Roundabouts and dithering car drivers

I have 2 gripes with drivers and roundabouts.

Firstly, the ditherer: the driver who approaches a roundabout which is empty and driving conditions are good, yet they slow down, to either a halt or as good as. Why?

The roundabout is clear. There are no hazards. See an optician and stay off the roads until you can drive with consideration to your fellow motorists.

Secondly, the non-indicator: you're waiting to join a roundabout. A car approaches. You don't know where it is going because it the driver hasn't indicated. They turn into the road you are on. You could have been on your way if they had the courtesy to inform you where they intend to go. Grrr!

Freddie, those are my thoughts exactly.

I've lost count of the times I've watched HGVs waiting at lights to follow the road around to the left. They sometimes straddle part of the right lane because of how tight it is. I still can't believe it when idiots drive up alongside the lorry using part of the opposite side of the road. The lights go green, the lorry pulls off and the car trys to thrash it round causing a blockage when neither vehicle can move forward without damaging one another.

The original griper wrote:-
"HGVs stick well to the left leaving sufficient room for cars to continue around them on the roundabout. But lots of cars wil not go round a roundabout beside a heavy goods vehicle, despite this. They hang back or they shoot through to get away from the lorry. Why do they do this? "

They do this because they are exercising common sense. Lorrys find it incredibly difficult to stay in just one lane when navigating a tight roundabout. It's good practice to give them as much space as possible.

This might explain an interesting statistic... Most accidents occur at roundabouts. Strange that our glorious leaders still insist on building more and more of them. Incidentally, the roundabout was invented by the French (possibly some sort of long term revenge strategy after their defeat in the Napoleonic wars).

Tony

Confused. Do you mean to say you never indicate right when circumnavigating a roundabout?

Hi Southboro, I too have simular moan about this problem and bad road craft, I was a biker many
moons ago, the bad use of indicators is my gripe,on a rounderbout you giveway to the right before
entering it (not indicate right) you should only need to indicate left when exiting it,with the exception of HGVs&Busses that is how I was taught and survived untill now, I am 73 and not a weekend dawdler like many of my age.

Hi

Just this afternoon a dithering merk berk was on the motorway in the middle lane about 10 or so yards behind and stayed in this position as I got closer to a car in front.

I was waiting for this berk to pass me so I could pull out and overtake the car in front, but he kept close to my behind.

I was getting closer to the car in front and indicated to pull out to overtake as there was sufficient space in front of the merk berk but merk berk started accelerating in an attempt to box me in instead of remaining in the same position or moving over to the fast lane. He was too late and I pulled out so he had to swerve over into the fast lane but was given adequate warning so why didn't he pass by earlier or let me out when I indicated?

I believe that high powered vehicles in the wrong hands can be a threat to public safety, so anyone who wants to drive a powerful car should have to obtain a 'Mentally Stable' certificate and be declared safe so that they don't use the power of their vehicle to intimidate, harass or bully other motorists in their obsession to be a cut above the law and one up on other motorists who are law-abiding.

In the past year since the recession started I have noticed an increase in Merc Berks (MBs) and one such MB was speeding up behind me on a dual carriageway with one lane for going straight ahead as the other lane was for traffic to and from the left with an obstruction to stop motorists from staying in the left lane so there was only one lane to pass and I was in front and not going to break the speed limim. I could see the impatience in him and once safely past the junction I started to move over to the left lane as he started to try to undertake me on the left and he had to brake. He swerved to overtake on the right after flashing me, slowed down as he approached a speed camera and then continued through a red light like a mad man.

This driver was certainly mentally unstable driving like this and trying to stick his bonnet up my rear. If they enjoy this they need to be sectioned under The Mental Health Act.

Perhaps Merks have become cheaper now and are available to more thus losing their status. MBs seem to be the queers of the highway now.

It seems that there are a lot of very impatient drivers out there. All I can say to many of you is join your local branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, you will learn patience, careful driving/riding and respect for other road users. You will not do 20 in a 40 area holding up every one else and you will not use 30,40,50,60 as targets. Indicated speed signs are a maximum and in many instances, aiming for these speeds is far from safe.
Happy, safe driving/riding to you all.

When people try to cut ahead of me I just don't let them in. If that means they get forced onto the breakdown lane swearing at me.. well that just makes me smile. Wait in line like everyone else.

To the Merk Berk who on Friday 12th June 2009 tried to undertake me on a roundabout on the A449 around tea time.


I was already going around the roundabout and was ahead of him and on the inside of the roundabout. I clearly indicated that I wanted to leave the roundabout at the next exit which became a single lane off the roundabout. But I could see as I was about to move across lanes he was accelerating trying to undertake me so I accelerated more and so did he so I pushed it to stay in front and was able to pull over in front of him as it was my right of way and so he didn't manage to force his way in by undertaking me and obstructing my path.


Sorry Merk Berk but although you have a more powerful car you haven't got a fast enough brain to think ahead - and especially so with the advantage you had with your car over me you still lost. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link so in spite of having a stronger car you must have a weaker brain.

Remember southboro, not all people are blessed with perfection as you are. I've encountered islands that have a 3 or 4 lane entry that turns into a 5 or 6 lane island. Vice versa too. I've made the mistake of being stuck at the side of a HGV, not being able to see the sign post of the lane set up and receiving abuse off other drivers that do the islands everyday or had the fortune of not having the lane setup obscured.