Driving - a lifetime lesson!

[heart-of-wessex]

Having passed my test only 3 months ago, I really am learning that no matter how many lessons you have before you test, it doesn't prepare you for the dingbats on the road!

I don't know how often near misses occur to everyone, but already I've nearly been swiped out twice. One was at a mini roundabout with 3 exits, car coming opposite way wasn't indicating, so I carried on knowing that he was going straight on. No he wasn't. Actually he decided to indicate right ON the roundabout and start turning right when I am on it! Then has the cheek to wave his fist at me! Didn't realize that you only need to indicate at the very last minute and assume people know what you are doing, it's as bad as those that don't use it.

Today at a bigger roundabout I notice a car coming to the roundabout to my right, and indicated left to take the first exit. I rolled on to the roundabout as I was taking the 3rd exit, did a double check, car was now on the roundabout indicating left. My car had now crossed the line onto the roundabout and something caught my right eye. The driver of said car going left was no longer going left! She changed her mind and was now indicating right, driving onto the roundabout and heading straight for my door! (As I type all that, it sounds like it was a long process, all this was happening in mere seconds!) I managed to slam the throttle and bottle out of it.

I absolutely hate brown trousers moments, but I do hate it when drivers try to say it's your fault when they are doing things last minute or just doing what they want.

Anyone else got similar experiences?

Rant over !

 

[Warwick]

"Today at a bigger roundabout...."
I'm not sure what you're trying to describe here. You stated that you indicated left to take the first exit then went on to say, "as I was taking the third exit".
You've made a basic driving mistake in your first paragraph when you stated, "knowing that he was going straight on". Actually, you assumed that he was going straight on. Never assume anything on the road. It doesn't allow for idiots.

 

[ac6000cw]

Having passed my test only 3 months ago, I really am learning that no matter how many lessons you have before you test, it doesn't prepare you for the dingbats on the road!

Correct - you're now really learning to drive

Anyone else got similar experiences?

Yes, every experienced driver has plenty.... Don't just assume people will do what you think they should, drive defensively i.e. so you've got space and time to take avoiding action when necessary. This doesn't mean being timid, it's about assessing the situation and thinking (quickly) about what to do if things don't pan out as you might expect, or waiting just a little bit longer to be sure what the other vehicle is doing.

Assumptions and impatience will get you into trouble really quickly...

 

[Domh245]

Driving is quite nice, apart from having to share the road with anyeverybody else!

Near misses are the sort of things that help you learn as a driver. I've not had too many memorable ones but there have been enough to teach me a thing or two. One that comes to mind involving the assumption that someone would move onto an entirely clear roundabout only for them not to go, which gave me an opportunity to find out that the brakes on my mum's car aren't as good as those on the car I'd done most of my driving in up to that point. I can also remember there being a near miss with a close friend in the car which made me reconsider some aspects of how I drove - I have noticed that with a couple years of experience (or maybe it's just age) that my driving has mellowed a fair bit, no longer do I find myself bombing along motorways at 80mph+, I've started to try and obey the 2 second rule, etc.

With that said, there'll always be morons on the road, occasionally you pick up on this from hints before they cause you to slam on the brakes/take evasive action, etc, but otherwise you just have to sit there and deal with their stupidity, you can't do anything else so just stay calm, reset, and move on.

 

[Cowley]

One day in the future I think that my great grandchildren will say to their grandparents: “What? So you were allowed to take two tons of metal, glass and plastic that was capable of going 140 mph out on the roads without any form of automation whatsoever!? How did you all manage to survive?”

Heart of Wessex - Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to pass? One of our girls is learning at the moment and I’m so glad that I passed (oh good grief, can it really be) 27 years ago...

The above replies by Warwick and ac6000cw were right by the way. Never assume anything whilst out on the road. Drive defensively and always be prepared for the ridiculousness of other road users.
Good luck out there.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

"Today at a bigger roundabout...."
I'm not sure what you're trying to describe here. You stated that you indicated left to take the first exit then went on to say, "as I was taking the third exit".
You've made a basic driving mistake in your first paragraph when you stated, "knowing that he was going straight on". Actually, you assumed that he was going straight on. Never assume anything on the road. It doesn't allow for idiots.

I'll re-explain, sorry.

First incident was at a mini roundabout. 3 exits, option for me would be left or straight on. Option for going the other way is right or straight on.
I wad going straight on, car coming other way was going right

Second incident was at a bigger roundabout with 4 exits, and twin lanes on approach.
Car coming from the right was taking the first exit (turning their left) so I could go, but the driver of that car changed their mind and indicated right, I therefore would have had to give way but the driver changed direction ON the roundabout

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Heart of Wessex - Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to pass? One of our girls is learning at the moment and I’m so glad that I passed (oh good grief, can it really be) 27 years ago...

The above replies by Warwick and ac6000cw were right by the way. Never assume anything whilst out on the road. Drive defensively and always be prepared for the ridiculousness of other road users.
Good luck out there.

Second time, and that was with the new test.

I got 1 major and 3 minors first time. I didn't pass as the major, funnily enough, was on a roundabout. My instructor didn't agree with the examiner on the incident but I got a re-test not that long after.

Second time I passed with 2 minors.

Someone I spoke to yesterday told me their first test was 5 majors and 19 minors!

 

[GusB]

At 43, and some 26 years since I passed my test, I'm a fairly experienced driver, but I no longer run my own car and don't drive as frequently as I used to. Living in fairly rural parts, I'm not accustomed to regularly driving in heavy traffic, nor on dual carriageways/motorways, so any time I'm faced with these situations it's always a bit daunting, especially if I haven't driven for a while. The last time I had to drive was when I had to pick my dad up from hospital in Inverness, and with the delays in him being discharged we ended up leaving Raigmore at 5pm, so for me it was very much a learning experience again. City traffic, driving in the dark and driving in the rain are three of my pet hates, and I had to endure them all at once. Fortunately I was familiar with the car!

I have noticed that locally the amount of traffic has significantly increased since I first began driving, and sadly the proportion of "dingbats" has also increased along with it. Best advice I can give is to let them get on with being dingbats and make sure you're prepared for people with less intelligence than you being on the road. I've had a few hairy moments in my early driving years, including one event when I was bowling along the A96 and a tractor pulled out from a side road on an extremely wet day... That was truly a brown trouser moment, and more so for my passenger who had dozed off and woke to the sound of skidding tyres. Today's me says that I should have spotted the tractor approaching the junction and prepared accordingly, but I was 18, inexperienced and also very tired at the time, which is never a good time to be in charge of anything that could potentially kill someone.

 

[AlterEgo]

As you get older and more experienced with driving, you will pick up a sixth sense for idiots on the road. A bit like reading body language except you’re reading car behaviour.

I can be driving behind someone and just not feel comfortable with how they drive, and then a moment later witness them make a sharp turn without indicating.

The mini roundabout thing hasn’t happened to me for a while - a lot of people don’t indicate at those but you do get a feel for the plonkers that are going to turn in front of you. I think this is because as you become more accustomed to driving, you can concentrate a little less on that patch of road ahead and more on the big picture. Unconsciously, you will be able to tell if the “rogue” car’s speed coming up to the mini roundabout is a little slow to be going straight on. You might pick up the driver glancing to the right in preparation for the turn, or even watch them drift a tiny bit to their left in preparation to swing right. It’s all unconscious, but you will get a feel for it.

 

[birchesgreen]

It is always best, when driving, to not trust anyone.

 

[nlogax]

I’m sure it’s scientific fact that as we age and our brains start to deteriorate, the area that controls using indicators on roundabouts is the first to go. Fortunately for the likes of us that do indicate, our brains have adapted to take them into account

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'll re-explain, sorry.

First incident was at a mini roundabout. 3 exits, option for me would be left or straight on. Option for going the other way is right or straight on.
I wad going straight on, car coming other way was going right

Second incident was at a bigger roundabout with 4 exits, and twin lanes on approach.
Car coming from the right was taking the first exit (turning their left) so I could go, but the driver of that car changed their mind and indicated right, I therefore would have had to give way but the driver changed direction ON the roundabout

This sort of thing happens. One good way to avoid it costing money and hassle is to not just watch the indicators but also look at the other cars front wheels and see when they start to turn.

 

[EM2]

My instructor gave me an excellent piece of advice:
'Always assume that everyone else on the road is a complete idiot'.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's rife.

I see typically three or four examples of complete idiocy on the roads every day just in my 5 to 10 minute walk to road. Only the other day, as an example, someone going straight ahead at a mini roundabout floored it to dive across the front of a double decker bus that was turning right. The bus, incidentally, was already half way through the turn before the idiot driver in the car had even entered the roundabout...

A regular sight is people driving on the wrong side of the road for up to a hundred feet in order to skip a queue approaching the same mini roundabout - despite approaching a blind corner.

So that's your next lesson - if you are turning left at a roundabout and the traffic is queued up on the straight ahead from the left, don't expect the road will be clear for you round the corner... ( You shouldn't expect it to be clear anyway - there could also be a queue hidden from sight in the direction you are going )

 

[Ianno87]

I agree never assume any other driver will behave rationally or coherently or as you expect them too. And especially never predicate a move on another driver reequiring to do something to allow you to do it (e.g. not speed up)

Indicators are especially a hazard area due to bone idleness of using them/expectation that other drivers are psychic/propensity for some cars (usually more expensive ones) to self-cancel prematurely.

Near-misses are good to stop you becoming complacent as a driver and teach you about stuff like this. Whilst often the 'other' driver has been at fault (especially irritating when they've had the audacity to vent their anger at you afterwards ignorant of their own mistake), I've had my fair share of near misses caused by my own silly errors (forgetting to check a mirror/blind spot, badly judging an overtake, etc.) - a useful reminder of ones own limitations as a human being.

Anyone who genuinely believes they are a perfect driver obviously has no self-awareness and shouldn't be let anywhere near a car.

 

[DarloRich]

seems like a standard day on the roads! - as above just assume everyone else ins an idiot and take up a defensive driving posture. After i passed my test my dad arranged for me to go out for a while with one of his friends who was a traffic Sergeant. I learnt more with him about practical driving and than I did in driving lessons.

 

[Dai Corner]

My one and only 'at fault' collision was a few days after I'd passed my test (first time - I was probably over confident, having seen friends take several attempts) . I was driving my old, cheap car and hit a brand new very expensive one. Thankfully nobody was hurt but the other driver was understandably furious and I was very embarrassed. Lesson learned!

As others have said, the only assumption you should make is that other drivers will act unpredictably.

 

[SWTCommuter]

To get an idea of the mindset of some other motorists, it can be quite illuminating to watch the dashcam clips on Youtube. It's amazing how many people send in clips when they are clearly at fault. The mini roundabout situation the OP describes comes up very frequently, particularly if the car turning right goes over the roundabout rather than around it. If you don't mind bad language (it's a bit like wandering into an episode of The Thick of It), the comments sections often demonstrate how creatively some people can misinterpret the Highway Code.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIlACNetQDzDfdpLFQCShw

 

[LowLevel]

Always assume the worst, drive confidently at a sensible speed (the limit whenever it is safe to do so to make progress and allow others to do the same) and defensively (assume other road users are going to make errors and be ready for them) and when making manoeuvres pick a low gear sothat you can get a significant burst of power to get you out of trouble if it goes wrong.

Also when you're on a motorway always be scanning a number of cars ahead and don't fixate on the one in front of you. If you see brake lights starting to come on you can ease off before the car in front suddenly feels very close indeed.

Like all things in life good luck. You can be as careful and as sensible as you like but someone might still drive into you. Be ready to react and deal with it.

Also - be a good person. You'll hear all sorts of horror stories about stopping and helping people but you can make a huge difference if you use your head. As a railwayman I'm used to dealing with difficult situations and I think the most impact I've ever had on someone else's life and wellbeing is the time a car 50 metres in front of me aqua planed, rolled and flipped on to their roof on a motorway sliproad. Parking my car in the carriageway at a sensible distance with hazards on, making a confident clear call to the emergency services to assist the seriously injured driver and most importantly knowing when to back off and get out of the way when the professionals arrived was the most trying but rewarding thing I've ever been involved with. At the end of it the policeman in charge shook my hand and thanked me for stopping. It's important.

 

[gtis]

Second time passing 42 years ago
I hate it when people don't even indicate on roundabouts
Got to be a mine reader theses days
Neil

 

[Geezertronic]

Invest in a dash-cam. At the very least, it can prove who is at fault in the event of anything happening but it can also show you driving badly as well. And don't become one of the people who post footage who you can clearly tell are looking for it

 

[Tetchytyke]

I absolutely hate brown trousers moments, but I do hate it when drivers try to say it's your fault when they are doing things last minute or just doing what they want.

Lesson number one: never ever EVER rely on another driver's indicators. Assume they're going the way that will cause a collision.

Also - be a good person. You'll hear all sorts of horror stories about stopping and helping people but you can make a huge difference if you use your head.

Yep, stop and help if you can and it is safe.

 

[507021]

Invest in a dash-cam.

Seconded.

 

[IanD]

Lesson number one: never ever EVER rely on another driver's indicators. Assume they're going the way that will cause a collision.

My friend who is a driving instructor always says that the only thing a blinking indicator tells you is that the bulb is working.

 

[Temple Meads]

It is always best, when driving, to not trust anyone.

This!

 

[Strat-tastic]

Whenever there's an idiot behind you, tailgating, intimidating and generally having no regard for your safety, then have no qualms whatsoever in letting them past. They're a liability and an accident waiting to happen and with them in front of you, you can take back control and make sure you're not involved in that accident.

 

[Ianno87]

Invest in a dash-cam. At the very least, it can prove who is at fault in the event of anything happening but it can also show you driving badly as well. And don't become one of the people who post footage who you can clearly tell are looking for it

Disagree. I don't want to encourage the continuation of the slide of Britain into the sort of society that's based on going round continually filming each other for evidence, not based implicitly on trust and respect for each other.

 

[AlterEgo]

Disagree. I don't want to encourage the continuation of the slide of Britain into the sort of society that's based on going round continually filming each other for evidence, not based implicitly on trust and respect for each other.

I can sympathise with that view, but it’s been a long time since the roads have been based on those values unfortunately!

 

[bspahh]

A few years ago, I was driving home at 40mph along a congested A road. I had been on the same route most working days for 10 years. There is a long straight, with a roundabout halfway along, which is built up in the middle so you can't see across. One day I came around the roundabout, to see a Landrover Discovery, upside down and coming straight at me down my exit from the roundabout. I had enough time to swerve so it only clipped the back of my car. If I had been there 1 second earlier, then I would have had a head on collision with 2 tonnes of Landrover.

 

[Geezertronic]

Disagree. I don't want to encourage the continuation of the slide of Britain into the sort of society that's based on going round continually filming each other for evidence, not based implicitly on trust and respect for each other.

I disagree with your disagree. Would you stop a witness statement from being taken? Dash-cam footage is effectively an unbiased witness statement. It's not perfect but can certainly prove who is at fault the vast majority of times (both for and against you). Having been on the other end of someone lying when they crashed into me (and there were no witnesses, he turned left in the right-hand lane), I was only saved by the other parties stupidity towards the police otherwise I would have been stuffed. This was before I had a dash-cam.

You are under the assumption that everyone is truthful which is a noble stance to take. Unfortunately it is not true and never will be