'unofficial' general driving comment and rant thread

[Mike Muz]

Re:

I'm an HGV driver . Yes we're allowed to use the third lane on a four lane motorway . And the outside lane on a 2 lane motorway .
They are all limited to 56mph , once they reach that speed , the pedal goes to the floor .Unless the driver takes a fuse out . All driving IS recorded , either by tachograph charts , or with a Digicard , so if a driver is pulled over by VOSA , their speed will be looked at .
Unlike all other vehicles that don't collect evidence of speeding .
Personal gripes ? How long have you got !
The worst , incorrect use of indicators/lanes on roundabouts , fog lights in all weather conditions , no lights at all /changing lanes in tunnels . That's without the mobile phone/MP3 brigade . And since when has it become acceptable to have earphones in both ears ?
And , from a personal perspective , some impatient driver getting out of their car and trying to converse with me while I'm craning a tonne of stuff to a building site . Invariably with low power/telephone cables . I'm blocking a road , with hazard lights on , a supporting leg out to the side , and a crane in the air . What's the best a school run mum can expect . IT'S A LORRY , NOT A FCUKING HELICOPTER ! :evil:
Rant over , deep breath , happy again

Mike

 

[The History Man]

Fairly articulate.









Coat?

 

[RadNomad]

Re:

Try India... the rest of the world is paradise in comparison.

 

[technodup]

Re: Re:

I will pull you off rather than end up with a mouth full

I will go straight up your rear

insist on sniffing right up my rear

impede my passage

I think you should lay off the driving tbh, you're getting over excited.

 

[lewis1641]

i have just fitted a refurbished set of wheels and brand new tyres to the wife's car. 2 weeks later all 4 wheels are scuffed and one tyre needs replacing as she has rammed a curb and torn the sidewall.

 

[The History Man]

Parking by Braille.

 

[Neil]

i have just fitted a refurbished set of wheels and brand new tyres to the wife's car. 2 weeks later all 4 wheels are scuffed and one tyre needs replacing as she has rammed a curb and torn the sidewall.

Fit steel wheels and no wheeltrims.

Oh and a standing order with a tyre shop.

 

[saulus]

Great idea for a thread btw.

Alot of what annoys me about driving has been covered rather well already.

I had a near miss recently with a lorry about 4 weeks ago. I was driving with my family on board our VW T4 on a road in deepest Carmarthenshire. On the way to stay at a chilled 'Yurt' camping spot for a couple of days, nearly there, when what I think was a Quarry Lorry was coming the other way- on my side of the road. It had a rigid chassis, solid sided tipper trailer and 30 odd foot long. The type quarry haulage firms use alot anyhow.

My T4 + big quarry lorry 3ft onto my side of the road over the white centre lines all meeting on the apex of a bitchy corner = brown trousers moment.

This corner was blind and situated at the bottom of a dip. The up and down of this dip was probably 150 feet with a house/garden wall on the one side and a rock wall on the other - making the only possible evasive action being braking and praying - praying that I slowed enough but didn't skid, giving Mr Quarry Lorry space to swerve back onto his side of the road. He tucked back in onto his side 3 feet in front of my bumper and we were both on the inclines going away from eachother in a flash. Thank f**k.

It was one of those situations - Sickening as it was completely avoidable; he just needed to stay on his side of the road but almost unavoidable catastrophic damage would of occurred because the options at hand were so limited.

I spend my whole time trying to anticipate the 'what if....' scenarios when I drive and this was a graphic example of a time that it utterly paid off. As I type this it relights the senses..I am still pissed off and relieved.

We went onto have a great holiday. My partner and I had a real sense of appreciation for what we have anyway, but it was further enhanced by what (nearly) happened!

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

A very scary moment indeed. Sometimes I have to drive my lorry across the central lines to avoid knackering the mirrors on hedges, sticking out branches etc . But I always drive at slow speed when I do , it just allows me to stop if I need to . I know that not all truck drivers do this .
Pleased you managed to enjoy holiday afterwards

Mike

 

[highlandsflyer]

Re:

Drove over eight hundred miles over the thirty hours through to early this morning. Mostly on the motorway, and I have to say just about every HGV I encountered drove very considerately. Especially yesterday evening through to early this morning on the Scottish roads, those long unlit stretches of dual carriageway and single carriageway that freak most people out thanks to the constant chain of HGVs making their way north with goods that should mostly be on the railways. Even the chap who kept catching up to me, only to have me overtake him again repeatedly on the single carriageway parts of the A9. I kept having to stop for phone calls. I always got the polite dip as I was passing and acknowledgement once safely in for giving plenty of room as I passed.

Don't tar all HGV drivers with same brush.

One thing very noticeable in England around the cities was how many were driving with no lights on.

Right up until late at night, really amazing how many.

Also all the tailgating and impatience on the city streets, and downright aggressive driving.

Had my first positive experience of the M25 for a long time too, as I used it to go from the Land Registry in Croydon round to the M40 and hardly hit a tailback. Just a little congestion as we met the M4 area and such.

Overall a great driving experience, even if would have preferred flying.