Bloody Maniac Drivers
One of the questions I get asked most in life — aside from “why are you so brilliant Jem?” — is why don’t I drive? Apart from the obvious, in that I can see my work front door from my front door, I really don’t think the world needs another maniac on the road.
On Sunday as Karl and I were on our way to my Mum’s, we pulled up at the traffic lights on a large roundabout as the lights changed to green. Just as Karl put his foot on the accelerator to pull off, some total tosser in a flash new Jaguar came out of nowhere, jumped the red light that should stop the cars approaching our junction and nearly ran in to the front of the car.
This evening, on the way back from my Mum’s (I had to pick up some parcels; a new t-shirt or two) a couple of cars overtook Karl on a sharp U-turn bend. Now, this is not new because Karl drives at the speed limit. It’s because of this obviously crazy (rolling my eyes here) attention to the law that means we get 400 miles to a tank of petrol.
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked… we’re just coming off this bend as we’re overtaken by two boyracers obviously playing kiss-chase. Fair enough. Except, that’s not enough because approaching another blind right-hand bend a ponced-up Fiat decides to thrash it past us. We laughed as the traffic lights ahead changed to red and the first two drivers slammed on their brakes but to my horror, the Fiat overtook the two barely-stopped cars, running the very obviously RED light!
What the hell is it with these stupid asshole drivers? And people feel the need to ask why I don’t drive…
Aisling said:
On 03 Oct at 8:47 pm
I don’t drive either, because in eighth grade (which is the year you can apply to get your Learner’s Permit here) the police officer showed us movies of teenagers being impaled and attached TO trees. I’ve been scared to death ever since. Now, I’m 19, and still rely on my parentals or the bus system for a ride!
Annie said:
On 03 Oct at 9:00 pm
I resent that, I’m actually quite a good driver. :P *Ahem* In all seriousness, I can’t answer that. Actually yes I can – stupidity. I think the driving – compared to this county – in Wolverhampton and Birmingham is bad. That’s only judging by a few idiots though. I’d have to say Italian bikers (particularly the moped drivers) are the craziest! I was on the coach and a whole column of moped drivers decided to drive through an extremely narrow gap between our coach and another one – on a bend too! Gone off the tangent a little. The unsafe driving adapted by some is the main reason why my friend refuses to learn.
Rachael said:
On 03 Oct at 9:06 pm
Driving isn’t that bad… Most of the time. I’ve had rather a few near misses in my time, to the point that I seriously wonder whether my car is invisible. To me, though, the pros outweigh the cons. You’ll get idiots everywhere, just as you do on the Internet. Think of tosspot drivers as e-drama n00bs.
Jem said:
On 03 Oct at 9:12 pm
But Rachael, I am pretty sure you don’t end up fatally wounded when drama n00bs crash… Anyway, it’s not that I’m worried about being crashed into.. I’m sure my invincible e-powers would save me. It’s more the thought of spending several £££ on a car only to have some other twat wreck it.
Veronica said:
On 03 Oct at 9:33 pm
Yeah driving can be scary, and I have had a few near misses (a large truck almost hydroplaned into my and my Camry, missed me because I sped up when I saw the truck coming at me and hit a pole. Fast reflexes are nice) and I probably wouldn’t dive if I didn’t to. It always seem when you are having the worst day or even the best you encounter morons on the road. I have so many pet peeves when it comes to dumbass drivers :/
Amelie said:
On 03 Oct at 9:45 pm
I seriously wonder whether some of these people have licences – and I wouldn’t be surprised if all these boy racer types haven’t. I was following a small car today which was crammed with teenage boys. It was swaying all over the road and although it was doing the speed limit the driver really didn’t look like they knew what they were doing. As we came to some traffic lights, said car suddenly turned into a side road (I say turned… But think of a car lurching really widely into a turn, almost too wide to get into the road) right in front of oncoming traffic. If I hadn’t been driving at the time I would’ve called the police, that driver was obviously drunk or seriously incompetent or asleep or something. Compare this to the guy who overtook me as I turned onto a busy main road at a roundabout. Said road has a sharp bend and a lane merge right at this junction, so aside from the traffic it’s quite a nasty turn. Some idiot decided I wasn’t turning fast enough so he overtook me on this bend, went straight in front of oncoming traffic AND traffic waiting in the next lane at our junction to turn right. He got all of about 2 car lengths ahead of me before he got stuck behind a bus (and couldn’t overtake. I saw him try several times). Ha ha. >:) Seriously though, I worry that half these people don’t have the proper insurance/licences or whatever to drive properly, which means if they hit you, it won’t be their insurance that pays for the damage to your car, it’ll be you (or your insurance if you’re fully comp… But you’ll lose your no claims and stuff). I think it’s because people are so used to getting everything more quickly… Internet = faster than ever, cars = more powerful, etc., yet speed limits are getting lower and traffic jams are getting worse and people want a quick solution like there is to everything else. That or they’re just idiots (probably more likely).
Grant said:
On 03 Oct at 10:20 pm
I am getting my motor bike in December and cant wait to get my car next year! But i would be sensible and is running a red light and acting hard or big really worth all the money you paid for that license or for the car if you crash!
*chanel. said:
On 03 Oct at 10:49 pm
Girl, I just started driving in April and I be leaving dust! It’s so invigorating.
V said:
On 03 Oct at 11:00 pm
I don’t drive either. I never learned and I quite like public transportation, actually (aside from the crazy people/perverts/annoying people that tend to accost me :P). You can’t read and/or play your Nintendo DS with getting arrested and/or dead, can you? Plus, I’d be a terrible driver. I’ve had road rage since I could sit upright.
SarahG said:
On 03 Oct at 11:03 pm
I’ve been driving for over 10 years now. In that time I’ve had 2 accidents. The first was when I was run off the road on the M25 by a french car. Scraping the side of the car down the central reservation at 70 miles an hour isn’t fun! The second was more funny (especially when explaining it to the insurance company), my car slid down a hill of snow in Austria. With it being a Smart everyone asked if I was just going sledging ;o) However you’re right, there are so many idiots on the road these days. So far I’ve been lucky in predicting when people are about to cut me up on roundabouts and have avoided a lot of crashes. As for losing a lot of money in an accident, I have a special insurance that means that if my car gets written off (or stolen) I’ll get the full value back. It’s nice to know but obviously I hope I don’t need to use it! Still, if you can get away without the need for a car then why not? It’s an expensive past time anyway, especially with petrol at £1 a litre now!
Kaylee said:
On 04 Oct at 12:28 am
I’m scared of driving; when I have the opportunity to learn I think that I’ll stay away. If I can’t stop crashing into the walls in video games, do I really trust myself to try it in real life? I know it’s different but…
Sarah said:
On 04 Oct at 12:56 am
Wow, that entry was chock full of British-isms, or at least non-American phrasing! First with the obvious “Mum,” then “total tosser,” “flash new,” “jumped” the red light instead of “ran” the red light, “parcels,” “petrol,” “boyracers”, “kiss-chase,” “bend” instead of “turn,” “ponced-up,” and “thrash it.”
CHESSNOID said:
On 04 Oct at 1:27 am
Gosh, you had a bad day. I am always on the lookout for bad drivers here and just try to get out of their way because I don’t want to become their victims. I can understand why you don’t drive. Occasionally, where I live, some people will get road rage and shoot at these people on the freeways if they get them mad.
Ang said:
On 04 Oct at 1:29 am
Favorite part about this entry: all the so-very-English lingo. Adorable!
Annie said:
On 04 Oct at 1:46 am
In my Driver’s Ed class the other day, we were shown a video that had police shoveling up someone’s brains off that road that came out of someone’s head from a car crash. Those videos really don’t make me want to drive, so I totally understand what you’re saying.
Dave said:
On 04 Oct at 2:46 am
Spot on, Jem. That’s the exact reason I don’t drive. Our lives are in some idiots hands (most likely just coming out of puberty too) when we’re on the road. Murder. Death. Kill.
Mumblies said:
On 04 Oct at 6:20 am
Ah yes……. those will be some of the charming element of “careful sedate drivers” that we are blessed with around here. The Police obviously don’t consider them to be dangerous drivers (just like the muppet in the transit van that overtook me and three other cars yesterday and ran the red light by TCAT) or one would presume they might spend a bit more time chasing them and stopping them. They presumably belong to the “telfordcruz.com” rabble that endanger peoples lives most of the time, you know, like the one that sadly (yay) lost his life at the large roundabout at the top of Tescos last year (serves him right!) This i presume must be true as our local police force seem to totally ignore these drivers (maybe they are members too) and spend their time doing nothing (or from what i have seen)
Nan said:
On 04 Oct at 6:58 am
Ouch. I am going to my first driving lesson this October. I think I have a good attitude when it comes to driving but I know that you can’t expect much from other drivers. I’ll be good though – I like my life and intend to keep it.
Karl said:
On 04 Oct at 7:49 am
Well, I STILL think that cars should come with a built in “blow up the engine” button for moments like last night..To be fair, it was a Punto..the brakes had probably rusted away. Heh. I was taught to drive at the limit and no more, but to drive according to the conditions as well..in the words of my instructor – “better to get there late than not at all, boyo.” I know the Astra is an old car now, and it’s not worth much at all, but…it wipes the floor with a lot of cars for mileage on fuel, and it does the job.
Jordie said:
On 04 Oct at 9:06 am
So you don’t drive because you’re afraid of becoming one of these asshole drivers? Kidding. :P I can’t wait to get my license, so if you ever visit Perth and see some nutter racing around flipping the bird at everyone, it’s probably me.
Jem said:
On 04 Oct at 9:35 am
Actually, you’re not too far from the truth. I suffer from mega road rage, just as a passenger!
Rachael said:
On 04 Oct at 11:01 am
That hurts. *pout* My car is actually at the dealer’s right now because it’s only doing 29mpg. You’d think being a tiny little VW would make its mpg ridiculously high…
Karl said:
On 04 Oct at 1:32 pm
Well, it’s a 1997 1.6 automatic, 5 door, short trips (usually at sub 40mph, up and down hills), and bearing in mind the automatic is *supposed* to be far worse on fuel than a manual..I get 400-480 miles to 50litres of fuel before I chicken out and refill. So it works out anywhere between 36 and 45 mpg depending on the temperature and type of driving I do..but it’s never dipped below 400 to a tank in 2 years, even with a blown head gasket or it’s currently leaky exhaust (including usage of the sports mode button). I really don’t know how it keeps that MPG..heh. I do home servicing as well..dealers haven’t seen it since I bought it..
Hev said:
On 04 Oct at 8:15 pm
I know what you are saying, Jem. I hate drivers today. There is not once when I am out that they don’t try at least once to either hit my mother & me or try & run us off the road. I can’t drive anymore due to my seizures. I can hardly stand it. Sometimes I wonder how in the world did they pass their driving test.
Kryz said:
On 08 Oct at 5:18 am
Bwah! I agree with you about the maniac drivers! I just got my driver license few months ago. I had to get one for my goodness sake, anyways. Ive noticed a lot of crazy drivers out there who drove crazier than me. I was thinking in my head, how in the world did they pass the drivers test?! Oh well.. Thats life and the deer almost ran to the road earlier today. Stupid animals! =/
Gem said:
On 24 Oct at 5:57 pm
I passed my test last week and I haven’t driven since, I’m terrified now that my istructor’s not in the car cause there are that many ass holes on the road and I suffer from slight female related road rage anyway so I’m glad I’ve passed cause it means that everyone’s off my back but I doubt very much if i’ll drive often at all. Far too scarey!
Telford is Full of Chavs — jemjabella.co.uk said:
On 15 Apr at 4:59 pm
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