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RagnarRocks
04-Aug-13, 17:41
I'd like to thank the man driving the silver car from wick toward Thurso on thurs morning I was impressed at his ability to over take 4 cars exiting from a blind bend so impressed that I stopped my landrover stock still in the road to make sure he had enough room to finish his manoeuvre safely , I'd hate to think how many would of suffered had I just carried on quite legally driving at a safe speed on the correct side of the road and not had to stop ! Saying that I'm just sitting here trying to remember how many poor over takes I've seen, and the best one yet terrified youth with the bulging eyes , slack jaw of terror as he attempted the bend sideways just managing to correct before the ditch so if your son drives a black corsa he needs a retest. Any clown that honestly believes driving in excess of 70 mph on these roads is safe sensible or shows any sign of consideration for other road users needs a quick appt with the head doctor for a retwire !

Iffy
04-Aug-13, 18:39
Yep, I completely agree with you RagnarRocks !! My Dad was on the A9 recently (heading to Raigmore Hospital for some tests). when over the brow of a hill near just before Brora a car appeared practically on the wrong side of the road ! Dad said that he could see the "terror" in the driver's face as he dragged his car onto the right side of the road !!! Dad said that he basically just waited for the "crash" . . . pretty scary for a 86 year old !!! As Dad said, he could have arrived at Raigmore much sooner than he expected !!!!!

starfish
04-Aug-13, 19:04
once on keiss crossing a freind was crossing we had stopped to let her cross when a car come up behind us and over took us nearly running the person on the crossing over then the driver had the cheek to wave his fist at us for stopping idiot came to mind after a few blue words

nicnak
04-Aug-13, 19:31
i drove from clyth to wick the on saturday morning and doing so saw 5 cars at different times coming in the opposite direction of these 5, 3 were talking on mobiles phones and another was driving like a bat out of hell and nearly put me off the road, the other one was driving correctly and at a reasonable speed. The most disturbing thing of all was all except the last one were young lads driving , the last one was a young girl!

RagnarRocks
04-Aug-13, 19:59
I'd love to have a speed camera here it would pay for itself rather quickly and be a sight more effective than police hanging around in watten or by the co-op when they are bored ! To balance things out I did have one lady who veered across the road then back again but I suspect judging by her driving position she was changing radio station,fishing something out of the glove box or just being driven mad by the kids in the car. Mind the look of terror on their faces never seems to ease the foot off the accelerator curious correlation in there somewhere .

2little2late
05-Aug-13, 01:18
I'm not going to write what I wish to happen to dangerous drivers.

mi16
05-Aug-13, 11:30
I'd love to have a speed camera here it would pay for itself rather quickly and be a sight more effective than police hanging around in watten or by the co-op when they are bored ! To balance things out I did have one lady who veered across the road then back again but I suspect judging by her driving position she was changing radio station,fishing something out of the glove box or just being driven mad by the kids in the car. Mind the look of terror on their faces never seems to ease the foot off the accelerator curious correlation in there somewhere .A speed camera in Caithness would make practically nothing.

RagnarRocks
05-Aug-13, 14:02
A speed camera in Caithness would make practically nothing.It would make one piece of road safer which is no bad thing if it stopped one youngster killing themselves through excessive speed it would have paid for itself many times over but then again those who drive recklessly always find an excuse for doing it. The reality is its rather narcissistic behaviour and puts at risk others who have no desire for F1 or Moto GP riding on public roads !

kosacid
05-Aug-13, 15:04
I know im gona get flamed for this but the worst drivers are the old one`s, they seem to think driving 40 in a 60 zone is safe, it just encourages them to over take, there time`s I feel like just stopping next to them and asking them do you think your driving safe, I bet they would say yes

mi16
05-Aug-13, 16:57
60mph is the limit not the target, 40mph is perfectly safe as is 20mph or 10mph.
Driving at a speed less than the limit is perfectly safe as is overtaking a vehicle travelling at a speed less than the limit.

mi16
05-Aug-13, 17:01
It would make one piece of road safer which is no bad thing if it stopped one youngster killing themselves through excessive speed it would have paid for itself many times over but then again those who drive recklessly always find an excuse for doing it. The reality is its rather narcissistic behaviour and puts at risk others who have no desire for F1 or Moto GP riding on public roads !

It would make the folk that speed on said stretch of road slow down momenterily then accelerate after passing the range of the camera.

badger
05-Aug-13, 17:15
I know im gona get flamed for this but the worst drivers are the old one`s, they seem to think driving 40 in a 60 zone is safe, it just encourages them to over take, there time`s I feel like just stopping next to them and asking them do you think your driving safe, I bet they would say yes

Too many drivers seem to think 60 is the minimum on unrestricted roads and anyone daring to drive slower is either a target for abuse or an excuse for dangerous driving. 60 is the maximum, even when overtaking! What's the hurry anyway? I don't believe most speeding drivers are in a genuine rush to make an appointment, they just can't bear to drive behind anyone. Why else would so many overtake just before a town or village and then you see the brake lights come on? I had to brake recently for a car coming towards me on my side of the road overtaking two motorhomes and another car - madness.

Classamin
05-Aug-13, 17:41
If you're so concerned about us youngsters speeding, then stop writing it on Caithness.org and maybe do something about it? Talk to us directly, or not at all. If we're that bad, maybe put on a presentation thing to show us the error of our ways? The truth is that the majority of bad drivers I have seen are all older than us. Otherwise, take into consideration that we pay road tax just like everyone else, we have mot on our cars, we're insured and have just as much a right to road use as your "fine" selves. So sit down, shut up and do something constructive for once.

RagnarRocks
05-Aug-13, 18:01
If you're so concerned about us youngsters speeding, then stop writing it on Caithness.org and maybe do something about it? Talk to us directly, or not at all. If we're that bad, maybe put on a presentation thing to show us the error of our ways? The truth is that the majority of bad drivers I have seen are all older than us. Otherwise, take into consideration that we pay road tax just like everyone else, we have mot on our cars, we're insured and have just as much a right to road use as your "fine" selves. So sit down, shut up and do something constructive for once.As long as you're not speeding or breaking any other you're as welcome to use the roads as anyone else but if you feel the need to justify illegal activities then one has to consider your actual position as opposed to the one you're trying to debate ! I fail to see why you'd need a presentation if you're not doing what's being discussed ! Having worked in motor insurance I can say statistically young drivers are more likely to speed and have accidents then it swings to the elderly!

youoldduffer
05-Aug-13, 18:56
There should be a Large sign in the middle of the round-about in wick to let the idiots know they should give way to the right, The amount of times I've had to brake for them is unreal, again tonight a older lady in a green car decides to go ( I say go I mean charge) even though I was already on the round-about and then has the audacity to look at me like I was in the wrong.

PantsMAN
05-Aug-13, 19:02
The threads on .org are often interesting, sometimes enlightening, occasionally instructive and frequently maddening.

Can someone please let us all know exactly what the point of this thread is?

Apart from granting space to peoples' anecdotes about driving...

mi16
05-Aug-13, 19:16
we pay road tax just like everyone else.No you dont

QUADBIKER
05-Aug-13, 19:23
if this is going on you are worse than them you come on here and rant under a false name if you know these people are breaking the law go to the cops why have you got to come on here and rant on

RagnarRocks
05-Aug-13, 19:39
if this is going on you are worse than them you come on here and rant under a false name if you know these people are breaking the law go to the cops why have you got to come on here and rant onOk I often try to see opposing viewpoints but what perverted course of logic gets you from discussing an issue on a discussion forum equate to as guilty as speeding or breaking the law infact you even claims it makes people worse !

QUADBIKER
05-Aug-13, 19:51
have you went to the police if not why not ?
Ok I often try to see opposing viewpoints but what perverted course of logic gets you from discussing an issue on a discussion forum equate to as guilty as speeding or breaking the law infact you even claims it makes people worse !

RagnarRocks
05-Aug-13, 20:16
Well if I was to go to the police for every person I saw speeding without recordable evidence it would be pointless also I'm not a law enforcement officer and this is a discussion forum so its a valid discussion. It would appear you've no valid point except to argue under some vague guise of moral outrage sadly its tiresome nothing more nothing less !

captain chaos
05-Aug-13, 21:05
How many of you can honestly say you have read an updated copy of the highway code in the last 6 months?

Most of the myths in this rant could be cured by reading it.....Yes you can be charged for driving too slowly on a road, you can be charged under either obstructing the flow of traffic or driving without due care and attention.

Yes you can legally exceed the speed limit to overtake a vehicle but must then reduce as soon as overtake has finished.

ducati
05-Aug-13, 21:07
How many of you can honestly say you have read an updated copy of the highway code in the last 6 months?

Most of the myths in this rant could be cured by reading it.....Yes you can be charged for driving too slowly on a road, you can be charged under either obstructing the flow of traffic or driving without due care and attention.

Yes you can legally exceed the speed limit to overtake a vehiocle but must then reduce as soon as overtake has finished.

Yes Captain. Exactly the conversation I had with a police officer the other day.

captain chaos
05-Aug-13, 21:20
Ducati

The company I work for issues all company car drivers with a copy of the code everytime they are updated, and we are all checked out on a full days test drive by an ex-police driving instructor, you have to give a running commentary, observations, etc. The instructor new within about 10mins that I also rode a motorbike, by the way I positioned the vehicle on the road to get the best view and on the roundabouts he noted I still did the life saver in the car.

There were so many changes in the code since I passed my test it was amazing.

2little2late
05-Aug-13, 21:30
60mph is the limit not the target, 40mph is perfectly safe as is 20mph or 10mph.
Driving at a speed less than the limit is perfectly safe as is overtaking a vehicle travelling at a speed less than the limit.

I'm afraid you're wrong there mate. 60 isn't the target, it's the maximum limit. Drivers must drive to the condition of the road. Slow drivers can be prosecuted for driving too slow aswell. But for some strange reason the police choose not to. There is nothing more frustrating than driving behind an old gadgie at 40 mph in a 60 limit when the road conditions dictate.

mi16
05-Aug-13, 22:51
I'm afraid you're wrong there mate. 60 isn't the target, it's the maximum limit. Drivers must drive to the condition of the road. Slow drivers can be prosecuted for driving too slow aswell. But for some strange reason the police choose not to. There is nothing more frustrating than driving behind an old gadgie at 40 mph in a 60 limit when the road conditions dictate. Where did I say it was the target? As far as I understand, you can be prosecuted for Careless Driving for driving "unnecessarily slow" but is 50% or 66.6% of the speed limit unnecessarily slow?. If you really think that the most frustrating thing you have to put up with is following an elderly person travelling at 66.6% of the speed limit then you are a lucky person with little to worry about.

Phill
05-Aug-13, 23:08
Here we go again. Usual trolling and name calling, no doubt a few 'new' members about to pop up.
Yes lets try and do something instead of ranting on here about it, well, some of us did try but were ignored.

Thread is about dangerous driving yet peeps want speed cameras while offering examples of dangerous driving. You really need to understand what your ranting about first.


There were so many changes in the code since I passed my test it was amazing.
Yep. We need periodic retesting (5 / 10 years) to keep everyone up to speed. (pun intended)
Longer mandatory training period, instructor led, including things like skid pan training.



Yes Captain. Exactly the conversation I had with a police officer the other day.Those stairs in the van slippery (again)?

ducati
06-Aug-13, 08:20
Those stairs in the van slippery (again)?

Yes. But it was alright, I got 'help'

jacko
06-Aug-13, 09:38
There s an old girl across the road from me, has a new car , bought last year , has dented both sides of her front bumper several times while entering her driveway...(12 ft wide) even managed to dent the back bumper. I have to go with her when she fills up with fuel as she cant open the petrol cap. Honestly, she s the worst driver ive ever seen , presses the clutch & the brake simultaniously to change UP gears. Can not get her car into her garage. can not reverse anywhere. if ever there was a case for retesting this is it. On saying that not all oldie s are like like .

sids
06-Aug-13, 10:40
I know im gona get flamed for this but the worst drivers are the old one`s, they seem to think driving 40 in a 60 zone is safe, it just encourages them to over take, there time`s I feel like just stopping next to them and asking them do you think your driving safe, I bet they would say yes

Of course driving no faster than 40 in a 60 limit is safe. What do you think the speed limit for lorries is? It's 40mph, as you probably didn't know. If that somehow "causes" you to overtake dangerously, then you are a dangerous driver.

mi16
06-Aug-13, 12:26
Of course driving no faster than 40 in a 60 limit is safe. What do you think the speed limit for lorries is? It's 40mph, as you probably didn't know. If that somehow "causes" you to overtake dangerously, then you are a dangerous driver.BOOM headshot

macadamia
06-Aug-13, 12:37
I am a safe and considerate driver

You are OK as a driver, but you could do with a few improvements

He/they is/are a dangerous maniac who got his licence off a cornflake packet and shouldn't be allowed on the road because he/she is too stupid/old/young/still breathing. Hanging's too good....etc....etc

sids
06-Aug-13, 13:50
BOOM headshot

Ouch







........

*Martin*
06-Aug-13, 14:51
There is nothing more frustrating than driving behind an old gadgie at 40 mph in a 60 limit when the road conditions dictate.

There's the old gadgie that drives at 40 on a 60 and stays at 40 in a 30 :lol:

joxville
06-Aug-13, 16:29
There should be a Large sign in the middle of the round-about in wick to let the idiots know they should give way to the right, The amount of times I've had to brake for them is unreal, again tonight a older lady in a green car decides to go ( I say go I mean charge) even though I was already on the round-about and then has the audacity to look at me like I was in the wrong.Was it light green, dark green or just green? It's important, so that others can watch out for her and be prepared. I find white cars tend to be badly driven too. And BMW's. In fact, anything German. Avoid German green and white cars. ;-)

jacko
06-Aug-13, 16:40
Was it light green, dark green or just green? It's important, so that others can watch out for her and be prepared. I find white cars tend to be badly driven too. And BMW's. In fact, anything German. Avoid German green and white cars. ;-)

Yep. the traffic light s are now in the wrong place at the end of Bridge St, They d be better placed at the roundabout.
and the other set at Dempster Street cause more near misses than a blind man playing in a darts match.
i still meet folk driving up from poundstretchers to the Post Office & other s from the Sawmill to the Bridge roundabout .

Kevin Milkins
06-Aug-13, 23:44
There's the old gadgie that drives at 40 on a 60 and stays at 40 in a 30 :lol:

At least he's consistent.

I like to drive at a steady pace that I find suits myself and the vehicle that I'm driving and not take a lot of notice of other drivers that don't share my driving etiquette

I have been doing it that way for a while now without any problems so why change to please someone that has no other ambition in life other than to be in front of me?

badger
07-Aug-13, 19:25
How many of you can honestly say you have read an updated copy of the highway code in the last 6 months?

Yes you can legally exceed the speed limit to overtake a vehicle but must then reduce as soon as overtake has finished.

In a public meeting we were told by a police inspector that it is illegal to exceed the speed limit even when overtaking. I cannot see anything in the highway code to contradict this - where does it say it is legal?

neilsermk1
07-Aug-13, 23:21
In a public meeting we were told by a police inspector that it is illegal to exceed the speed limit even when overtaking. I cannot see anything in the highway code to contradict this - where does it say it is legal?
my other half was done for speeding a couple of years ago, and it was specifically stated on the speeding ticket that overtaking was no excuse, the limit was 60mph

Shaggy
08-Aug-13, 00:06
Was it light green, dark green or just green? It's important, so that others can watch out for her and be prepared. I find white cars tend to be badly driven too. And BMW's. In fact, anything German. Avoid German green and white cars. ;-)

YES!! Avoid German green and white cars.........they tend to have "POLIZEI" written on the sides and bonnet

Shaggy
08-Aug-13, 00:08
my other half was done for speeding a couple of years ago, and it was specifically stated on the speeding ticket that overtaking was no excuse, the limit was 60mph

Hmm, that would mean that breaking the speed limit of 60mph in order to overtake, the person she was overtaking must have been driving near on the speed limit? or she was speeding anyway and just continued on past another slower car. Impatient or what?

secrets in symmetry
08-Aug-13, 00:30
You're all lucky that Flynn and I are here to exemplify good driving. We never speed. :cool:

Classamin
08-Aug-13, 16:19
No you dont Okay then, can I have proof of this accusation? Perhaps a picture of an expired tax disc? I certainly do, and everyone else I know does. You people look for any excuse to have a go at us, so I'd like proof of ANY accusation ANY of you make. I've seen older people drive around with no MOT, tax and insurance so to say we do it is hypocritical. And on another note, why don't you say this when you're not hiding behind a meaningless name on this? My name is Michael Simpson, and if you're big enough to state these accusations on the org, then please, be my guest in saying it to my face.

mi16
08-Aug-13, 18:02
Okay then, can I have proof of this accusation? Perhaps a picture of an expired tax disc? I certainly do, and everyone else I know does. You people look for any excuse to have a go at us, so I'd like proof of ANY accusation ANY of you make. I've seen older people drive around with no MOT, tax and insurance so to say we do it is hypocritical. And on another note, why don't you say this when you're not hiding behind a meaningless name on this? My name is Michael Simpson, and if you're big enough to state these accusations on the org, then please, be my guest in saying it to my face.I can categorically guarantee that you do not pay any road tax.

squidge
08-Aug-13, 18:10
Okay then, can I have proof of this accusation? Perhaps a picture of an expired tax disc? I certainly do, and everyone else I know does. You people look for any excuse to have a go at us, so I'd like proof of ANY accusation ANY of you make. I've seen older people drive around with no MOT, tax and insurance so to say we do it is hypocritical. And on another note, why don't you say this when you're not hiding behind a meaningless name on this? My name is Michael Simpson, and if you're big enough to state these accusations on the org, then please, be my guest in saying it to my face.

"Whispers" Its not called road tax - thats why no one pays road tax its called "vehicle excise duty" ;)

mi16
08-Aug-13, 18:21
"Whispers" Its not called road tax - thats why no one pays road tax its called "vehicle excise duty" ;)Correct and absolutely nothing to do with the upkeep of the roads

Classamin
08-Aug-13, 19:24
Mi16 and others, you appear to have ignored my question entirely. Is it because you're scared of people knowing who you really are? Do you enjoy nothing better than signing on here everynight and antagonising young people like me? Because if you went down the street on a Friday or Saturday night instead of sitting on your computer then you'll find that we're doing nothing wrong. I stand corrected on that then, but that's about the only thing I can be corrected on in this thread.

Shaggy
08-Aug-13, 20:46
Did you pass your driving test then Classamin? i know you were learning but not had an update since?

mi16
08-Aug-13, 21:20
Mi16 and others, you appear to have ignored my question entirely. Is it because you're scared of people knowing who you really are? Do you enjoy nothing better than signing on here everynight and antagonising young people like me? Because if you went down the street on a Friday or Saturday night instead of sitting on your computer then you'll find that we're doing nothing wrong. I stand corrected on that then, but that's about the only thing I can be corrected on in this thread.

Classamin, I am not here to antagonise anyone, I will however point out inaccuracies or clear untruths.
Sorry if that offends.

As for your questions see below:
1. No accusation at all, as has been cleared up road tax does not exist.
2. see answer 1.
3. If I was to meet you on the street I would happily point out that road tax is non existant.

BishBashBosh
09-Aug-13, 04:40
road tax is non existant.

Why is it called a Tax Disk then?
Also i apologies to the man driving behind me today from Wick to Thurso I had a bucket with fish for the fish tank and didn't want them to splash out. Poor man didn't look happy when going round bends hehe. Some times there is a reason why people are driving what some consider too slow.

And can someone clear up something for me, is it true no vehicle is actually legally aloud to exceed the limit but we turn a blind eye to emergency services for obvious reasons? Just something i was once told....

mi16
09-Aug-13, 08:33
It is a tax based on the emissions of your vehicle, hence it is still referred to as a tax disc.

Phill
09-Aug-13, 10:42
And can someone clear up something for me, is it true no vehicle is actually legally aloud to exceed the limit but we turn a blind eye to emergency services for obvious reasons? Just something i was once told....
Basically no one, but everyone can exceed the speed limit. With good grounds!

No one is above the law, including the polis (cough cough). All emergency services have to abide by the Highway code, however, in responding to emergency calls, they can occasionally justify exceeding the limit running a red light etc.
But, if there is a bump while doing so, more often than not, the driver is hung out to dry, (less often with the rozzers though).

neilsermk1
09-Aug-13, 12:11
The point I was trying to make was that there is no excuse for exceding the limit.
As a matter of interest she was overtaking a lorry on a dualled section of the A96 and was trying to get it done quickly to allow the 30 other vehicles held up behind the lorry a chance to get clear. Still no excuse for breaking the limit as I remind her often:lol:

badger
10-Aug-13, 11:21
The point I was trying to make was that there is no excuse for exceding the limit.
As a matter of interest she was overtaking a lorry on a dualled section of the A96 and was trying to get it done quickly to allow the 30 other vehicles held up behind the lorry a chance to get clear. Still no excuse for breaking the limit as I remind her often:lol:

If the lorry had been observing the Highway Code that situation would not have occurred. It is really annoying sometimes to be in a convoy behind a slow vehicle which could easily pull over to let others pass but it's just another part of the Code that gets ignored.
169Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

upolian
10-Aug-13, 11:32
Whoever it was coming from Thurso 3weeks ago in a white 3 door vauxhall astra sri dy60 uss i think the plate was,i felt sorry for this chap....... woman infront of me overtook a cyclist just after haster heading the watten way,the boy in the astra had to literally stop stupidly quick to avoid a head on collision,no wonder he was going mental flashing his lights!!!! Somebody on here might know who it was,often goes through to wick i have noticed... i kept the womans number plate if the driver of the astra wants to report it :)

ducati
10-Aug-13, 13:03
Whoever it was coming from Thurso 3weeks ago in a white 3 door vauxhall astra sri dy60 uss i think the plate was,i felt sorry for this chap....... woman infront of me overtook a cyclist just after haster heading the watten way,the boy in the astra had to literally stop stupidly quick to avoid a head on collision,no wonder he was going mental flashing his lights!!!! Somebody on here might know who it was,often goes through to wick i have noticed... i kept the womans number plate if the driver of the astra wants to report it :)

Here is a very good example of hazard perception. You see a bicycle coming toward you with cars behind it, it is very likely someone (not nessasarily the car immediately behind the bike) will try to pass. You should be prepared and have already slowed. Not saying Astra guy hadn't. I just know I would have.

mi16
10-Aug-13, 13:47
If the lorry had been observing the Highway Code that situation would not have occurred. It is really annoying sometimes to be in a convoy behind a slow vehicle which could easily pull over to let others pass but it's just another part of the Code that gets ignored.169Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.You do realise that the Highway Code is not law?

sids
10-Aug-13, 14:06
You do realise that the Highway Code is not law?

Did someone say it was?

sids
10-Aug-13, 14:08
If the lorry had been observing the Highway Code that situation would not have occurred. It is really annoying sometimes to be in a convoy behind a slow vehicle which could easily pull over to let others pass but it's just another part of the Code that gets ignored.


"Easily pull over" on a dual carriageway? Unlikely!

badger
10-Aug-13, 17:59
You do realise that the Highway Code is not law?

Actually quite a lot of it is, i.e. anything that starts MUST NOT
"Many of the rules in The Highway Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’."
but agree the bit I quoted is just advice.

badger
10-Aug-13, 18:09
"Easily pull over" on a dual carriageway? Unlikely!
You're right of course although even then there may be places but then unless both lanes are full overtaking shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking more of local roads and much of the A9 when I said that. Personally I'd much rather be at the end of a procession than the front as hate having vehicles behind me - I'd rather let them pass as soon as poss.

mi16
10-Aug-13, 19:38
Did someone say it was?No..........

upolian
11-Aug-13, 13:04
Here is a very good example of hazard perception. You see a bicycle coming toward you with cars behind it, it is very likely someone (not nessasarily the car immediately behind the bike) will try to pass. You should be prepared and have already slowed. Not saying Astra guy hadn't. I just know I would have.

Yes exactly! I read the road as i came round the bridge i could see the cyclist in the distance infront of the car infront of me,i stayed well back as i know all it takes is a lorry with a longer braking distances,somebody speeding,an emergency vehicle or some other hazard to come the opposite way and things to go wrong quickly,which it almost did!

moses
11-Aug-13, 14:01
To the idiot in the red Astra who came down the cliff and onto the roundabout, without stopping on Saturday afternoon, do you know that you are supposed to give way to vehicles already on the roundabout!!!!

Keyser_soze
16-Aug-13, 10:27
I know im gona get flamed for this but the worst drivers are the old one`s, they seem to think driving 40 in a 60 zone is safe, it just encourages them to over take, there time`s I feel like just stopping next to them and asking them do you think your driving safe, I bet they would say yes

I tend to agree with you, as I drive quite a lot of miles in a year A9 , A96 , A1, M74 all over, the standard up here is rather shocking, people driving at 40 mph in a 60 on a straight clear road is totally ridiculous & causes frustration & increases the risks that other drivers will take to get moving that bit faster.

Tractors lorries vans & caravans are exempt, they have lower limits , even though its annoying being stuck behind them, thats the law & fair enough but these slow drivers cause as much accidents as the `boy racer` type that some on here have portrayed , ask a copper for the honest answer they will soon tell you.

squidge
16-Aug-13, 11:23
Roundabouts are the biggest pain in the world. Here in Inverness - Lane discipline is missing on so many days. Yesterday was a typical day

Approaching the roundabout at the college this car nearly took my front end off approaching the roundabout then changed lanes on exiting the roundabout nearly taking my front end off again then at the next roundabout did it all over again to the car in front of me. The number of people that approach a roundabout in the outside lane of a dual carriageway and then want to exit on onto the left hand lane and either change lanes on the roundabout completely ignoring the fact that I am in that space already or cut right in front of me to exit into the left hand lane is unreal! Particularly at the Tesco roundabout. Husband has taken to wearing steel toe capped boots on his bike so he can give a swift dent to a door that gets too close.

Overtaking is mental too - watched two cars in front of me yesterday - tootling along at about 45 mph on the A96 the car behind pulled out to overtake and te first car put his foot down - plume of black smoke and off he went so the overtaking car couldnt get past... WHAT? we had been tootling along like that for a wee while he clearly wasnt in a hurry. Why would he care if the car behind anted to overtake? The overtaking car had to pull in behind to prevent an accident.

Its no better wherever you are.

RagnarRocks
16-Aug-13, 11:27
If I'm in the mood for driving slower than the speed limit because, say its a panoramic view or such like I just keep an eye on the traffic behind me and pull over its quite simple takes a few seconds and saves lots of frustration on both sides . The reality of speeding is unless you're covering a large amount of miles and driving massively over the speed limits the amount of time you've saved on your journey is probably measured in seconds rather than minutes and I'd ask any same rational person if that's really worth risking your own and others lives for ?

mi16
16-Aug-13, 11:51
I tend to agree with you, as I drive quite a lot of miles in a year A9 , A96 , A1, M74 all over, the standard up here is rather shocking, people driving at 40 mph in a 60 on a straight clear road is totally ridiculous & causes frustration & increases the risks that other drivers will take to get moving that bit faster.

Tractors lorries vans & caravans are exempt, they have lower limits , even though its annoying being stuck behind them, thats the law & fair enough but these slow drivers cause as much accidents as the `boy racer` type that some on here have portrayed , ask a copper for the honest answer they will soon tell you.

How can you deem the slower driver to be the cause of the incident and not the person performing the overtaking manouvre?
Seems a typical attitude of many.

mi16
16-Aug-13, 11:54
The reality of speeding is unless you're covering a large amount of miles and driving massively over the speed limits the amount of time you've saved on your journey is probably measured in seconds rather than minutes and I'd ask any same rational person if that's really worth risking your own and others lives for ?

bingo.........

Keyser_soze
17-Aug-13, 13:16
How can you deem the slower driver to be the cause of the incident and not the person performing the overtaking manouvre?
Seems a typical attitude of many.

My dear, whilst driving south between dunbeath & Helmsdale recently I had the gross misfortune to be stuck behind a little old lady goin 35-45 then 45-50 tops, but the thing is when I and 20 others in the tailback wanted or tried to overtake the old lady accelerated so that the rest of us couldnt, there was also the problem of oncoming traffic to navigate & it wasnt safe until the straight going down Navidale.

2 cars took the chance to go past & left her in no uncertain terms whet they thought of her shocking driving skills & tbh I wasnt surprised, that is a lot more common than you think.

Obviously going by what you write here you dont mind long lists of cars behind you chugging along at 45 on a 60 ? thats what annoys most drivers I know , as long as everyones going 60mph - where it is safe and sensible to do so- then do it, if not why ? There is no reason to be doing 45mph on long straight roads.

jacko
17-Aug-13, 13:30
i come up from Inverness this morning and was behind some idiot in a blue Corsa who was driving side by side trying to pass a caravanette at 35/40 mph on the overtaking lane at the Nigg roundabout just south of Tain. the caravanette driver obviously slowed down there to allow the overtaking, but this idiot just kept abreast of him then pulled back behind just at the end of the overtaking lane. crazy b.........../ aghhhh

Alrock
17-Aug-13, 14:07
This thread so reminds me of this.....


The Rules
In the old Soviet Union they used to say that anything that wasn’t forbidden was compulsory; the trick was to remember which was which. In the West we’ve always congratulated ourselves on taking a slightly more relaxed, commonsense view of things, and forget that common sense is often just as arbitrary. You’ve got to know the rules. Especially if you travel.

A few years ago—well, I can tell you exactly, in fact, it was early 1994—I had a little run-in with the police. I was driving along Westway into central London with my wife, who was six months pregnant, and I overtook on the inside lane. Not a piece of wild and reckless driving in the circumstances, honestly, it was just the way the traffic was flowing; but anyway I suddenly found myself being flagged down by a police car. The policemen signalled me to follow them down off the motorway and—astonishingly—to stop behind them on a bend in the slip road, where we could all get out and have a little chat about my heinous crime. I was aghast. Cars, trucks, and, worst of all, white vans were careering down the slip road, none of them, I’m sure, expecting to find a couple of cars actually parked there, right on the bend. Any one of them could easily have rear-ended my car—with my pregnant wife inside. The situation was frightening and insane. I made this point to the police officer, who, as is so often the case with the police, took a different view.

The officer’s point was that overtaking on an inside lane was inherently dangerous. Why? Because the law said it was. But being parked on a blind bend on a slip road was not dangerous because I was there on police instructions, which made it legal and hence (and this was the tricky bit to follow) safe. My point was that I accepted I had (quite safely) made a manoeuvre that was illegal under the laws of England, but that our current situation, parked on a blind bend in the path of fast-moving traffic, was life-threatening by reason of the actual physical laws of the universe.

The officer’s next point was that I wasn’t in the universe, I was in England, a point that has been made to me before. I gave up trying to win an argument and agreed to everything so that we could just get out of there. As it happened, the reason I had rather overcasually overtaken on the inside lane was that I am very used to driving in the United States where everybody routinely exercises their constitutional right to drive in whatever damn lane they please. Under American law, overtaking on the inside lane (where traffic conditions allow) is perfectly legal, perfectly normal, and, hence, perfectly safe.

But I’ll tell you what isn’t.

I was once in San Francisco, and I parked in the only available space, which happened to be on the other side of the street. The law descended on me. Was I aware of how dangerous the manoeuvre I’d just made was? I looked at the law a bit blankly. What had I done wrong?

I had, said the law, parked against the flow of traffic.

Puzzled, I looked up and down the street. What traffic? I asked.

The traffic that would be there, said the law, if there was any traffic. This was a bit metaphysical, even for me, so I explained, a bit lamely, that in England we just park wherever we can find a parking space available, and weren’t that fussy about which side of the street it was on. He looked at me aghast, as if I was lucky to have got out of a country of such wild and crazy car parkers alive, and promptly gave me a ticket. Clearly he would rather have deported me before my subversive ideas brought chaos and anarchy to streets that normally had to cope with nothing more alarming than a few simple assault rifles. Which, as we know, in the States are perfectly legal, and without which they would be overrun by herds of deer, overbearing government officers, and lawless British tea importers.

My late friend Graham Chapman, an idiosyncratic driver at the best of times, used to exploit the mutual incomprehension of British and U.S. driving habits by always carrying both British and California driver’s licences. Whenever he was stopped in the States, he would flash his British licence, and vice versa. He would also mention that he was just on his way to the airport to leave the country, which he always found to be such welcome news that the police would breathe a sigh of relief and wave him on.

But though there are frequent misunderstandings between the Europeans and the Americans, at least we’ve had decades of shared movies and TV to help us get used to each other. Outside those bounds you can’t make any assumptions at all. In China, for instance, the poet James Fenton was once stopped for having a light on his bicycle. “How would it be,” the police officer asked him severely, “if everybody did that?”

However, the most extreme example I’ve come across of something being absolutely forbidden in one country and normal practice in another is one I can’t quite bring myself to believe, though my cousin swears it’s true. She lived for several years in Tokyo, and tells of a court case in which a driver who was being prosecuted for driving up onto the pavement, crashing into a shop window and killing a couple of pedestrians was allowed to enter the fact that he was blind drunk at the time as a plea in mitigation. What are the rules you need to know if you are moving from one country to another?

What are the things that are compulsory in one country and forbidden in another? Common sense won’t tell you. We have to tell each other.

The Independent on Sunday, JANUARY 2000

ducati
17-Aug-13, 17:31
if not why ? There is no reason to be doing 45mph on long straight roads.

Fuel price

Big Gaz
17-Aug-13, 17:44
I am amazed at the people who have had some discourteous driver cut them up or have a near miss when overtaking then they come on here and rant and rave and name and shame the driver as if to address the thread directly to the driver who did the dirty deed as if everyone (and every driver!) in Caithness reads the forum.....

If every driver obeyed the law, there shouldn't (notice i didn't say wouldn't) be any issues but as with all things human, we do make mistakes and often so. If someone causes an accident through their impatience or bad judgement, then it is their and only their fault, not the slow-moving vehicle they hastily overtook, not the poor farmer driving his tractor at 20mph and is just doing his job and certainly not the 40-45mph driver in a 50 zone.

Overtaking or passing maneuvers are sadly lacking in the driving test unless its a parked vehicle and i know many drivers are just too scared to even think about overtaking!

Sooner they bring in regular retests (and include an eyesight test!!), the sooner the roads will be safer