Advice on day to day driving

[Pig benis]

Hi chaps

I am just after a bit of advice as recently I have found myself becoming more and more agitated on the roads.

By no stretch of the imagination would I call myself a dangerous driver, in fact it is something I take seriously and there is nothing I enjoy more than a good blast on a Sunday morning.

However, over the past few months, my level of patients on the road has decreased. Not to the point of raging at the wheel, but I just can't stand being behind the torrent of slow drivers I encounter on my daily drive to work. I am finding myself constantly overtaking people, obviously when it is safe to do so and I always give the other driver plenty of room.

In myself I am a calm person, but as soon as I get behind one of the 40mph brigade, no matter what type of music I am listening too, I can feel myself itching to get past them.

I don't speed more than the average person who enjoys driving, so it's not like I am bursting past said 40mph brigade member with my foot welded to the floor in 2nd, I just nip past them and actually do the speed limit, or what is appropriate for the conditions/ the road.

So, what I am wondering is, I would like to know what calming techniques do people use? I do hope this post doesn't make me sound like a 'boy racer', as I can assure you that I'm not.

P.B

[davepoth]

I bought a Rover, and became the enemy. It's curiously relaxing.

[Pig benis]

davepoth said:

I bought a Rover, and became the enemy. It's curiously relaxing.

I have thought about this, Dave. Currently I am looking at an old Land Rover Discovery to smoke around in, that would definitely slow me down

[MC Bodge]

Pig benis said:

I don't speed more than the average person who enjoys driving, so it's not like I am bursting past said 40mph brigade member with my foot welded to the floor in 2nd, I just nip past them and actually do the speed limit, or what is appropriate for the conditions/ the road.

Sounds fair enough to me, but not ideal if it is accompanied by rage and agitation.


Ideas:

a lobby the government to reduce the cost of fuel and to enforce larger gaps between vehicles travelling in columns

b Buy a motorbike

c set off earlier to avoid the traffic

d Work on your smoothness, not your speed. Concentrate on your own driving, rather than that of others.

e If you have an mpg readout, how about challenging yourself to get to work on the highest mpg you can whilst making decent progress?

[M4cruiser]

It's a state of mind, and over the years I have become much more calm.

No single reason, more a collection of small ones, e.g.:-

- Leaving more time for journeys,
- Calculating the miniscule time saved by doing say 60 instead of 50 for 5 miles (it's not very much)
- Thinking about the saving in fuel and wear/tear by doing 50 instead of 60 etc etc
And the main one:-
- Being overtaken (by someone such as yourself) and coming across their crashed Audi car half a mile later. They had gone into the side of another car and killed 3 teenagers in it.

[SK425]

Are there alternative routes you could use? I've taken to more often using the slightly longer - back roads with a bit of dual carriageway - route home from work rather then the more direct motorway route because the driving manners on the motorway are worse, and not being there is an extremely effective way of not getting wound up by it .

How about giving a commentary while you're driving. I find it almost impossible to let the failings of others lead me to frustration and poor decisions while I'm doing a commentary because I would have to hear myself admitting out loud that that's what I was doing.

[M4cruiser]

Pig benis said:

Hi chaps

So, what I am wondering is, I would like to know what calming techniques do people use? I do hope this post doesn't make me sound like a 'boy racer', as I can assure you that I'm not.

Having a dash-cam also helps me stay calm, like when this guy in the blue Clio pulled across me, I had to brake quite sharply, but I wasn't annoyed, I just thought "I caught that on film, ha ha!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRiDG2V0J8&fea...

[Toltec]

You are aware you are not in the best frame of mind so that is a good start. Try to stand outside of your own head and analyse your driving, can you see a difference in the way you drive when irritated?
Are you a bit closer to the car in front?
Are you allowing the driver in front to compromise your safety or even just make your drive less smooth and flowing?
If the driver in front uses the brakes, have you seen why and already backed off or do you need to brake too?
If there is an overtaking opportunity are you picking up on it or just watching the car in front?

The driver in front is going at a speed they feel comfortable at, it is unlikely they are doing so just to annoy you so why become annoyed with them? If their driving is poor leave enough space so they cannot draw you into their accident.

They will not go any faster just because you want to, when the overtake is on take it and move on, until then amuse yourself with a few driving games.

Take the perfect line around each bend, in this case one that maximises visibility of the exit, be aware of your grip on the steering wheel and keep it light. Feel the transition into and out of the bend and make it flow from turn in, through the apex and out as one continuous exercise.
Work out what the driver in front is going to do before they do it.
See if you can follow them and smooth out their speed changes so you never have to go quite as slow or use the brakes and accelerator quite as much. Drop back a little on a straight if there is no overtake on and close up on the bends, if there is an overtake on the exit you are already in a better position to take it. Time it right and you can use the speed advantage to flow past or just go to neutral throttle and let them accelerate away and open the gap again. Just be careful about the closing gap and the potential for them to need to brake hard, ideally you should not have to brake to maintain a safe gap if an overtake is not on.

Why be irritated when you can enjoy the drive?

[Mr Grayson]

What Toltec said.

Taking time to drive as well as you possibly can involves you more in the process, and takes the focus away from the other drivers on the road, apart from as potential hazards. When you do overtake them, it becomes part of a more rounded plan, rather than a frustrated knee-jerk action. Eventually, the process of analysing your own driving defuses much of the frustration, and leads to you driving slower, but enjoying it more. Conversely, you continue to make better progress when safe than those who were causing the frustration in the first place.

Difficult to articulate in a convincing way, but try it.

Edited by Mr Grayson on Tuesday 26th March 22:12

[R0G]

Take an advanced driving course which can help with your thinking processes

[MC Bodge]

Mind Driving link

[supersport]

All great advice, you do need to stay calm; but I know where the OP is coming from.

It does seem that increasingly the average person seems to think 40mph is perfectly fast enough for the vast majority of roads including 30/20 zones through villages. It also seems to be that these people drive up each other's arses making overtakes difficult or impossible. Even followed some who wouldn't overtake a tractor

[BertBert]

I think it's been covered, but stuck behind a slow(er) car you often end up "driving the car in front" and it's the most frustrating thing in the world. Knowing that is a start to solving the problem. You recognise what is going on and make a mental note to break the link. Staying back a bit helps a lot to break the connection too.

So even if you are forced to go slowly, you are still able to make independent driving decisions which in my experience (having been exactly where you are now!) takes away the frustration.

HTH
Bert

[trashbat]

One of the advantages to complying with the speed limit is that when you enter a 30, the 40mph drone plods off ahead, and provides you with a bit of space to play once it goes back to NSL.

Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with wanting to get past, so do it. If you're not comfortable with overtaking technique, the IAM etc can help.

[Neil.D]

M4cruiser said:

Having a dash-cam also helps me stay calm, like when this guy in the blue Clio pulled across me, I had to brake quite sharply, but I wasn't annoyed, I just thought "I caught that on film, ha ha!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRiDG2V0J8&fea...

Its Megasson Avenue, they were probably a drunk.

[Benbay001]

M4cruiser said:

Having a dash-cam also helps me stay calm, like when this guy in the blue Clio pulled across me, I had to brake quite sharply, but I wasn't annoyed, I just thought "I caught that on film, ha ha!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRiDG2V0J8&fea...

You have a video entitled "illegal Overtakes" In which a motorcycle overtakes you whilst you are waiting behind a parked up bin lorry. Care to explain?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47W1JQX2gMQ

I have also never seen anyone join a motorway as slowly as you did. WTF?
Finally, have you edited an engine noise over the overtaking cars to make them seem faster? It seems all the overtakes in that video are safe, speed limit excluded.

Edited by Benbay001 on Friday 29th March 11:29

[MC Bodge]

M4cruiser said:

Having a dash-cam also helps me stay calm, like when this guy in the blue Clio pulled across me, I had to brake quite sharply, but I wasn't annoyed, I just thought "I caught that on film, ha ha!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRiDG2V0J8&fea...

Personally, if I saw a car indicating and looking as if it might pull out, I'd have been slowing down as soon as I saw it, minimising the need for sharp braking at the end.

I don't bother with a dash cam.

[MC Bodge]

Benbay001 said:

You have a video entitled "illegal Overtakes" In which a motorcycle overtakes you whilst you are waiting behind a parked up bin lorry. Care to explain?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47W1JQX2gMQ

Edited by Benbay001 on Friday 29th March 11:29

Solid white lines, presumably, but....

"129

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26


There appear to be quite a few self-righteous, slightly ignorant folk who post dashcam videos on the www
-Life's too short, in my opinion

Benbay001 said:

Finally, have you edited an engine noise over the overtaking cars to make them seem faster?

It does seem a bit odd for somebody to bother doing that.

Better to drive for yourself and do that well than spend time criticising others, especially if the offences are debatable, I reckon.

Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 29th March 17:13

[Osito]

Pig benis said:

However, over the past few months, my level of patients on the road has decreased.

Hey, that's a good thing, yeah? ;-)

Edited by Osito on Friday 29th March 17:39

[M4cruiser]

Benbay001 said:

You have a video entitled "illegal Overtakes" In which a motorcycle overtakes you whilst you are waiting behind a parked up bin lorry. Care to explain?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47W1JQX2gMQ

Edited by Benbay001 on Friday 29th March 11:29

Benbay, I don't get what point you are trying to make?
If you'd explain then I shall also!
Are you suggesting I wasn't being calm because I was waiting? I don't get it.