What is your biggest fear as a driver?
Tom_Basil
Posts: 982 Forum Member
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It has to be unknown places and roundabouts.
I get a bit nervous because I am not sure what lane I am in etc.
I also don't like merges where you have to get over to the left or right.
Only yesterday I was driving in an unknown place and I thought you could drive in both lanes, but you couldn't and I drove on the wrong side of the road. My friend in the car told me and everyone was beeping so I had to get over into the left lane quickly and cut someone up. At the traffic lights they hurled abuse at me. It probably didn't help when they beeped at me so my friend lent over and beeped back and shouted, 'he doesn't know the area'.
So what about you?
I get a bit nervous because I am not sure what lane I am in etc.
I also don't like merges where you have to get over to the left or right.
Only yesterday I was driving in an unknown place and I thought you could drive in both lanes, but you couldn't and I drove on the wrong side of the road. My friend in the car told me and everyone was beeping so I had to get over into the left lane quickly and cut someone up. At the traffic lights they hurled abuse at me. It probably didn't help when they beeped at me so my friend lent over and beeped back and shouted, 'he doesn't know the area'.
So what about you?
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Comments
Oh, and hill starts. I don't think I'll ever like hill starts.
After 25 years there is little which worries me too much but having said that there are two roundabouts that I drive on semi-regularly. One is at the bottom of the A12 - it has one of the worst accident rates in London. That one is awkward because so many people try and overtake you and you cannot then get out. The other is at the southern end of the Leighbridge Road, same thing.
The thing to remember when you get nervous is that you are in a 2 tonne metal cage - remember mirror, signal manoeuvre. And take your time - you are driving, not the silly idiot in the Ford Escort XR3i who is trying to show what a clever a*se he is welling it. Take the time to look carefully in all three mirrors (door and middle), signal and move - if someone bashes you overtaking on the left then it is his no claims bonus.
I remember being behind a speeding golf in some lanes, I eventually caught up with him. He only had a sheep in his boot.
Road signs and road markings are there for a reason.
Admittedly they aren't always as clear as they might be but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.
As for me I hate (as opposed to fearing) driving in dense fog. Fortunately it doesn't tend to happen much these days.
(Fortunately nothing happened and I could breathe again, but even many years later I'm still more careful in residential areas as a result.)
Similar thing happened to me in Sicily.
Was driving down some back-street with high walls either side of the road and, presumably, gardens the other side.
Saw a ball going up in the air behind one of the walls and thought "If that ball comes into the street there's going to be a kid right behind it" and, just as I had that thought, the ball came over the wall and a kid shot out through a gate, into the street and I hit the brakes and stopped in plenty of time.
I wouldn't claim to be an especially good driver but, because I was paying attention and thinking about what was going on around me, I was able to respond appropriately.
While I'm at it, I got another one...
Driving home on a winter's night. Dual carriageway, lorry in front of me.
As I catch the lorry he indicates left for me to pass, I indicate right, pull out to overtake and.... there's an oncoming car RIGHT in front of me, on my side of the dual-carriageway.
Slam on, swerve back in behind the lorry and pull over to look for a change of underwear.
So, what's my biggest fear when driving?
Either idiots who don't know which side of the road they're supposed to be on or, perhaps, other drivers who c**tishly, deliberately, do stuff intended to cause a car crash.
Do I admit this??? ... Yeah, I will.
In America one time we were pulling out of a Wendy's drive through one evening, about 11pm so it was dark.
The entrance and exit were not clearly signed and it was poorly lit. One way or another, I drove out down the slip and found myself going the wrong way up the parkway. I slammed the brakes on, did a 3 point turn; half way through which a police car pulled up behind us and flashed us to pull over onto the verge; so I pulled over.
He walks up to the window and says "what was that all about young man?", I explained, he laughed and said lots of people do that. So while awkward, embarassing and makes one a terrible driver... it happens.
As an aside, he was driving one of these; or similar: http://www.government-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-dodge-charger-lasd-test-1.jpg
Which I thought was pretty smart.
As they fly past a couple of feet from you at a combined speed of over 120, you are one sneeze or one jerk of an arm from them ploughing through you. 😱
Some time ago I took one of those AA courses where they check your driving and give any advice needed. I was told that I was "good" cautious not "bad" cautious, which is fine by me. If anyone is interested info should be on their website.