Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…
Is it me or is this Christmas driving gotten worse, this week I’ve had no end of idiots cutting infront, brake checking, impatient and seem’s worse than normal…■■?
Stephenjp:
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…Is it me or is this Christmas driving gotten worse, this week I’ve had no end of idiots cutting infront, brake checking, impatient and seem’s worse than normal…■■?
Been getting worse the last few years any time of year 
That’s why I’m most probably gonna not renew my CPC next November and say F it to truck driving , may do dock shunting
There’s clearly a massive problem of unlicenced drivers or drivers using bent licences and crash for cash scammers out there.The scammers equally clearly often working as a team to create choreographed staged scenarios usually along the lines of creating sideswipe or rear end shunt scenarios.Such as one needlessly slows to a crawl in lane 1 while another loiters alongside.Or goes through in lane 2 then slams on the brakes as you change lanes in behind them.It’s often so predictable it’s laughable
The unlicenced ones are usually to be found on the wrong side of the road cutting bends or junctions and/or just have no conception of vehicle width and road positioning.
Did an 0200 boots,yesterday morning…couple of"wobbly" drivers on the ring road.
Then someone’s roof box came off,on the m1.
Suitcases and prezzies,everywhere.
Stephenjp:
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…Is it me or is this Christmas driving gotten worse, this week I’ve had no end of idiots cutting infront, brake checking, impatient and seem’s worse than normal…■■?
I noticed on Friday people were driving more erraticly than usual. I had the three near misses only driving from Bristol to Cardiff.
One car slammed his brakes on in the middle lane, swerved in front of me to come off at the junction he nearly missed. I was glad to be finished on Friday, I was on edge.
MikeDBristol:
Stephenjp:
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…Is it me or is this Christmas driving gotten worse, this week I’ve had no end of idiots cutting infront, brake checking, impatient and seem’s worse than normal…■■?
I noticed on Friday people were driving more erraticly than usual. I had the three near misses only driving from Bristol to Cardiff.
One car slammed his brakes on in the middle lane, swerved in front of me to come off at the junction he nearly missed. I was glad to be finished on Friday, I was on edge.
Exactly what happened to me on the M4 Newport, ■■■■ changed lanes infront of me, no indication and barely enough room, then because I sounded the horn he brake checked me, then he kept sticking the v’s up because I called him a w anker!!!
Stephenjp:
MikeDBristol:
Stephenjp:
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…Is it me or is this Christmas driving gotten worse, this week I’ve had no end of idiots cutting infront, brake checking, impatient and seem’s worse than normal…■■?
I noticed on Friday people were driving more erraticly than usual. I had the three near misses only driving from Bristol to Cardiff.
One car slammed his brakes on in the middle lane, swerved in front of me to come off at the junction he nearly missed. I was glad to be finished on Friday, I was on edge.
Exactly what happened to me on the M4 Newport, [zb] changed lanes infront of me, no indication and barely enough room, then because I sounded the horn he brake checked me, then he kept sticking the v’s up because I called him a w anker!!!
Like others have said: in a jeffing great hurry but suddenly finds time to brake check amongst other things. Tossers!
Stephenjp:
MikeDBristol:
Stephenjp:
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, I just like the time off work with the family, the food and drink…Exactly what happened to me on the M4 Newport, [zb] changed lanes infront of me, no indication and barely enough room, then because I sounded the horn he brake checked me, then he kept sticking the v’s up because I called him a w anker!!!
With the amount of trucks that have dashcams nowadays,I might be inclined to do what a number of American truck drivers do,which is not try too hard to avoid a collision and preferably nudge one corner to try to turn the car sideways on.That might be slightly psychopathic or more simple to send the footage to the police.
Very few car drivers have little idea of motorway driving and there is zero chance of a police patrol witnessing any misbehaviour.
I only drive cars around these days,generally UK to Poland,Spain and UK and i can confidently say that we have become the worst consistently.
This year I’ve already killed a Nissan micra (driver ok ) which was in my blind spot 
Car was black and It was dark just before Rownhams EB
12 hour shift then “driving home for Xmas”, via an unplanned detour to the hospital… Very lucky not to be seriously injured
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-m … r-67820086
Zac_A:
12 hour shift then “driving home for Xmas”, via an unplanned detour to the hospital… Very lucky not to be seriously injured
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-m … r-67820086
A testament…
To how far car safety has come, 20 years ago they may well have had some serious injuries. The article fails to mention what charges the driver is facing.
Zac_A:
12 hour shift then “driving home for Xmas”, via an unplanned detour to the hospital… Very lucky not to be seriously injured
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-m … r-67820086
So presumably the implication in the news report is that it goes without saying that a 12 hour shift is too long, …or even ridiculously long?
If he had worked a standard 8 hours, the report would be ‘man injured after driving home for work’.
So how would a regular and routine mixture of 13 hour and 15 hour shifts, separated by ridiculously short rest periods of 9 hours in between be looked on?
I’ll leave it there …except to say,.when it comes to this job…
Health and Safety my arse. 
Just saying.
robroy:
So how would a regular and routine mixture of 13 hour and 15 hour shifts, separated by ridiculously short rest periods of 9 hours in between be looked on?
I’ll leave it there …except to say,.when it comes to this job…
Health and Safety my arse.
Just saying.
Not 100% sure where you’re coming from with that, but in an era where some people posit the idea of four day working week as feasible for many jobs, the existence of 13 and 15 hour working days (with minimal rest periods) for this industry are by comparison Dickensian, yet many within the industry vigorously defend these archaic working practices - as has been said on TN
(including by yourself), drivers are often their own worst enemy.
I worked in a factory back in the mid 70s It was a 4 day week consisting of 10 hour working days. I sure as hell miss that place. I was laid off, unfortunately.
robroy:
Zac_A:
12 hour shift then “driving home for Xmas”, via an unplanned detour to the hospital… Very lucky not to be seriously injured
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-m … r-67820086So presumably the implication in the news report is that it goes without saying that a 12 hour shift is too long, …or even ridiculously long?
If he had worked a standard 8 hours, the report would be ‘man injured after driving home for work’.So how would a regular and routine mixture of 13 hour and 15 hour shifts, separated by ridiculously short rest periods of 9 hours in between be looked on?
I’ll leave it there …except to say,.when it comes to this job…
Health and Safety my arse.
Just saying.
Or when a driver gets “rescued” after running over 15 hours, gets a lift back to base, then drives home. All illegal of course, and I’m quite stunned at how many companies don’t realise this.
People are generally quite irritable in the run up to Christmas.
Or when a driver gets “rescued” after running over 15 hours, gets a lift back to base, then drives home. All illegal of course, and I’m quite stunned at how many companies don’t realise this.
A driver can’t be required to go anywhere in that situation, but I believe he/she could accept a lift to the depot if offered. It is usually convenient to pick up a private vehicle at the depot, but it all depends where you are. Perhaps home is closer than the depot, in which case a paid for taxi home and then to work in the morning would be more appropriate. If the distance is too far and sleeping in the vehicle isn’t an option, then the nearest accommodation and onward travel in the morning should be covered by the company.
My 2 cents worth; the reason car driving standards worsen over the holiday period is largely because the people who don’t drive regularly throughout the year decide to go on journeys which are outside their zones of comfort and experience.
A classic example of this is on the M4 through Swansea. The powers that be have installed a temporary 50mph limit between junctions 46 and 45 in both directions. Eastbound I can see the logic as there is frequently a queue backing up onto the motorway at peak times, but westbound it just creates an unnecessary queue going up the hill.
On a working day the regular commuter drivers who do this route every day ignore this restriction and proceed at a reasonable pace; however when Nervous Norman and Dithery Doris set out to go to the Boxing Day sales, they slavishly adhere to the limits (reducing their speed even further just in case Mr. Drakeford happens to be watching) and the result is a concertina which brings traffic to a crawl or even a standstill.
Basically, it’s what happens when you let Sunday drivers out during the week.
Sidevalve:
My 2 cents worth; the reason car driving standards worsen over the holiday period is largely because the people who don’t drive regularly throughout the year decide to go on journeys which are outside their zones of comfort and experience.A classic example of this is on the M4 through Swansea. The powers that be have installed a temporary 50mph limit between junctions 46 and 45 in both directions. Eastbound I can see the logic as there is frequently a queue backing up onto the motorway at peak times, but westbound it just creates an unnecessary queue going up the hill.
On a working day the regular commuter drivers who do this route every day ignore this restriction and proceed at a reasonable pace; however when Nervous Norman and Dithery Doris set out to go to the Boxing Day sales, they slavishly adhere to the limits (reducing their speed even further just in case Mr. Drakeford happens to be watching) and the result is a concertina which brings traffic to a crawl or even a standstill.
Basically, it’s what happens when you let Sunday drivers out during the week.
You seem to be contradicting yourself.Even Stevie Wonder can see that the speed regime has been weaponised against drivers.Yes there is a massive problem of the drivers who don’t give a zb maybe even without licences to lose v those who try to adhere to the generally laughable rigged ‘variable’ motorway limits.Even if it means slamming on the brakes to avoid being ensnared by reductions like 40mph from 70/60/50.
The truth is a clean licence can be lost in the space of a mile and minutes.Only a fool would play camera roulette in that environment.
How is that the fault of the rightly paranoid slowing driver of which I’m one and being familiar with driving under the old school 65 mph + truck and 90 mph car motorway let alone German Autobahn speed regime anything but a Ditherer.Sensibly speed camera Paranoid yes Ditherer no.
Well I agree with Cf on this. If there’s a speed restriction, stick to it. It’s your licence, your points and your money.
peterm:
Well I agree with Cf on this. If there’s a speed restriction, stick to it. It’s your licence, your points and your money.
The problem then being all the resulting aggro and danger of trying to adhere to a laughably unrealistic limit, when many others behind you and overtaking you on both sides, are just ignoring it.Especially if you need to make a lane change or merge such as at the M25 and M3 or A30, or M4 junctions while under a typical camera enforced 40 or 50 mph limit.In addition to the situation of overtaking within the limit being construed as lane hogging by those who think they are too special and immune from being caught by a camera.Often even when you’re running at the 10% margin of the prevailing limit .