Worst bad-driving practice....

[MattR34GTT]

I dunno if this has been done before, but I find that I am getting so that I cannot drive in city traffic any more if I need to be somewhere fast due to the increasing number of morons on the road.

Now, there is no denying that there are younger drivers in sporty little cars and they drive nothing short of badly - but what about those who get in their lane, *think* that they know the road rules and how to handle a car, but are just creating problems for all road users with their ignorance and arrogance.

I thought that I would run a serious poll to see just what people in the car community consider to be the worst driving practices. At the moment I'm trying to think of all the dangerous things for traffic conditions. Feel free to PM me if the options need updating.

It's just a shame that the mainstream media can't take this poll - mainly because of their bigoted thoughts against car people and seemingly refusing to log onto sites like this where WE get to have a say (Unlike the newspapers and TV where only the most ignorant and uneducated get their say - as the reporter/s of a story!)

Notes:

#4: Driver inattention has been proven to be the #1 reason for road deaths in the USA last year - this includes using a mobile phone, smoking, eating, and drinking. Speed-related was #3. Makes you wonder why Speed is still touted as the main killer on roads? Is the government saying that you're stupid and will believe everything they say?

#6: This includes a refusal-to-acknowledge other road users by not moving into the left lane; believing that they know all the road rules; or being intentionally ignorant of other road users.

#9: Fools who sit on your bumper because they lack the ability to see a problem and work around it AND lack the simple common-sense to realise that maybe the person in front either cannot get out of the way or is a #6. It also indicates to me that the tailgater does not have sufficient driving skills to know how to overtake safely. I will be happy when the law is changed to show that an accident caused by a tailgator is intentional in nature and should be charged as a minimum of Intentional Grevious Bodily Harm or Attempted Murder.

[someonestolecc]

Drink driving and drug driving aren't the same.

Is the government saying that you're stupid and will believe everything they say?

They've always thought that - the last election proves they're right.

[zakalwe]

Probably inattention is number 1 danger, but tailgating gets on my wick so badly I just had to go for it. Most tailgating is from morons who've never had to emergency brake ever in their whole lives; they really have no idea what they're doing behind a steering wheel.

I don't think anyone can learn to drive properly on the public road. How can you practice stuff like emergency wet braking on the road? How many people discover how suddenly their car slides the first time they hit a gutter?

Accident rates would improve if everyone who got a licence had to pass a more advanced car handling test. It might not make a big difference to the petrol heads, but it would bring the drongos up to speed on the realities of how cars behave.

I have a real problem with banning young drivers from fast cars. Some kind of advanced licence for driving more powerful cars would suit me - a prawn at the wheel of an XR6T is a lot more dangerous than he is in a Focus. But age neutral, there are plenty of fifty year olds who still can't drive. They should be restricted to 4 cylinder Camrys like all the other beginners. Everyone should have to pass a test every 5 years: my mum is in her late 70's, she will have to pass a test at 85, her first since she got a licence at 17...

Of course graded licences are politically incorrect, & they're not revenue neutral, so it'll never happen.

Z

[The_Paladin]

i voted arrogance for type of car.........

4X4's biggest hate...........saw someone at work nearly get run down by a speeding one today, yes, female driver..........

people who think that having a performance car gives them the right to speed, lower stopping distance and to overtake everything is another thing becomming a lot more common..........

it's elitist bullshite

drink driving is also another big one............

driving tired is a huge killer that i think should have gotten a mention.........

[wilch]

You're missing an option,

"Not driving to the conditions of the road"

I believe that is the worst driving practice, and covers people that are going way too fast for the road conditions, and those that are driving way too slowly for the road conditions causing frustration in those behind - which in turn causes them to do stupid things later on.

wil..

[MattR34GTT]

I left out 'Road Conditions'??? I had it on my bit of paper when I was drafting this.... DAMMIT - I must have forgotten to put it back in when re-writing the options (limited to 100 chars each).

This is definitely a big one to leave out, but I think I originally had it under 'Arrogance' #6

[MattR34GTT]

No - wait - it is there!! Option #4! Stupid how I can forget what I write sometimes.....

The_Paladin mentioned 'elitists' in a post - it just made me think of a car club (no names, but American Ford cruisers started in early 60's and still made to present day) I was a member of a few years ago here in Queensland, but refuse to have any connection with now. These people used to have their runs first Sunday of every month - and they would cause SO many problems on the roads! Dawdling - not using mirrors - and my biggest gripe was those who had a V8, but would not make it rev over something like 2,500rpm! They couldn't even get out of their own way most of the time! (I got out because their only focus now is fleecing members for money....)

[Guest RedLineGTR]

i would of picked about 6 points from that poll

[MattR34GTT]

Yeah - I was faced with that problem when writing it - making it single choice or multiple....

[The_Paladin]

driving to the conditions is a big one too..........

seeing people drive the usual 110kmph + 5kmph + 10% down to brissie when it's pissing rain and visibility is more than half'd because it's so fearce........

people not slowing down in the wet, using their lights when it's dark.....

now i'm just bitching.......

[83_R30_Hatch]

Whats with all this 4X4 bashing? I've seen more aggressive drivers in regular cars than 4X4's combined. Just because 4X4 drivers stand out more than agressive, reckless hatchback and sedan drivers it dosn't make them fair targets.

And NO I don't own a 4X4, I just beleve in freedom. Sure, if someone is genuinely being an ass in their vehicle, then they should be reminded that 'freedom of actions' dose not include pissing others off. But don't be like the Po-lice and single out the most obvious vehicles just because they look like a good target.

[MattR34GTT]

Whats with all this 4X4 bashing? I've seen more aggressive drivers in regular cars than 4X4's combined. Just because 4X4 drivers stand out more than agressive, reckless hatchback and sedan drivers it dosn't make them fair targets.

And NO I don't own a 4X4, I just beleve in freedom. Sure, if someone is genuinely being an ass in their vehicle, then they should be reminded that 'freedom of actions' dose not include pissing others off. But don't be like the Po-lice and single out the most obvious vehicles just because they look like a good target.

My gripe with 4x4 drivers is ONLY with those w*nkers who buy them and then the longest period they go offroad is when they take it into the shop to have a bullbar fitted so that the mum-truck can take their lazy-@ss kids to school.

I just believe that if you spend the money on one of those things then it should be used for the purpose for which it was built - if not, then whomever bought it is just an idiot who has no sense of economics or practicality at all!

I'm also speaking from the sense of a cyclist (a law-abiding one, I am - even if I am in the minority!). It is usually the case where it is a woman in one of these urban assault vehicles driving around with her *car* in gear and her brain in neutral - right before they try to turn me into road pizza!

I say: "Want a truck? Buy a freakin' truck!!"

[The_Paladin]

hahahahahahahahahha urban assault vehicle is the perfect way to discribe them!!!

ok...........problems with 4X4's abridged......

1. Very dangerous in accidents, much higher chance of killing pedestrans and people in other cars......their hight bypasses many impact safty features of other cars........so mums buy these cars to drive around schools.......good one....

2. restricts vision..........too bloody hard to see past them when you're behind one.....yes busses are the same but there's actually a point to them...

3. Fuel consumption.............might not seem like an issue to you but it would if you're a marine getting his arse shot off in Iraq so the yanks can drive SUV's......

that's just 3....................people have no right at all to drive them in urban arears just because going off road is their hobby (and so few take them offroad) they've got just as much right as some on else hooning around in a NOS charged car with neons all around it cause the modding scene is their hobby...........

DEATH TO 4x4'S