[Surferdude]

After observing a couple of stupid antics in the last few weeks I thought I'd share them with you and others can add to the topic as they see fit.
I may have told this one elsewhere on here but it's worth repeating to kick things off.

1/ Followed a Mitsubishi 4WD along Newmarket Road in the traffic. Dickhead dad was on a mobile for two suburbs - held up to hisright ear. Meanwhile young daughter (maybe 3 y/o max) had escaped her seat in the back - behind Dad - and was standing up on the seat, with her head and hands out the window.
For about 5 or 6 kilometers.

2/ Interesting road rage incident on Nicklin Way (Sunshine Coast) on Sunday. Young(ish) guy in old Excel is tailgating an old(ish) white van. Guy in the van jumps on the brakes at 70 kph, then takes off again. At the next set of lights he jumps out, comes halfway back to the Excel ranting and raving and waving his arms around and pointing at the back of his van, obviously telling the guy to back off. Drives off, with guy in Excel still hard up behind him until the van suddenly jumps two lanes to the left out of the way.
The bit I left out, deliberately, was that, prior to this the van changed lanes in front of the Excel into a space about 6' longer than his van. Just indicated and moved on the first flash.
So old mate in the Excel is making a point.
I'm not saying I agree with the tailgating but how dumb are some people that they create a situation and then get upset when someone over-reacts to it?
Plenty of other cars around which were at risk of getting involved in any accident these two had. I was directly behind them but hanging well back. It was sort of like seeing a fight at the footy. You go to watch the game but still enjoy the blues.

[Dazzler]

People letting their kids climb about in a moving car have no idea what would happen if they hit something 

Not so much road rage down here (with our slower pace of life) But I did have a scary one a few years ago... I dragged off a bloke who was driving a corolla wagon where two lanes merged in to one .. he was hesitating and I was in a more powerful sign written work vehicle (a V6 rodeo) ...

He tail gated me for several Kilometres swerving and honking his horn and carrying on (really over the top) I got quite scared and expected him to follow me when I turned off but he didn't 

I half expected him to come into my work the following week...

[AlanHo]

Tailgating is one of my worst worries.

Last week we were driving along a minor road in light traffic when a teenage girl came up behind me and filled my rear view mirror. Even my wife was concenrned at how close she was.

So - I gradually slowed down and waited for her to overtake and annoy someone else - but she just stuck to my tail. I went slower and slower until at about 10 mph she blew her horn - so I stopped and instead of me leaping out of the car and perhaps frightening her - I asked my wife to go back and tell her that a safe distance is a 2 second spacing and I would adjust my speed accordingly.  The closer she drove - the slower I would drive. This would delay her journey and mine - but we are retired and have all the time in the World.

She had no idea she was too close and fortunately rather graciously accepted the criticism.

Tailgating on UK motorways is rife - especially by heavy lorries and white van drivers who drive so close together you sometimes cannot get into the first lane safely to exit the motorway. Until the police mount an active campaign to fine the tailgaters - the problem will continue and set a poor example to young drivers - like the one we met - who see it as normal driving.

[Surferdude]

I half expected him to come into my work the following week...

Reminds me of many years ago when I wrote something in my newspaper column about Bap Romano (at the time, Australian Sports car Champion) which he didn't like. He turned up at my work in his Rolls Royce, marched in jumping up and down only to discover I had been transferred to another store. The new manager just about sh.. himslef.
If only Bap had know, my new store was literally a stones throw awy from his house.
Oddly, at the next race meeting he never even mentioned it.
He's actually married to a girl who was in my class in high school but none of us knew that at the time.

[Shambles]

After observing a couple of stupid antics in the last few weeks ...

Photos or it didn't happen!



I won't clog up this thread with my observations of idiocy and road rage - there are so many I could report .

[Hati]

Your second point surferdue brings up the memory of a story here in Perth on Today Tonight a little while ago.


This young woman was made out to be the "innocent victim" in an incident in our tunnel. She said that a semi driver drove up into the back of her car and I quote "pushed her along" for some distance, before eventually being spun out of the way. All this in the inside line in the 80 km/h tunnel. I felt sorry for her, thinking that yet an other example of the old time professional drivers' (taxi, truck and bus) standards slipping again. That is until they showed the traffic cam footage of this incident.


Well, as it turns out the little darling in her wisdom decided to slot in the front of the truck in a small lunchbox of a car leaving about a metre to the car in front AND the same behind to the truck, so she technically went for a gap that did not exist. The most annoying part about this was that she had no reason to change lines. Her line (the left) kept up much the same speed as the inside line, there is no exit from the inside line and both lines (two line tunnel) will take you to the freeway. The truck then indeed started pushing her for a while, until she spun out into the empty left line.


I don't condone what the truck driver did, but she has definitely brought all that upon herself. The TV report then had a go at the truck drivers and how they are unsafe etc etc.


The truck was loaded with steel, so she was quite lucky that there was no emergency braking needed as that would have made her the next statistic without a doubt. I fail to understand how she figured that a mirror full of semi will just slow down because she decided to change lines.


In all fairness, the truck could have eventually slowed enough not to push her, my guess is though that the truckie just snapped and had enough of all the idiots jumping in the front of trucks expecting them to evade their cars.


This is yet an other example when mums and dads without driver training other then that from their own parents are allowed to teach the next generation of drivers. What can they teach if they haven't been taught either???

[eye30]

Last week we were driving along a minor road in light traffic when a teenage girl came up behind me and filled my rear view mirror.

I take it she wasn't a good looker otherwise you would have gone and talked to her

[Pranav]

Just this weekend..when driving from Sydney to Gold Coast.


A Mercedes M Class truck tried to tail gate me for a while...obviously trying to push me faster..but I just had my cruise on.. I maintained the speed...i was already at 100 kmph..

Some time later, he took risk and over took me from the oncoming lane.  That was not too risky..but he did speed a lot.

10 minutes later the whole traffic went rather slow...and then to stand still.  I was thinking may be the idiot met an accident...and then damn right...it was that same Mercedes and a motor bike.


Not sure who's fault..but weather was bad.. I bet some one did not slow down to safer speeds.

[Dazzler]

A truck & a motor bike   

[Pranav]

Yup, M Class SUV...I just call them Trucks.

The motor bike standing did not look too damaged...the Merc was dented from the side...so I am assuming the driver side swiped the bike.

The ambulance had already taken the rider, I hope he is ok.

[Surferdude]

After observing a couple of stupid antics in the last few weeks ...

Photos or it didn't happen!



I won't clog up this thread with my observations of idiocy and road rage - there are so many I could report .

I did take pics of the Mitsubishi Pajero intending to dob him in but my bloody phone camera isn't good enough.
And why not share your observations. That's what the thread is all about.
Vent I say. Go ahead and VENT!

[Surferdude]

Saw another one today.
Old dude - like about 75 on an electric scooter - riding on the road.
There's a perfectly good footpath and he goes out on the road.
I'm assuming they have some form of registration but whether they do or not, why, if push bike and motor bike riders must wear helmets, don't these old people.

[Pranav]

Hey, Surferdude did you see this scooter riding granpa in Gold Coast ? Coz I did too yesterday. 

I was all laughing, and he was waiting behind other cars on red lights just any other vehicles.

[Surferdude]

Hey, Surferdude did you see this scooter riding granpa in Gold Coast ? Coz I did too yesterday. 

I was all laughing, and he was waiting behind other cars on red lights just any other vehicles.

No. He was at Kedron in Brisbane outside where I was working. And, like yours he was waiting in line at the traffic lights. Young girl about 4 cars back jumped out of the passenger seat with a camera to record him for posterity.

[rustynutz]

Saw another one today.
Old dude - like about 75 on an electric scooter - riding on the road.
There's a perfectly good footpath and he goes out on the road.
I'm assuming they have some form of registration but whether they do or not, why, if push bike and motor bike riders must wear helmets, don't these old people.

They are classed as pedestrians so no rego or helmets.
They are allowed to ride on the road but only if there is no footpath or if the footpath is being repaired or is unsafe due to damage. They are limited to speeds of 10kph.......

[meehalych]

surferdude
well, I'm convinced that there are lot of idiot on the roads in Russia and some of them may possess the pneumatic guns  , which they may point to the others cars or even their drivers to prove they are right in the circumstances, I haven't experienced any of this, but have seen lot of videos in web.

[Shambles]

And why not share your observations. That's what the thread is all about.
Vent I say. Go ahead and VENT!

My normal route to & from work is badly affected until Feb 2012 while a major railway bridge is being replaced.

Until that is completed I'm forced, along with many others, to take a narrow detour around my village.

Here's a short clip (taken yesterday) showing a biker who obviously tried as best he could to get to the front of the waiting traffic.

I called him an idiot as I passed him...

[eye30]

And if he had been knocked off his bike you know who would have been blamed....Not him!

[eye30]

Came acroos this vid .  Now I wouldn't normally post here but I thought it does seem to have a connection to this thread.

WARNING:
The end is not for those with a delicate stomach

[meehalych]

eye30
If it is not fake, as it seems to me actually, that guy on the video was really lucky otherwise the impact with a car would be fatal for him.

Shambles
thank you for the video, that took me to England within seconds.

[eye30]

eye30
If it is not fake, as it seems to me actually, that guy on the video was really lucky otherwise the impact with a car would be fatal for him.

It doesn't look fake to me.

What do others think?

[Shambles]

^-- it's fake and you're cheating as it's not an idiot you've seen on the road

[Dazzler]

I think it might be fake but if so quite well done 

[rustynutz]

And if he had been knocked off his bike you know who would have been blamed....Not him!

Good to see we agree, eye...

Yes,  the motorcyclist was sitting over the line a bit but If it had been a car or truck no one would probably have thought anything of it.

[FatBoy]

In the storms that hit Melbourne this afternoon (very dark and heavy rain), I was driving home over the Westgate Bridge following a guy in a dark blue Falcon, he was the only one without his lights on (had to get within 100m to see him), when I overtook him, he was on his mobile phone.  Idiot!!

Oh, and I believe the video of the accident is a fake.  That is after consultation with the accident investigation team at DSTO (where I work).  There is little or no damage to the bike after the accident.  The 4wd seems to accelerate from normal speed to estimated 100km/h + in a short period of time.  The camera (which was on the motorbike while the guy is talking, conveniently pans to the accident site before the accident), and finally, when the guy runs to the 4wd to help with the camera in tow, he remains in the screen shot basically the whole time.  Very well done fake though, IMO.


FatBoy

[Pranav]

Hey Surferdude..you wont believe this.  My wife tells me that we were in Brisbane too when we saw the scooter riding granpa.  I was just too tired maybe to remember.  I had to take a right turn so went ahead.

Amazing, such a short world we were there around same place ! what are the odds !!

[Doggie 1]

This is a good thread and the way it's going might end up being the longest running thread on the site - as long as we have idiots on the road 

[FatBoy]

And we are the biggest idiots for being out there with them!!

 

[Surferdude]

Hey Surferdude..you wont believe this.  My wife tells me that we were in Brisbane too when we saw the scooter riding granpa.  I was just too tired maybe to remember.  I had to take a right turn so went ahead.

Amazing, such a short world we were there around same place ! what are the odds !!

We'll have to stop meeting like this.

[eye30]

As I was told when I was learning to drive    -------   There is only 1 nut on the road. 
The one holding the driving wheel......