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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> wots worse?
        
(Message started by: big_neil on Nov 10^th, 2010, 4:12pm)

Title: wots worse?
Post by big_neil on Nov 10^th, 2010, 4:12pm

seen it all this morning when going to work,man in a sports car coming straight towards me cos he couldn,t see for his iced up windscreen,he (not me) swerved at the last minute then clipped the kerb,with a bit of luck he will have damaged an alloy and put him off the road for a while.
then to cap it all another numpty nearly hit me cos his sat nav was in the middle of the screen and restricting his vision !
is there any body out there with a modicum of sense any more?

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Nov 10^th, 2010, 8:33pm

Yep, there are some real wallys around - both 2 & 4 wheeled versions.

My pet hate is cyclists who ride around in the dark with no lights on their bikes and wearing dark clothing >:(

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Nunnspoet on Nov 13^th, 2010, 9:35am

When I was in the Army there was a charge relating to "self inflicted injury" which made a few people think about their own safety. It seems that in todays climate it does not matter how an injury ocours it has to be somebody elses fault >:(

Mike

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by gozz on Nov 13^th, 2010, 10:29am

It all boils down to an innate lack of common sense in the general public,and too much attention given to worrying about silly petty regulations brought about by a fear of unreasonable litigation >:(
GOZZ.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by rich1 on Nov 16^th, 2010, 3:22pm

sat navs are a menace . the amount of people ive seen looking at the screen and not the road is scary , i class them same as mobile phones .........ban em

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by big_neil on Nov 19^th, 2010, 7:09pm

yes rich, sat navs are a menace,if you must have one to find your way home from work or even to the chippy, put them on the fascia not in the middle of the windscreen.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Highlander on Nov 19^th, 2010, 7:59pm

I put mine on the windscreen in the van and on the car as I can glance at it easily (sometimes you need to look at it to get the right slip road)

I dunno if there is anywhere on a Scorpio fascia to mount one or indeed if it would be safe to do so

My current pet hate is front foglights being used either alongside the normal lights or on their own in perfectly clear conditions. (it looks cool apparently)

I have now got the van fitted with 4 x 150w spot lights which is proving a highly successful deterent to this trend ;D

These are also proving invaluable for relocating centre lane hoggers to the inside lane and for reminding the driver in front he has left his foglights on ;D

Handheld mobile phone use while driving is also on the increase, I average at least 1000 miles a week mostly up and down the M6 and see it getting worse and worse, my record so far is passing 6 consecutive drivers all on the phone.

The HGV drivers are just as bad, I regularly see them swerving onto the hard shoulder while on the phone.

I should have been a traffic officer!! ;D

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Snoopy on Nov 20^th, 2010, 8:00am

But then we would not have seen or heard from you for ages at a time. ;)

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by gozz on Nov 20^th, 2010, 9:57am

Thats right Snoopy,we used to call them the Gurkhas,only work at night and take no prisoners ;)
GOZZ.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Mike H on Nov 23^rd, 2010, 12:41pm

Stop me if I've told this before ;D

My uncle got hisself a satnav a while ago.

Now when he comes to visit, when it's time to go home first there's a wasted 15 minutes while he gets it set up on the dashboard.

As though he doesn't know how to get home from our place by now. ???

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by big_neil on Nov 23^rd, 2010, 7:26pm

stuart,
i go to a garden job three days a week and from my house west of carlisle to just south of the scottish(promised land) border is about 7 miles,the norm is 5 to 7 on a mobile in that distance but it was broke this year,an astonishing 14 people on mobile phones ,2 before i got out of my cul de sac,takes some believing does that

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Nov 23^rd, 2010, 10:13pm

My satnav goes on to the drivers door window - suction clamp fitting - just above the air vent, doesn't block any view. OK, so you can't roll the window down...but that's a minor issue.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by tlundkvi on Nov 24^th, 2010, 7:41am

on 11/19/10 at 19:59:13, Highlander wrote:

I dunno if there is anywhere on a Scorpio fascia to mount one or indeed if it would be safe to do so

I have for the past year used air vent mounts for the satnavs, they cost on ebay as much as a pint so worth a try.

Has anyone else noticed with newer cars there's an anti satnav thing going on, the windshield blocks all the signals except just below the mirror?

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Mike H on Nov 24^th, 2010, 12:55pm

Oo-er!

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by lesterlad aka Rodders on Nov 24^th, 2010, 7:09pm

on 11/24/10 at 07:41:55, tlundkvi wrote:

Has anyone else noticed with newer cars there's an anti satnav thing going on, the windshield blocks all the signals except just below the mirror?

The heated screen element usually blocks the signal, mine takes ages to load up

.....................................................................................OR........................................................................................

Maybe the manufacturer wants to sell the built in type which could be an optional extra making them a few extra £££££'s

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Highlander on Nov 26^th, 2010, 9:30am

Most of them have an optional external ariel connection for mounting them in cars but we dont usually use them :)

My VNR 9000 ariel wont work if its behind the front heated screen, I routed it onto the rear window

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by big_neil on Nov 26^th, 2010, 2:26pm

why is it illegal to use a hand held mobile but not a CB? any one know why,

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Highlander on Nov 26^th, 2010, 2:45pm

The mobile phone law is specific to mobile phones only, CB and other two way radios are not included in this particular law and can be used legally while driving.

However if your driving is erratic you can still be charged with careless driving/undue care and attention etc and using a CB, drinking, eating etc wont help your cause ;D

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Mike H on Nov 26^th, 2010, 11:28pm

Slight diversion, but I noticed a new escalation in car park rage yesterday (Thursday). Happened twice in the hour or so I was around there near our local Asda (one I witnessed, 2nd I was told about by a lady who apologised for her car being "untidily parked" next to mine.

Which is, honking at someone who is "not fast enough" manoeuvring into or out of a parking space. http://livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/images/misc/blink.gif

Hence the lady who just got hers in any old how just to get it out of the way as quick as possible.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by gozz on Nov 26^th, 2010, 11:46pm

Ah the psychology of the parking motorist eh ::) The best way to avoid it and get a speedy park is to go to the furthest point from the shop where there is always plenty of room owing to the bone idleness of the general public,then take a leisurely stroll taking care to keep clear of speeding grimacing young female drivers who WILL knock you down for no other reason than their busy grasping lives are extremely important :o
GOZZ.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Mike H on Nov 27^th, 2010, 12:08am

Sounds about right ;D

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by TiberiuS on Dec 1^st, 2010, 8:48pm

You know, the only thing which really beefs me is tailgating, for some reason I get that a lot nowadays - I don't drive like a maniac (honest ;)) but I don't sit around either, most times when I get tailgated it's on a bendy road where I'm already nudging the limit, usually the car tailgating me is something that I'd have no problem at all losing on a clear road, it's not like I'm holding them up ???.

If I meet a slower driver and want to overtake them, it's no big deal, I just hang way back and give them plenty of room then wait for a space and plant the throttle and before they know it I'm around them, no harm done..what's up with the psyche of people who feel the need to tailgate all the time?

I don't even think it's really a thing about somebody proving they're bigger than you, seems the smaller, lower powered cars are worse. A few months back I got a test drive in an XKR, less than 2 miles from the dealer I see a car decend on my six like a wartime Zero fighter..a Beemer 318i of all things :-/. I had a lot of fun losing that guy, it was almost pitiful..by the time I spun the car at the next roundabout to go back to the dealer, he was still travelling on the other side ;D

I still don't get the point, why bother being so agressive if you can't even back it up? I certainly don't imagine myself as a perfect driver, I make mistakes like anyone else..but I keep my car in one piece and I get by without harrassing other drivers.. :-/

The one thing that sometimes works for me is to dab the brakes 3 times, just enough to show the lamps, *usually* that'll make them either overtake or drop back. Usually then I'll slow a bit and if they won't let up I'll just pull over somewhere and take a few deep breaths, better than having an Astra or 3 Series buried in the back of my car..

on 11/26/10 at 23:46:16, gozz wrote:

then take a leisurely stroll taking care to keep clear of speeding grimacing young female drivers who WILL knock you down for no other reason than their busy grasping lives are extremely important :o

Gozz - I went out with one of those for a while, can't say too much but she was a nice enough girl..UNTIL she got behind the wheel of her little car, when her personality flipped poles totally. Late one night her little car appears behind me, kinda trying to nudge me to go faster, it was dark and she didn't know it was me. Let's just say the roads were quiet and my car is way faster than hers ;)

Bruce.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Nunnspoet on Dec 2^nd, 2010, 9:43am

Driving locally in my little 954cc Citroen I often find big brutish 4X4's right up behind me. Totally blocking my interior mirror. I just don't get it. There is nowhere for them to go other than behind the car in front of me. Yet when I am in one of my Scorpio's this rarely happens though I am not driving any faster or slower ???.

When on the Mway in my Citroen, buzzing along happily at about 65mph (can't hear the radio if I go any faster) there is no agro as above 8).

Now't like folk.

Had a geezer in a big Range Rover shunting and shuffiling around my Citroen's ass so much about a Month ago that I thought I would have a word. Well there is a Mini-roundabout about 200yds before our local traffic lights which allways has a queue of traffic backed pretty much up to the Mini-roundabout. I indicated well before the Mini-roundabout that I would be joining the back of the queue. Just as I was committed to turning left on the Roundabout- guess what? Matey swings off down to the Industrial Estate. >:(

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by lesterlad aka Rodders on Dec 2^nd, 2010, 2:40pm

The biggest bug bear that gets my back up is when your poodling along within the speed limit and some clown is desperatly trying to overtake, when said clown(s) eventually do get past they stop 200yds further up waiting to turn right. >:(

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by gozz on Dec 2^nd, 2010, 8:02pm

Especially if you happen to be driving a big underpowered wagon,and they wonder why you get bad tempered >:(

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by lesterlad aka Rodders on Dec 2^nd, 2010, 8:38pm

on 12/02/10 at 20:02:43, gozz wrote:

Especially if you happen to be driving a big underpowered wagon,and they wonder why you get bad tempered >:(

Spot on Gozz, although that little luton LDV emporium van I drove was a right fast mover, -fully loaded-downhill-wind behind it-silent sixth-80mph. ;D

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by TiberiuS on Dec 3^rd, 2010, 8:08pm

on 12/02/10 at 09:43:44, Nunnspoet wrote:

Yep, that's a good point. The two cars I switch between on a regular basis are the Jag and the Mondeo, I seem to get a lot more respect in the Jag..I get tailgated and the occasional Beemer or Astra cuts me up on the inside but I seem to get a lot more respect than in the Mondy..in the Jag I can push into junctions in heavy traffic and do pretty much whatever I like within reason and nobody ever does a thing, in the Mondeo I get carved up like the Sunday roast and abused left right and centre by anything bigger or newer. Could be it's just that the Jag looks cleaner and in better condition or just that it's bigger, I did get more respect in the Scorp than the Mondeo too..

Reminds me of a few years back when my aunt's 900cc Fiesta got stolen and ended up in the pound at Warley Street, I had to start that thing with a screwdriver and drive it 30 miles home in heavy snow and ice with no driver's window or mirrors, got tailgated by a Range Rover for miles because I'd never driven it before and couldn't for the life of me keep above 40mph, that guy ended up overtaking on a blind bend in heavy snow only to get stuck in front of me in heavy traffic. That's one of the few times I've been uneasy and almost even bordering on scared when driving, I got cut up and abused by virtually every other car, almost seemed like I was invisible..

It kinda comes back to the old argument that accidents go hand in hand with bad driving but aren't always necessarily a factor of speed, although I don't want to open that old can 'o' worms again ;)

Bruce.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by gozz on Dec 3^rd, 2010, 8:43pm

on 12/02/10 at 20:38:25, lesterlad aka Rodders wrote:

Spot on Gozz, although that little luton LDV emporium van I drove was a right fast mover, -fully loaded-downhill-wind behind it-silent sixth-80mph. ;D

I bet it nearly took off down East Norton with a load on,and was effortless down Wardley going home eh ? :o
GOZZ.

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Highlander on Dec 9^th, 2010, 10:08am

I saw good example yesterday! :)

3pm so still daylight

Roads VERY icy, traffic hadn't been above 30mph since we left the previous village, (its usually a 60+mph road)

As we came into my home village the long queue of traffic slowed right down as there is a long steep downhill into the square.

I was in a 4x4, selected 1st gear and headed downhill (10mph)

I had around a three car sized space between me and the car in front.

A woman in a Ford Focus behind me (about 2 feet behind me) starts edging out looking past me then BLOWS the horn!
I assume because I wasnt close enough to the car in front of me for her liking ;D

Next thing she pulls out and OVERTAKES me (on ice and downhill) gets past me, indicates to pull into the space and hits the BRAKES! ;D

Now she is on the right side of the road, wheels facing left but sliding downhill and further across to the right with the road camber, straight into the bus coming up the hill! ;D

low speed impact, no one hurt but the Focus needs a new front end ;D

its not often you see someone getting just what they deserve! ;D

Title: Re: wots worse?
Post by Bikerdon on Dec 9^th, 2010, 10:41am

I've been suffering from the same type of idiots all week Highlander, driving every day from Drumchapel to Hamilton and back with work, and with the state of the M8, M73 and M74 I'm amazed at the driving tactics of some people, tailgating, lane hopping and general stupidity, having said that, the old scorp has done me proud in all the adverse conditions, getting me to and from work every day. Interesting to note the amount of abandoned BMW's at the roadside, one chap at my work says his is undriveable on the snow and ice and curses rear wheel drive cars, he cant work out how I can drive a rear wheel drive automatic in snow and not get stuck or crash, I think it's coz I grew up on an island with no other means of getting anywhere in the winter other than driving in bad conditions, common sense and taking care helps a lot, something I havent seen much of over the last few days.