Am I not designed to drive?

[Sunray]

(I predict that motorists' inability to observe this basic commonsense advice - as well as repeated 50MPH signs when there were accidents or poor road conditions, will fairly soon result in the fitting of speed governers in private cars).

You come across as a nervous driver. I find that motorway driving is easily the most stress free and relaxing form of driving. Nail biting it so isn't and I do the M5 fairly regularly. You don't know your born. I have had to endure Indian roads and you realise that the standard in this country is very high.

Speed governers in 30 million private cars would be expensive and political suicide, no politician who wants a job would propose it.

 

[*Miss Daisy*]

Sorry not read the whole thread missfran,

but, i had real trouble getting to grips with manual driving lessons and wasted alot of money.
I then decided to learn how to drive an automatic - Very easy and allowed me to concentrate on driving and to gain some confidence on the road without worrying about changing gears or Stalling!! - which was my big fear - i hate stalling.

 

[ymu]

This summer I have had to experience 4 nail-biting journeys on the M5 and I repeat that the standard of driving beggars belief - even once you've eliminated the idiots overtaking whilst trailing flailing caravans.

I'd class the M5 as one of those situations Sunray mentioned that was a bit unusual - albeit only slightly. In my experience, every lane is about 20mph faster than it would be on another motorway. This is mainly because it's a fantastic road which rarely seems to have problem with traffic flow. People routinely drive that fast on it because it is reasonable to do so. You're far far safer going with the flow.

IME, most people do keep a "2 chevron distance" on the M5, or in easy driving conditions on any road (the correct gap depends on your actual speed, obv). People are less likely to keep a big enough distance on a motorway where the flow continually speeds up and slows down - which is when you get people lane-hopping into small spaces and wankers getting antsy in the fast lane. You know you only have to be able to see two chevrons, not two whole gaps (ie nearly 3 chevrons visible)?

 

[secretsquirrel]

*pops in*

I'm 35 and have finally bitten the bullet and learned to drive. I'm hoping to take my practical test next month. What keeps me sane is knowing that I only learned to ride a bicycle when I was in my late 20s and EVERYTHING was so bloody difficult! But gradually, I got more confident until I was whizzing across London on a daily basis and, as Sunray says, everything had become internalised and unconsious, leaving me free to be alert for immediate hazards etc.

It also gave me a (pardon the pun) crash course in road sense!

I'm not at that stage in a car yet - but I know I will be one day - and I'll wonder why I ever thought the whole thing was so difficult!

 

[secretsquirrel]

I've also nearly crashed one instructors car and been thoroughly shouted at by another. I am on a break from it now, having got so fed up with the whole thing and feeling like I was getting worse and not better

One day I still want to go back to it, but yes sometimes I think it's just never going to happen

I did crash my instructor's car a few weeks back! A very SLOW crash (about 8 miles per hour). I was in lane to turn right from a major to a minor road, someone was waiting at the lights to pull out from the minor road. As I turn in a fucking Jag drives AROUND me and me and the instructor were both so non plussed I failed to brake and he failed to to use the dual controls. Ended up going into the car waiting at the junction.

So, after feeling like shit and crying a bit I rationalised a) the instructor should have applied his dual controls and b) the fact he didn't showed how it could have happened to anyone.

Got back behind the wheel the next week and felt very proud of myself - the instructor reckoned I was going to cancel!

 

[gentlegreen]

You know you only have to be able to see two chevrons, not two whole gaps (ie nearly 3 chevrons visible)?

That may partly explain it - though I confess even I was only managing maybe one and a half "gaps". My instinct is to leave plenty of room.

 

[ymu]

That may partly explain it - though I confess even I was only managing maybe one and a half "gaps". My instinct is to leave plenty of room.

It's a good instinct, but the effect is to encourage people to continually move out in front of you causing you to have to slow down to regain the gap - putting you in a lot of unnecessary danger because it disrupts the flow of traffic and makes people anxious and more willing to take risks to get past you.

E2A: it is ambiguous the way they sign it on the roads, but this indicates the intended interpretation. I think it's a dangerous ambiguity because people interpret it differently.

Strategically set 'chevrons' have been painted on the A1(M) between junction 62 at Carrville and junction 63 at Blind Lane, and signs will advise drivers to keep two chevrons clearly visible between themselves and the vehicle in front.

 

[Sunray]

Some said that you have to do at least 1 hours driving for every year you are old to get that confidence, and in the end that's all passing the test is about, confidence.

 

[Sunray]

It's a good instinct, but the effect is to encourage people to continually move out in front of you causing you to have to slow down to regain the gap - putting you in a lot of unnecessary danger because it disrupts the flow of traffic and makes people anxious and more willing to take risks to get past you.....

Erratic drivers are very distracting and I'm out to get passed them.

Those random braking people. Braking when nobody is in front of them. I can only conclude they are staring at the speedo rather than at the road, ohh too fast, brake, ooh 69.99...too slow, accelerate, ooh 70.0001 too fast, brake... Usually found on the inside lane.

 

[gentlegreen]

Erratic drivers are very distracting and I'm out to get passed them.

Those random braking people. Braking when nobody is in front of them. I can only conclude they are staring at the speedo rather than at the road, ohh too fast, brake, ooh 69.99...too slow, accelerate, ooh 70.0001 too fast, brake... Usually found on the inside lane.

In my case you would only perceive it as random braking if you were driving much too close. And it might just be me using the brakelight as indication that you are too close. And if you were to do that on a road where overtaking isn't an option, you may well find me adjusting my speed down to where it's appropriate for the gap you've chosen to leave - I don't want to be shunted from behind if an emergency forces me to brake suddenly. In extremis I pull over at the next opportunity and let the suicide jockey past. Curiously they're often driving "luxury" cars.

I'm quite capable of driving at a fairly high speed on a road when the conditions are suitable.

.