[Dazzler]

Speaking of motorcycles/scooters.....
MY pet hate is some service station attendants insisting you remove your helmet when you go in to pay for your fuel....

Have someone in a helmet point a gun at you and you might feel differently Russ.

It's not the attendants fault it's the bastards that keep holding up garages that are the problem.. a lot of things that used to be easy are now hard because too many do the wrong thing.. like all the ID you need to open a bank account now because there are so many shonky people around 

[2i30s]

Speaking of motorcycles/scooters.....
MY pet hate is some service station attendants insisting you remove your helmet when you go in to pay for your fuel....

Have someone in a helmet point a gun at you and you might feel differently Russ.

It's not the attendants fault it's the bastards that keep holding up garages that are the problem.. a lot of things that used to be easy are now hard because too many do the wrong thing.. like all the ID you need to open a bank account now because there are so many shonky people around 

yeah,you need 100 points worth of id. 

[rustynutz]

Have someone in a helmet point a gun at you and you might feel differently Russ.

Maybe so but I still find it offensive that motorcyclists are singled out as if they are somehow more likely to rob a servo or something. From the footage I see on the news, helmets don't appear to be the number 1 choice for hold ups. I see more baseball caps, beanies & hoodies. I don't see any signs requesting these items and, as Paul said, burkas to be removed as a condition of entry..

Anyhow, I'll keep on refusing to remove my helmet and if I've already filled up, what are they gonna do? They either take my money or I walk out without paying....

[2i30s]

Have someone in a helmet point a gun at you and you might feel differently Russ.

Maybe so but I still find it offensive that motorcyclists are singled out as if they are somehow more likely to rob a servo or something. From the footage I see on the news, helmets don't appear to be the number 1 choice for hold ups. I see more baseball caps, beanies & hoodies. I don't see any signs requesting these items and, as Paul said, burkas to be removed as a condition of entry..

Anyhow, I'll keep on refusing to remove my helmet and if I've already filled up, what are they gonna do? They either take my money or I walk out without paying....

[eye30]

holy!
have a question. where the white van is....can the car on the right of him (and a bit behind) turn right to exit the road on the right, or do you have to turn left and go all the way around?

it looks scary, but i made myself look at it for awhile, and i 'think' i'm getting it

If I understand it correctly, he can turn right at the "little" feeder roundabout just in front of him into one of the three lanes with the arrows pointing anti-clockwise. But one of our UK "locals" may be better placed to clarify it.
And you're right, Snowcherry. The system does work but I want to know what the guy was on who thought it out in the first place. 

You have to treat each junction and roundabout as separate junctions and roads.

You don't think about the next until you have left the one you are at.

[snowcherry]

If I understand it correctly, he can turn right at the "little" feeder roundabout just in front of him into one of the three lanes with the arrows pointing anti-clockwise. But one of our UK "locals" may be better placed to clarify it.
And you're right, Snowcherry. The system does work but I want to know what the guy was on who thought it out in the first place. 

hmmm thats what i thought, just the black vehicle in the middle was confusing me as i couldn't tell its orientation. actually i think it makes sense.
wow. 

[Lorian]

He's driving over the top of the roundabout (bad driving), he should be about 6 feet further to his left.

[paul]

Most motorcyclists are mature riders, and nice responsible people,
however the new young scooter riders that weave in and out of traffic overtaking then undertaking piss me (a mature bike rider)off, and i am not surprised car drivers get annoyed.

.. overtaking then undertaking...

Reminds me of the old saying about overtaking... there's the right side and then there's the suicide.

 

[kittikat]

I love a good rant.....

I particularly hate the people who do 90k's while the traffic is coming the other way, and then hit 110 when there is a gap.     On the single lane each way that is most of my trip to work, I am often stuck behind someone who appears to be scared by the traffic going the other way and takes the foot off.  Then when there is a gap for you to pass, they hit the pedal and take off.  It has always annoyed me, but I find it even worse now because the cruise control means you seem to notice it even more.   

I'm not sure what their technical name is, but I hate the big metal trucks with the metal trailers.  They usually carry stones or rocks or something like that.  I see at least three each way, each day, on the drive to work.  It is a little disturbing to look in the rearview mirror and suddenly see only the trucks's grill.  They seem to get enjoyment out of seeing how close they can get to the back of your car.

I, too, hate people who drive a straight line through a roundabout.  I have been in the right lane when someone in the left lane has driven into my lane then back into their own, just to save themselves turning the wheel and following the white line. 

I think that's enough for now.........

[snowcherry]

I particularly hate the people who do 90k's while the traffic is coming the other way, and then hit 110 when there is a gap.     On the single lane each way that is most of my trip to work, I am often stuck behind someone who appears to be scared by the traffic going the other way and takes the foot off.  Then when there is a gap for you to pass, they hit the pedal and take off.  It has always annoyed me, but I find it even worse now because the cruise control means you seem to notice it even more.   

oh yeah you see these guys on the highway sometimes. we have a lot of trucks obviously and the little car in front of you suddenly sees the truck and decides not only it must drop to 80 very suddenly but it also needs to swerve half way off the road then picks up speed again so you can't pass him. i'm more scared of the little car than the truck!

it reminds me though of another pet hate. the 'rather chat to person in the passenger seat than concentrate' driver who is so caught up in his chat he doesn't realise he is slowing down, then suddenly realises and speeds up. and then sloooows doooooown agaaaain. thenspeedsup! and by the time he has done this 4 or 5 times you're ready to drive right over the top of him. i often yell at them abusively and have lovely inane chats with them to. not that they hear it. 

[kittikat]

it reminds me though of another pet hate. the 'rather chat to person in the passenger seat than concentrate' driver who is so caught up in his chat he doesn't realise he is slowing down, then suddenly realises and speeds up. and then sloooows doooooown agaaaain. thenspeedsup! and by the time he has done this 4 or 5 times you're ready to drive right over the top of him. i often yell at them abusively and have lovely inane chats with them to. not that they hear it. 

And the ones who have to look at their passenger when they are talking to them.  Now I know it's bad manners not to look at someone when you are talking to them, but I'm sure your passenger will not be insulted if you watch the road when you are driving. 

[2i30s]

I've seen people reading the newspaper whilst driving,also having a shave on the way to work. 

[paul]

I've seen people reading the newspaper whilst driving,also having a shave on the way to work. 

ive seen a woman putting curlers in her hair while doing 70 on the m25 motorway!

[2i30s]

 

[MelWA]

Firstly, I thought maybe all the people commenting on this issue might well be from Perth, Western Australia.  I reckon Perth has the worst drivers in Australia, if not the world.  Where do I start?  They can't merge - there is NOT a stop sign at the end of the merging lane.  You do not stop and wait for a gap, you might sit there all day in peak hour and it really brasses off the people stuck behind you.  Having said that some motorists, when they see a car in the merging lane, think its a race and speed up so the car can't merge.  They don't seem to comprehend that if the car in the merging lane is in front of their car, the merging car has right of way.  I've lost count of how many times I've had slam on the brakes because some d!ckhead won't let me merge.  They cannot see past the end of the bonnet.  They can't use a roundabout - cars already on the roundabout have right of way.  They have no courtesy and no patience.  Some drive around all day with their "look at me I'm a d!ckhead" lights on.  They just love to barge into the gap someone else has left for stopping distance.  They are always in a hurry to get to the next red light - just on that topic Perth now has speed cameras at some traffic light-controlled intersections.  Saw one working nicely a few weeks ago on Roe Highway, someone decided to plant their foot to get through on the orange light and will have a speeding ticket for their trouble    Some silly girl in Geraldton had her P-Plates for 4 days and lost her licence for speeding, doing 99km/h in a 60km/h area.  There really needs to be proper driver training, not mums and dads who got their licence 40 years ago, passing on bad habits while teaching their kids to drive.  I could go on and on but I have just finished night shift and need to sleep now lol.

[Dazzler]

Hi Mel.. dont hold back..

Probably the worst thing I found when I was over there is the way that the traffic on the freeways doesn't flow.. One minute you are doing 100 and the next everything is back to 80 then 100 again.. I think it is partly due to what you say about reluctance to let people merge in at on ramps...

I was amazed at how many nose to tail accidents I saw on your freeways (but not surprised in view of the above)

[2i30s]

Hi Mel.. dont hold back..

Probably the worst thing I found when I was over there is the way that the traffic on the freeways doesn't flow.. One minute you are doing 100 and the next everything is back to 80 then 100 again.. I think it is partly due to what you say about reluctance to let people merge in at on ramps...

I was amazed at how many nose to tail accidents I saw on your freeways (but not surprised in view of the above)

but most of the drivers I've followed behind on an on ramp are only doing 70 or 80kmh when they try to merge with the traffic that's already doing 100kmh on the freeway. 

[snowcherry]

it reminds me though of another pet hate. the 'rather chat to person in the passenger seat than concentrate' driver who is so caught up in his chat he doesn't realise he is slowing down, then suddenly realises and speeds up. and then sloooows doooooown agaaaain. thenspeedsup! and by the time he has done this 4 or 5 times you're ready to drive right over the top of him. i often yell at them abusively and have lovely inane chats with them to. not that they hear it. 

And the ones who have to look at their passenger when they are talking to them.  Now I know it's bad manners not to look at someone when you are talking to them, but I'm sure your passenger will not be insulted if you watch the road when you are driving. 

YES!! bingo. 

Hi Mel.. dont hold back..

Probably the worst thing I found when I was over there is the way that the traffic on the freeways doesn't flow.. One minute you are doing 100 and the next everything is back to 80 then 100 again.. I think it is partly due to what you say about reluctance to let people merge in at on ramps...

I was amazed at how many nose to tail accidents I saw on your freeways (but not surprised in view of the above)

have you driven in queensland? same problem.
and if they do fix one area they make a worse bottleneck somewhere else
even the highway has stupid speedzones that go up and down like a yo-yo

[Ugly Mongrel]

Changing lanes without indicating or shoulder checking :mad:GRRRR.

When I learnt to drive, my instructor taught me this simple acronym for lane changing.

M = Mirrors - check them all.
I  = Indicate your intention.
S = Shoulder check to see if the space you want to place your vehicle in safe.
S = Start the lane change maneuver.

I do it all the time and it works perfectly.

[rustynutz]

With all the "merging" that happens on our major Freeways such as the "Monash" in Victoria, I struggle to understand why anyone would constantly drive in the Left Lane...
I nearly always travel in the centre lanes so I don't have to worry about everyone merging and only hop into the left lane when I need to get off the Freeway. The right lane is still free for those that want to pass. Makes perfect sense to me.... :-\

[rustynutz]

Changing lanes without indicating or shoulder checking :mad:GRRRR.

When I learnt to drive, my instructor taught me this simple acronym for lane changing.

M = Mirrors - check them all.
I  = Indicate your intention.
S = Shoulder check to see if the space you want to place your vehicle in safe.
S = Start the lane change maneuver.

I do it all the time and it works perfectly.

Glad to see you mention shoulder checks...
This is something many drivers don't do, rather they rely on their mirrors.
A shoulder check is a necessity because you never know what is sitting in your blindspot...

[2i30s]

here's another one i hate.a 100kmh speed limit on the freeway, that changes to 80kmh, and then it changes back to 100kmh 10 minutes later.  and the bulk of the freeway speed cameras are in that 80kmh section. 

[rustynutz]

Don't get me started on speed cameras... 

[2i30s]

 

Changing lanes without indicating or shoulder checking :mad:GRRRR.

Glad to see you mention shoulder checks...
This is something many drivers don't do, rather they rely on their mirrors.
A shoulder check is a necessity because you never know what is sitting in your blindspot...

My car has no blind spots and I've never needed to do a "shoulder check". I understand why many people will think my statement is incorrect but if you adjust the three mirrors correctly you will have a continuous panorama and no blind spot.

The problem is twofold: One, driving instructors do not teach learners to trust what they see in the rear vision mirrors and that the only proper view is first hand by turning your head. My son whom I taught to drive (even though I had been "driving for 40 years"  ) could not convince the driving instructor that took over from me that he could see down his left side!! What if you are driving a windowless van or a truck? How do you suppose truck drivers or bus drivers ever change lanes safely?

The second problem arises from the first because even if they understood that their mirrors were potentially adequate, few car drivers appear to have any idea how to adjust them to get a sensible view. Most people adjust the side mirrors to give them a view of the door handles and in effect barely offers any different or extended view to that which can be seen in the central mirror. :o

Folks, the mirrors are much more useful if they all overlap minimally. Once adjusted this way the so-called blind spot is covered by the side mirror as it should be.

If anyone is convinced I might be right then try it but please continue to drive according to your current method until you have retrained yourself to use the mirrors as they were designed.

[Dazzler]

Hi Pip,
 
Congrats on starting what has turned out to a hugely popular thread 

I've been driving for 35 years and I am not totally convinced that correctly adjusted mirrors can always eliminate blind spots..

I always try to adjust my mirrors as you have suggested.. I will take particular note over the next month or so to see if looking over the shoulder uncovers any traffic not visible in the mirrors..

[snowcherry]

My car has no blind spots and I've never needed to do a "shoulder check". I understand why many people will think my statement is incorrect but if you adjust the three mirrors correctly you will have a continuous panorama and no blind spot.

i do my shoulder check in most situations, i guess old habits but i find i'm right and there is nothing there, and that is because i check the mirrors first. in my first car i didn't/couldn't do this as much though. maybe i just didn't "get" it yet or i think the mirrors weren't good enough. and i even had a couple of near misses from my blind spot as even a quick short shoulder check failed to spot someone coming up the rear a bit too quickly.

but with the i30 i tend to see quite a lot on both sides. i think its due to the funny magnification it has? within a quick few weeks of having the car i realised i could see much more and understood a lot more about my blind spots than i ever did in the older one. so i'm using my mirrors a lot and i think its brilliant. i finally understood what my dad tried to teach me when i was younger about using them to see where you are. as i said i am still using my shoulder check, but i realise i'm not being as critical about it as i do feel quite safe with the mirror check.
except when i'm reversing and the back of the car in some situations can still be tricky for me.

[Bel680]

I never do shoulder checks, I've got the little blind spot mirrors on wing mirrors, first thing I did when I got my car from the dealer was stick them on, I've always had them on my car's. I was taught by my instructor (15 years ago) to always know what's going on around you by using the mirrors all the time.

[rustynutz]

I never do shoulder checks, I've got the little blind spot mirrors on wing mirrors, first thing I did when I got my car from the dealer was stick them on, I've always had them on my car's. I was taught by my instructor (15 years ago) to always know what's going on around you by using the mirrors all the time.

I betcha he also said to always do a head check as well....