This happened the other evening...

I was waiting for the lights to change at a roundabout, junction of M2 and A229 for anyone who knows it.

There are 3 lanes entering the roundabout. Lane 1 is marked for 1st exit only (a twin lane slip road onto the M2). Lane 2 is marked for exits 1, 2 or 3. Lane 3 is marked for exits 2 & 3 (or 3 only, irrelevent here).

I'm in Lane 2, indicating left, as I want to take the first exit.

Lights go green so I pull away into the right lane of the slip road, narrowly missing being T-boned by a learner in a Clio who's decided to head for the 2nd exit from the 1st-exit-only lane 1. :eek:

I suppose I should have realised that the learner isn't allowed on the motorway, BUT it seems that most people do't bother removing the L-plates when the learner isn't using the car. Wish I'd been able to stop to explain the error of their ways but not really possible once I'd passed the blue M-way signs.

Makes you wonder. If that's how people are being TAUGHT to drive (this wasn't a driving school car, just a private one with L-plates), no wonder the standard of driving in this country is taking a nose-dive....

Rant over.

see um every day i'm affraid, ******* who cant drive!

Yeah, agreed, you'd just *hope* that people who are teaching others wouldn't foist their bad habits on learners... Oh well!

Why oh why do people bother to try and teach the spouse to drive... like most things in life... leave it to the damn professionals!

Gareth

Unfortunately a LOT of the so-called professionals scare the hell out of me too. Sure there are good ones, and I applaud them for sticking with doing their job and doing it right - I couldnt do it, my nerves wouldn't handle it

Basic things like not driving on sidelights in the fog... Just having the lights on in the first place during rain or muggy conditions. Indicating, allowing safe distance, etc etc.

Some instructors actually told one of my friends to turn OFF the lights when she turned them on during rain. We changed instructors the same day.

I would not feel qualified to instruct a learning driver as I have some bad habits no doubt - and I wouldnt want to be responsible for causing someone else to start off wrongly. That's where proper instructors really make a massive difference, and they are also trained regularly to keep up-to-date with the latest greatest changes in recommendations/law.

IIRC one of the guys here runs a tuned-up Furby for his driving school? Good choice

I use my furby for teaching learners and instructors (and Chris just picked his new one up too.. [for his learners])

It's amazing how many people simply do not have a clue how to use a roundabout and the whole concept of looking at road markings seems to be missed by most. But nothing - and I mean nothing - winds me up as much as people in the middle or outside lanes of a motorway completely oblivious to anything behind them. Then suddenly they wake up and dart acrooss into the lane they should be in. Why is there no test to be taken before getting on a motorway, you simply pass your regular test and get on the fastest, busiest roads, with absolutely no experience of them. It's barmy! :eek:

What anows me is when they paint lines on roundabout, the lanes don't always follow round and you end up in the wrong lane. I know the above roundabout well it can be confuseing as they paint arrows on the road, alright if you use it regulary, if your new to the roundabut you can't see the lanes when there are queued cars waiting at lights so have to take pot luck as to which lane you need, I hope that makes sense :confused:

What anows me is when they paint lines on roundabout, the lanes don't always follow round and you end up in the wrong lane. I know the above roundabout well it can be confuseing as they paint arrows on the road, alright if you use it regulary, if your new to the roundabut you can't see the lanes when there are queued cars waiting at lights so have to take pot luck as to which lane you need, I hope that makes sense :confused:

Yeah, I've often looked for better signage at roundabouts, but the difficulty is a design easy enough to be read at speed, and complying with regulations. They like putting the 'dots' (and thats the technical term for them too ) to guide you into the correct lane but not so good if no-one notices them! Always surprises me how quickly they wear out- they are thermoplastic after all, but I've always said that cats-eyes should be used at night as markings, the glow at night would help, and in the day and night it is clear if you hit a marking! However that is currently not permitted.

Roundabouts are notoriously difficult to mark- I have the plans on my desk now, big A0 sheet, of one and I can spot a few ambiguties already and I like exploiting them when I go round it. Perhaps we should all get a plan of them ! Trick with most roundabouts it a good left mirror and ensuring you keep left near your exit! But then the basics would help with most people. If you are going right, the right hand lane may be useful!

However as you say most roundabouts are badly marked, a fault from the past when it wasn't as well looked at. They used to just draw them 'full circle' but now they dry and draw them to guide people into the correct lanes. However as you say the old markings are still around and as a result people get confused mixing the two. Newly marked roundabouts are usually much better.

Anyway, back on topic, on Friday I went into the town, and was nearly in 2 accidents when I wasn't driving. First one I nearly went throught the bus windscreen as some Merc driver failed to stop at a give-way and carried on! I then got on another bus and he was flashed out by other bus driver who pulled in behind. Then idiot van driver who was impatient, floored it to get past the first bus and nearly smashed into the side of my bus. I wasn't impressed and you could see him he was weaving about arms flailing desperate to get on with it, when peak traffic was really just moving slowly. Then we undertook him in the bus lane

Thats the biggest problem with driving today, lack of patience- people need to chill- whats 2 minutes in the grand scheme of things. I prefer to just cruise than drive like an idiot all stressed.

The magic roundabout system gets my vote :P