Driving is shit

[sojourner]

I love driving, it's fantastic

Me too

Used to hate it years ago, was all anxious and shit, but I love it now. It's not so much fun when all the white van men are playing their own psycho version of wacky races, especially on the M6 during the week, but even that can be fun in a mentally-stimulating kinda way

 

[roryer]

Driving might be ok for the motorist and even the passengers, but I'm sick suffering from 'passive driving'. Danger, fumes, space, noise in my city.

Could all those drivers who think its good fun please remember not to pollute the atmosphere for non-drivers, please stay away from towns, cities and residential areas, just keep to the motorways where you belong.

 

[twistedAM]

I was utterly shocked when I found out that few if any cars with electric windows have this feature

You'd think it was common sense ffs

My van has them which means dogs don't get decapitated

 

[Pie 1]

Went out in my dads car tonight. I havent drove since last year, and have been riding a bike almost all day every day for over a year since then. Good god, cars are shit, man! you can barely see anything. The mirrors and windows are bloody tiny! And all them bloody blind spots, jesus!!!

I've gotten so used to the benefits of a higher viewpoint and wider field of vision that you have when you're on a bike (plus being able to overtake and slip through narrow gaps without concentrating, and not being able to kill people so easily, etc.), that driving a car feels really fucking dangerous!

I need to check my left mirror more often when overtaking and stuff but apart from that it's like I never stopped driving. I was expecting 'nuff joltiness when changing gear and stuff (in fact I was expecting to crash) but no.

I was so busy concentrating on what was going on around me that I missed my junction to come off the M6

Jesus. Get over it.
I would have expeected you to be a bit more adaptable as a human being - you seem like you've got a practical/common sense brain up there - yes it's diferent to a bike (duh), yes we know you ride every day (so what). Sort it out for christs sake .

Never ceases to amaze me how easily freaked out a lot of urbanites are over things that most people just get on with - and it's not just cars either.

 

[Kanda]

If you feel like that Herbz, I wouldn't drive. You don't sound safe or confident enough.

 

[JTG]

I agree. Had lessons 11 years ago, hated it. Never tried it again and lead a full, varied and interesting life.

 

[Herbsman.]

Jesus. Get over it.
I would have expeected you to be a bit more adaptable as a human being - you seem like you've got a practical/common sense brain up there - yes it's diferent to a bike (duh), yes we know you ride every day (so what). Sort it out for christs sake .

Never ceases to amaze me how easily freaked out a lot of urbanites are over things that most people just get on with - and it's not just cars either.

STFU

 

[Herbsman.]

If you feel like that Herbz, I wouldn't drive. You don't sound safe or confident enough.

Nah, I am perfectly safe and confident, I was just a bit nervous as it was the first time in a relatively long while, and it was at night.

 

[Roadkill]

Modern cars are great. Much safer than older cars (for the driver and any poor soul who gets hit), more fuel efficient, and more stable at speed. But they mostly look damn fugly.

Nah, modern cars are dull. They insulate you from the experience. Power steering deadens the feel of the road; they don't sound as gruff and they're mainly front-drive.

Very few modern cars, short of something sporty and expensive, would be as much fun as a Mini on a twisty back-road.

 

[Kanda]

Fun in a car isn't about high speed, it's about surroundings and conditions.

(Agreeing with the Mini comment)

 

[bi0boy]

I was utterly shocked when I found out that few if any cars with electric windows have this feature

You'd think it was common sense ffs

Not if you're being carjacked by a knife wielding maniac.

 

[rubbershoes]

I agree. Had lessons 11 years ago, hated it. Never tried it again and lead a full, varied and interesting life.

But you live in a city which has a public transport system. Your life would be very limited if you lived somewhere smaller.

 

[rubbershoes]

Nah, modern cars are dull. They insulate you from the experience. Power steering deadens the feel of the road; they don't sound as gruff and they're mainly front-drive.

But you can hear your music , rather than the road, growly engine etc. It may not have been the authentic driving experience but this morning with the roof down and ,erm, My Fair Lady blasting out , it put a smile on my face

 

[JTG]

But you live in a city which has a public transport system. Your life would be very limited if you lived somewhere smaller.

Yes, I have tailored my life to suit where I want to live

And Bristol has public transport of sorts but it aint all that

 

[Roadkill]

But you can hear your music , rather than the road, growly engine etc. It may not have been the authentic driving experience but this morning with the roof down and ,erm, My Fair Lady blasting out , it put a smile on my face

I'd just fit a better stereo and turn the music up a bit louder when I wanted that rather than the engine.

Tbh it's very true that modern cars are more civilised, and if a car's to be a daily driver that's a good thing. But if I'm to be driving for pleasure, I'd much rather have something quirky, classic and fun to throw around on a winding road - even if it sometimes doesn't start, gets a bit skittish on a wet road, drowns the stereo out with its growling exhaust and rides so hard that you can tell whether the fag end you drive over has a filter in or not!

 

[Sunray]

I agree. Had lessons 11 years ago, hated it. Never tried it again and lead a full, varied and interesting life.

Bit irrational? Its just a basic skill that in the end becomes second nature and its now something I quite enjoy. Nice to have the expanded horizons. When learning anything new its hard.

 

[Sunray]

I'm sure once it becomes automatic I will like it more, but it's the visibity like Herbsman said - like being constrained and you're surrounded by bikes here which makes you paranoid.

(I'm in Holland - they get you straight on the motorway - you have a motorway part of the test too). Scary!

Its illegal in the UK for Learner drivers to go onto the motorway.

 

[Structaural]

Its illegal in the UK for Learner drivers to go onto the motorway.

I know (I drove a motorbike on L plates for a couple of years), and is probably the reason that the UK have some of the worst centre lane-hugging motorway drivers. You have to discover how to drive on a motorway once you've got a license. Weird, considering the amount of driving people do on motorways and A roads. They should make the final 3 lessons on motorways.

 

[Crispy]

I'm learning to drive at the moment (at 36), it's horrible, I hate it. He already took me onto the motorway on my second fucking lesson - doing 70mph with a cold sweat and a white knuckle grip is not fun.

I thought you weren't allowed on the motorway with L plates?

EDIT: SO REDUNDANT!

 

[Structaural]

I thought you weren't allowed on the motorway with L plates?

I live in Amsterdam, part of the test is taken on the motorway - and they're pretty scary, a 2 lane feed road into another 3 lane feed road and then the motorway where no fucker lets you in - you just have to match speed and go for it as there's no hard shoulder either (I wish I'd learnt to drive in England now).

 

[Spymaster]

I was so busy concentrating on what was going on around me that I missed my junction to come off the M6

Sounds like you probably shouldn't be driving anyway.

 

[Herbsman.]

Sounds like you probably shouldn't be driving anyway.

Piss off, you know fuck all about my driving.

 

[Kanda]

Piss off, you know fuck all about my driving.

But based on what you've told us, he's probably right

 

[theCIA]

Jesus. Get over it.
I would have expeected you to be a bit more adaptable as a human being - you seem like you've got a practical/common sense brain up there - yes it's diferent to a bike (duh), yes we know you ride every day (so what). Sort it out for christs sake .

Never ceases to amaze me how easily freaked out a lot of urbanites are over things that most people just get on with - and it's not just cars either.

fucken A!


*not a a dig at erbman*

 

[Poi E]

(I'm in Holland - they get you straight on the motorway - you have a motorway part of the test too). Scary!

learning around Dutch drivers.

 

[Structaural]

are they bad? Gotta be better than France

 

[Spymaster]

Piss off, you know fuck all about my driving.

Well I know what you've posted!

Blind spot: Get used to scanning your mirrors every few seconds so you're always aware of what's behind you. When you're moving out or off check the blind spot over your shoulder, looking for bikes as well as cars. Check your nearside again when moving back in to make sure the arsehole that you thought you'd just passed hasn't put his foot down.

 

[Poi E]

are they bad? Gotta be better than France

I saw some impossible accidents when I was living there. Cars driving straight into the sides of trams, cars in canals, cars overturned on streets where it would be very difficult to exceed 20 mph. The only thing Dutch drivers seem to watch out for is cycles. However, not driven in France but after driving in other places in Europe I'll take your word for it.

 

[Structaural]

I saw some impossible accidents when I was living there. Cars driving straight into the sides of trams, cars in canals, cars overturned on streets where it would be very difficult to exceed 20 mph. The only thing Dutch drivers seem to watch out for is cycles. However, not driven in France but after driving in other places in Europe I'll take your word for it.

That made me laugh, actually you may have a point; I saw a van embedded in a tram a few months ago.

Just looking at statistics and France is quite low (2.1 deaths per thousand cars), so that'll just be my cultural prejudice then (and a mate had a leg taken off by a bad driver in France), so is the Netherlands (3), but the UK is pretty high up (6.5). Andorra is the safest (and I found out the other day- has the highest longevity of any european nation)

 

[Poi E]

but the UK is pretty high up (6.5). )

Nobody likes us but we don't care.