Things other drivers do that annoy you...disproportionately

[martine]

For me it's driving with fog lights blazing when the nearest fog is in the North Sea.

I don't know why it annoys me...it's not a heinous crime - but it does.

Anyone else like to explain my annoyance or add to the list?

[jont]

I don't know about explain, but I saw the thread title, and immediately thought "foglights"

Using a mobile phone while driving - especially with passengers in the car (why can't they take the call if it really matters?)

Driving at inappropriate speeds - whether it's doing 40 in NSL or overtaking me in our residential street (which has happened on at least half a dozen occasions in the last year).

Jon

[MGF]

People who hold up traffic on a road with priority to wave cars out of a junction. Not one or even two but lots.

People who stop in the road to let traffic into and out of another road when a quick glance in their mirrors would reveal a 200 yard gap behind them.

I guess this over indulgence in courtesy compensates for those who push up bumper to bumper, eyes straight ahead determined to block anyone from coming out of or into a minor road. Notwitstanding the fact they have nowhere to go.

I recently started to commute again and am just getting used to it all.

[MiniClubmanEstate]

Twats who blast their horn and flash lights at you doing 20 in 20 zones near schools, Idiots who don't know how bus-lanes work as they can't be bothered to occasionally point their web-browser to highwaycode.gov.uk, numptys who approach roundabouts with a single lane exit at the 12 o' clock position who stay in the out side lane and try to cut you up at the exit, 4rse-holes who constantly drive too close to your tail, Car club members who race each other along the public highway and brag about what speed and other offences they committed on club forums, Bus drivers who don't look before moving off before indicating (Can usually use other information to tell if the bus will move, just look through the window), short-sighted idiots who don't understand how priorities at junctions work thus causing more delays and flashing others potentially into danger, so I don't get on with many road users. I could list hundreds more but my laptop hasn't get enough battery time left.

I get on with some driving instructors and the odd conventional motorist who is probably an advanced driver, and I will freely acknowledge that I'm not the best driver on the roads but I am constantly trying to improve.

[James]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

Idiots who straddle the whute line to prevent you overtaking when the road temporarily becomes 2 lanes.

People who approach you quickly in Lane 3, tailgate and sit there waiting for you to let them past (despite you travelling at a good speed and overtaking those in Lane 2).

[CDAWG]

People who overtake you, and then turn while on the wrong side of the road. It would of only been a few seconds before they got to the turn anyway.

Chris

[Gareth]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

I wonder whether they're really flashing the Xenon equiped driver because they feel the lights are too bright?

[ScoobyChris]

- People with poorly adjusted lights.
- People who give misleading signals.
- People who change their speed when you pull out to plan an overtake and then slow down when you abort!

Chris

[James]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

I wonder whether they're really flashing the Xenon equiped driver because they feel the lights are too bright?

Possibly, but then why sell them? Alot of cars on the road have them and I never see a problem with them. I assume your against then my dear G?

[Gareth]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

I wonder whether they're really flashing the Xenon equiped driver because they feel the lights are too bright?

Possibly, but then why sell them? Alot of cars on the road have them and I never see a problem with them. I assume your against then my dear G?

I'm in too minds about newer headlights. Generally if they don't blind me, I don't mind, however I often find it is very difficult to look past a stream of on-coming cars with very bright lights at night, especially if the ground is wet. I see this as a reduction in road safety, tho' no doubt the drivers with brighter headlights think that road safety is enhanced because they can see better.

The other aspect of too bright headlights is when they are on the car behind. Many times I find that the lights of the car behind are so bright that they make the light pattern cast by my headlights appear to be in shadow, even when the lights of the car behind are dipped. This can make driving forward quite difficult!

What does bug me is something that isn't just applicable to Xenon headlights; the off-axis colour fringing. Sometimes you can see just how bad this is when the headlights illuminate a large white direction sign. The worst aspect is when there is a blue fringe, because then I am often mislead into thinking there is an emergency vehicle in the vicinity, when in fact that's not the case. The problem then is having seen the merest trace of a blue flash, I am looking out for more blue lights to the detriment of other observation.

I believe this problem is caused predominately by headlights that focus the light beam through a lens, projector style. One of our cars has these, and it pisses me off no end that sometimes I'm driving a car with the sort of headlights that annoy me. Unfortunately there's no option to not have these, and for a £1,000 car, I'd probably be a fool to spend perhaps a third or more it's value to replace working headlights even if I could.

I was concerned enough about these problems to visit an optician recently, but after having a thorough examination, he told me there was nothing intrinsically wrong with my eyes other than the normal deterioration with middle age.

[SammyTheSnake]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

People who think that not using full beam exempts them from HC94 (seriously, though it is bloody irritating)

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[keats52]

Various speed issues, such as vehicles who drive incredibly slowly on any section of road you can't overtake them on, but as soon as they see a straight accelerate to over the NSL, and people who drive at 40 in a NSL, 40 in a 50, 40 in a 30, yet 30 in a 40.

My predominant out-of-proportion annoyance is with indicating, my main issue being with people who only indicate once they have finished or are about to finish changing lanes on the motorway. Why do they bother? What are they thinking to themselves? "Oh dear, I think I may need to clarify to everyone that I am in fact changine lane." You're already in the bloody lane! I can see that, you numpty!

[crr003]

People who flash you because they dont know what Xenon lights are and think you are on full beam.

After fog light abusers, Xenons are next. Why do you need such bright lights to drive at 70 mph on a motorway? If you're blatting down an autobahn I can accept you need a bit more vision. It was nearly OK when these lights were limited to the likes of Mercs and BMWs, but nowadays I see a positive cornucopia (not sure of the usage, but it's a nice word) of various intensity lights closing on me from behind............even bloody Astras.....

[waremark]

Why do you need such bright lights to drive at 70 mph on a motorway?

To drive along the country road on the way home from the motorway? I pay for Xenons as a vastly expensive extra to make my night time driving easier and safer.

[waremark]

People who approach you quickly in Lane 3, tailgate and sit there waiting for you to let them past (despite you travelling at a good speed and overtaking those in Lane 2).

How would you prefer them to indicate to you that they wish you to move in at the first suitable opportunity so that they can overtake? Do you prefer them to flash? Or to undertake?

BTW, I am not trying to say that I would do it in the way you dislike, but I am asking a genuine question.