Stupid Driver Stories

[adaptech]

Originally Posted by Speedtouch

I discovered more proof yesterday of the importance of not being an idiot on the roads.

For a start, I was looking at the stereo and nearly hit a bollard on one of those speed reducing slaloms. My bad entirely.

Then, after specifically telling him not to, my idiot of a 'friend' (I've liked him less and less as the recent months have gone on) drove off at high speed in his 1.8 Dolomite Sprint. I was finding it very difficult to keep up in the Kangoo, and would have probably crashed if I hadn't have had a true mate in the car with me who knew the road (which I had never been on before). The other guy had to wait up twice, and laughed when I called him an idiot, trying to blame it on me for being 'slow'. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't class what I was doing safe, and I daren't think what he was doing.

Your driving a Renault Kangoo 1.4. Driving sensibly is enough too outrun you (And yes i have driven one)

[klankymen]

Originally Posted by SirEdward

mmmhh... somehow, I don't think this is going to work properly... but I can't figure out why...

...oh, yes! I got it. It's the fuel consumption...

Oh right... you have.... what do you call them again? Oh yeah, speed limits

[SirEdward]

Originally Posted by klankymen

Oh right... you have.... what do you call them again? Oh yeah, speed limits

Speed what?

[Vanel E46]

Sir edward, i think your commonsfolk golf overtaking offended the merc owner(weird color though, here you can only find gold cars if they come from slovenia or croazia) and wanted a duel to clean his honour, you didn't catch that drift .
Another thing that you can find here in italy, at least in veneto and some western outskirts of friuli, is someone going all jumpy with speed, decelerating and accellerating back(and seeing astonishing results that almost matched the zonda from the news of 13x02). Usually that weird behaviour is due to the usual tomtom screaming "AUTOVELOX RALLENTA PERDIOOOOO" thanks to some poi updated roughly a decade ago telling him that a speed trap is nearby while the mobile units stopped being deployed there before the first gulf war...If you want some driver lunacy you can check the common driver of the polesine area in veneto, where they will run like speeddemons on single lane narrow roads with several decades old trees at the sides(and usually jump onto them the first time it rains or they get drunk) and overtake you at inane speeds with zero visibility(and certain times close to no clearance). The same behaviour i've found in certain mountain roads in trentino or some sideroads just after the border to slovenia...less the visibility or clearance and faster(and bonkers) they will drive...

[Speedtouch]

Originally Posted by lip

Seen yesterday: Mabye you can spot the problem:

Why would you put a cycle-path in the middle of the road/carpark anyway? Why isn't it over to the left along the edge?

[SirEdward]

Originally Posted by Vanel E46

Usually that weird behaviour is due to the usual tomtom screaming "AUTOVELOX RALLENTA PERDIOOOOO" thanks to some poi updated roughly a decade ago telling him that a speed trap is nearby while the mobile units stopped being deployed there before the first gulf war...

I am still rofling with that, but I think you should try a translation for non italians...

However, GPS navigation is not necessary for this. I saw people going under the speed limit passing in a spot controlled by radar... and slowing down even more. Several times. I would laugh if it was not that they force me to slow down too because overtaking there is forbidden.

As for the color, well... it was a b-class in a metallic yellow of some sort... I don't know how mercedes is calling it (well, actually, it should be "marrone steppen", [steppen brown]). However, not a bad looking color. For a while.

[the Interceptor]

Had a nice one right in front of my nose yesterday. I was driving on a three lane Autobahn (3 lanes per direction of course ). I was on the right lane at about 120 km/h. Approaching a parking place, I saw a big truck coming onto the Autobahn from the place, followed by a quite crummy old car. I think it was a brown Toyota Camry or something, equipped with a short time number plate for whatever reason.

Now, since the lorry was going very slowly due to its load, the car had to go just as slowly. I checked my mirror to see if I can make them way and change to the middle lane, but there were lots of cars coming. Also, I was too far away to slip through by flooring it, so I had no other choice but to slow down to their speed, maybe 50 km/h, to let them both in. The truck took the opportunity right away, but the Camry, seemingly piloted by someone not used to this, was sceptical and observably hesitated to pull over, not being sure whether I make way. So I slowed down even more to show him I'll let him in.

After a few seconds he realised that, pushed on the accelerator (which really didn't do much other than increase the exhaust output) and changed onto my lane. It was the then-following that left me in awe however. The moment he had ensconced himself in my lane, he just indicated left and pulled onto the middle lane ... at 50 km/h ... and without checking whether it was free. I checked my mirror again and was already imagining the car quickly closing in at maybe 140 km/h to rear end the Camry. Fortunately, he knew his stuff and squeezed himself between two cars on the left lane that were going about the same speed just before he hit the Camry.

I am certain I will never understand how you can simply pull into traffic that goes almost thrice as fast as you without even looking. He must have thought something like:"Oh, I am behind a truck. But I am on the Autobahn, so this must not be!". Seriously, I was like

[Vanel E46]

Originally Posted by SirEdward

I am still rofling with that, but I think you should try a translation for non italians...

Well it loses out a lot in translation but i'll try for non italian speaker...roughly is
speed trap, slow down, CHRISTFUCK SLOOWDOWN

Originally Posted by SirEdward

As for the color, well... it was a b-class in a metallic yellow of some sort... I don't know how mercedes is calling it (well, actually, it should be "marrone steppen", [steppen brown]). However, not a bad looking color. For a while.

I've seen some b-class in that weird color(all from koper..), it suits them fine because you focus on the color while in standard white or grey they look like kitchen appliances with wheels

[AiR]

Now this isnt stupid drivers, it's just the incidents that occured on my trip today.

I was southbound on the E6 north of Gothenburg (Stora Höga) when I saw a elk running down the on-ramp trying to merge with the flow of traffic. It was quite a large elk with beard and horns and the driver of the tourist bus behind must have been a little bit baffled. After 10 minutes the traffic radio had picked up the elk and reported on it many times, after maybe one hour the announcer said police had fended it off but there was now deer on the road instead.

On my return trip, again north of Gothenburg I find that a queue has developed seemingly for no reason on the dual carriageway, but as I come closer I find that it's caused by half a sofa in the inner lane. After about 10 minutes the radio had picked this up too. I've traveled this stretch many times but it's usually not this exciting.

If I only had a picture of how the elk looked, they run quite fast after all and it kept to it's own lane and didnt pay any attention to the cars
"I'm running here, c'mon! Outta my way!"

[SirEdward]

Originally Posted by AiR

but as I come closer I find that it's caused by half a sofa in the inner lane.

Half a sofa?

I can't decide whether I'm more puzzled by how on earth half a sofa get to be on the inner lane of a highway, or by trying to figure out where the other half might be and how the two halves came to be divided.

[prizrak]

That was THE best story EVER.

[JakeRadden]

Originally Posted by SirEdward

Half a sofa?

I can't decide whether I'm more puzzled by how on earth half a sofa get to be on the inner lane of a highway, or by trying to figure out where the other half might be and how the two halves came to be divided.

+1 sir, you ask some very good questions.

[AiR]

Originally Posted by SirEdward

Half a sofa?

I can't decide whether I'm more puzzled by how on earth half a sofa get to be on the inner lane of a highway, or by trying to figure out where the other half might be and how the two halves came to be divided.

Hehe I may have worded it a bit wrong, it wasn't like they had cut a sofa in half, but it was the bit you sit on (I think, could have been the backrest too). So maybe a 15x175x40 cm piece of (probably) foam with a brown cover on it. I didnt run it over so I cant comment on it's elastic properties

A sofa cut straight in two would be scary and probably sabotage!

[matyas]

Hmmmph....driving too fast, in bad conditions....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8159290.stm

I think people will never learn until something serious happens....unfortunately I learnt it the hard way

[prizrak]

So I was driving down this road.
The road is one lane in each direction but this being Brooklyn streets each lane can actually physically fit two normal sized sedans side by side if they can be within an inch of each other and parked cars. This is just to establish how wide the lanes are. There is a double parked car in the opposite lane, double parked very nicely I must add there is plenty of space to go around it without being too much into the opposite lane. This guy goes COMPLETELY into my lane (double solid yellow on the ground at that) and then drives in it for way longer than it would actually take to get around the car. Then he realizes that I won't stop my big heavy euro car for his shit econobox and that in a head on collision I will not only walk away unscathed but will also not be held responsible for the accident being how I was in my lane and swirves back into his lane.

[Blind_Io]

I regularly go out in some of the worst weather we have - at least I did when we had the Land Cruiser or the Jeep. I love driving in snow storms, especially when the roads are deserted and everything is under 6" of snow. Usually the only other cars I see on the road are the snowplows, but even they can be entertaining.

I was visiting my mom's house during a bad storm and we were sitting in the front room watching cars drive up and down the 14% grade and hoping for a little drama; boy did we get it. We had been wondering for some time when the plow would be by; our street is very steep and is one of only two streets that are a direct shot up to the very expensive mansions on the hill above us. The road is fairly well traveled and gets very slippery when not plowed and salted.
Looking up the hill we see the flash of orange lights as the plow rounds the corner and starts down the hill. This is very unusual, the plow always comes up the hill so if they lose traction the massive truck just comes to a stop instead of sliding out of control down the hill, something the new guy was about to understand the hard way. Almost as soon as he rounds the corner the state dump truck, loaded with salt, salt spreader and plow, breaks free and starts sliding down the gutter. The plow blade caught the edge of the first driveway, tearing out some concrete and causing the back end to step out - now he's sliding down with his front wheels in one gutter and his back wheels in the other. Boom! The blade takes out the light post, knocking the glass globe off and knocking the concrete pole over to about 35 degrees. He slid past our house and down the street, around the corner and out of sight. I never did figure out if he straightened it out, but there were no cars on the road so he probably didn't hurt anyone.

After two weeks of nothing being done about the street light we called the city to ask if they were going to fix it since it was their driver who took it out. The driver never reported the incident, but the supervisor knew who it was. We are pretty sure he got fired or at least reassigned to washing the trucks instead of driving them.

[public]

I want to know how the elk was indicating.

[shad_68]

I can't even count anymore how often people have just pulled out in front of me from the side of the road so that I had to brake, just in the last month. And that is on my very short (4km) way to Uni...

One particularily bad incident recently involved... yep, you guessed it, an old geezer! In a Suzuki Wagon R+ at that...
I was coming down the road, doing the allowed 50km/h. He tries to get off a parking lot a couple 100 meters ahead, and does the sensible thing: stopping at the edge of the exit to check for incoming trafic.
However, he then chooses to just ignore me, and proceeds to turn onto the road in the slowest manner you could ever imagine. Seriously, I've seen people move their car faster when trying to parallel park than him trying to negotiate that turn...
So naturally, I run up on his back and have to brake down to about 20km/h. Mind you, he did it so slowly I had enough time to see it and react, so it wasn't that dangerous.
I honked at him, to try and make him at least notice what a fucking stupid move he pulled, but he completely failed to notice!
They really should introduce regular mandatory driving test for older people, to get idiots like him off the road. Seriously, if you don't even notice the guy on a bike blowing his horn at you multiple times you are not in a position where you should drive.

[Elvis313]

Originally Posted by matyas

Hmmmph....driving too fast, in bad conditions....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8159290.stm

I think people will never learn until something serious happens....unfortunately I learnt it the hard way

I actually witnessed that, from the other side of the autobahn. What really annoyed me, though, were the drivers in front of me which didn't seem to be capable of watching the rescue helicopter land and drive faster than 70km/h at the same time.

I said to myself "brilliant, that looks like fun, let's create another traffic jam."

[FleeceLINER]

Originally Posted by shad_68

I can't even count anymore how often people have just pulled out in front of me from the side of the road so that I had to brake, just in the last month. And that is on my very short (4km) way to Uni...

One particularily bad incident recently involved... yep, you guessed it, an old geezer! In a Suzuki Wagon R+ at that...
I was coming down the road, doing the allowed 50km/h. He tries to get off a parking lot a couple 100 meters ahead, and does the sensible thing: stopping at the edge of the exit to check for incoming trafic.
However, he then chooses to just ignore me, and proceeds to turn onto the road in the slowest manner you could ever imagine. Seriously, I've seen people move their car faster when trying to parallel park than him trying to negotiate that turn...
So naturally, I run up on his back and have to brake down to about 20km/h. Mind you, he did it so slowly I had enough time to see it and react, so it wasn't that dangerous.
I honked at him, to try and make him at least notice what a fucking stupid move he pulled, but he completely failed to notice!
They really should introduce regular mandatory driving test for older people, to get idiots like him off the road. Seriously, if you don't even notice the guy on a bike blowing his horn at you multiple times you are not in a position where you should drive.

Don't you guys already have a driving test for seniors somewhere in Europeland?