Thursday 14th June 2001

Grim Statistics

Be careful when motoring abroad

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[AdamB]

Don''t forget Germany, you must be at least a billion times more likely to die there. Mr Blair told me, "speed kills"

[sparks]

hear hear, jsteve. I increasingly see U.K. drivers with poor manners, skill and behaviour. As a point, how many people suffer from light flashing tail-gaters or the 'I own the road' outside lane hoggers? I lived in Germany for 14 months and this *does not happen* there. We brits as a driving nation have a lot to learn. Sparks Edited by sparks on Thursday 14th June 13:26

[Don]

Yup. If British driving manners are the best in Europe heaven help us. Bloke this morning practically falling out of his lorry cab window so he could yell W*****r at me. As I drove past GOING THE OTHER WAY. How could I have possibly offended him? Other than driving a nice car, of course...

[driller]

Huh, I'm not alone then: had my car two days and this bloke driving slowly past me the other way, looked straight at me and shouted "C***!". Just like that, for no reason, C***. Unbelievable. Driller Ice Blue Griff500

[muley]

I, too, have encountered ludicrous abuse in the UK, ... Yesterday I witnessed a black BX in the country lanes near Windsor overtaking recklessly well in excess of the speed limit on blind bends, I see this sort of pathetic driving nearly every day. Courteous !! You're having a laugh !! Edited by muley on Friday 15th June 09:03

[Marshy]

I last drove through France, Germany and Belgium in Febrary 2000 and in each country their lane discipline far outsrips our own. There are the odd hoggers, but they're far less of a problem than here.

[sparks]

JohnS$, About 4 years ago. It may have had something to do with only having a car capable of 130kph. You obviously know more about it tan I do, but I still think they have much better discipline than Brits. Sparks

[thub]

Being a fairly regular driver in Germany, I agree that their lane discipline is generally good. However, I do find that their concept of safe gaps to be somewhat lacking. I've lost count of the number of times the typical Merc or BMW appears on one's bumper at 150kph+ when one is in a line of traffic in the outside lane of a two-lane autobahn with nowhere to go.

[pitbull]

I feel the point that is missing is population. For correct me if I am wrong but I understand that here in the England we have some 30% less land mass per capita head then our other European counterparts. In the UK we are severely overpopulated with the infrastructure struggling to keep up with what is expected. I would suppose that the Gov accepts this as an option as they have more taxpayers. This would affects most people locally unless you family has accumulated wealth or live in a nice country district. I believe that the average Brit is ill educated, opinionated and deals with harsher road planning, roadwork's and hold ups generally. This combined with over capacity on a day to day basis should indicate lower fatalities,,, we cant drive at high speed consistantly cos there is never any room. The Pitbull

[georget]

Having been to both Spain and Norway in the last few months and each country for a week there has not been one occasion of bad driving. In fact in Norway the driving was superb even in the ice and snow conditions. Letting people across, giving way to each other and no unecessary agression to driver or peds. Maybe the conditions teach them to be better drivers. The only problem I have with drivers in Spain is their crap modification. There were Escort Turbodiesels with air vents and Astras with Whale tails. Ali G or what. I say better training (not harder tests) and less road humps (sleeping policemens, cusions or what ever they call them now!) and bloody traffic cones and islands!