Psychopath drivers on the increase

Wed 9 Jun 2010 23:43

Psychopath drivers on the increase - MikeTorque

What's happening to people these days that is turning more and more in to Psychopathic type drivers ?

1. I mean the type who drive within 1 or 2 meters behind you irrespective of what speed you are doing.

2. The type who pass anywhere including blind bends, dips/dives in the road.

3. The type who don't use their indicators when overtaking or turning, their sudden movements around the road are random and a danger to everyone around them.

4. Speed well in excess of what is safe for the traffic and road conditions at the time.

Take this example of utter madness. Just outside Glaston the other day (mid- afternoon) 2 young men died in a head on crash, the young driver was overtaking on a blind bend and crashed head on in to a new Astra, the Astra driver survived ok but lost one of his dogs as it fled away terrified. Now there are blue police signs in both directions warning of the incident black spot and today an Audi A4 2.0 TDCi driver did a similar thing by overtaking 2 cars as they approached the same incident location, fortunately for all concerned there wasn't a vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Why oh why oh why...?

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 09:29

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Cliff Pope

The poster from some time ago who was scared when his aged learner relative remarked that it didn't seem real hit the nail on the head.

Driving a modern car is unreal. There is no human contact, and no contact with the real world of concrete, tarmac, trees, nature. Worst of all, there is no contact with the ever-lurking danger.

Driving a car is exactly like watching a realistic computerised game projected onto the (wind)screen. You have to try and get round the course as fast as possible. Exitement mounts as the driver gets gripped by the game. Sometimes after taking out a succession of opponents (ie other cars in the way) the urge just to go an further and faster, even round the blind bend, becomes irresistable.

A proportion of people are unable to control this feeling. There is a driving test, but it is not designed to identify this pyschology. In fact rather the opposite. The emphasis now is on "making progress", not on arriving safely.

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 11:37

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Sofa Spud

You say driving modern cars feels 'unreal'. If I compare the VW Touran TDI I drive now with the old Land Rover 90 I had a few years ago, I would say the 'unreal' experience I get in the Touran is a lot safer than the distraction of the 'involved' experience of the Land Rover, with its wandering steering, choppy ride and high noise and vibration levels.

However, if people show themselves to be psychologically unfit to drive, that should be grounds for revocation of their licence on medical grounds, I reckon.

In some ways I treat driving like a game - except in my case the game is to do everything by the book.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 10/06/2010 at 11:40

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 11:48

Psychopath drivers on the increase - rogue-trooper

I think that this "unreal" feeling comes largely from cars being so much quieter than they used to be, as well as being so much more comfortable. Some cars are so quiet that it is just like being in your arm chair. (Apparently this has led to many more people falling asleep at the wheel). The wife's Mitsu Grandis is so noisey it does keep you awake a bit and as you can clearly (!!!) hear the engine, you know exactly what is going on.

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 13:10

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Collos25

One of the largest problems is the total lack of proper policing,the police almost do not exist in my area in the north of England people just do as they like whether its using a phone to drink driving just look how many cars are parked on pub car parks they are not all drinking lemonade.Its no good sticking a few camaras and warning signs people take no notice.

You cannot beat real live police officers doing what we pay them for not sat in offices reading how to be good to immigrants or how to be polite to Ronkers.

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 14:19

Psychopath drivers on the increase - davecooper

Unfortunately, the punishments for many motoring offences are pitiful. I'm not talking about minor speeding offences etc but for offences such as overtaking on a blind bend, which will almost definitely have a solid white line. Such behaviour should attract a mandatory ban and a driving test retake as should using a mobile phone. In addition there would be no reduction in penalty on the basis that your job etc would be at risk without a license. If your livelihood depends on you having a license, don't break the law, simple.

On the subject of indicators, I now believe that anyone buying a new car is asked if they would like the optional indicators. I live in the North West by the way.

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 14:57

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Mick Snutz

Why don't people just leave earlier to get to where they want to be? That way they wouldn't be in such a rush to get from A to B or A to U (undertakers).

Perhaps time management skills should be taught alongside more stringent driving lessons/test

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 15:11

Psychopath drivers on the increase - silkhj

For a second I thought you must live in Bradford.. haha :)

I stick to speed limits and every day have at least one driver who doesn't like this. So he'll be 1 meter away up my back side. The other week I was the victim of a driver suffering from road rage - he was "stuck" behind me, being forced to drive at the speed limit some time, before we came to a wider road where he floored up uphill towards a blind corner - I sounded my horn to give warning as I know cars hurl around there coming the opposite direction.

What I don't think helped at this point in time was my passenger deciding to gesticulate at this loonatic. His reaction was to put his brakes on and begin reverse towards me, trying to cause a collision which would have techncially been "my fault".

I did manage to avoid him, but only because there was a clearing at the side. Both my passengers were utterly gobsmacked, as was I. Sadly he drove off before we thought to take his reg. plate.

Other than that I usually see people drive down the wrong side of the road once a week - around islands. Saw it happen today. Seen it happen in past and had cars hurtling towards me.. :/

Oh and don't even get me started on people who run red lights a good 4-5 seconds after they're red.

Edited by silkhj on 10/06/2010 at 15:16

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 17:01

Psychopath drivers on the increase - bonzo dog

I think it's simply that a majority of the population of this country are inconsiderate to others as a matter of course.

Driving a car does make you more isolated & is a very impersonal activity thus you are likely not to know the person you are challenging; plusbeing in a fast metal box means if you pick on the wrong person you are reletively safe from harm

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 19:57

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Westpig

- I sounded my horn to give warning as I know cars hurl around there coming the opposite direction

Rubbish. You sounded your horn because you did not like the other person's driving and was cross about it. Two wrongs don't make a right, you exacerbated the situation, obviously not helped by the actions of your passenger.

If someone wants to drive faster than you, why not let them, it's the safest option.

Edited by Westpig on 10/06/2010 at 19:58

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 20:02

Psychopath drivers on the increase - daveyjp

Keep alert and remember every other driver on the road is an idiot. I now just let them get on with it - life's too short to suffer from increased blood pressure.

Our lives did flash before us last week on a country road as we approached a blind right hander. Around the bend came a Focus RS with a young lad behind the wheel, doing well over the NSL limit and barely keeping control. He was on the white line, I pulled into the edge and as he went past with brake lights glowing he ended up on the wrong side of the road.

If we had been seconds later he would have hit us.

Too fast to get the reg, but we were both convinced he'd probably just nicked it.

Edited by daveyjp on 10/06/2010 at 20:03

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 21:42

Psychopath drivers on the increase - johnnyrev

Keep alert and remember every other driver on the road is an idiot. I now just let them get on with it - life's too short to suffer from increased blood pressure.

I agree daveyjp, I tend to assume that every other driver is going to cut me up, sit on my bumper, over take badly, or generally drive in a way to endanger me or someone else. Its a pleasant surprise when they dont, even better when someone drives with courtesy and a bit of thought.

People manage to walk along the pavement without bumping into each other or getting cross, so perhaps drivers should consider their inner pedestrian!

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Thu 10 Jun 2010 23:32

Psychopath drivers on the increase - silkhj

Hang on, so speeding.. is safe? Especially up hill and around a corner?

Interesting!

FYI I was at 41 in a 40 :p

Even more interestingly, you seem to justify road rage, someone braking and going into reverse into oncoming traffic, as opposed to me sounding my horn at a person speeding up into a blind junction?

p.s. Horn was sounded in warning, that's what they're there for.. he was being a danger to me, himself, and any oncoming traffic.

Edited by silkhj on 10/06/2010 at 23:41

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 07:38

Psychopath drivers on the increase - madf

I remember my yoga meditations when I see muppets: most drivers are normal humans. The ones who are inconsiderate or dangerous are to be left to their own devices....

Unfortunately innocents get killed or injured in the process of Darwin's theories in action.

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 09:49

Psychopath drivers on the increase - b308

p.s. Horn was sounded in warning, that's what they're there for.. he was being a danger to me, himself, and any oncoming traffic.

If anything coming the other way could have heard it... be honest, S, he was right, you did it because you were annoyed with him, the account of your passengers reaction would also confirm it... and most of us would have probably done the same! If your were really worried then your safest course of action would have been so slow down quickly so he could have got back in quickly... no need for the horn at all.

(He didn't justify road rage, just commented that its not worth getting involved (by reacting to them), just leave be... Thats not always the easiest thing to do in the heat of the moment though, sometimes I've managed to keep quiet... others not!)

Edited by b308 on 11/06/2010 at 09:51

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 10:16

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Cliff Pope

The approved use of the horn as a "warning" is to use a rather ambiguous word.

If I wake in the night and hear the noise of an intruder downstairs, I might make a sound so as to "make him aware of my presence" in the hope that he will simply go away without risk of violence.

If I emerge and stand at the top of the stairs brandishing my 12-bore, I am "threatening" him.

If I fire both barrels over his head as he flees I am "warning" him not to come back.

Discuss the use of the word "warning" as a form of aggression.

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 13:30

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Westpig

(He didn't justify road rage, just commented that its not worth getting involved (by reacting to them), just leave be... Thats not always the easiest thing to do in the heat of the moment though, sometimes I've managed to keep quiet... others not!)

Summed up my thoughts exactly..thank you...and 'no' i'm not perfect either, who is?

41mph in a 40mph limit, on some car speedos is about 37mph (or less). Depending on the road it may well be acceptable to travel at 45mph and it would be unlikely to be prosecuted for it (ACPO guidelines 10% plus 2), which would be 48 or 49mph on someone else's speedo. If they wish to drive at that speed..let them get on with it, it's not your business.

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Sun 13 Jun 2010 23:10

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Manatee

>>I mean the type who drive within 1 or 2 meters behind you irrespective of what speed you are doing.

If they can't adjust their distance to my speed, I adjust my speed to their distance (to quote an 83 year old friend of mine).

I also make it easy for them to pass when there's a sensible opportunity - it's surprising how many don't, which makes me think that a large proportion are not being aggressive, but just paying attention to anything but their driving.

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Mon 14 Jun 2010 18:53

Psychopath drivers on the increase - RaineMan

Over the weekend I noticed that behaviour got worse as a square term of the number of England flags flying on the car!

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Mon 14 Jun 2010 23:39

Psychopath drivers on the increase - MikeTorque

The section of the A47 I originally mentioned appears to have become a suicide road. Along a section of standard single carriageway a Maroon people carrier was being tailgated by a black VW Golf, both vehicles overtook a large lorry and the Golf overtook them both, it was 3 abreast at one stage, it had to be seen to be believed, absolutely bonkers. Then the driver of the Maroon people carrier flashed his headlights and chased the Golf whilst giving more headlight flashes, both vehicles were driving in excess of 75 mph. The Golf driver then approached a vehicle in front of him and pulled out just as another vehicle was approaching in the opposite direction, fortunately the Golf driver hit his brakes and aborted the overtaking, the Maroon people carrier driver continued to flash his lights.

The driver of the Golf was a young lad, the Maroon people carrier driver was a male pensioner who was transporting his wife and regularly uses this road.

So there we have it, young and elderly alike, Psychopath drivers and both male.

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Tue 15 Jun 2010 09:44

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Westpig

I've never 'got' the need for people to flash their head lights at others who have just overtaken. I've always presumed it is to vent their ire at someone overtaking them..but why?

Half the time, if the car in front gave the car behind sufficient room or helpfulness (as they often do abroad) then any 'iffiness' can be erased form the equation.

Several years back, whilst driving south on the A82 in the Scottish Highlands, through Glen Coe on a truly glorious, bright sunny day, very little traffic, great big long straights enormous amount of forward vision, I found myself at the back of a 4 car queue all 'nipping along'. The three in front of me had overtaken me and for a little while with corners and light traffic I matched them, before they pulled away again. Neither one of them was driving poorly. Before they disappeared though, they came up behind......'the mimser'. Bloke in his late 50's early 60's with his missus, driving a non descript saloon car... you could see there was a problem brewing, from the road positioning of Mr Mimser's car. I said to my wife, 'watch this'..and sure enough, after they all overtook there was various degrees of poor road positioning, headlamp flashing and arm waving. When it was our turn, I had to wait for a section of double white lines over a bridge that had narrow lanes first...but even so, you could see Mr Mimser constantly checking his mirror and his wife turned right around at one point. On to the straight bit after the bridge and it started... deliberate wander over to the offside lane that I wanted to overtake in...and as we went past him he used his horn and head lamp flashing...and both of them gesticulated.

What a couple of clowns. Their nice peaceful drive through some outstanding scenery must have been ruined by their rage and reaction to other people. What does it matter to them what other people are doing? One of the vehicles in the queue was a van, so no doubt got somewhere to go on a timescale..we had a 500 mile journey, so the scenery was for another day... and having relatives up there, there have been and will be plenty of them.

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Tue 15 Jun 2010 08:43

Psychopath drivers on the increase - Rob C

>>I also make it easy for them to pass when there's a sensible opportunity - it's surprising how many don't, which makes me think that a large proportion are not being aggressive, but just paying attention to anything but their driving.

Indeed, I have on a few occasions, indicated left and come to a complete stop on straight, clear sections of road only to have the tailgater come to a stop also right behind me, so close that after a few seconds while they wake up, they then have to reverse a bit in order to go round me. I immediately continue behind them at a safe distance, as if to make a point but given the levels of observation involved I doubt they notice or get any message.

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