Drivers that pull up in to queuing traffic 10 yards from the back of the car in front

[jevs]

This is my absolute pet hate and the nearest time in my 30 year driving life that i've come to a road rage incident. Some prat in front of me in a long traffic jam decided to leave the best part of 1/4 of a mile before the car in front of him. Every time i went to over take him, he speeded up and thought it absolutely hilarious.....until at one point, i got out of the car. He then saw the size of me with shaven head etc and shut his windows and moved on. He carried on as normal after that.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Wrong answer! It's idiots in their BMWs tailgating, then having to slam on their brakes when the car in front slows down, that cause the jams. If everyone went at a constant speed and left more space the whole column of traffic would speed up.

Which bit of "traffic crawling along" don't you understand?

 

[mune ni kamome]

I am a mere woman driver (a good one, mind!) and my pet hate locally is people who cannot negotiate the Sackville Road traffic lights.

- Idiots who think they can still turn right when the green light is showing straight ahead/left only.

- People who are in the middle lane going East and when they go straight ahead past Kwik-fit they cut up the car on the inside and take the middle of both lanes. wtf?

- And the worst one? People turning right who stop to give way pointlessly, holding up everyone behind them and nearly causing an accident, completely oblivious of the separate traffic light with a green arrow and signs saying 'right turns go first' all in their favour.


Ooooh and what about the people driving along Eaton Road and wanting to turn right into the Drive, at All Saints Church! The amount of idiots who don't realise that it's obvious from road-markings and common sense there that you should stay to the right and not 'drive around' to the left of oncoming right-turners. Doh - can't stand it when I am second or further back in the queue to turn right there and the first driver gets it wrong...you just know you could have all got through but no...

Nite all. Rant over.

To be fair when they changed the lights at Sackville Road to include a "right turn first" sequence it was the first of its kind in the Brighton area and took years before many people got used to it. There were loads of accidents and horns blaring . Some still haven't and try to go straight on when they first change. That's often a laugh

 

[Kent Seagull]

This!

 

[Sam-]

The speed limit indicates only the Maximum speed that should ever be attained not the miniumum that should be constant. - William Shakespeare 1882

 

[yxee]

If the traffic is stop/start I try to avoid heavy braking or accelerating because it just propagates the mess backwards, so I guess that would sometimes open up a gap between me and a more powerful car in front, and I assume this is what other people are attempting to do as well...

 

[CHAPPERS]

I'm talking about people at traffic lights mainly.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

If I had been charged I would want a refund. This thinking has massively lengthened traffic queues in recent years, and on reality, how many times have you really got stuck behind a broken down car in a traffic queue?

"massively lengthened traffic queues" ?

That, sir, is a complete and utter load of crap. It really is

Even if a queue was technically longer, because of somebody leaving an extra foot of space, it wouldn't necessarily take you longer to get through on that basis, because there'd be less braking due to cars being too close to each other.

Phantom traffic jams (ie the ones you get to the front of and then wonder what the hell caused it) are caused by cars driving too close and having to brake, which causes a chain reaction of braking behind because they've seen brake lights, and consequently the traffic slows to a stop for little apparent reason.

 

[Badger]

To be fair when they changed the lights at Sackville Road to include a "right turn first" sequence it was the first of its kind in the Brighton area and took years before many people got used to it. There were loads of accidents and horns blaring . Some still haven't and try to go straight on when they first change. That's often a laugh

You would think the big signs saying "Right turns go first" and the fact that they work just like any other filter traffic lights would lead to people understanding it, it's amazing how unaware some drivers are.

The most annoying thing I've had at that junction is when I was in the turning right line and some idiot in a BMW decided they would stop about 3 metres in front of the stop line on the middle lane. This of course meant the van in front of me couldn't squeeze through the gap to turn right so none of use could go because of one selfish prick.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

I do it sometimes, as when my car is cold it doesn't go into first easily!! Creeping means I can keep it in second.

 

[wellquickwoody]

"massively lengthened traffic queues" ?

That, sir, is a complete and utter load of crap. It really is

Even if a queue was technically longer, because of somebody leaving an extra foot of space, it wouldn't necessarily take you longer to get through on that basis, because there'd be less braking due to cars being too close to each other.

Phantom traffic jams (ie the ones you get to the front of and then wonder what the hell caused it) are caused by cars driving too close and having to brake, which causes a chain reaction of braking behind because they've seen brake lights, and consequently the traffic slows to a stop for little apparent reason.

Sorry Madam, but 'bunkem' you speak.

Not talking about traffic unexpected traffic jams, but queues at traffic lights. When an increasing number of drivers seem to leave not just an extra foot, but a complete car length between themselves and the vehicle in front this is effectively almost doubling the length that the queue needs to be. Surely we only need to leave between 3 and 4 feet as a space?

It also has the knock on effect of less vehicles getting through the lights on an individual cycle, thereby increasing journey times, fuel consumption and pollution.

Not that I give a flying hoot about green issues.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Sorry Madam, but 'bunkem' you speak.

Not talking about traffic unexpected traffic jams, but queues at traffic lights. When an increasing number of drivers seem to leave not just an extra foot, but a complete car length between themselves and the vehicle in front this is effectively almost doubling the length that the queue needs to be. Surely we only need to leave between 3 and 4 feet as a space?

It also has the knock on effect of less vehicles getting through the lights on an individual cycle, thereby increasing journey times, fuel consumption and pollution.

Not that I give a flying hoot about green issues.

I honestly can't say I've seen many people leaving a complete car length between themselves and the vehicle in front. I'm talking about a few feet, as opposed to one.

 

[beardy gull]

The chap taking the Speed Awareness course I attended last year was an advocator of leaving a big distance whilst waiting at lights. Not sure what his reasoning was, I'd drifted off by that point.
I do at least following the tyres on tarmac rule since the course though.

 

[CHAPPERS]

I honestly can't say I've seen many people leaving a complete car length between themselves and the vehicle in front. I'm talking about a few feet, as opposed to one.

Oh I see it LOADS. They then get impatient with the lights a CREEP FORWARDS to where they should have just stopped in the first palce.

WANKERS!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Just leave enough room so that if the car in front breaks down and cannot move you can get round me. Innit.

 

[narly101]

Wrong answer! It's idiots in their BMWs tailgating, then having to slam on their brakes when the car in front slows down, that cause the jams. If everyone went at a constant speed and left more space the whole column of traffic would speed up.

Is the correct answer. Numbnuts who heavily accelerate and tailgate the nanosecond the car in front pulls away are mindless morons.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The chap taking the Speed Awareness course I attended last year was an advocator of leaving a big distance whilst waiting at lights. Not sure what his reasoning was, I'd drifted off by that point.
I do at least following the tyres on tarmac rule since the course though.

I've been on one of those courses. I know where you're coming from, but if it saves you three points...

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Is the correct answer. Numbnuts who heavily accelerate and tailgate the nanosecond the car in front pulls away are mindless morons.

Wasting fuel too. Screw that, it bloody costs enough to fill my car up without burning it unneccessarily,