Driving Pet Peeves

[J-C]

People who cross the road in front of you but are in no hurry to cross the road, what ever happened to cross the road quickly and safely and when you peep the horn you get abuse as if you're in the wrong.

[overdrive]

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People who cross the road in front of you but are in no hurry to cross the road, what ever happened to cross the road quickly and safely and when you peep the horn you get abuse as if you're in the wrong.

I had someone on Saturday who was crossing the road I was waiting to turn right into. For a start, they didn't look anywhere before crossing as they were looking at their phone (I wouldn't have gone anyway) but then they stopped in the middle of the road to start texting, blocking my path.

[grunt]

Sitting at red light at the pedestrian crossing on Willowbrae Road. Sole female pedestrian had just reached the pavement but light was still red, no amber light showing. Car comes up behind me and goes straight through the red light. Do people just not care any more?

[BILLYHIBS]

Slip Road from City Bypass going onto M8 after Sighthill turnoff cars on the inside lane going straight ahead instead of turning left onto M8

Does ma heid in !

[Northernhibee]

Modern car design.

I have a 23 year old Volvo estate. An absolute tonne of buttons, dials, and switches on the dashboard but as it’s all tactile I can change things without needing to take my eyes off the road. If one thing goes wrong, other things are unaffected. As it’s a great big estate, it’s practical, good to drive, comfortable, has dual zone air conditioning, heated seats, cruise control, auto headlights, and more. It’s got a big 2.4l petrol engine that’s only been tuned to put out 140bhp so it’s never straining at high revs, and isn’t so slow to be annoying. Lots of lovely little touches like a clip on the windscreen to put your parking tickets. All in all - a beautifully designed car that’s nice to drive, nice to sit in, and built to last. It’s done 154,000 miles and doesn’t feel like it’s done a third of that.


My friend up in Aberdeen bought a 2019 Mitsubishi SUV thing. The engine is tiny and tuned to put as much out of it that a turbo can add. The touchscreen has gone kaput and the part needed has been on back order for six months meaning no Bluetooth, no radio, no reverse camera, and all sorts of other features lost. Built to a budget. Has done 60,000 miles and experiencing more problems. Doesnt always fit everything in the back that he needs because SUVs have boots that are often insufficient.

It does feel that car design has regressed.

[BILLYHIBS]

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Modern car design.

I have a 23 year old Volvo estate. An absolute tonne of buttons, dials, and switches on the dashboard but as it’s all tactile I can change things without needing to take my eyes off the road. If one thing goes wrong, other things are unaffected. As it’s a great big estate, it’s practical, good to drive, comfortable, has dual zone air conditioning, heated seats, cruise control, auto headlights, and more. It’s got a big 2.4l petrol engine that’s only been tuned to put out 140bhp so it’s never straining at high revs, and isn’t so slow to be annoying. Lots of lovely little touches like a clip on the windscreen to put your parking tickets. All in all - a beautifully designed car that’s nice to drive, nice to sit in, and built to last. It’s done 154,000 miles and doesn’t feel like it’s done a third of that.


My friend up in Aberdeen bought a 2019 Mitsubishi SUV thing. The engine is tiny and tuned to put as much out of it that a turbo can add. The touchscreen has gone kaput and the part needed has been on back order for six months meaning no Bluetooth, no radio, no reverse camera, and all sorts of other features lost. Built to a budget. Has done 60,000 miles and experiencing more problems. Doesnt always fit everything in the back that he needs because SUVs have boots that are often insufficient.

It does feel that car design has regressed.

Cannae beat a Volvo

Pretty sure recently won an award as the best Used Car to buy

Never been a fan of Mitsubishi

Worked in a Volvo Dealership for years and had loads of repeat business on customers being involved in accidents and being saved by the inbuilt metal safety cage

[Northernhibee]

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Cannae beat a Volvo

Pretty sure recently won an award as the best Used Car to buy

Never been a fan of Mitsubishi

Worked in a Volvo Dealership for years and had loads of repeat business on customers being involved in accidents and being saved by the inbuilt metal safety cage

Problem is that even Volvo have gone down the same daft touchscreen route that everyone else has. If it goes wrong then you lose a lot of things.

[Donegal Hibby]

New car’s headlights.. find them away to bright to a point that they blind you .

[Northernhibee]

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New car’s headlights.. find them away to bright to a point that they blind you .

It’s a perfect example of how car design is broken. It used to be the case that manufacturers made the best car possible and paid people a decent sum to sell those to people as according to their needs.

Now it’s a case of bending to the whim of the customer irrelevant to whether it’s a good idea or not. Touch screens? Headlights that dazzle other road users? Reliability to cover the length of your average lease agreement but no more than that? If you say so.

[Speedy]

Distracting advertising should be banned imo. Billboards. But particularly radio adverts that include horn sounds - they're irritating at best and dangerously distracting at worst.

[BILLYHIBS]

Thursday night drive home quiz on Radio Forth

What small town will Question Time be held in tonight ?

A. Who gives a f#ck !

[Fuzzywuzzy]

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Distracting advertising should be banned imo. Billboards. But particularly radio adverts that include horn sounds - they're irritating at best and dangerously distracting at worst.

I had to take car back to dealer in Stoke to get something done under warranty. Kept hearing a beeping noise but no dash lights coming on. Took me a while to work out it was the same advert on the radio

[Jones28]

Parts for cars. My 19 plate Kia had something wrong with the fuel pump, sensors going mad and lights on the dashboard.

It went to the local garage and we were told the parts we needed weren’t in the country.

Phoned Kia dealers across the central belt and they couldn't give a single **** about helping out. Part check? No. Courtesy cars while we repair your car which is UNDER WARRANTY? Not a chance. Availability for repair - is mid November ok?

We ended up asking our local guy to do it and paid £900 for the privilege of not using our warranty.

I like my car but unless it goes back to the dealer for every little thing the warranty is a bit of a gimmick.

[McD]

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New car’s headlights.. find them away to bright to a point that they blind you .

Totally agree, especially if there is a hint of you being slightly uphill towards them. Im rarely out in the evenings these days, but started a new pastime this week which takes place later in the evening, couldn’t believe how often I was struggling to see properly with the oncoming headlights being overly bright.

[Scouse Hibee]

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Totally agree, especially if there is a hint of you being slightly uphill towards them. Im rarely out in the evenings these days, but started a new pastime this week which takes place later in the evening, couldn’t believe how often I was struggling to see properly with the oncoming headlights being overly bright.

Even worse when someone has parked facing the oncoming traffic and are sitting there with their headlights on.

[Donegal Hibby]

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Totally agree, especially if there is a hint of you being slightly uphill towards them. Im rarely out in the evenings these days, but started a new pastime this week which takes place later in the evening, couldn’t believe how often I was struggling to see properly with the oncoming headlights being overly bright.

I had one tailgating me and then met one coming the other way the last night which absolutely blinded me … spoke to an older guy I know recently too and he said he had only recently stopped driving at night as he found the new headlights to severe for him …

With all the messages of reducing speed , wearing your seatbelt and never drink driving for safety reasons it’s one that I think stupidly puts people at higher risk.

[J-C]

Punters in the taxi today at Jeffrey St waiting to turn right to the Radisson High St, in front of me is a PHC car with his punter, he cannae be arsed waiting on lights to change and goes through the red lights to the left when the wee green man is on and nearly knocks over some pedestrians. 80% of all complaints are about PHC drivers and the reason it's costing me £300 to do 3 bloody modules in February, modules to teach me how to be a cabbie after 35 years of doing the job.

[Speedy]

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Totally agree, especially if there is a hint of you being slightly uphill towards them. Im rarely out in the evenings these days, but started a new pastime this week which takes place later in the evening, couldn’t believe how often I was struggling to see properly with the oncoming headlights being overly bright.

Aye, headlights are becoming a hazard. Doubly so when combined with road markings that have mostly worn off. The roads are a shambles, really dangerous when drivers aren't familiar with their route.

[Speedy]

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Punters in the taxi today at Jeffrey St waiting to turn right to the Radisson High St, in front of me is a PHC car with his punter, he cannae be arsed waiting on lights to change and goes through the red lights to the left when the wee green man is on and nearly knocks over some pedestrians. 80% of all complaints are about PHC drivers and the reason it's costing me £300 to do 3 bloody modules in February, modules to teach me how to be a cabbie after 35 years of doing the job.

I've noticed an increasing number of drivers (largely PHC) using their hazard lights when pulling over rather than indicating.

[lapsedhibee]

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I've noticed an increasing number of drivers (largely PHC) using their hazard lights when pulling over rather than indicating.

A reasonable thing to do if you're going to stop for a fare just before a junction, rather than turn left at the junction. Lets following traffic know you're not going to turn left, no?

[Scouse Hibee]

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A reasonable thing to do if you're going to stop for a fare just before a junction, rather than turn left at the junction. Lets following traffic know you're not going to turn left, no?

Nothing reasonable about it when they stop right on top of the junction and force you to go around them in in a big sweep to turn left yourself! Even worse when they then decide to pull out again with the hazards still flashing rather than indicating.

[lapsedhibee]

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Nothing reasonable about it when they stop right on top of the junction and force you to go around them in in a big sweep to turn left yourself! Even worse when they then decide to pull out again with the hazards still flashing rather than indicating.

Not reasonable at a junction, but reasonable before it. Personally I always wind down my driver's window and give the hand signal for stopping, to avoid a similar confusion.

Hazards also very useful if you're going to reverse into a parking space on a narrow street.

[speedy_gonzales]

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Slip Road from City Bypass going onto M8 after Sighthill turnoff cars on the inside lane going straight ahead instead of turning left onto M8

Does ma heid in !

Is that not a legit move?
I do it all the time for no other reason than I was taught to use the leftmost suitable lane and as my vehicle has telematics I have to adhere to the speed limit. If I was to sit on lane two at the posted 50mph I'd upset all those drivers that race down on the outside and cut in at the last minute.

[grunt]

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Slip Road from City Bypass going onto M8 after Sighthill turnoff cars on the inside lane going straight ahead instead of turning left onto M8

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Is that not a legit move?

Not according to the road markings as shown on Google Maps. The two left lanes are clearly marked for vehicles turning left onto the M8. Unless I've misread the OP and got the wrong junction.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/x1yXE4xQpuAPazvC9

[Speedy]

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A reasonable thing to do if you're going to stop for a fare just before a junction, rather than turn left at the junction. Lets following traffic know you're not going to turn left, no?

It doesn't really let following traffic know anything for certain. They could be pulling over, they could be doing a u turn, they could be warning you about a hazard at the upcoming junction.

It's one of these things that is common on the continent (no idea if it is a legitimate signal there) but not correct in the UK.

[speedy_gonzales]

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Not according to the road markings as shown on Google Maps. The two left lanes are clearly marked for vehicles turning left onto the M8. Unless I've misread the OP and got the wrong junction.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/x1yXE4xQpuAPazvC9

Ahh, you might be right. I misread Billys post as being on the left lane on the actual bypass just before the junction and not on the slip itself.

[lapsedhibee]

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It doesn't really let following traffic know anything for certain. They could be pulling over, they could be doing a u turn, they could be warning you about a hazard at the upcoming junction.

It's one of these things that is common on the continent (no idea if it is a legitimate signal there) but not correct in the UK.

Doesn't it let the following traffic know you're not turning left? If you indicate left to pull over and there's a junction ahead, following traffic may assume you're turning left and start queueing behind you. Not defending PHC drivers btw, just arguing that in some circumstances hazards are useful without there being a genuine 'hazard' - more of an 'I'm doing something uncommon here, pay extra attention!' sort of a thing.

[BILLYHIBS]

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Not according to the road markings as shown on Google Maps. The two left lanes are clearly marked for vehicles turning left onto the M8. Unless I've misread the OP and got the wrong junction.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/x1yXE4xQpuAPazvC9

Thanks for clearing that up though the road markings look a bit faded not uncommon have been almost cut up a few times by people driving straight ahead towards Gyle

[Speedy]

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Doesn't it let the following traffic know you're not turning left? If you indicate left to pull over and there's a junction ahead, following traffic may assume you're turning left and start queueing behind you. Not defending PHC drivers btw, just arguing that in some circumstances hazards are useful without there being a genuine 'hazard' - more of an 'I'm doing something uncommon here, pay extra attention!' sort of a thing.

I'd agree with that

[lapsedhibee]

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New car’s headlights.. find them away to bright to a point that they blind you .

Not sure this will help much ...

Lamp posts could be removed from Britain’s streets in an effort to reduce carbon emissions because modern car headlamps help to better light streets at night, experts have said.

A trial in Yorkshire will see lamp posts on sections of two busy A roads switched off and replaced with solar-powered road studs and bollards with lighting.

If successful, it could lead to the removal of 1.5 million of Britain’s 7.2 million lamp posts as they reach the end of their 40-year lifespan, The Sunday Times reported.

Perry Hazell, the president of the Institution of Lighting Professionals, told the newspaper: “Historically we’ve always been focused on the driver and the highway.

“Because headlights have now improved in cars we need to think about cycle users, and pedestrians and maybe light for them only.”

East Riding of Yorkshire council will switch off and remove hundreds of lamp posts on sections of the A1079 and A164 roads from December as part of the trial. The project is part of a £30 million UK-wide de-carbonisation drive funded by the Department for Transport.

Karl Rourke, the council’s street lighting service manager, who is overseeing the trial, said that current street lighting for roads was designed on the principle that cars do not have headlights and the entire road is left in complete darkness.

“This is about common-sense lighting, not lighting removal at all costs,” he said.

Lamp posts are set to be replaced with solar-powered road studs as part of the trial, alongside new layouts, road signs made from a more reflective material and signs that are activated when cars approach dangerous areas such as roundabouts and crossroads.

In the village of Hayton, located on the A1079 between York and Hull, 30 lamp posts will be replaced with footway lighting and bollards with lights attached in an effort to concentrate illumination on pedestrians instead of vehicles.

The areas will be closely monitored by safety risk assessments and thermal imaging cameras capable of seeing in total darkness as well as during the day.

The project, called Live Labs 2, is a three-year multimillion-pound endeavour that aims to support the transition to “net zero carbon local roads”.

A similar scheme is being discussed for Derbyshire, as well as in nine other local authorities including Aberdeenshire, Cambridgeshire and Lancashire.

It follows similar moves by other councils in recent months. In August Norfolk county council revealed plans to turn off street lights on a road notorious for car crashes under plans to cut carbon emissions. The council said it had no safety concerns about the plans, which it said would significantly contribute towards a “net zero Norfolk”.

In February a London council said it had no choice but to dim street lights on its roads in an effort to cut costs. Havering borough council, which was near-bankrupt at the time, said it would dim lights on main roads from midnight to 5am.

Councils in Bolton, Bracknell, Cornwall and Hampshire have also voted to dim street lights.