I got cut off today, hard.

oodLes · Post by **oodLes** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:57 am

Came around a left hand corner which then turns into two lanes of traffic, with the right lane acting as also a turning lane for a supermarket. Came round the bend nice and smooth (but I'll admit, quickly) and stayed in the left lane, but some middle aged construction worker in his old green Pulsar just pulled into my lane from the right lane, as there were tons of cars waiting to turn into the supermarket.

He was basically about 2cm in front of my bumper when he pulled out, and if I hadn't avoided him it would be one broken FTO right now.

There was empty parking on the left of me, and I immediately swerved into it and braked hard. The old guy, well, I don't know if he even saw me.

I get so incredibly frustrated with the general population and their inability to drive properly.

jonowong · Post by **jonowong** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:03 pm

im not having a go at you... but part of driving is being able to avoid a accident by driving at a reasonable speed for the traffic

tarkus · Post by **tarkus** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:09 pm

and just one small piece of advice from an "old fart"

"you might be the best driver in the world, but you must remember that every other driver is out to get you".

keep you eyes open all the time, even those in the back of your head.

kartus (dislexia rules KO)

mr-charisma · Post by **mr-charisma** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:05 pm

I share your pain.. I mean, I'm always aware of my surroundings, and other traffic, especially so if i'm going faster, but you can never 100% predict what other dickhead drivers are gonna do. and I would much prefer to have the guy going faster and swerving in and out of traffic pulling in front of me rather than some random idiot who doesn't even check where he's going and starts turning into the side of me with no blinker.

At least you can predict what the speeding guy is going to do, and adjust your driving to account for it. It's the random brainless twits who don't know what they're doing, or do stupid things randomly that should be getting fines - pity theres never a cop around when it happens though ... and not like they would even do anything if there were.

oodLes · Post by **oodLes** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:50 pm

I'm extremely aware of my surroundings. The parking wasn't a completely free lane, it was 2 parallel parks side by side that were free, my bumper was at the curb at the end of it. I also forgot to mention that I went INTO the corner quickly, but left fairly sedately as I knew of this spot and the congestion it regularly gets.

I would have been doing 40 at the most, but the speed that the guy swung into my lane gave me little options. I've completely toned down my previously extremely aggressive driving style since I got the FTO, simply because I ever want to see anything ever happen to it, mechanically or accident wise. Prior to it I was driving a Mitsu Lancer, and I was driving to the limits of the car (not the law) every day. Those days are over.

What also annoys me with today's drivers, in particular, is their inability to fathom the concept, that a person turning left into a 2 lane street has the right to choose either lane, however a person turning right into a 2 lane street must choose the right lane, not either. I've had at LEAST 20 or so people almost hit me because I chose the right lane when turning left into the street. If I had my way I would get everyone in aus to re-take their driving tests.

mr-charisma · Post by **mr-charisma** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:10 pm

4 sure, its ridiculous that you can get a licence to drive a deadly weapon after sitting through 1 extremely easy multiple choice test and 1 max 30 min driving exam. hell people who got their licence 20 30, 40+ years ago had it even easier, back then you either didn't even have to sit an exam or know the road rules, or it was just a quick drive around the block and back & they gave them their licence.

They're doing more to make it harder to get a licence, but only for young people which I think totally sucks, cause IMO most young people are better on the roads than a lot of older people 30+

one of the things that pisses me off the most is people who stay in the far right lanes goin under the limit ... the BIGGEST road rule states that you Stay to the left, unless you're overtaking! FFS

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:34 pm

mr-charisma wrote: hell people who got their licence 20 30, 40+ years ago had it even easier, back then you either didn't even have to sit an exam or know the road rules, or it was just a quick drive around the block and back & they gave them their licence.

Thats funny, because my parents certainly need to do a multiple choice and a driving test. I remember well because my mum fail twice.

oodLes · Post by **oodLes** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:40 pm

Nice new pic of the Merc, FTO338.

topao · Post by **topao** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:07 pm

mr-charisma wrote:
one of the things that pisses me off the most is people who stay in the far right lanes goin under the limit ... the BIGGEST road rule states that you Stay to the left, unless you're overtaking! FFS

Im So with you on this one, left lane for slow people right lane for fast people, theres nothing worse then two slow people going below the limit in both lanes driving next to each other, it drives me insane who gave these people there licenses

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:29 am

topao wrote:
mr-charisma wrote:
one of the things that pisses me off the most is people who stay in the far right lanes goin under the limit ... the BIGGEST road rule states that you Stay to the left, unless you're overtaking! FFS

Im So with you on this one, left lane for slow people right lane for fast people, theres nothing worse then two slow people going below the limit in both lanes driving next to each other, it drives me insane who gave these people there licenses

I second that, bloody slow driver usually are the one who causes road rage, as the person whos behind them will try to get infront of them almost at "all cost"

Post by **BorepYano** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:14 am

of course there are the times when ppl are going slow in the right lane because they need to turn right somewhere up ahead but not sure where.

I do that a fair bit actually

cos i keep having to go to new places (mostly for work), but even i try to only move into the right lane when it's going to cause the least amout of trouble for other drivers, but in traffic it's not do-able sometimes.

HiRAEdd · Post by **HiRAEdd** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:00 pm

I'm constantly flabbergasted by the - what can only be described as pathetic - driving ability (inability?) of some other drivers. The latest example was an elderly chap that proceeded to pull out of his driveway, without looking, not 10 metres in front of me. I had a trailer in tow and I was hard on the brakes and horn yet the old biddy in the passenger seat proceeded to abuse the crap out of me!!!

I just try to keep an attitude on the road that everyone around me is a bad driver and is about to do something stupid and drive accordingly. Touch wood, it's an attitude that has served me quite well to date.