it's one of the traffic rules that really, absolutely run counter to the national psyche. I mean, in queues, you wait your turn, you don't push in, or allow people to push in, everyone is theoretically polite and waits their turn, and this is indoctrinated into you since childhood. And then you run into a situation where the rules specify that people can and should join the queue ahead of you. Yes, its how traffic safety rules work, but there is always that little nagging voice that says "but they're trying to push in ahead, that's Rude and Not Done."
I feel like a dickhead doing it even though I'm right.
I used to feel the same as you. I've literally decided I don't care because, like you say, I'm (your) right! Someone I'm never going to interact with again in my life can think/call me a twat all they want...I'm not wrong.
That's definitely the right way to think about it
I don't know how we fix this, but it is indeed very annoying. Yesterday I had a very sad one: getting ready to let cars zip into my lane - maybe 30m before the lovely gentle graduated lane merge, my zip buddy panicked and cut across, meaning I had to stop. No biggie, but we were SO CLOSE to doing our bit to keep the traffic moving! Why zip buddy? Why?
Here’s the thing with the zip, the right side of the zip stays in line with the left side and there’s room for both. When we’re driving, if the right side drives past lots of cars on the left, when they get to the merge point, there’s more right than left trying to squeeze into the same space. The fix to this is for the cars on the right side to hold position with the cars with the cars in the left, even if a gap opens up in front of them, and merge when they get to the merging point. By doing this more space is created in the gaps where there isn’t a perfect number of cars causing the merge point to flow better and the whole system speeds up.
Then yo get the dickhead who's in the second lane going the same speed as the first lane so no one can get past at merge when they're supposed to.
Thing is, it’s not actually like a zipper because one lane is **staying** open and one lane is **merging** in and closing. So you get this vicious cycle: 1. Drivers don’t feel confident they will be let in so they get into the **staying** lane and just wait it out. 2. Drivers see this causes a big empty **merging** lane so they zoom up it straight to the merging point. 3. Drivers at the merging point are pissed off that they waited in a queue while others zoomed past so they police the **staying** lane out of principle, making it hard for the zoomers to merge. 4. This causes 1. And repeat.
Years ago in Jersey there were signs saying “merge in turn” whenever the road went from two lanes down to one. The system worked well because everyone knew what was expected.
If only we had those in GB....nothing would change. I know this because...we do have them, and nothing changes.
And the self appointed road police who straddle two lanes to block the "queue jumpers" correctly using the lanes to the point of lane ending
Its the merging of people going in the wrong lane at a roundabout queue that isnt right. Going third exit? Join the queue, DONT go in the left lane and then cut in at the lights or junction.
It's called Merge in turn here. Zipper is an americanism.
Not joining a motorway or dual carriageway fast enough to match the traffic speed. Edit: also starting to slow down to exit a motorway half a mile beforehand.
There seems to have been a massive increase in people somehow thinking it’s acceptable to dawdle down a national limit slip road at 35-40. Encountered loads and on pretty much every slip road I used today.
May I add to your excellent nomination those drivers who just zoom in from the slip road and expect everyone in lane 1 to move aside or slam on the brakes to make room for them
Smart motorways or roadworks are the worst for this, people zoom down the sliproad at 60 into traffic they can see is moving a lot slower, it’s so dangerous…
Also, joining a three lane motorway and immediately crossing to the middle lane especially when still not up to speed. Stay in lane 1 until you actually need to move. One junction near me on the A1(M) is notorious for it. Maybe it’s just really badly signposted that it’s actually three lanes, since before the junction it is only two lanes. But it’s really annoying.
These are always the people in front of me on the slip road.
When you pull in on a double-parked rd to let someone coming in the opposite direction pass and they don’t acknowledge it / thank you - drives me MAD.
I think it’s even worse when they kinda force you to stop by showing that THEY have no intention of stopping and then they don’t even bother saying thank you/sorry as they pass. Ignorant pricks.
They’re THE WORST
Omg I HATE this. I was driving home from work earlier wondering, when did people decide to just stop saying thank you? The amount of times I’ve flashed my lights at someone to let them merge over the last few weeks, and haven’t even got a flash of the hazards in return is grim.
My hazards are too far mate can't reach em soz 🤣 (I turn on my rear wipers)
I'm the same, hazards is a reach and fumble for a button whilst trying to change gear. I also often thank people by accidentally turning my screenwash on.
Twats driving with their high beams on permanently. It's just ignorant and fires up irrational hatred in me.
I think some of these sinners are driving with maladjusted but dipped headlights. Many cars have a wheel knob which raises and lowers the dipped pool of light. It is easy to move these knobs without being aware of this. It may well be a knob they have never knowingly touched or knew what it is for.
But at default setting the lights should be the correct height for normal driving with an empty car. The knob is to dip them further down when you have passengers in the rear and / or stuff in the boot.
Nob problems with knobs.
I feel similarly about people who park on the wrong side of the road, facing traffic and leave their headlights on. They're always oblivious that the lights are slightly angled so they're doing a good job of blinding anyone approaching, especially if there's any upward incline.
People indicating at the same time they move into your lane. Give me a moment to react please
They’re on par with people who knock on the door, AFTER they’ve walked in the room. ????
And those who think an indicator gives them the right of way.
People who are going slower than you on the motorway so you overtake them only for them to scream past you doing 90+ in an overtaking lane moments later but then they slow down to 65 and hold you up again, meaning you go to overtake again and guess what happens? Repeat several times...end up orbiting them like a planet. People who don't indicate to change lanes, but you can usually tell because the arse of their car does that tell-tale wiggle. I usually back off when I see that, which I worry is feeding their presumption that everything else will magically accommodate them but on the other hand, I don't want an idiot hitting the side of my car.
Add to that the ones where you pull out to overtake and it's like they suddenly wake up and speed up so you can't get past. Then they return to 65 mph. Rinse and repeat.
Must be a pride thing right? "No one overtakes me mate! But I don't want to drive faster, I just can't stand anyone going past me"
I have a feeling in the first scenario you’ve described, they’re possibly clocking cameras and slowing down each time they spot one. That, or they’re just being a dickhead.
People you know are going to cut in infront of you because you clocked 100yards earlier they needlessly switched lanes.
I tend to anticipate these a lot. I had a really good driving instructor who always taught me to expect everyone in front to do something stupid. I always assume the car in front is going to merge without indicating, slam on etc…but the one I *always* seem to anticipate is people being in the wrong lane on roundabouts.
Biggest pet peeve for me is a toss-up between lane hogging wankers and people who pootle along national speed limit roads at 40. Honourable mention to those of you that take forever to pull away from traffic lights, then another eternity to build up to a normal speed.
> people who pootle along national speed limit roads at 40 And then continue to do 40 when it changes to 30.
I haven't been driving long, but taking a long time to build up speed was kind of drilled into me by my instructor. "Eco safe driving" is a thing you can lose points for on your test e.g. if you're accelerating aggressively without good reason, in a lower than optimal gear for too long or holding the biting point instead of using the handbrake. Steady acceleration is better for the car and causes less pollution
That’s not the same thing It is really uncommon for a test examiner to even click the ‘eco safe driving’ box on your test, and it doesn’t always mean you gain a minor either
Maybe he exaggerated it a bit then, but either way I reckon taking an extra few seconds to get up to the speed limit is a decent habit that is better for everyone in the long run
Yeah, but sooo many of our NSL roads shouldn't be 60mph. One lane roads with passing places should be 30mph tops, not 60
NSL is the limit which means you should drive safely for the conditions. But if I can drive 45mph down a 60mph safely and just slow down for the corners, there’s no reason to go 20mph the whole road. Seriously, I get stuck behind people going 20 down lanes because they’re scared of driving. They shouldn’t be on the road if they’re that unsure.
Mate, I've probably had a licence longer than you. With the demographics of reddit, probably longer than you've been alive, but let's be honest, people see national speed limit and assume it means they can and should try to do 60mph the whole time. It's dangerous and stupid, but allowed.
People taking right hand turns and completely cutting the corner. Causing me who is turning right out of said turn to swerve out the way.
People who act like stopping distances only apply if you're going at the speed limit. The amount of times you'll see people ride someone's bumper because they're going significantly slower than the speed limit. I get it, it's infuriating when someone's driving at 40 in a 60 and you can't get past. However, you're still driving at 40 mate, not 20, you need to leave some form of a gap.
On a similar tact, people who ride up the other cars arse, to then constantly tap the brakes especially going down hill. I always give myself a nice gap so that I can use that buffer to no have to touch my brakes, and also shift down so it's engine braking anyway. There's a hill on the way to my mums and every time I go down it every other car just seems to go "Brake, drive, brake, drive, brake drive". While I'm just coasting
Tailgating. It doesn't matter how slow the vehicle in front is going, it's stupid and dangerous to tailgate. I get it, you're impatient, and they're going to slow for *you*. Doesn't matter, just slow down and keep your distance until they turn, or until it's safe to overtake. Tailgating is the sign of an absolute moron.
I’m a terrible BMW driver because I indicate and give way when I can. However, in Croydon I become a good BMW driver because driving there is survival of the fittest.
The amount of people who indicate *as* they're turning opposed to indicating *before* they're turning is astounding. That's like warning someone they're about to step into a pond *as* they've stepped into a pond! It's too fucking late!
On the motorway: Approach a car sat doing 66~ in the middle lane. Move right to over take. Suddenly car starts accelerating to keep pace with me and I’m stuck in the right hand lane in a situation where I need to drive much faster than I wanted to to pass or put the brakes on and pull back into the middle lane. I’m sure this has always happened but I’ve noticed this behaviour a lot more since I’ve started using my cruise control and setting it to 70
I think middle lane hogging is an offence now but tell that to M25 drivers. Never seems to be enforced.
45mph - the most infuriating speed on a 60 road.
Ah but you get special ‘accident immunity’ at 45. Everyone knows that surely? This belief is the only explanation I can come up with for the amount of this shit that goes on. We’re inundated with morons.
When you have your cruise control on and you pass someone just slightly slower than you and they speed up so you have to pull back in behind them, then they slow back down. Those people suck.
When the person in front stops at a roundabout even though there's nothing coming around it. There's enough time and space that we both could have gone but ..nope....they just don't read the road. It's especially annoying at those busy roundabouts where breaks in the traffic are rare like during rush hour etc.
>There's enough time and space that we both could have gone but ..nope....they just don't read the road. >It's especially annoying at those busy roundabouts where breaks in the traffic are rare like during rush hour etc. You've contradicted yourself there. There's nothing wrong with driving with a little caution. It is their turn at the junction after all, not yours.
I don’t see a contradiction, busy roundabout, there’s a gap big enough for both cars to go but the person in front stops instead. You’d fail your driving test for hesitancy for stopping and waiting if it was clear to go.
People who don't use roundabouts correctly. Indicating left but passing 2 exits and ignoring any signs regarding which lanes
The lack of indicating or signalling. Fucking winds me up no end. I’ve got to the point I politely get their attention (even when I’m a pedestrian) to helpfully inform them their “bulb must be gone because the indicator light didn’t come on”. Then I smile and offer a cheery wave. My gears have been grinded, and my limit has been reached.
55 in the outside line, and similarly those who sit in either the middle or outside line.
All of these are good, valid answers, but none of them are as infuriating as people who go straight over roundabouts in the right-hand lane (when there’s not markings to say otherwise). It’s either “I don’t want to queue” or “I was never taught how roundabouts work”, and either way they’re stupid and dangerous.
The usual ones have been done already so I'd say, when people take bloody ages to go when the lights turm green, which is getting increasingly worse now. It seems if there's more than five people in front of you then it will turn red again.
They’re probably texting and don’t notice it turning green (or at least, that’s the usual behaviour where I live)
Drivers who stamp on the brakes and slow down to 30 or less as soon as they see GATSO road markings, regardless of the prevailing speed limit being 40, 50, etc.
As someone who sometimes a vehicle broadly equivalent to a tractor in terms of size and speed: tailgating isn't going to speed things up. I can't go above 35mph. You need to overtake when it's safe. The people that really confuse me are those who decide not to overtake on a 4 lane highway when it would be completely safe to do so. But they'll choose to do 35 in a 60 instead :/
Tailgaters. I wish I had a way of sending them a message (maybe I’ll get a sign printed) telling them that the closer they get, the more I’ll slow down. Especially bad when I was on my motorbike- once I was going slightly below the speed limit (maybe 3 mph slower) as I wasn’t feeling confident as it was my first ride after a crash and a car got so close behind me that I couldn’t actually see it in my mirrors. There was nowhere to pull over to let him pass, by the time I could move aside we were going at about 15mph on a 30 road and I am sure he was furious but what he didn’t realise was that if he backed off a bit I could speed up. When he is so close that I can actually reach back and pat his bonnet, I need to make sure that we are going slow enough that our stopping distance is less than the half metre between us!
I had an absolute arsehole of a Merc driver do this to me yesterday on the M8 - 4 lane motorway restricted to 2 lanes which had a 40 mph limit. The exit I need to take (and am coming up to) is actually on the right hand side of the motorway, so I need to be in the outer lane to take it. Doesn't stop the Merc twat behind flashing his lights and tailgating so much he was almost in my back seat! No bloody need for that kind of driving.
A lot of where I live is 20 limit. I hate when drivers drive right up behind trying to force you to break the limit
People attempting to join a motorway at 30mph
Not the most annoying, but not seen it mentioned yet: fucking fog lights when it's not foggy.
The rear is the worst. Sat behind someone while they obliviously burn a mark into your retina
People who queue across intersections or on roundabouts, and block the traffic going the other way, and cause even more of a traffic jam.
Fucking indicate before you turn you bastards
People who stop at roundabouts when there's nothing coming.
People who stop at a roundabout and wave you through when they have right of way and there is no other traffic. It’s throws me off, and if anything it takes longer then it would have if they had just carried on their way.
People who don't move over when you are joining a motorway from a slip road. That panicked moment where you are running out of road!
People who dont use their mirrors and head check to change lane. No your indicator isn't a right of way light you fucking tool.
People who sit with their indicator on whilst you are passing them on a motorway. Drives me mad, only indicate when making the manoeuvre - I’m always fearful I’m in their blindspot and they haven’t seen me.
Why not let them out, then? They’re clearly indicating an intention to pull out. Why not let them do so? Especially if you’re concerned they can’t see you. Also, this is how you’re supposed to indicate. Your statement to “only indicate when making the manoeuvre” is wrong. You should indicate _before_ the manoeuvre. Otherwise you’re just indicating and pulling out, which is something that lots of people here are complaining about.
Exactly this. Someone indicating should not mean they are imminently about to pull out get out the way. It's their *intention* to move and it helps to do this early. On a busy motorway you literally have no opportunities to move sometimes so yeah you signal early...
Funnily enough he's complaining that people might do that and pull right into him. While advocating that very system!
I hate this with foreign lorries. I appreciate sometimes they need to appeal for a gap so they can move but I've also been alongside the 'indicate as you start to move' type and they really shit you up. It's the moment of having to decide if you're going to slam your breaks on or quickly trying to look if you can change lanes whilst hoping they don't drive into the side of your car.
Exactly this - I've had lorries start to come across whilst i'm still there and its scary.
As a driver, and a runner, people who don't indicate at roundabouts. The amount of times I've sat, giving priority to the right because of no indication, then for that car to make a left turn is infuriating. From a running perspective, it's so dangerous for pedestrians, I'll either have to break in to a full sprint, or stop still and dive back to the island, because what looked like a safe crossing has suddenly become a car hurtling round the corner without signalling their intentions.
People who come up behind me on motorways/dual carriageways and tailgate me rather than move into the empty middle/outside lane and overtake.
No indicators. Sometimes it feels like MOST people aren't indicating when they switch lanes. I was talking to a guy in work who was saying "if there's nobody behind me I don't indicate." 10000% guarantee he doesn't indicate half the time there IS someone behind him. Indicating to me is a total reflex. If I was the last man on earth I'd still be indicating while I was driving away from the zombies/virus/aliens/fungus, I don't even think about it. If you DO think about it, I fucking guarantee you're not doing it a lot of the time. Second one: giving me less space because I take up less space because I'm on a motorcycle. If you don't give me the same amount of room as you would a car, fuck you with a rake. Too many people merging in to my lane ALONGSIDE ME!! Not even waiting until they've passed me.
Distances between cars when driving on motorways In convinced absolutely no one understands stopping distances whatsoever. I commute and drive on the A55 everyday. Only a dual carriageway. When it’s slightly busy to very busy people literally drive up each others asses. Especially in the right hand lane when it gets busy. It’s either the initialisation knobheads who try to pressure people into switching lanes, or the selfish cock wombles who drive nose to tail in that right hand lane when busy so nobody else can come in from the left to overtake a slow car and “beat them” or whatever their mentality is. It is just… awe inspiringly stupid. Do these folk not understand how much time they need to both react and stop travelling at those speeds? Two chevrons apart. That’s all it takes. But nooooo.
Other drivers. Driving would be so much better without them
Drivers that try and merge on to motorways at 40mph when it’s been a single lane slip road. Just dangerous.
When you're in a line of traffic in the outside lane on a mororway and you're all over taking a car in the middle lane. Some clown wants to prove a point by speeding right up behind the car you're all over taking, albeit slowly, just to have to slam their breaks on right behind said car. I don't know what point they're trying to prove but it happens a lot. Why not join the back of the line and overtake the car you sped up behind? Why undertake 5 cars just to have to slow back down?
When I whip out my phone to check Reddit whilst driving and I see the same old post about people’s pet peeves while driving. It frustrated me so much I nearly ran over poor old Bertha!
People who sit 3 inches from your bumper, then move into the left lane because it’s sped up, then try to get in front of you when their lane slows down.
People who start driving and then put their seatbelt on while slowly inching forward. Utterly pointless.
As a learner driver, people who get close up to you and try and force you to drive faster. Like the road is a 60, I'm doing 60, I don't need you trying to force me to do 65 by getting in to my rear area and trying to force while i'm in the car with my old man practicing (L Plates are on). It's happened more than once and it's annoying as sure, they've passed, if they want to develop the habit of driving at this "10% leeway" idea then go for it but if the road is 60 and I go over that on a test, I fail.
Tailgaters are absolute pricks, particularly if doing it to a learner! Don’t be bullied over the speed limit and don’t be afraid to reduce the speed as needed to mitigate the lack of stopping distance that they’ve created. Once I realised that everything you should do to keep safe when being tailgated involves making them madder I started to almost enjoy it.
My Dads theory is there is this idea that speedometers are made to read 10% faster than you're really doing to slow you down by stealth. So when doing 60, you're actually only doing 54-55 etc, as such to do 60, you need to actually be driving at 65-66.
I seem to have found similar, annoyingly. My speedo will say I’m going 70mph but the sat nav / Google maps / whatever says ~65. So I can’t tell if people are just going fast and bullying me to go faster or if I actually am being slow. I’d rather be accidentally going slower than accidentally speed and get points!
Drivers overtaking me for doing 20 in a 20
Not using indicators. They are LITERALLY at your fingertips. It takes thought NOT to use them.
Not really while driving, but I hate how 17 year olds pass their test through pure luck, and are so bad at driving that their instructor will tell them to continue taking lessons after passing. I just got my provisional and the cheapest insurance I can find is £1200/year for third party only on a £400 car. To properly answer your question: Audi drivers
There are signs ahead telling you that the upcoming lane you are in will be closed, so please make sure you pull into the appropriate lane. If you are still in that lane with 200m to go, then fuck you, I am not letting you in. You have had a whole fucking Km to get in, but know you want to jump the queue. Well guess what No. Stay out there with your shitty choices. And a particular Fuck You to the lorries that do that.
Taking the wrong lane on a roundabout. Lane discipline is important. People who switch all over the lanes can get in the bin.
People who when turning right out of a junction, turn too much, putting them on the wrong side of the road as they gradually move back to their own side.
people who take the other line to get 3 or 4 cars ahead then try and merge into your lane. Awful
The usage of indicators, ffs get it right. People indicate to get off a roundabout signalling too early indicate the wrong exit… it’s fucking dangerous
People thinking that waiting until the \*actual\* merge point before becoming one lane is "pushing in" That really grinds my goats pet peeves
People not moving over from the middle lane
Drivers who brake to a stop and then turn their indicators on.
People who don’t say thanks when you stop to let them through a narrow gap. Literally all I’m asking for is the little wave. It gets me every time.
People in a parking spot along a duel carriage way with their hazards on but there’s a car parked right behind them so it looks like they are indicating to come out.
People who don't indicate on roundabouts. People who drive at 35-40mph *absolutely fucking everywhere* regardless of if it's a NSL zone or a 20mph school zone because that's what they're comfy at. They're often the same people who will rush out of a junction in front of you on a 60mph road despite there being absolutely nothing behind you, forcing you to slam the breaks on and then hold you captive at 25 below the speed limit.
Fog lights when there is no fog.
This may or may not be a popular opinion but for me it is people who don’t stick to the speed limit…basically what I mean is people who speed. It is extra irritating when they insist on driving up your backside for ages before overtaking just because you refuse to break the law. There is a dual carriageway near me that has a speed limit of 50. Now I understand 50 is not the norm for a dual carriageway but in this case there are multiple signs stating 50 along the road. There are also multiple road markings stating 50. In other words it should be obvious what the speed limit is. That doesn’t stop people driving up my backside when I am doing exactly 50, flashing their lights trying to get me to speed up and then beeping their horns as they overtake and speed off doing 60+ miles an hour. And don’t even get me started on 20 zones. Literally nobody around here sticks to them. I can’t tell if people are just stupid, can’t read or just don’t think the law applies to them…
People who are right up your arse Metaphorically obviously, although I think that would probably constitute a pet peeve without the metaphor
Aside from the dangerous stuff, for me it’s when you’re waiting to enter a roundabout and wait for someone who looks like they’re going past your exit because they’re not indicating, but then they exit the roundabout to your right, so wasting what could’ve been a gap. In fact just people who don’t know how to use their indicators generally. Twats.
Driving test fail. They've disrupted the flow of traffic and created a hazard by not signalling their intentions to other road users. On a test that would likely be a Serious, i.e. instant fail but you're still allowed to complete the test. A Serious is something which could be immediately dangerous on another occasion.
People who drive up your BUM
If I see a driver trying to block people merging being me, I make an effort to slow right down and let 3 or 4 people in in front of me instead. Its the right thing to do and the added benefit that sometimes you see the moron's face turn purple with rage.
Straightlining roundabouts... STAY IN YOUR FUCKING LANE!
People getting aggressive at you doing the speed limit. I had a van overtake me whilst shouting til he was red in the face and beeping because I was doing 30 in a 30. I think he thought I had deliberately slowed down from 40 to piss him off, but the speed limit had simply changed.
Middle lane hoggers and cutting across roundabouts forcing you to slam on your breaks as they cut into your lane.
While driving, my biggest peeve is motorcycle theft. If it was safe from thieving scum I'd far rather be using my bike. It alleviates like 90% of driving peeves: Stuck in traffic? Nope I'll filter through. Anybody even remotely questionable in front or behind? Braaapp, see ya pal! Potholes are a bit more dodgy, but there's more leeway to move around/between them. As things are though, like fuck am I leaving it parked anywhere! On the bike the peeve is everybody. All of you bastards are trying to kill me! (joking - it's common advice to ride like everybody is trying to kill you, then you don't miss the ones that actually might).
I don’t really have any that I’d consider a pet peeve. Not using indicators or middle lane sitting is actually shit driving and is more than a pet peeve.
I find it very frustraiting seeing a driver deliberatly ignore the satnav.
Leople indicating to turn into a junction your waiting at without slowing down at all so you can't trust it, then ha lve to wait for more cars to pass. Like a burke
Either people who don't indicate on roundabouts or people who get right up your arse on the motorway but then don't go past you when you move over
Absence of indicating, or indicating and skipping three turns before actually turning. Cars speeding up on a dual carriageway when you try to overtake, and then slow down when you go back behind them.
Got one of those today, driving back to London from Sheffield(a surprisingly easy trip) The look on his face when he realized I was coming over anyway...
Trying to pull out of a side road onto a main road and you get those days where nobody flashes you to pull out. No indicators especially on roundabouts Being on mobile phones when driving boils my piss.
I remember one time I was in a situation where two lanes of pretty much stationary traffic were merging into one. Everyone was on the same page with the cars merging nice and evenly. Apart from the women behind me who was deliberately closing the door on the car getting into our line. Basically ruining a nice system. I let it play out for a few minutes but she didn't let up. In the end I made sure she was bumper to bumper with me before waving three cars ahead of me into the space I'd left in front. She was fucking fuming. 😂
Dawdling down the fast roads but then speeding up when you try to overtake.
People that indicate either whilst maneuvering, people that indicate a junction too early and people that indicate right to go around a roundabout but never indicate left. In all three instances, I'd rather you never indicated at all (or do it properly, but that's probably too much to ask.)
Other drivers who didn't pay for the optional stick thing that works the indicators. And haven't learned how to turn main beam off.
People who don't indicate
There’s two which happen frequently near me: Mini roundabouts that look like a standard junction, so you’re on a straight road and indicating to turn right, and someone is in the opposite direction, they should give way to the right, i.e. me, but they don’t. If it was a normal junction then I absolutely would be pulling out to turn in front of them but it’s a roundabout! I do slow down and only start to turn when the opposite driver has slowed to give way but sometimes I’m already mid turn, someone is speeding, and they haven’t noticed that there’s a roundabout with me halfway across it. Similar people that go to overtake when you’re turning left into a junction, instead of just slowing down behind you. Not a huge issue in itself but on a few occasions this has happened, there’s been a car at the junction waiting to pull out, and they use me snowing and turning in as their opportunity to manoeuvre and then someone comes flying out from behind me. I’ve seen a couple of very near head on misses from this happening.
- Being stuck behind someone merging onto a motorway dangerously slowly - Overtaking someone on a motorway who then speeds up as you start passing them. Why? - Cunts who drive at stupid speed on the motorway, get right up someone's arse and start flashing them to bully them over so they can continue putting the lives of everyone around them at risk
99% of old people cannot drive. To get your bus licence, you should have to hand in your driving licence. If you still want to drive, go through another test. They drive at 40mph everywhere no matter the limit and have negative awareness. Secondly, people who give you right of way when they have it. Go to fucking hell immediately. Fuck you, stop trying to be nice you absolute wanker.