terrible drivers

[marlot]

Now and again, I try to assess my own driving. I start with 10 points, and deduct points when I make a mistake - whether careless (1 mark), not driving defensively enough (.5 mark), not making life easier for other drivers (.25 mark) etc.

Even with concious effort the score can be less than 7, and reminds me just how many small errors we all make during the driving day. We'll get away with most of them, fortunately.

 

[LMH]

Please could the mods advise why they have removed three comments.

Thanks

 

[Parksy]

Certainly Lisa

I had submitted a comment which on reflection I decided was unwise because it may have stirred matters up on the forum.

You will no doubt be aware that comments likely to cause trouble or forum disruption are often removed.

I removed my own comment for this reason and the other two were answers to my post so they disappeared as well

 

[LMH]

Hi Parks

Thanks for the clarification.

Lisa x

 

[emmitdb]

Greetings,

How about this for a suggestion.

Put double white lines on the approach to a M'Way junction between lanes one and two ( you will realise I'm generalising to some extent because not all junctions would conform)

at or about 400 metres before the junction AND put a camera there to record it

Put a Tel No on the camera and then the numpties could be reported for an endorsable offence.

I don't see why in this day and age we have to stand on our brakes because Mr 'I'm in a hurry' chops us up.

 

[starlightdj]

Hi as said I think every driver no matter what vehichle has there good and bad days leading to wrights and wrongs, however being courtious to other road users should really be brought home to people if for no other reason than for safety.

I have every respect for hgv drivers yes there are good and bad ones alike however a number of years ago I had just overtaken two hgvs on a motorway and been flashed to say i was safe to pull inn. Just at the same time I hit a piece of metal lying on the carraigway which punctured my outfits tyre.

The hgv that flashed saw what was happening and pulled out into lane 2 and slowed the second hgv stayed in lane 1 and slowed forming a rolling road block which allowed me to brake safely and get my unit onto the hard shoulder, only when we were safe did they speed up releasing by now the backed up traffic.

to this day without the reaction of both those drivers the situation could of been a hell of a lot worse.

So yes Im sure we all sit on our computers and blame other drivers for all there mister meaners however just be mindful and thankful for all thise occasions where you get something wrong or an unforseen event happens and be hopefull that other drivers will be looking out for you and show you some leinency /courtecy.

Cheers

John

 

[Steve L]

Hi John

I guess you met one of the old school lorry drivers, who were known as the knights of the road. Mostly because of their willing ness to be helpfull and their consideration.

I'm afraid pushy transport managers who only drive desks and digital tacho's have now even superceeded trackers. Going out are the old paper tacho charts and in comes a cd disc that when loaded into a computer can tell the viewer how many minits and seconds lost on a journey, where the everage speed was not upto expectation.

I've been ther got that shirt and the rollocking for stopping 15 mins short of a max 10 hour drive limit, but still two hours from base. They had to collect the wagon, as I chucked the job and the keys. I won't work for any firm that forces drivers to flout the regs. That was 10 years ago.

Even recently I was asked to do a 9 hr drive in a 7 1/2 tonner after 6 Hrs in a transit. They got the big N O!! As again that is outside the drivers hours regs.

It is right to say everyone has a bad day and we're not all angels, but often there is a driving force behind the actions.

Todays pressures on work/lifestyle have bred less considerate attitudes and once it's started the spiral only goes downhill until a change of regime is enforced. But that takes proactive policing, not reactive responding. Get my drift.

Atb Steve l.

 

[Philspadders]

Sil, what do you do? are you a chassis desigbner ( highly skilled and requires a degree in Engineering ) or a lorry driver.

I was wondering as i have never come across anyone with as many differnt skill sets as your good self.

 

[Steve L]

Ok phill here's the list.

Toolmaker & experimental engineer.

Process Technician.

Licensed proto type tester approoved by Lotus and Aston Martin.

Electrician.

Plumber both water and Hydraulics.

Qualified welder Mig & Tig.

33 years car driving acredited with ROSPA & IAM training.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi John Im an Ex coach Driver old school and today sadly courtesy doesnt come into driving anymore .

Sir Roger

Sir Roger

I spent four weeks in the north west highlands in may. The courtesy granted to me throughout that holiday was nothing short of fantastic. The only disputes were over who wanted to give way first!

In Cornwall last month you'd think someone was rushing on a 999 mission the way I got carved up by plonkers pulling out in front of me. You'd think a 4x4 and caravan was pretty visible?? LOL

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Steve L]

Hi Phill.

Here's the list.

Toolmaker and experimental engineer.

Licensed proto type tester approoved by Lotus and Aston Martin.

Process Technician (developing manufacturing systems & efficient process proceedure to iso90020).

Health and Safety rep 9 years and fire marshall 9years.

First aid trained and refreshed annually last 15 years.

Qualified electrician

Qualified plumber water and Hydraulics.

Ex HGV class 1 driver retired at 45 due to sleep apnea.

Car driver 33 years & 30 years towing trailers.

Hold ROSPA an AIM certs for car and motorcycle

Full motorcycle license holder 33 years.

RYA Yachtmaster certified.

Agricultural poultry unit assembler (Shedder)4 years.

Oh on top of that, I've been self employed in Engineering working from shopfloor to MD. Only worked as employee status for 9 years.

So as you can see I've had a varied training history which has mainly been engineering based but encompassed other trades to complement work requirements. In other words, I've been training hungry and taken every opportunity to improove my repetoire.

Unfortunately today, there is no such thing as a job for life and one has to be as flexable as possable to maintain a full employment book and as I prefer self employment, one has to have as many eggs in their basket of experience as possible.

Even in my last role as a shedder building poultry units, you have to be very accurate and tidy with your work as poultry units are now run under a very strict hygene and temperature controlled system. If you bodge and leave out insulation or stuff too much in, your in trouble afterwards. Just ask a chicken farmer how much a quality shed means to him.

Sorry for the long blurb, but you kind of asked for it.

ATB

Steve L.

 

[Steve L]

Ok phill here's the list.

Toolmaker & experimental engineer.

Process Technician.

Licensed proto type tester approoved by Lotus and Aston Martin.

Electrician.

Plumber both water and Hydraulics.

Qualified welder Mig & Tig.

33 years car driving acredited with ROSPA & IAM training.

see the full list below. PC went west.

 

[LMH]

You forgot

*handler of security trained labrador

 

[xtrailman]

steve

just out of interest, are you a apprentice trained electrician, or a MUM?

Another question,( to any one) i thought lorries were now limited to 56mph?

(apart from the foreign rigs), if so then how can a speed restricted lorry do 60mph, say up hill for example?

 

[Chrisbee]

Speed limiters are set to a stabilised speed of 90 kph(56 mph). Many of the more basic mechanical type will exceed 90kph and eventually stabilise back to that speed. The majority pick up their speed signal from a tachograph output signal but as the "in use" tolerance of the tachograph is +/- 6 kph and there will be a wear tolerance in any mechanical speed limiter there will always be a variation in the actual speed of two vehicles supposedly both limited to the same speed. This small difference in maximum speed is the main reason why HGV's overtake each other on motorways causing the complaints often voiced on this forum.

The speed variation is getting smaller as systems improve in accuracy mainly due to the "fly by wire" system used on modern trucks but of course this just means it takes longer for one truck to pass another.

Don't forget they are using a calibrated tachograph, your speedo can by law show 10% higher than your true speed so they might not be travelling at 60MPH

 

[xtrailman]

cheers crisbee, message understood

 

[Dustydog]

Steve

That's one hell of a CV, so many jobs!

May I be impertinent and ask how old you are?

Under 50? Or did you take your motorcycle test later in life?

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[DeliDave_]

He must be 50 at least as he has had a car licence for 33 years must have had about 2 hours sleep a night to pack that lot in lol

 

[Steve L]

Yep Dusty, a hell of a CV for a 51 year old.

Being self motivated and self employed does mean you work what ever hours it takes. As I said to one demanding customer, I work 25 hours a day 8 days a week. He got the hint and left me to it.

Hardest time for me was starting my 9 year stint as an employee. I spent more time trying to workout how to do less to meet the pityfull production figures of the day shift, because when I did nights we all raced to do a 12 shift in 6 hours. So instead of sleeping like the rest, I studied and got my engineering degree.

Doh forgot mans best friend Lisa.

Atb steve.

 

[Steve L]

We have been having a chucle this week at the only traffic light controlled junction in Leominster. There is a green filter arrow on the set coming down from the A44 wales road. There are also two designated lanes one for left turn onto the ring road and the other goes into the town center and turns right for the old route to Hereford.

Now as you approach the lights it is quite clear by the shape of the traffic lights being from the top (for the thicko's), RED for stop, AMBER, then Green, followed by a second light to the left of the green light. Non of which are shaded. As there are two sets like this, it should be reasonable to expect a different instruction presumably to the left. Well I would, but that seems to be where I'm in the minority.

Everytime we have came to these lights this week, there has been a twit blissfully waiting for the main green light despite the green filterlane arrow being illuminated. This usually is terminated by blasting of horns from cars in the left lane behind "dreamboat". But yesterday I saw the best one. Some idiot actually stopped at the front of that lane while the filter arrow was illuminated and very nearly got batted over the lights by a lorry who's driver had seen the filter arrow and assumed traffic would continue to flow. The lorry driver hadn't bargained for this car stopping at a GREEN light!!

You couldn't of got a *** paper between the lorry and the car bumpers.

That to me just typifies how diabolical driving standards have got today.

If I sat there for 8 hours and counted the amount of times a driver missed the green filter lights, let alone stopping when the light was green. You would be amazed.

Actually I can do the math. Traffic light sequence cycles every 3 mins. So 60 mins divided by 3 = 20 cycles per hour X 8 hours = 160 numpty drivers in the main part of the day who could be done for driving without due care and attention, by one copper sat in a deck chair outside Kwikfit. Or 160 X £30 = £4800 per shift for the bobby.

£1'752'000 aint bad for just one light and one offence per annum. Because it happens regular as clockwork. It would be like "taking candy from a baby" for the government.

Get my drift?

Atb Steve L.

 

[LMH]

Have you heard about cooling coats? Might be useful if you have to leave the dog in the car again in hot weather. Not that it looks like we'll get much hot weather at the moment.

http://www.pawstrading.co.uk/ruff-wear-swamp-coolers-dog-cooling-coats-1108-p.asp
I'm not recommending that particular company, it's just for you to have a look at.

I know quite a few people who use them at outdoor dog shows and they speak very highly of this product.

Lisa

 

[Steve L]

Have you heard about cooling coats? Might be useful if you have to leave the dog in the car again in hot weather. Not that it looks like we'll get much hot weather at the moment.

http://www.pawstrading.co.uk/ruff-wear-swamp-coolers-dog-cooling-coats-1108-p.asp
I'm not recommending that particular company, it's just for you to have a look at.

I know quite a few people who use them at outdoor dog shows and they speak very highly of this product.

Lisa

Thanks for that Lisa.

I've had a look at it and will order one asap.

Sounds a very good way of cooling the dog while he sails with me. He loves sailing with me on Bala Lake.

Atb Steve L.

 

[LMH]

You can get life jackets for dogs too, quite handy for boating. We have a pool and I bought Diesel a life jacket to wear whilst swimming but he won't wear it. In fact, he won't wear any coat, we have a selection.

Lisa

 

[Gabsgrandad]

It's amazing really all these bad drivers in the country, and not one on PC??

 

[smiley]

Courtesy isn't taught because I suspect, 1 there is no section in the highway code for this. 2 If you allow courtesy then that leaves people to decide who and what is right.
My thoughts anyway....