View Full Version : Dozy old car driver
Miss_Undaztood
22-05-10, 10:01 PM
This afternoon, whilst waiting for paint to dry I decided to drive to the nearest shop to buy cigs. On the way back I go past a garden centre on a fairly straight stretch of A-road. Going at about 50-55mph around 55 feet from the junction which is on my left, I spotted a car pulling up to the junction from the garden centre, an non indicating BMW driven by an old codger. For some reason I had a feeling they weren`t paying attention so took my foot off the throttle and held it over the brake pedal just as they started to move out of the junction, but I assumed they were going to cross in front of me and turn right into the opposite carraigeway, in front of a motorbike. They didnt, they pulled out literally right in front of me and dawdled along at 20mph !!!! Suffice to say my undercrackers got a bit warm as I stamped on the brakes and hit the horn and lights furiously. They still didn`t even accelerate out the f***king way !!! Christ knows how I didnt slam into them but I could see the 2 dosey old badgers chatting away in the car, probably wondering where the bright lights and loud noise was coming from.
Smoking IS bad for your health then :(
Smoking IS bad for your health then :(
Apparently so! On the plus side, well done on the old hazard perceptions test!
Biker Biggles
22-05-10, 10:09 PM
Non indicating BMW------
Say no more
Jamesy D
22-05-10, 10:23 PM
Didn't even know BMW's had the capacity to indicate. Good job with the perception there.
Just try not to drive like that when you get to their age :p
Miss_Undaztood
22-05-10, 10:31 PM
Quite often gets old duffers cutting about the area at weekends at the garden centre, but not usually as f***ing stupid as that one. So yeah, 10 points to me for paying attention :)
I have actually seen BMW`s being well driven, AND indicating before, not often though,lol.
I`m wondering what would have happened if i`d taken the bike too. I mean if they didn`t see 2 tons worth of shiny 4x4 romping along a few feet away, wtf chance would I have on a bike.
Jamesy D
22-05-10, 11:24 PM
QI have actually seen BMW`s being well driven, AND indicating before, not often though,lol.
Actually, saying that I have had a positive experience with a BMW driver. I was back on my tiny, gutless (but awesome) 50cc GPR, when I had to climb a looong hill to get to the garage to have the thing serviced. As I said, this thing was gutless so I was doing maybe 15mph up the hill, and then maxing out 30 (in a national speed limit let me add) on the downhill part.
Lovely man in a BMW took a wide line to protect me from the obviously angry cagers behind who would have taken me incredibly close as we were on solid lines. Gave me a little thumbs up when I turned right and he went on his way.
Jayneflakes
23-05-10, 12:33 AM
I had to stop for fuel today and as I tried to pull out onto the main road (For those who know it, Tesco petrol station opposite the railway), a thick necked skin head in a camper van decides that the exit was a perfect place for him to park up. He turned off his engine and I swear he was about to get out. However, after a few snarled words he started up again and promptly pulled out in front out of an on coming car. What a Twonk!
Never ever ceases to amaze me flipping car drivers.... Oh bye the way quit smoking mizz-understood it will ruin your looks...;)
Red Herring
23-05-10, 07:29 AM
Bl00dy 4x4 drivers, assuming they own the road.........
Given what you appear to know about BMW drivers, the fact that it wasn't indicating, and that it contained old "codgers" I'm surprised you waiting as long as you did before getting on the brakes, but then, as you said, you "assumed" they were going to pull right across. Assumption is the mother of all **** ups so lets hope you're learnt a lesson and that you can now live long enough for smoking to kill you instead. Incidentally given you assumed he was going to pull across in front of the oncoming motorcyclist what provision did you make for them? I would suggest that had you braked then you might have at least have left more room for the motorcyclist to take some avoiding action, perhaps across in front of you?
Being a good driver/rider isn't just about being legal and not making mistakes, it's about allowing for others to make theirs and not being involved in them.
yorkie_chris
23-05-10, 08:16 AM
I dunno depending what 4x4 it was just crashing into them might have been an idea.
Miss_Undaztood
23-05-10, 10:19 AM
Never ever ceases to amaze me flipping car drivers.... Oh bye the way quit smoking mizz-understood it will ruin your looks...;)
Dunno, might improve my looks, lol.
Miss_Undaztood
23-05-10, 10:21 AM
Bl00dy 4x4 drivers, assuming they own the road.........
Given what you appear to know about BMW drivers, the fact that it wasn't indicating, and that it contained old "codgers" I'm surprised you waiting as long as you did before getting on the brakes, but then, as you said, you "assumed" they were going to pull right across. Assumption is the mother of all **** ups so lets hope you're learnt a lesson and that you can now live long enough for smoking to kill you instead. Incidentally given you assumed he was going to pull across in front of the oncoming motorcyclist what provision did you make for them? I would suggest that had you braked then you might have at least have left more room for the motorcyclist to take some avoiding action, perhaps across in front of you?
Being a good driver/rider isn't just about being legal and not making mistakes, it's about allowing for others to make theirs and not being involved in them.
Touchy.
So then Mr expert, I take it was my fault then ?
No, what he's saying is that there is more you could have done to ensure your own safety and help the rider coming the other way. You had plenty of information that suggested an escalating situation that needed action, but did the bare minimum required and then followed it up with pointless aggression.
Miss_Undaztood
23-05-10, 11:49 AM
No, what he's saying is that there is more you could have done to ensure your own safety and help the rider coming the other way. You had plenty of information that suggested an escalating situation that needed action, but did the bare minimum required and then followed it up with pointless aggression.
Like what ? As soon as the car made off from the junction, right in front of me, I braked as hard as I could. Obviously the driver was not paying attention to pull out right in my way so the horn and lights were to point out the fact I was there and hopefully make the driver get the foot down and get out of the way. Which they didn`t.
It can be hard to try and accurately describe the junction/situation on a forum, and everyone has their own opinion, but apart from developing telepathy I think I done everything possible.
If the other driver was paying half as much attention as me, then they wouldn`t have pulled out in the first place.
thedonal
23-05-10, 11:58 AM
Well avoided!
Quite often, when I see vehicles approach side roads, I automatically release a bit of throttle get ready on brake levers. I think it's a few very near misses that have sharpened the defenses a touch! That radar's a bit twitchy these days!
Like what ? As soon as the car made off from the junction, right in front of me, I braked as hard as I could. Obviously the driver was not paying attention to pull out right in my way so the horn and lights were to point out the fact I was there and hopefully make the driver get the foot down and get out of the way. Which they didn`t.
It can be hard to try and accurately describe the junction/situation on a forum, and everyone has their own opinion, but apart from developing telepathy I think I done everything possible.
If the other driver was paying half as much attention as me, then they wouldn`t have pulled out in the first place.
From what you said in the OP, you were using your horn when the car was already in front of you. For me, a better time to use it would have been as soon as you saw movement from the other car, as you'd already decided they hadn't seen you - the point of the horn as a signal is to make others aware of your presence. Couple that with slowing down earlier to account for the car being within your stopping distance at the speed that you were doing (60mph = 175 ft), and I'm sure you can see that there is a little more that you could have done.
Red Herring
23-05-10, 12:45 PM
Touchy.
So then Mr expert, I take it was my fault then ?
Sorry, did I come across that way? I though i was just continuing the humour you started this thread with, or were you being serious about BMW's driven but elderly persons?
As for it being your fault I hardly know enough about it to make that assumption, but then I've already mentioned assuming haven't I..... I just suggested that given the information you seemed to have available you could have influenced the outcome a little more than you did.
Miss_Undaztood
23-05-10, 01:30 PM
From what you said in the OP, you were using your horn when the car was already in front of you. For me, a better time to use it would have been as soon as you saw movement from the other car, as you'd already decided they hadn't seen you - the point of the horn as a signal is to make others aware of your presence. Couple that with slowing down earlier to account for the car being within your stopping distance at the speed that you were doing (60mph = 175 ft), and I'm sure you can see that there is a little more that you could have done.
Fair point, I could have tooted first, but it all happened so quickly that I just braked first. When I took my foot off the throttle i was doing about 50-55-ish, so was probably going 50mph at most when I actually braked.
Although I had my suspicions about the other drivers lack of being awake, I didn`t quite believe it when they left it so late to actually pull out. The fact they hesitated made me think they may have actually been waiting for the traffic to clear first, hence why I just covered my brake early but didn`t use it.
I still think its ridiculous to have to try and second guess other drivers incompetence to avoid an accident, if they are that bad they shouldn`t be on the road in the first place.
Miss_Undaztood
23-05-10, 01:37 PM
Sorry, did I come across that way? I though i was just continuing the humour you started this thread with, or were you being serious about BMW's driven but elderly persons?
As for it being your fault I hardly know enough about it to make that assumption, but then I've already mentioned assuming haven't I..... I just suggested that given the information you seemed to have available you could have influenced the outcome a little more than you did.
Oh i see ! I wasn`t sure at first whether you were being humorous or not, but for some reason thought you weren`t, my bad.
As I just posted, it all happened so quickly that I still think I done what I could, and was far more vigilant than a lot of drivers would have been.
Sometimes, it helps to give folk a shock at their own stupidity, in the hope they`l learn. I hope that dosey old codger does, but I doubt it.
Bl00dy 4x4 drivers, assuming they own the road.........
Well yeah, I own a 4x4 and pay enough bloody road tax so what more do ya want ? :)
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