View Full Version : Driving - the A9 and beyond...
As I frequently negotiate the causemaymire, berriedales and beyond, I often shake my head in wonder, and occasionally a fist in rage, at what can only be described as stupid, inconsiderate and foolish driving practices. We ALL have somewhere to go; we ALL have lives to lead and we ALL get impatient and would prefer to get the drive over with - but no-one's time or business (or, indeed, life) is more important than anothers (except maybe Robbie Williams. And that nice doctor from Lost). I'm sure someone else will be able to fill in the accident statistics for the A9 Thurso-Inverness; I have seen the aftermath of many such accidents and wonder what number can be attributed to what can only be described as selfish stupidity. I would like to offer the following observations:
1. If a slow moving vehicle has caused a build up of traffic in its wake - it is a safe bet that all the traffic travelling behind is waiting to get past. This does not appear to be obvious to all. Consider it as you would a queue in the supermarket, bank or post office and WAIT YOUR TURN!! Nothing angers patiently waiting drivers more than the idiot who decides to weave in and out causing everyone else to brake and allow them in. Which may make them feel obliged to overtake them back at the earliest opportunity, satisfying but ultimately foolhardy.
2. In the world of driving, there will always be faster and slower drivers than you. Accept it. Allow faster drivers to overtake by maintaining a steady speed - do not speed up when they try to get past, clutching the steering wheel until your knuckles are white, with a determined look on your face even though your heart is pounding as you accelarate out of your comfort zone. Likewise, if someone is idiot enough to overtake when they can't see a clear road, and an oncoming car appears, slow down and let them in front of you. Do not speed up to close the gap between yourself and the car in front to leave them stranded in the face of oncoming traffic: it may feel right and just to do so but you will not feel good about yourself if they die in a horrible crash. Or the oncoming passengers do. Besides, and more importantly, you may get caught up in the crash yourself and get hurt. As far as slower drivers go, we all concede they are a menace to the driving fraternity but they must be suffered with grace, like small children or forgetful older relatives. Driving as close as though you were being towed by them can sometimes yield results by forcing them to slam on their brakes and career into something resembling a parking area - however, it is likely to reduce them to a quivering wreck (and anyway you will be liable if you smash into their rear end). Tourists are often the worst offenders and being terrorised on the road is not a nice welcome to our county. Even for the French who are even worse drivers than us. It is best to drive at a reasonable distance and overtake when the opportunity presents. If you are a cursed Sunday driver, consider pulling in often to let your fellow travellers past, even better - consider driving at 3am when no-one else is about. For those most hated of travellers, the caravan towers, please pull in regularly and at the very least drive to the left of the carriageway, not on the white line so that we have to pull right out to see the road ahead. (Booking a hotel would be far less stressful for us and you).
3. We can all drive fast on the straight bits. It is the twisty, turny nature of the North A9 which separates the wheat from the chaff and the experienced from the uninitiated! It is this part of the road which is almost enjoyable and there is nothing, nothing more infuriating than being stuck behind someone who doesn't know the road and hits their brakes at every slight bend in the road, yet speeds up at straights. There are few enough safe overtaking places and when you have spent the last 5 miles calculating your manouvre and plotting its location it is enough to reduce you to tears if a) there is oncoming traffic to thwart your plans or b) the driver in front decides to try to break the world land-speed record.
4. Town speed limits are there for a reason - namely because there are people living in towns and so the chances of knocking someone down are increased. Most people stick to town speed limits (although out of town may be a different matter......). It is neither big nor clever to overtake someone obeying the speed limit (eg the 40 as you come out of Brora) only to be overtaken later because you can't handle the bends (see 3 above).
5. Take a leaf out of the book of the lorry drivers, especially Stevens, as they are amongst the most considerate drivers of all.
Here endeth the lesson. I feel much better now. :Razz
well said!!!!!!!! I was terrified last weekend when we finally got an overtaking chance from a slow moving vehicle and the idiot put his foot to the floor leaving us nowhere to go as we were beside him when he done it, I was furious...
Your comments are obviously well founded and certainly very relevent. However, I'm afraid they will have little effect on the few who cause such problems. Once behind the wheel - off comes their head and on goes a cabbage - with the usual results. It is only the patient, experienced drivers that drive with them in mind that prevents further mishaps.
Incidently - I tow a caravan with a towcar that is capable, and travel at 60mph when the road is fit. The struggling caravanners usually have mismatched outfits - hence the slow motion.
Your comments are obviously well founded and certainly very relevent. However, I'm afraid they will have little effect on the few who cause such problems. Once behind the wheel - off comes their head and on goes a cabbage - with the usual results. It is only the patient, experienced drivers that drive with them in mind that prevents further mishaps.
Incidently - I tow a caravan with a towcar that is capable, and travel at 60mph when the road is fit. The struggling caravanners usually have mismatched outfits - hence the slow motion.
Maybe they are slower as they stay within the speed limits of towing a caravan 50mph unless on a motorway ???????
Well said and so true. (Maybe not no. 5 though and I suspect you're a bit biased but we'll let you off since the rest of the post is so well written!)
That new advert on the telly for driving within the speed limit is shocking. You know the one that says at 40mph the kid will die 80% of the time and at 30 they will live 80% of the time. It's true that the speed limits are there for a reason. Observe them.
I travel the A9 and the A99 to Wick several times a year, usually early morning. Everytime i travel on this road, white van man, and its the same one everytime nearly forces me off the road through inconsiderate overtaking. i am not a slow driver but do consider myself a careful driver. I have reported this to the police but as no accident happened and no other witnesses, so they where not intested.
I am not a lorry driver but my experience is that lorry drivers, and also bus drivers, are generally aware when someone is behind and will slow down to let them pass. Not all, but most. Delivery and service van drivers are an accident waiting to happen. You could try reporting them to their company - who have a liability for them - although I doubt it would make a difference. Deep down they are as frustrated as the rest of us and probably travelling the road so often makes them complacent and impervious to the overtaking fear which stops most sane people overtaking on bends/blind spots/when other traffic is coming etc.
I didn't mean to offend the caravanners amongst you - just the inconsiderate ones ;)
Maybe they are slower as they stay within the speed limits of towing a caravan 50mph unless on a motorway ???????
THe speed limit for towing a caravan is 60 MPH -= that is SIXTY MILES PER HOUR - check your facts.
THe speed limit for towing a caravan is 60 MPH -= that is SIXTY MILES PER HOUR - check your facts.
Just to clarify - the 60mph speedlimit is for dual carriageways and motorways. On a single carriageway (eg A9) it is 50mph.
Blazing Sporrans
08-Jul-06, 16:09
Just to clarify - the 60mph speedlimit is for dual carriageways and motorways. On a single carriageway (eg A9) it is 50mph.
Sorry JimH - afraid it's true...
Royster1911
08-Jul-06, 16:59
I always believed that the (unwritten) law was that if a car is trying to overtake you and another car is heading towards you, you should maintain your speed and the person who is carrying out the overtaking manouver should take evasive action, ie break. Otherwise, you have two cars breaking which removes the safety zone which the plonker created when he started his suicide mission. This is the rule I have always followed.
sassylass
08-Jul-06, 17:28
I always believed that the (unwritten) law was that if a car is trying to overtake you and another car is heading towards you, you should maintain your speed and the person who is carrying out the overtaking manouver should take evasive action, ie break. Otherwise, you have two cars breaking which removes the safety zone which the plonker created when he started his suicide mission. This is the rule I have always followed.
Wouldn't it be better to reduce your speed? I don't mean slam on your brakes but slow down to allow the overtaker more passing room.
It just makes me mad when you have a clear safe stretch of road and a maniac speeds up so much when you are alongside that you start running out of road and almost have an accident, when they were going so slow for the previous 5 miles.
I always believed that the (unwritten) law was that if a car is trying to overtake you and another car is heading towards you, you should maintain your speed and the person who is carrying out the overtaking manouver should take evasive action, ie break. Otherwise, you have two cars breaking which removes the safety zone which the plonker created when he started his suicide mission. This is the rule I have always followed.
Now, wouldn't motor racing take on a new and interesting twist if they all followed that ethos... hmmmm.:roll:
Blazing Sporrans
08-Jul-06, 17:42
I always believed that the (unwritten) law was that if a car is trying to overtake you and another car is heading towards you, you should maintain your speed and the person who is carrying out the overtaking manouver should take evasive action, ie break. Otherwise, you have two cars breaking which removes the safety zone which the plonker created when he started his suicide mission. This is the rule I have always followed.
The rule which anyone should follow is being able to stop in HALF the distance you can see in front of you.... anything else is just a gamble!
Blazing Sporrans
08-Jul-06, 17:51
And my apologies for seemingly hijacking this thread - but just WHY do the boy racers (who aren't all young guys) feel the need to drive like madmen around the town when there are no Police on the go. We all see and hear them on Riverside Road in Thurso and Castlegreen Road in particular and now Springpark is becoming ever more dangerous with the speeds of cars, motorbikes, 4x4's and delivery vans on Mount Pleasant Road. I honestly fear for the life of a child in those parts now that the summer holidays are on. Can anyone enlighten me and let me know exactly what they get out of it?
And my apologies for seemingly hijacking this thread - but just WHY do the boy racers (who aren't all young guys) feel the need to drive like madmen around the town when there are no Police on the go. We all see and hear them on Riverside Road in Thurso and Castlegreen Road in particular and now Springpark is becoming ever more dangerous with the speeds of cars, motorbikes, 4x4's and delivery vans on Mount Pleasant Road. I honestly fear for the life of a child in those parts now that the summer holidays are on. Can anyone enlighten me and let me know exactly what they get out of it?
No harm, Blazin'
We all know that many people leave common sense behind when they get behind the wheel of a car. The idiots you are referring to have no common sense to leave and so they create a pure spatial vacuum between their ears.:D
Royster1911
08-Jul-06, 18:03
Now, wouldn't motor racing take on a new and interesting twist if they all followed that ethos... hmmmm.:roll:
It most certainly would. Every race I have seen they are traveling in the same direction. Please advise if I am wrong
It most certainly would. Every race I have seen they are traveling in the same direction. Please advise if I am wrong
Well.... OK. ;)
Royster1911
08-Jul-06, 18:12
Well.... OK. ;)
Mind you, if you were looking at Castletown Road.hmmmm
Just to clarify - the 60mph speedlimit is for dual carriageways and motorways. On a single carriageway (eg A9) it is 50mph.
You are - of course absolutely correct - Just testing. However the other part of the post still applies - poorly matched outfits still cause problems, and get us all a bad name.
Thankyou for putting me right.
As I frequently negotiate the causemaymire, berriedales and beyond, I often shake my head in wonder, and occasionally a fist in rage, at what can only be described as stupid, inconsiderate and foolish driving practices. We ALL have somewhere to go; we ALL have lives to lead and we ALL get impatient and would prefer to get the drive over with - but no-one's time or business (or, indeed, life) is more important than anothers (except maybe Robbie Williams. And that nice doctor from Lost). I'm sure someone else will be able to fill in the accident statistics for the A9 Thurso-Inverness; I have seen the aftermath of many such accidents and wonder what number can be attributed to what can only be described as selfish stupidity. I would like to offer the following observations:
1. If a slow moving vehicle has caused a build up of traffic in its wake - it is a safe bet that all the traffic travelling behind is waiting to get past. This does not appear to be obvious to all. Consider it as you would a queue in the supermarket, bank or post office and WAIT YOUR TURN!! Nothing angers patiently waiting drivers more than the idiot who decides to weave in and out causing everyone else to brake and allow them in. Which may make them feel obliged to overtake them back at the earliest opportunity, satisfying but ultimately foolhardy.
2. In the world of driving, there will always be faster and slower drivers than you. Accept it. Allow faster drivers to overtake by maintaining a steady speed - do not speed up when they try to get past, clutching the steering wheel until your knuckles are white, with a determined look on your face even though your heart is pounding as you accelarate out of your comfort zone. Likewise, if someone is idiot enough to overtake when they can't see a clear road, and an oncoming car appears, slow down and let them in front of you. Do not speed up to close the gap between yourself and the car in front to leave them stranded in the face of oncoming traffic: it may feel right and just to do so but you will not feel good about yourself if they die in a horrible crash. Or the oncoming passengers do. Besides, and more importantly, you may get caught up in the crash yourself and get hurt. As far as slower drivers go, we all concede they are a menace to the driving fraternity but they must be suffered with grace, like small children or forgetful older relatives. Driving as close as though you were being towed by them can sometimes yield results by forcing them to slam on their brakes and career into something resembling a parking area - however, it is likely to reduce them to a quivering wreck (and anyway you will be liable if you smash into their rear end). Tourists are often the worst offenders and being terrorised on the road is not a nice welcome to our county. Even for the French who are even worse drivers than us. It is best to drive at a reasonable distance and overtake when the opportunity presents. If you are a cursed Sunday driver, consider pulling in often to let your fellow travellers past, even better - consider driving at 3am when no-one else is about. For those most hated of travellers, the caravan towers, please pull in regularly and at the very least drive to the left of the carriageway, not on the white line so that we have to pull right out to see the road ahead. (Booking a hotel would be far less stressful for us and you).
3. We can all drive fast on the straight bits. It is the twisty, turny nature of the North A9 which separates the wheat from the chaff and the experienced from the uninitiated! It is this part of the road which is almost enjoyable and there is nothing, nothing more infuriating than being stuck behind someone who doesn't know the road and hits their brakes at every slight bend in the road, yet speeds up at straights. There are few enough safe overtaking places and when you have spent the last 5 miles calculating your manouvre and plotting its location it is enough to reduce you to tears if a) there is oncoming traffic to thwart your plans or b) the driver in front decides to try to break the world land-speed record.
4. Town speed limits are there for a reason - namely because there are people living in towns and so the chances of knocking someone down are increased. Most people stick to town speed limits (although out of town may be a different matter......). It is neither big nor clever to overtake someone obeying the speed limit (eg the 40 as you come out of Brora) only to be overtaken later because you can't handle the bends (see 3 above).
5. Take a leaf out of the book of the lorry drivers, especially Stevens, as they are amongst the most considerate drivers of all.
Here endeth the lesson. I feel much better now. :Razz
5. Take a leaf out of the book of the lorry drivers, especially Stevens, as they are amongst the most considerate drivers of all:does that include the idiot that went straight over the tore roundabout a litle while bk falling asleep? or the 1s that use the other side of the road as yuo are coming round the corner?may i also make a point if i was driving around town at 20mph i would fail my driving test
The same thing happened at the Nigg roundabout but, in fairness, it was a foreign driver in a foreign lorry. And most of them don't have much choice but to use both sides of road at the tighter bends. I'm starting to sound totally pro-lorry drivers - they can defend themselves from now on!! They're not all blameless.
1. If a slow moving vehicle has caused a build up of traffic in its wake - it is a safe bet that all the traffic travelling behind is waiting to get past. This does not appear to be obvious to all. Consider it as you would a queue in the supermarket, bank or post office and WAIT YOUR TURN!! Nothing angers patiently waiting drivers more than the idiot who decides to weave in and out causing everyone else to brake and allow them in. Which may make them feel obliged to overtake them back at the earliest opportunity, satisfying but ultimately foolhardy.
2. In the world of driving, there will always be faster and slower drivers than you. Accept it. Allow faster drivers to overtake by maintaining a steady speed....
Hmm you manage to contadict your argument within it's first two parts - if there area couple of numpties right behind the rolling roadblock who are too scared to overtake or have all the time in the world then those further back are going to have to 'make progress' by overtaking an even longer wagon train...
So if in a long queue of vehicles you should leave ample room between you and the vehicle in front to allow overtaking vehicles to find a place of refuge should they require it.
Closing the door on an overtaker because you think he is an idiot is not a sensible thing to do bearing in mind the traffic approaching from the other direction also have limits as to where they can go!
As for Stevens having the safest drivers? Sorry but I think the standard of driving from HGV drivers across the UK has dropped.
Once it was a profession and the drivers did act courteously towards others but now with the younger drivers they have become more arrogant and bullying in their driving manners. They use their sheer size on the roads to ensure that the car driver does give way - they overtake other HGVs and then spend 2 or 3 miles sitting alongside each other because they just do not have the legs to get by cleanly. Foreign HGV drivers (left hand drive) just pull out as you are alongside them (on duals) because they don't look or can't see you.
They are all driving to deadlines and so take risks that they should not need to - they are constantly spotted on the phone doing 60 calling their base or wife or girlfriend getting the latest details or news. I was alongside one the other day, he had "Doing it for the kids" on the back of his cab with a 6'x4' picture of his children, doing 60 with a phone in one hand and his chin resting on the other steering with his elbows....
Really professional....
And I speak as the holder of a HGV 1 and PCV 1 licence...
melted_wellie
09-Jul-06, 14:26
i suggest you all stick to the Highway Code,not the My Way Code.its my guess you lot have all met on the A9 more often than you think.
....
5. Take a leaf out of the book of the lorry drivers, especially Stevens, as they are amongst the most considerate drivers of all.
Being a frequent driver on the A9 & beyond, I agree with a lot of what you're saying here. I've also noted & oft appreciated the courteousness of Steven's drivers, quite unlike some others I could mention, especially white van man.
On several occasions, in deepest, darkest winter I've not been keen to overtake them. I prefer to tuck in behind them (at a safe distance of course!) & let them guide me north through the fog, sleet, snow etc - praying for all I'm worth that they're not turning off at Latheron. So - to any Steven's lorry drivers reading this - it's me ! :o
orkneylass
09-Jul-06, 16:02
There is no excuse for bad driving but there is another issue about the road - it's a disgrace that the main road serving the highlands is so poor with only short stretches of dual carriageway. I flew down to Inverness and took the megabus to Glasgow on Friday in order to pick up a car. i witnessed several near-misses, hold ups due to slow moving vehicles etc. i then went home via the boat from Aberdeen - the contrast between the road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, and the road to the Highlands is extraordinary - yesterday it was well mainteined dual carriageway the whole way with no hold ups and never any problem overtaking.
Blazing Sporrans
09-Jul-06, 18:25
So if in a long queue of vehicles you should leave ample room between you and the vehicle in front to allow overtaking vehicles to find a place of refuge should they require it.
Closing the door on an overtaker because you think he is an idiot is not a sensible thing to do bearing in mind the traffic approaching from the other direction also have limits as to where they can go!
As for Stevens having the safest drivers? Sorry but I think the standard of driving from HGV drivers across the UK has dropped.
Once it was a profession and the drivers did act courteously towards others but now with the younger drivers they have become more arrogant and bullying in their driving manners. They use their sheer size on the roads to ensure that the car driver does give way - they overtake other HGVs and then spend 2 or 3 miles sitting alongside each other because they just do not have the legs to get by cleanly. Foreign HGV drivers (left hand drive) just pull out as you are alongside them (on duals) because they don't look or can't see you.
They are all driving to deadlines and so take risks that they should not need to - they are constantly spotted on the phone doing 60 calling their base or wife or girlfriend getting the latest details or news. I was alongside one the other day, he had "Doing it for the kids" on the back of his cab with a 6'x4' picture of his children, doing 60 with a phone in one hand and his chin resting on the other steering with his elbows....
Really professional....
And I speak as the holder of a HGV 1 and PCV 1 licence...
I couldn't agree more. The HGV drivers know that they sit in relative safety with their backsides 7' above where it's actually happening to you and me. Yes they do drive to deadlines and this means that they'll drive at whatever speed they like, leading to major hold-ups because it's much more difficult to overtake an HGV travelling at 50-55 on the A9 north of Inverness than it would be if they were sticking to their 40 limit. I've seen so many of them on the phone it's just not funny any more and this includes many of the Stevens drivers lauded elsewhere. Yes it's advantageous to stick a safe distance behind one in winter time, especially when BEAR were(n't) gritting the roads, however NOT when they are pouring out that smelly fish-water (bree?) that makes the road slippery and hazardous.
Well that's a wee rant over.......
Maybe with all these wonderfully cheap flights via the Air Discount Scheme we won't be needing to drive so much................or am I just opening another can of worms???
I quite aree with the point that some drivers will be reluctant to overtake slow moving vehicles - but they should at least be given one chance - some drivers at the back of a queue will pull out as soon as they see someone further on in the queue pulling out. And I always try to leave enough room for other overtakers in case they are more "game" than me, even though I don't necessarily agree with their tactics.
i knew that someone would get round to mentioning a white van sooner or later! Well I drove one as my main vehicle for some years and have never been stopped by the police so often before. Once got pulled up on the Struie late on a Saturday because they thought that I had the contents of a shooting lodge in the back or at least a couple of stags and a net full of salmon.
The final indignity however was being pulled over and breathalysed at half past ten on a Tuesday morning on the Inverness ring road because they claimed I was driving too slowly. Needless to say I drove like a bat out of hell for the rest of the day! Present van is a red Postman Pat model and that doesn't seem to be so much of a target for Northern Constabularys finest.
I still see drivers using their phones however and it does seem to be as reported elsewhere that it is more likely to be 4 by 4 drivers doing it. Now why should that be?
I always believed that the (unwritten) law was that if a car is trying to overtake you and another car is heading towards you, you should maintain your speed and the person who is carrying out the overtaking manouver should take evasive action, ie break. Otherwise, you have two cars breaking which removes the safety zone which the plonker created when he started his suicide mission. This is the rule I have always followed.
you should slow down when a car overtakes you till he has passed and also dip your lights.
Although from Orkney, I have driven the A9 hundreds of times, was a professional driver trainer in a former life and have a caravan.
In my experience, in Caithness, there are a chosen few who "know the roads like the back of their hands" so overtake when they shouldnt, drive too fast etc etc etc.
This happens everywhere, there are bad drivers, very bad drivers and terrible drivers who reckon they are great drivers. Its not unique to Caithness.
However, IMHO, if any driver takes an action that makes another driver have a reaction then they should go for re-training.
I am in two minds about slowing down to let others overtake. I agree when you know you are holding up traffic you should pull in when appropriate but when you are travelling at 60 mph just outside Portgower and MR boy racer is hard up your backside trying to pass on a blind summit on a blind corner, what goes through your mind.
1. Oh I had better slow down to let this chap pass as he obviously has an important appointment.
2. What an idiot, he is likely to kill himself and others, but if I make a sudden move, I may put myself or my passengers at risk, sorry pal, you are on your own.
The latter tends to come to mind.
Not saying its right buts it is amazing how many bad drivers have personalised plates!!!
Royster1911
10-Jul-06, 16:19
you should slow down when a car overtakes you till he has passed and also dip your lights.
If you cause another driver to react in any way for their own safety because of your manouver then you are doing something wrong
rockchick
10-Jul-06, 17:01
Have you ever noticed that EVERYONE thinks they are an above-average driver???
changilass
10-Jul-06, 17:33
When I passed my test (many moons ago), my driving instructor gave me a very good bit of advice. He said I should assume all other drivers were nutters and would do stupid things, I should drive with this in mind at all times and adjust my driving accordingly. Being prepared for what the idiot in front may do has stood me in good stead many times, and saved a few possible disasters from happening.
George Brims
10-Jul-06, 17:36
Here's something I have often found effective when following the person who will not pull over to let others pass, even when they're driving something that just can't take up hills fast or pick up speed after slowing for a bend. As someone mentioned, those towing a caravan with too small a car are often like this.
The first time this person passes a lay-by, they get one long honk of the horn. The second lay-by, two honks, and so on. I have never got to five! I have however received some hand signals not found in the highway code - but after they have pulled over. Also I don't do it when it's just me following, but when the person has built a significant "tail". If it's just me I am more relaxed overtaking knowing there isn't going to be the heider coming from the back of the queue trying to pass all of us at once.
RoughRider202
11-Jul-06, 00:29
I think the rules to over taking cars that are going to speed up is to have a faster more powerful car than them. then you dont have this problem:D :D .
Andy
I hope very much that I am not a ranter, but after reading this thread, it seemed apt to take the opportunity.
This afternoon, I was on my way up to Wick from Lybster - a return journey undertaken sometimes as many as four times a day, so I should like to think I know the road pretty well and am acquainted with the best places for overtaking.
Well today I had the misfortune to be behind a (mostly white) hire van. He knew I wanted to overtake him - he must have done, because every time I attempted it, he sped up and swung out into the oncoming carriageway. When he overtook a tractor at Bruan, he sped up on the other side of the road and refused to let me past until it became a dangerous manouevre with other cars coming the other way.
Then the fellow had the audacity to honk his horn at me.
Now I know that people in the main think they are right with what they know and what they do - I can (very magnanimously!) accept that, and I accept that that be quite far from the truth, but can anyone actually tell me what point that not so gentle man was trying to make?
Was it that he couldn't be 'beaten' by a woman driver?
Was it that he was 'King of the Road' in a larger vehicle than mine?
Was HE trying to tell ME how I should be driving?
Normally patient and tolerant, I am still fuming.
And really wanting to swear!
Blazing Sporrans
11-Jul-06, 11:49
When I passed my test (many moons ago), my driving instructor gave me a very good bit of advice. He said I should assume all other drivers were nutters and would do stupid things, I should drive with this in mind at all times and adjust my driving accordingly. Being prepared for what the idiot in front may do has stood me in good stead many times, and saved a few possible disasters from happening.
When I was taught to drive by a retired Police driving instructor, he told me that no matter if I turned into the greatest driver the world had ever seen, out there somewhere is the worst. "Pray you don't meet head on and drive as if you expect to" he told me. I will always remember that and drive accordingly. So far I'm lucky enough to be able to say twenty <cough> something years driving and no accidents - although I realise I've just invited disaster to the door. Better run over some rabbits and collect their lucky feet!!
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