The WORST drivers, which cars do they drive?

[Justin Smith]

The most dangerous roads... Because it's highly rural, not because of the driving.

 

You were probably doing 45.

 

No, we were doing between bang on 50mph and a smidge over 50mph. As I said the drivers were so desperate to go as fast as they possibly can they were prepared to risk the prosecution criteria would let them off, plus an overtake obviously, and no overtake is without a certain mount of risk. And all for nothing anyway, both ended up a few hundred yards in front of us behind another vehicle doing "just" 50mph. Pathetic.

Just out of interest, if the driving is careful, why should rural roads be dangerous ? They`re dangerous because so many drivers drive badly on them, either because they`re impatient to get to their destination, or they want to have good time doing it.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Justin Smith

[Cyclone]

You mean according to your speedo?

 

Roads can be inherently more dangerous, this is obvious. Down to site lines, road quality, width, number of entrances/exits, level of grip, how well/whether they are gritted when necessary and so on.

 

Otherwise you'd expect every road to have the same number of incidents (based on miles travelled).

[Garbo]

Your opinions then. I'm the old lady driving a Honda Jazz!!

I live surrounded by country lanes. One, in particular, over about a 1 mile stretch, has poor camber on entry, quite steep bumps and hidden dips, a very narrow tight bend which is tree-lined and no means of "escape" and with no means of seeing on-coming traffic, a narrow hump-backed bridge and a T-junction. It's a quite busy road with a fair share of HGV's and not unusual to come across horse riders and farm tractors. For whatever reason it has a 50mph speed limit.

So, in that 1 mile stretch, I come to the 50mph speed sign, followed within yards with a "slow" sign, followed by a "beware horse riders" sign, followed by a "hidden dip" sign, followed by a "bad bend" sign, followed by a "public footpath" sign, followed by a T-junction sign and, in a couple of places arrows to indicate "no overtaking".

Taking all that into account and knowing I could suddenly come across a HGV and/or horse riders and/or farm tractors, I choose to drive at 40mph. I argue that in doing so, I know I'm more capable of dealing with what lies ahead and I can drive consistently without constantly accelerating and decelerating. Does that make this old, female, Honda Jazz driver a "worst driver on the road"? :(

 

 

sounds about right for a good driver.

 

I know I drive too fast, but only when I think its safe, I also don't drive too close or overtake a car that is doing the speed limit. I don't bully other drivers either, in fact, I go out of my way to be a jolly nice chap, always let people out and wave etc.

[RonJeremy]

I travel that gainsborough road quite often. Virtually everyone sticks to the speed limit. The enforced 50 is quite frustrating at times. It is very slow, but we keep to the limit. The really really annoying thing is when someone does 40/45 on it for no apparent reason. Overtaking them is very difficult within the law. They are a menace.

 

I mention no names.

[the_bloke]

There`s a strong case that drivers in Lincolnshire are the worst in the country. I`ve read in more than one report that Lincolnshire has the most dangerous roads (as defined by the number of deaths per head of population), and I`ve also experienced Lincolnshire drivers appalling driving for myself. As an example of the chronic problem, and we`ve seen far worse but relatively rarer examples, we were driving back to Bawtry from Gainsborough, that road was one of the most dangerous in the country so they made it 50mph and spent loads of money putting average speed cameras on it. We were doing 50mph, yet were still overtaken by two cars within 5 miles ! Despite the average speed cameras ! Such is the desperation of Lincolnshire drivers to eek out an extra 5 or 10mph, gambling on the flexibility of the prosecution threshold and the expectation their speedos are fast, therefore hoping they can sneak away without a speeding ticket.......

 

I've driven on that road for the best part of 20 years (the MiL lives out that way). The section between Bawtry and Gainsbrough was perfectly fine before the 50 MPH limit (imposed by Notts not Lincolnshire) apart from idiots on motorbikes wanting to be the next available organ donor. (The 'most dangerous' section of the A631 was actually the part from Caenby Corner/A15 to Market Rasen, again due to bikes doing 100 on the straights then coming off on the corners.)

 

Before the restrictions, it was a sensible 60 MPH road with two sections of short dual carriageway that allowed safe overtaking of HGVs and tractors. Now it's a 50 MPH road with the two dual sections helpfully enforced by the average speed cameras.

 

(Note the cameras are front facing so bikes still ignore them)

 

Overtaking the slow vehicles now means getting past them on the dual carriageway and slowing down again to ensure your average remains at 50. When someone is only doing 42 MPH, there isn't enough road to overtake and remain under 50 for the whole manoeuvre.

 

IMO the dangerous drivers on that road are the people who tootle along at 42 MPH then remain at 42 MPH through the 30 MPH village in the middle of it. If you follow them from Bawtry to the A1, they'll also do 42 through the 30 section approaching the A1 roundabout.

 

The 50 MPH limit on that road is unnecessary IMO.

[monkey104]

There`s a strong case that drivers in Lincolnshire are the worst in the country. I`ve read in more than one report that Lincolnshire has the most dangerous roads (as defined by the number of deaths per head of population), and I`ve also experienced Lincolnshire drivers appalling driving for myself. As an example of the chronic problem, and we`ve seen far worse but relatively rarer examples, we were driving back to Bawtry from Gainsborough, that road was one of the most dangerous in the country so they made it 50mph and spent loads of money putting average speed cameras on it. We were doing 50mph, yet were still overtaken by two cars within 5 miles ! Despite the average speed cameras ! Such is the desperation of Lincolnshire drivers to eek out an extra 5 or 10mph, gambling on the flexibility of the prosecution threshold and the expectation their speedos are fast, therefore hoping they can sneak away without a speeding ticket.......

 

You say you have experienced Lincolnshire drivers appalling driving, how do you know the drivers were from Lincolnshire?

Making things up and guessing again?

[max]

You say you have experienced Lincolnshire drivers appalling driving, how do you know the drivers were from Lincolnshire?

Making things up and guessing again?

 

He didn't say they were from Lincolnshire he said they were in Lincolnshire.

[tzijlstra]

Ahhh! I missed this thread.

 

I have an addition to make - the horrible person in a Fiesta, approaching the Shalesmoor roundabout (down-hill) coming to a FULL STOP in front of a GREEN light, meaning I had to swerve to avoid the MICRA behind them which, without paying any attention switched to the inside lane cutting me up to the point where all the safety systems on the car beeped and hissed at me.

 

Good job, you are a credit to the world, no doubt from Lincolnshire.

[monkey104]

He didn't say they were from Lincolnshire he said they were in Lincolnshire.

 

Maybe he should have said drivers driving through Lincolnshire and not Lincolnshire drivers!

But thanks anyway

Edited March 28, 2016 by monkey104

[sgtkate]

Any thread involving Justin Smith and cars is an instant classic. I don't know where to being here, except to say "Garbo, justified response. Anyone in a rubbish car (i.e. not a German one) clearly has no respect for themselves or others so should get out of our way to allow far more knowledgeable drivers to make due progress."

 

---------- Post added 29-03-2016 at 08:56 ----------

 

You say you have experienced Lincolnshire drivers appalling driving, how do you know the drivers were from Lincolnshire?

Making things up and guessing again?

 

He doesn't make things up. How dare you imply that?!?! He has a stopwatch and times cars passing by doncha know? All his comments are absolutely provable beyond all doubt in Justin's head.