My commute.....

[Jon Tilson]

I thought all commercial vehicles including large vans were limited to 60 mph...?

It would be nice to banish Sprinters from the outside lane...in fact it would be nice to banish them altogether...too big, fast and universally driven by hooligans. Transits yes...I can cope with them but Sprinters are just plain dangerous...

Jonners

[Sprintinbits]

Sure I read somewhere that new transits will be speed limited (to 60 I think).

Hope it's true and hope Sprinters get the same.

Shame to say it really but the number of to**ers outweighs the decent drivers quite clearly now.

Sorry if I offend anyone, personal view etc.

[Jod Clark]

HGVs over 7.5 tonnes GVW:

Single carriageway - 40mph (or prevailing sped limit if less than 40mph)
Dual carriageway - 50mph
Motorway - 60mph

Most speed limiters are set at 52-56mph to allow some breathing space before getting tachograph-related grief.

Its the 40mph speed limit on single carriageway roads that causes problems. Most people do not know of this limit, get frustrated at that f***ing truck in front slowing them down and take stupid risks trying to overtake. I've probably seen more car accidents caused this way than by any other.

A little more courtesty and consideration on the roads would work wonders. Have a day driving a large vehicle on UK roads to see things from a whole new perspective.

Jod

[Sprintinbits]

A little more courtesty and consideration on the roads would work wonders. Have a day driving a large vehicle on UK roads to see things from a whole new perspective.

Took my motor bike test about a year ago, gave me a completly different understanding of roads/traffic etc.
Didn't realise how little observation I made just driving a car around all day.
I mean I have not had any accidents but it was a good 15 years ago when someone qualified last commented on my driving!

Was thinking of trying a few HGV lessons to see it from 'Up There in t cab'.

Wouldn't have a need for a test pass though.... Thank God!

[Purplebargeken]

I agree about the bike comments

Where abouts in Herts are you??

Ken

[Sprintinbits]

Bishop's Stortford, Herts/Essex border.
Grew up in Edmonton though so know North London reasonably well.
You must be close to there Ken?

Colin

[rich]

i was quite taken aback by getting a speeding fine for doing 58 on 60 mph road , phone up and complained and was told that the law states a large pick up can only do 50 on a 60, sh1t i complain bitterly and put the phone down.

this bugged me and i phoned again and complained bitterly again telling them i was innocent and had no knowledge of the this law

3 days later i received a letter saying a crime had been commited and if we intend suing you will hear from us in the near future!





heard nothing yet!!!

[Dollyboy]

if im honest with myself im no expert master driver.

ive been banned twice, once as a totter and once so i could get away with a very short ban rather than get points and be done as a totter again!

my accident summary since ive been driving is as follows:

0 - fell of my skateboard and fractured my wrist (but doesnt count)

1 - fell of my c90 and broke my collar bone

2 - bumped my 1st SE into a pug 205 by negotiating a gravel car park too fast, putting an irritating dent in the T, but smashing the sh1t out of the tail light on the pug

3 - dumb bint wiped out the side of same SE by pulling out of a T junction into me - wing, 2 doors, rear arch. non-fault.

4 - rear ended in same SE stoving in the rear panel and boot floor and very marginally buckling the rear quarters. I was at a standstill, another dumb bint was putting her lippy on. consolation was most of the front of her mazda was spread all over the road, and after exchanging details I drove away

5 - jumped a hump back bridge in bora v5 at about 50 mph, sump bashed the floor on landing, bye bye sump

6 - reversed slowly over an ornamental stone on mates drive in same bora, as wheel regained company with road, suspension compressed and stone punched a hole in the bottom of the rad

7 - knocked a 60+mph tw@t off a bike in a 30mph traffic calmed area, pure accident as had no appreciation of how fast he was going. no regrets, people who abuse roads in that way deserve to be tortured and stamped on

8 - wrote focus off by not paying attention, looked at a garage forecourt and the traffic in front all stopped leaving me faced with a ditch or the back of a mini to stop from 30mph, i chose the mini, which also hit the car in front. rude awakening that im actually an idiot for taking my eye off the road for 2 secs and that really is all it takes, in fact probably less.

thats about it really, 16 yrs on the road, and 11 of those driving company cars and covering typically 40k per year.

also road bikes since i was 17, from 60mph c90 to 160mph vtr1000 which does give you another perspective on road users, no doubt about that. i've also driven various crap luton vans, transits, sprinters, vivaros and 7.5 tonners for work and on the side for extra £££, again all giving more perspective on the roads. also established plenty of vehicle handling skills over that time, and would happy argue that in spite of accident and speeding offence history, if based only on experience more than anything else, I'm actually quite a good driver compared with the majority of people I know, and all said and done, I'd say a pretty realistic 25-30%+ of road users dont deserve to hold a licence either because they cant drive in traffic, cant drive in bad weather/snow/ice/fog, cant drive at night, cant drive at speed, cant park safely or properly, dont have fast enough reflexes and some cant even see to the required standard to be on the road, making them an absolutely outrageous danger to themselves as well as everyone else on the road.

grrrrrrrr.

bah humbug

end of rant.

[Sprintinbits]

Interesting read Dollyboy.

Other than the early days getting banned, I would say that makes you quite a GOOD driver. 40,000+ miles a year.

I do about 30,000 a year and have had 2x 3 points for speeding and plenty of Parking/ congestion fines plus I did have a 50/50 accident with a motorbike. I was turning right in stationary traffic, he was overtaking on the wrong side of the road. You get the picture. Boss wasn't happy about the drivers door on the Maestro Van (1300 4-speed! -NICE). Biker was less amused about his broken shoulder.

Your motorbike incident 60+ in a 30 serves the tw@t right, no sympathy whatsoever for that!

2 seconds lapse of concentration at 30 mph? what was she like in the garage?

[tinweevil]

I truly believe that knowing my car would crumple in a way not at all good for my health makes me much more careful than the 90% of road abusers out there who believe themselves invulnerable. In any of my cars a direct head on or rear end I'd have a chance but if I were t-boned I be as dead as a dead thing. This knowledge focuses the mind.

In 20 years:

1) Still 17, didn't see a give way sign in the ashdown forest late one autumn night, saw the give way line too late, drop anchors and just as I think I'm going to be OK a car appears from the left and proceeds to stop to turn right, I almost avoided him, took his front bumper off. Neither of my passengers who were both still learning at the time saw the sign either so we went and had another look. Trees obscured it totally 'till you were less than 15' away, about 40% could not be seen from anywhere and it was so old it was no longer reflective. My only insurance claim. Next to no damage to my car.

2) Oncoming BMW overtaking a JCB on a bend causes me to lose control and hit said yellow thing. Well, it's tyre actually but a JCB tyre is a hell of a lot harder than a Mk 1 fester. b'stard beemer driver got away with it thanks to me taking avoiding action. If it happens again I'll brake but will not steer to avoid. Bonnet, inner & outer wing and front panel stoved in and pulled well down, sold as scrap, dunno if it was fixed or broken.

2 and a half) Dented one panel on a banger toymota I had for a while while moving it on drive at home. I really didn't care about that car so paid next to no attention when not on the roads. To be accurate I should say 'I put another dent in one panel of......' as every single panel including the roof was dented when I got it. I don't count this.

3) Cut up by w###ker on a roundabout, make my feelings well and truly clear for the next half mile in all the usual methods. F###ker runs me off the road at next roundabout right under the nose of a camera - YESSSS!!!! Contact police, provide reg no, case not prosecuted due to 'lack of evidence'. FFS! Fortunately the fact that I'd pursued a prosecution was sufficient that the council couldn't chase me for the sign I flattened. Bumper scrap otherwise minor marks.

4) Go out to car one morning to find car has been swiped in the night, OSF suspension and wing toast. Paint samples and neighbours eye witness report supplied to plod along with current location of a mini of the right colour with a damaged left side. Unfortunately the car has been dumped and burned out (but not reported stolen). It belonged to one of a group of youths well known to the plod for buying bangers and then driving them like twats ('joy riding for rich kids' plod called it). Case dropped due to lack of evidence. I now have ZERO respect for the capabilities of our police farce.

4 and a half) Reversed the wifes mini into the wifes vespa, again on the drive so I don't count this. I still get a good needling about that quite often. Utterly deserved because it was a stupid thing to do.

5) One three pointer for speeding, 36 in a 30 in Orange.

Annual mileage varies from 3k to 25k.

I've said since I passed my test that licenses should be issued for 10 years at a time with retests required for renewal. Rules change, road conditions change, memory fades and bad habits form so why the hell don't we need to retrain?

Tinweevil

[Sprintinbits]

I've said since I passed my test that licenses should be issued for 10 years at a time with retests required for renewal. Rules change, road conditions change, memory fades and bad habits form so why the hell don't we need to retrain?

Good point

Vehicles get tested every year.

Driver can go to 70?? if he/she is well behaved.

I would definately have failed a retest if I had not had the bike lessons
Guess about 50/50 now!

Just don't say it too loudly, think of the extra cash for President Blairs

[Neil907]

I've said since I passed my test that licenses should be issued for 10 years at a time with retests required for renewal. Rules change, road conditions change, memory fades and bad habits form so why the hell don't we need to retrain?

Tinweevil

Quite agree although I don’t think it would need to be a full test just a mini test to check your still safe and understand the current rules.
I also think you maybe have to have a second test 6months or so after your test, because I think they let some borderline drivers through expecting a big improvement with experience which doesn’t always happen.

[Dollyboy]

thinking about it, the 40k per year doesnt include my extra curricular trucking or bike riding...

if i applied myself properly I'd like to think I could re-pass both car and bike driving test if I swatted up a bit on the theory, but something tells me theres an element of complacency that would shaft my mission.

I've got a gps camera detector in the rep-mobile that is worth it's weight in gold. its one of these: http://www.speedsafe.co.uk/product.php? ... QgodxBGGNA

Work bought it for me (and one for every other fleet driver in our crew actually). cost about £120 at the time and that was a deal based on ordering 5. look how cheap they are now! best 1er you'll ever spend! it flags up most potential mobile camera sites as well as fixed sites, gives a sat-nav accurate speed reading and (touch mdf computer desk which is basically wood), since installed over 2 yrs ago, haven't been caught out once.

[2F45T4U]

Theres a roundabout not to far from me which people always cut lanes on. Was cut up by 3 different cars in less than a week! The last one wound me up so much as he cut me up twice on the same roundabout!

Next one will deffinatly be gettin rammed, what harms could it do?

[Jod Clark]

this bugged me and i phoned again and complained bitterly again telling them i was innocent and had no knowledge of the this law

This can never be a defence, its up to you to know the rules for the vehicle you're driving.

Next one will deffinatly be gettin rammed, what harms could it do?

No harm at all, until the driver you've just rammed spins into a lamp post and gets killed, at which point you get done for causing death by dangerous driving, irrespective of why you felt the need to ram him in the first place. Chill out a bit and give the idiots space to do their thing, it hurts much less than tangled metal or worse.

I do about 80,000 miles a year and have to deal with idiot drivers every day. Getting frustrated or angry doesn't help and won't make them change their ways, so I slow down, chill out and enjoy the ride. I stay safe and concentrate on being a good driver myself. Travelling by road is by far the most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis, it pays to remember that.

Strange how all the lunatics slow down to 5mph on the motorway to take a good look at the carnage and bloodshed following a major accident, then go straight back to sitting in the outside lane at 100+ like they're indestructible. Twats.

Jod