Drove past this on the way to work yesterday and was pretty much expecting this. Basically they've all gone straight on at a t-junction unable to stop. The thing is the approach is 1/3 mile arrow-straight and there's plenty of signage etc. Practically everyone using that road will be local and aware of the junction. Leaving work the evening before it was snowing heavily and like an ice rink. Only a slow crawl was safe. The golf was already in there as i went past! The other two obviously plopped in later.

Why oh why can't people take the conditions into account - it just beggars belief. I can just imagine them probably reaching their normal speed on the approach, maybe thinking the steering feels a bit funny if they noticed anything at all, choosing their normal braking point, then oh sh*t. BMW owner probably believed 4WD and being in an 'offroader' (albeit with huge wide summer tyres that may as well be skis) gives more grip. Quite simply if you're capable of such poor judgement, you shouldn't be on the bloo*y road at all. In any conditions. Grrrrrr!

There's something about that junction and i just can't figure it out. There's a car in that ditch every month or two whatever the conditions. Notice the flowers and photo on the sign post from a previous incident that ended much further into the field in normal conditions! Is it the dead straight approach and good visibility of the junction that temps people into reaching a stupid speed that they somehow forget to slow down from in time? I really dunno, just can't fathom how so many people get it wrong there.

Just thought I'd share the photo. Be careful out there of muppets like this.

Liam
Rescued attachment PC213010small.JPG

yeah loads of incompetent drivers round here too with heavy feet

We have three junctions like that round here in Fife. They always have wrecks in the fields.
theres two sharp right handers that claim a stack of stupids...

Just a perfect demonstration of Darwinism.

I got the other extreme this morning. 15 miles behind a landrover doing 20 - 25 miles an hour on gritted roads which whilst they weren't perfectly clear, there was no ice as the temp was 1.5 degrees. he virtually stopped at the base of all the hills to engage low ratio I think. Eventually got a clear bit of road and was able to overtake in my 2wd saloon. That guy took about 20 minutes of my life and I'll never get it back

I am scared sh1tless of driving in this weather, not because of my ability or judgement, but the lack of it from other people. I have nearly been t-boned several times this last week from people not stopping as they approach the road I am on.

So last night I went to Paradoxia0's house, but decided to walk. I saw loads of cars driving over the sensible speed and saw 3 'almost accidents' of people just not slowing down for junctions.

Yes its slippery, but driven with care it can be safe enough.

Take care people

Well if there's a car or in the ditch every month or so maybe it's not all down to bad driving in snowy conditions.

I sometimes wonder if there are any locost builders who are not brilliantly expert drivers ( I'm not )

That picture is quite funny.
To be fair I'd rather be sat behind someone going stupid low than infront of someone driving far too fast for the conditions. I'm surprised that anyones surprised, you can't go out without seeing stupid and dangerous driving.
The governments way to solve it is to make driving tests harder, but that doesn't help because so many idiots have lisenses already.
So many People skive off in the snow now that I'm surprised people who don't know how to drive in snow or who are afraid of it bother.

quote:

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Originally posted by Macbeast
Well if there's a car or in the ditch every month or so maybe it's not all down to bad driving in snowy conditions.

I sometimes wonder if there are any locost builders who are not brilliantly expert drivers ( I'm not )

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This bloke managed to crash his 737 in the ice!!

link

quote:

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Originally posted by Macbeast
I sometimes wonder if there are any locost builders who are not brilliantly expert drivers ( I'm not )

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In surveys 80% of people believe that they are better than average drivers.

Not nice on a bicycle today this week.


Matt

quote:

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Originally posted by matt_gsxr
In surveys 80% of people believe that they are better than average drivers.

Not nice on a bicycle today this week.


Matt

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maybe he doesnt have a choice for getting around? I have a 10 mile cycle everyday regardless of weather, which currently means I have to be very tentative.

Also, I have a road bike, not a mountain bike - I dream of having the amount of traction he was getting

My boss got piles from riding his bike in the cold.

quote:

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Originally posted by morcus
My boss got piles from riding his bike in the cold.

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I cycled in this morning at -6 deg C and the conditions were horrible. Lots of ice, but atleast you see it at a slower speed.

quote:

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Originally posted by cd.thomson

quote:

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Originally posted by morcus
My boss got piles from riding his bike in the cold.

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I imagine it was the constipation that gave him piles

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There are loads of people who believe that they are good drivers. When one sees their antics it is blatantly obvious that their idea of 'good' does not fit their driving.

I had to go with my daughter to the ferry to collect my son-in-law on the first day of the snow. She drove there - her first time driving in snow over 2" deep. She followed my instructions and said that it was much easier than she thought it would be. She said that she had thought that driving in 3"+ would have been harder - that was until she seen the other numtys on the road. They were all over the show, even the ones in 4x4s. I think that she realised that it was my instruction that was keeping her on the road and out of the ditches.

When I was much younger (a year or two back) when the weather was like present, there were men walking the streets scattering salt/grit on the roads and pavements. You are lucky if you see a gritting lorry come anyway near the side streets.

Take it easy

i believe everyone thinks they are a good driver because everyone drives to different targets. Some aim to never crash at all costs, and drive very cautiously; others aim to get where they are going quickly, so always change lanes, hammer down side streets, jump queues, pull out in tight gaps (must confess this is probably me); others might think they are good because they never leave their foglight on longer than needed, always spot hazards early, adjust their headlight height to suit each road, read situations quick and well, ie experience and roadcraft.

You could call me crap as ive had 8 crashes and counting, but i can quite happily handbrake between parked cars. I think my friend is crap because he drives like a lunatic on straights, but he still hesitates on roundabouts.

And then there are people who just dont think about how they are driving, and dont realise that all the horns and flashing lights are for them, but think they are good because they've only scraped the gate post once.

just as a matter of interest is that the turn off to Cranfield? if it is I have seen loads of cars in the ditch there, people belt down the straight and forget about the junction!

I was just going to say looks like the Cranfield airfield junction, my lad uses it every day.

Dave

That picture does make you wonder about some drivers, particularly the second and third. If, as you say, they have a 1/3rd mile straight then they should be able to see a car in the ditch. Does it not occur to them to wonder why it is there?

Given I have spent a fair amount of time and money on driver training and had my driving assessed I know I am above average.

Still did not stop me from nearly cocking up couple of days ago while out in the snow.

None of us are perfect...

We regularly get into these rants about reps and bad driving but why is it always so bad.
My commute is 15k per year of which most is motorway. In this weather you definately try to leave sufficient thinking and braking distance and what? - you have 3 vectras and Beemers ramming their way into your space. One flash of the indicator if you are lucky and no smooth action or finesse to be seen. Everyone around them hits the brakes because no-one knows what they will do next - net result, the traffic all slows down for these people as they don't know what's coming next.

It wouldn't surprise me if this is why there are 3 cars parked on top of each other in the pic above. A plush tintop owned by someone else with aircon and satnav and some people are indestructable in any weather on any road.

rant over, drive carefully guys and may santa bring you lots of locost goodies!

Yup, Cranfield junction. Probably students from somewhere sunny where they've never seen snow.

It is indeed the turning towards cranfield uni/airfield!

It's just a thought but if so many of you know the junction why am I the only one round here on "locostbuilder locations"?

not seen any crashed cars round here yet, a few broken down though...

and lots of 4x4's sliding around the place so its only a matter of time I guess

personaly the best car I've ever had in the snow was my old 106: lightweight, skinny tyres, small engine, fairly well balanced and worth next to nothing - it was great fun if you could find somewhere with nothing to hit

[Edited on 23/12/09 by mcerd1]

that photo is brilliant! People seem to not bother slowing down, I was in the car today doing about 30 (60 limit) on very slushy back road with temperature at 0C - -1C and a lot of obvious ice patches, when a car came the other way doing about 70, crikey I was just hoping his accident happened after he past me!!!

The ice on the road in my villlage is now almost 3 inches thick in places, I think is due to water running underneath and then freezing, Its getting very bumpy!! I'll have to get a picture.

Yeah everyone one here should be driving in F1 apparently....... but in blizzard conditions yesterday when I was pootling along at 30mph in a big safe Saab and quite frankly scared to do much more as I could feel the wheels spinning every time I touched the accelerator - I was overtaken by a learner motorcyclist on a 125 doing at least 50..... ok he had both feet off the footrests and everything which would have saved him but !!!!

Today i have experienced four major road closures (inc A27 and A26), a van ar*e up in a ditch, a fiesta that somehow managed to find its was onto a hedge with the front end hanging off, an articulated lorry halfway up a bank and a BMW going head on into a concrete wall!!!

All these accidents were on major roads while i delivered to 19 seperate addresses all of which were on back roads which weren't gritted and looked like this:





and managed to get back well within time and without even a scratch on the van!

There are some total idiots on the roads

I think that photo is quite funny, assuming no one was hurt, which it doesnt look like there was.

I agree that people dont seem to be able to drive in the snow/ice.

There are 2 extremes here:

1 - those that drive at 20mph even on gritted and clear main roads on the straights just annoying everyone.

2 - those that drive like total loonies and still try to do 70mph everywhere.

I like to think I am somewhere in the middle, by no means perfect but *touch wood* I havent had any problems yet. If I know the road and its clear I am happy to drive at normal speeds on the straight and hazard free bits and slow down a bit in advance just in case there's any black ice on the corners. If the road looks like the road outside my house (like the pics above - just a sheet of ice) then I drive at a much reduced speed.

I do quite enjoy driving in the snow and ice and see it as a bit of a challenge.

quote:

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Originally posted by flak monkey
I like to think I am somewhere in the middle, by no means perfect but *touch wood* I havent had any problems yet. If I know the road and its clear I am happy to drive at normal speeds on the straight and hazard free bits and slow down a bit in advance just in case there's any black ice on the corners. If the road looks like the road outside my house (like the pics above - just a sheet of ice) then I drive at a much reduced speed.

I do quite enjoy driving in the snow and ice and see it as a bit of a challenge.

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are you a good driver is a very interesting question.
in my opinion at least 60% of people that use the roads are most definatley not judging by the way i see them drive.

i would count myself as a good driver and have 16 years ncb to back my claim up
numerous minor speeding fines would disagree though.
sadly safe speed is a impossability in the eyes of the law. (don't get me started on seat belts either)
What makes a good driver is most definatley experience which leads to better judgement lets not forget when driving you have to constantly have to make split second decisions, i can make a journey and before someone even does a stupid lane change ect i have all ready known what they were gonna do also lots of this has come from riding motorbikes on the road.
The worst driving i see is always in town when people think because they are going slower they can do whatever they like also the fact people feel invincible in their tin box's with all the safety gear is also making people unaware of the reality that they can easily kill someone.
i think making them drive to work in a locost for a week may change their feeling of security

you can have the best 4x4 in the world, but if its icy you will still slide....