| Motoring Discussion > today's rantings! | Miscellaneous |
| Thread Author: Ian (Cape Town) | Replies: 11 |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 05:34
today's rantings! - Ian (Cape Town)
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I visited a friend the other day. In hospital. He isn’t very well – he has broken leg, elbow and wrist, and is filled to the gills with painkillers. He had been involved in a collision, after a moron in a minibus had crossed that brand-new 20cm-wide, 300 metre long solid white line, after racing past all the other drivers waiting patiently in the queue. My friend, on a motorcycle, apparently was unsighted, and in evading the manouevre, collided with a car. Hard. Yet another example of the selfishness which rules on our roads. In this instance, somebody wanted to get there just a tad quicker, and broke the law – and almost caused a death – in doing so. But ever day we see other instances of blatant law-breaking, because the driver doesn’t give a monkey’s about other road users, just him or her self. The collision scene described above has long been a bugbear for local motorists, who had watched as people hammered down the right-hand lane – direction Paarl only – and cut in at the last second, causing a concertina effect and long delays. The authorities acted recently, setting up huge signage, repainting the lines, and camping out during rush hour, stopping and fining the transgressors. Well and good, yet some idiots STILL feel they are above the law and queue-jump. Every day we witness similar pathetic behaviour – able-bodied folk parking in disabled bays; driving in the yellow lines and construction lanes; skipping stop signs and flashing traffic lights. Monday newspapers inevitably feature stories of street-racing speedsters killing innocent motorists or pedestrians, and – far too rarely – themselves, when their skills and cars just aren’t good enough cope with a situation. I’ve spoken to some of these wannabes, and ask why they don’t get their ‘fix’ at the local racetrack, rather than risk their lives, and those of others by their illegal get-togethers? After trotting out all the standard excuses, it becomes obvious: in a controlled racing environment they’d be humiliated. Their driving skills would inevitably see them beaten (probably by a girl!) and they’d discover that their Uber-modified saloons would either be deemed unraceworthy by the scrutineers, or would be shown up by better machines. So rather than suffer the shame, they prefer to take to the streets, because it is easy to blag your way about beating an M3 by four car-lengths, freewheeling in fourth as they cross the (imaginary) finish line, and boasting of make-believe quartermile times. And unlike at the track, nobody can prove otherwise with solid facts. Inevtitably, though, things will go wrong eventually. And amongst his peers, the deceased driver is never to blame, because he was a ‘good driver’. In all these instances, it is selfishness to blame – why should I be inconvenienced by actually waiting my turn? Why should I have to obey the laws which govern everyone else? Why should I not be allowed to modify my car? Why should I be inconvenienced by actually waiting my turn? Or - and this is the most frightening - Why should I have to have a drivers license? I know how to drive… Sadly, though, knowing how to operate a motor vehicle’s controls - is one thing, but knowing how to drive properly, with consideration and common sense, is a horse of a different colour. And many people can’t, or won’t, tell the difference. |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 07:22
today's rantings! - WillDeBeest
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A nasty story, Ian, and I hope your friend is fully fit again soon. Sadly there will always be me-first morons and testosteroned-up youths about. They've found different ways and places to express themselves over the ages, and at the moment they're most conspicuous on the roads. Influence of the Top Gear road-as-lads'-playground ethos on this? Discuss. |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 07:41
today's rantings! - Ian (Cape Town)
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>> Influence of the Top Gear road-as-lads'-playground ethos on this? Discuss. >> Maybe NOT just Top Gear, but also include the Fast and Furious type-movies, where car is star, and which have definitely made a difference. As has the generation of idiotbox PlayStation driving-mayhem games. |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 07:56
today's rantings! - boolean
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Drivers who cut in on a line of traffic are pretty obnoxious. If you let them in they will never acknowledge your kindness. If you pretend not to notice them and refuse to give way, they'll get aggressive. Happened to me once. The driver got out of his car and asked what the f-word I was doing not letting him in. I had my elder daughter with me - fortunately she was asleep. The guy was clearly looking for a fight with somebody - anybody - so I locked the doors. He reversed and hassled someone else until they let him in. You can usually spot people with an attitude problem - the ones who are determined to stick to 90mph on a very busy motorway; drivers who insist on getting there first; idiots who cut you up or tailgate you, and never think or care about the consequences if things go wrong. I'm sorry that your friend was in the wrong place at the wrong time. |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 08:38
today's rantings! - Skoda
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>> If you let >> them in they will never acknowledge your kindness. If you pretend not to notice them >> and refuse to give way, they'll get aggressive. That's really silly, on both counts, Boolean. Have a word with yourself in the mirror, for everyone else's sake please! |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 08:46
today's rantings! - Ian (Cape Town)
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Skoda, if the guy has come bowling down past 300 yards of nose-to-tail traffic AND a 300yd solid white line, then no ways am I going to let him in. Maybe then he'll get the message, and not do it again? |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 09:34
today's rantings! - Skoda
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>> solid White line 100% agree Ian, but I wasn't picking bones with yours :-) |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 08:49
today's rantings! - boolean
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| What word would you suggest? |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 09:55
today's rantings! - Skoda
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What would I suggest. A few things. Firstly, stop getting in peoples way. There is no reason the 90mph drivers should concern you, you shouldn't be near them. If they are concerning you, you're doing something wrong. If someone insists on getting there first, LET THEM. Don't get in their way. Idiots who cut you up are seldom unprovoked. I can't remember the last time I was cut up, but I bet it was my fault really, I couldn't have been paying enough attention if I got caught out like that. Tailgating is never acceptable, and no matter how much you try to avoid ever getting in that situation, it will happen to you occasionally. Immediately it's safe to do so, let them by. Generally that means flooring it to get ahead to a gap you can pull in to, sometimes it means slowing down very slightly to smartly move in behind traffic on your left. Resume your overtake afterwards in safety. Anything else is just purposefully getting in the way. There is nothing to be gained from taking any other approach than cooperation. Back to the merging. As you approach, choose the path of least resistance. The aim is to keep any queue short, fat queues are faster. Long thin ones are slower. If you're on the open lane, leave a gap and allow free merging. Ideally everyone would know how to queue and there would be one single merge in turn point per lane. In reality you'll need to steadily build a new gap each time someone merges. You have no obligation to make room for more than 1 car at a time. If you're on a closing lane, proceed up to the merge point at the cones, maintain one merging location. Take your turn. Do not merge with another car, it should be a zipper effect. Once you're into the restriction, accelerate briskly. Job done. There is nO more efficient system in existence. Simple too. |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 10:37
today's rantings! - oilburner
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| All good stuff Skoda. I try to also remember that outside of these tin boxes, we're all people. If instead of racing down the road in 2t of airbagged metal I was walking down the street with some ordinary folks, I wouldn't object (or perhaps even notice) someone cheekily "cutting" in front of me. It should be the same on the road... |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 13:45
today's rantings! - boolean
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Yes, all sound advice in principle, but... >>If they are concerning you, you're doing something wrong. Ever seen an idiot trying to break the sound barrier in the inside lane where there is a sniff of a gap, then slamming on the anchors to narrowly avoid rear-ending the car in front? I have (the car in front was me), and that concerns me a lot. >>Idiots who cut you up are seldom unprovoked. Provoked by whom? I was recently cut up by a brainless specimen who cut in from the middle/outside lane to get to a service station. Again, I was on the inside lane. Was I doing something wrong there? |
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New Wed 2 Mar 11 08:16
today's rantings! - Perky Penguin
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| I think the plethora of Police Chasing People programmes don't help. Bearing in mind the attitude of some people towards the police I think it causes the drivers being chased to be seen as some sort of rebel or even role model! |
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