Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

WTF can't the English population observe road etiquette and move over once they have passed a vehicle & not hold up following faster moving traffic?

Went to Paris & back - which is 180 miles UK & 400 miles French - and whilst in France enjoyed a good high average speed & courteous drivers. Even in Paris where cars come at you from all directions, they move over when a faster car comes up behind.

Back in the UK & its traffic jams for no reason & people whose one avowed intent is to not give over that little piece of road at any cost.

FFS - makes me want to move to France (that & the lovely French women )

Grrr

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Because British drivers are arseholes (especially when they see an impreza)?

harry007

Agreed about the french women ;-)

WhatswiththeR

iTrader: (1)

i dunno what its like in other parts of the country but in london the majority of drivers all seem to be foreign and most of them don't understand the highway code for example i was at a roundabout it was clear to my right and there was a car on my left so i went over the roundabout and looked in the side window and there was a car coming at me, so i wound down the window and the person in the car started shouting abuse at me, so i told him that in the highway code, you give way to your right so therefore i had right of way. after about 5 mins of discussion and a traffic queue(sp) one of the drivers of another car, a lovely lady mind. turned round to the other guy that i had right of way and should learn rules of road before driving.

Jeem

iTrader: (1)

I usually drive with my lights on so anyone infront will notice me in time when am charging on

Xia

The grass is always greener on the other side.
Beeing Franch, I can tell you that the 'etiquette' is not always that great:
Things to watch out for:
- Tailgating, worse than in uk
- Lorries pulling out to overtake without indicating and no third lane to hide
- Le Gendarme... laws have changed radically in France now and foreign plate are easy target. view here: S-peeding idiots

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I'll add to that:

MOST French drivers still believe that "Priorite a droite", (give way to traffic from the right), is the rule on their roundabouts, despite nearly every roundabout carrying signs telling drivers as they approach that they DO NOT have priority to enter.
MOST French drivers don't signal on roundabouts, and take them at silly speeds, leading to lots of near misses, or frustration.
Yes, tailgating is awful.
EVERY French driver believes that HIS car is faster than anything on the road, even those driving vans with windows, (people carriers). Hence if you pass someone, be ready for them to re-pass you at well over the speed limit
Priorite a droite does still exist on some country roads, and in some towns

Alcazar

stilover

They all have hairy armpits you know

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Volvo XC70 with Xenons always on - big car, lots of prescence and I know how to position myself to indicate a desire to move past swiftly and safely - still doesn't work!

ethanrob

iTrader: (3)

must agree with OP on this one

The french motorway network is a dream to travell on,they pull out to overtake then straight back in again(sometimes a little too quickly)

also i love the toll booth "charge for lanes" its like a 15 lane 1/4 sprint,everyone launche's at roughly the same time,and trie's to beat the rest back into the three lanes available,but the looks on there's citreon driving faces when this big boot spoilered,loud jap thingie comes charging past and takes the honours is priceless

marcus

GazTheHat

Gotta agree with you there fella, having done a fair bit of driving in France.

The majority of the driving in this country is pretty damn poor.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

They are also FAR more considerate when it's raining or the roads are wet, not pulling back in after overtaking, unless required to do so, for quite a way, so as to NOT blind the overtaken driver with spray.

Ah yes, but no matter how quick you drive, at least three vans with windows will charge past you within a couple of miles, one of which will be towing a trailer at well over 100mph and it's trailer will have REALLY tiny wheels

For those who REALLY want to upset a few locals, and travel in France regularly, I can heartily recommend the "Telepeage" doofer that sits inside your windscreen and allows you to use dedicated Telepeage lanes at tolls.......no need for a ticket, no queues for paying.
The look on drivers' faces who have overtaken you before the peage is priceless, as you make about two miles on them as they queue

Alcazar

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

LOL I have to agree with this bit the traffic light sprint from the toll booth to the 3 lanes is indeed a hoot in a noisey in yer face 370ps impreza

stilover

As opposed to those Vans with no windows.

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

Tailgating, worse than in uk.... just got back from le mans great road but they have perfected the tailgate.... what ever speed you do.. even if there are 2 empty lanes ????

rbaz

iTrader: (1)

The standard of driving is much better in France than the UK but the French do have some weird driving habits but they are very predictable and once you know them your ok.

They can’t use roundabouts properly no idea which lane goes where so you just cut them up or give them room to go around the outside

Yes they tailgate if you are going slow but at least they pull over after they pass you not stick in the outside lane and block the road.

They don’t have to surrender there licences when they get to 70 so some very old people around that haven’t got a clue

They have a habit of indicating to overtake then pull straight out in front of you causing you to slow down but they do pull back in quickly and you can do it to them nobody gets irate or you its just accepted.

Watch it late on a night or around lunchtime the French do like a bottle of wine with lunch and think nothing of driving home pissed

But all in all I think its better here on the roads that and the fact there is much less traffic

Oh and if you are in a UK reg car they do have to pass you as they see you as a danger to them and other road users. Much more polite when your car is French registered.

Abx

iTrader: (15)

UK Speed limit on a motorway is 70mph, If i'm doing 70 and obeying the law why should I move over!!!!

rbaz

iTrader: (1)

Because the highway code tells you to nothing to do with speed.
It’s that mentality that causes the problem in the UK
I am doing what I want Fuc* everybody else.

GazTheHat

Very true.



French are not good at parking either. They think nothing of nudging your car out the way to get in or out of a space.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

So funny and true! Where I went was a really typical narrow Parisien street. As I walked down I noticed that ALL the cars had some front-end damage in terms of scratches etc & I guessed that was from parking.

Interestingly, those with scratches at the front, didn't have them at the back (except the older ones)

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I think if your serious you need to insert another "O" in your user name

Mikkel

A lot of drivers in the UK just like to be awkward for the hell of it. Must entertain them on their journeys or something.

Common things that annoy me are people who deliberately slow down when there is no over taking opportunity just to prove some sort of point and motorway users who block you in behind slow traffic... they see you on the inside lane and the slow traffic ahead so pull along side you in the middle/fast lane and just sit there

SmileyScooby

I agree that people should move over if possible(if the lane to the left is free!

BUT....if I am doing 80 in the fast lane and theres loadsa traffic....AND someone comes up really fast....I WILL move over but ONLY when there is a gap large enough for me to move into without touching my brakes! I also put my right indicator on once into the gap so that the guy goes past quick and I can avoid being boxed into the 60/70 lane!

If you wanna go faster than me...I ain't got a problem but don't drive up my **** unless I am NOT moving into a possible space!

Another thing that pisses me off in UK is drivers who see you coming down the road at say....30ish, they have a quick look and decide that they can make it out......they go for it...but they get out and then slow right down for no fookin reason! I REALLY hate putting my brakes on!!!!!

If I wanna come out of a road and there is another car coming....I make sure that I get upto a suitable speed to avoid them having to brake!

If everyone used their brakes less and kept better gaps...there would be way less traffic!!!

Grrrrr...thats my rant over!!

Erm....roundabouts...don't even get me started on those! Does anyone actually think about WHY someone took the time to design and paint big bright lines on the floor that point in certain directions?????

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

That is fair enough but its those that don't move over when there is a clear enough space or

1) Deliberately slowing down to match a car on the inner lane
2) Deliberately speeding up to shorten the gap (before slowing down again)
3) Brake testing when it is clear to move over safely (& back out again) if they are flashed
4) any other number of manoeuvres designed to not let people overtake them


Enough to wind me up just thinking about it 1-3 I had today

Need to start thinking about sexy french women again

markGT

Funny that, I've lived in France for over five years and I find them the most useless uncourtious drivers on the planet.

You must have caught them on a good day.

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

I rarely have problems with UK drivers be it on m/ways, town driving, duel carriageways etc. Its very rare that Ill get stuck behind someone who wont move over. The only real issue I get is people who sit in the middle lane of an empty or quiet m/way. No biggie if Im in a car but when Im towing Im not allowed in the outside lane so its then a pain.

In a car it just provides a moment of entertainment as I approach in the inside lane, anchor on next to them, drop back, sweep out past them into the outside lane, zip past and drop quickly straight back accross the m/way into the inside lane. Its fun to see how many people get the message and actually move into the inside lane.

On the other hand I have been known to refuse to drive in the inside lane if its particulary badly rutted as some of the vehicles we run are very prone to tramlining. We have a Shogun with a high lift kit and knobblies. Its not a happy bunny in ruts whilst towing a 2 ton car and trailer combo. If the ruts are really bad then it can be actively dangerous in the inside lane due to the rig wandering and on a rare occasion I will just sit in the middle lane until the surface improves.

Happily we now have a Trany to tow with and the Shoguns an off road plaything

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Try living in Germany then !!! I will say no more considering their driving test is harder than ours and you are not allowed to learn with your mates so shouldn't develop bad habits.

nixxon

Cat's Eyes would be handy, just to wake you up when you start nodd...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Aye, that's one of my bugbears too, no catseyes, and few, if any reflectors on country roads.

No wonder they invented the world's greatest rally light, then.

Alcazar

SmileyScooby

Dual carriageway...today.....4 roundabouts.....1st roundabout...I'm gonna overtake a 50ish guy in his Mondeo Estate....no-probs....just gonna go round him on the roundabout...not particularily fast....but I see him look in his mirror and suddenly...he goes accross the roundabout in the middle of both lanes and cuts me up.....

As we come out of the roundabout.......I 'evil-eye' him....he is smiling and so is his wife....

I expect that from a teenager but not an older guy!

It was bloody dangerous what he did!!!!

Why???