Good driving ettiquette

[RobW]

I would like to think I am a reasonably good driver. Not an expert by any means but am courteous and always looking way ahead to see whats happening.

For example, if i am passing a car on the dual and he is rapidly approaching a much slower car, I will speed up so he can get out without having to brake.

And on a roundabout, I will not drive on the door handles, going a bit slower means people at the next junction onto the roundabout have a chance to go.

Or if I am in a line of traffic (mostly in a town) and there is a car going the other way waiting to turn right with a huge line behind them, I will slow down, not stop, just slow down enough for them to go and let everyone get on their way.

Things like this to me are just common sense but I see so many people on the roads who cannot see past their own bonnet and fail to plan for what might happen!

What sort of things do you find yourself doing that you have not seen many, or anyone else doing?

*EDIT* Forgot to add the headlight debacle! Was driving today at sunset and visibility was poor due to wet roads, low sun, poor light and the amount of nuggets with no lights on was incredible!

[Grumpy1954]

I do most of the things you do, most of the time. That's how I was taught, but these days the emphasis is different, people are more interested in what they themselves are doing than the traffic around them. Also my wife counted 40 cars in 5 miles with defective headlights.
Saw a woman this afternoon, after I had to stop to let cars come out of Greenfields garden centre and produce main entrance, she correctly stopped the car to take a mobile phone call, but done it in a big 4x4 just inside the entrance, forcing cars to exit on the wrong side of the road
More and better driver training?

[Birchy63]

I take the opposite approach to islands, the faster I go, the bigger the gap behind me = people can pull out

[Grumpy1954]

I take the opposite approach to islands, the faster I go, the bigger the gap behind me = people can pull out

Lol, depends if I've got a prat in a Micra or similar tailgating me, been known to "forget" to turn Cruise off at roundabouts.....

[Big Knox]

Just accept that the roads are full of idiots who couldn't care less about anyone else's journey but their own and you'll not be far off. There are a few courteous drivers out there like us but not many.

One of the things I do is if I'm coming up behind a vehicle thats closing on a lorry, I'll flash it out even before they indicate because I know the lorry is speed limited to 60 and so they'll need to pull out. Unlike the majority of ejits who usually end up right beside me as I need to pull out and so cause me to brake.

[GSiFan]

As per the above, really. There are a lot of idiots out there but that does not excuse becoming one of them.

If I were to sum up my driving style, I'd say that I try to give people space. Things like when you can see that someone is going to overtake, giving them the latitude to do so. Being careful on roundabouts too. Basically I just try to observe and think ahead.

Often, after a couple of hour's drive, I'll find myself exhausted! I think it may have something to do with driving about a thousand people's individual drives whilst driving myself!

A big problem I have is my temper at times. I find it hard to let things go. I need to work on that or I'll get into a fight some day!

Paul

[Grumpy1954]

As per the above, really. There are a lot of idiots out there but that does not excuse becoming one of them.

If I were to sum up my driving style, I'd say that I try to give people space. Things like when you can see that someone is going to overtake, giving them the latitude to do so. Being careful on roundabouts too. Basically I just try to observe and think ahead.

Often, after a couple of hour's drive, I'll find myself exhausted! I think it may have something to do with driving about a thousand people's individual drives whilst driving myself!

A big problem I have is my temper at times. I find it hard to let things go. I need to work on that or I'll get into a fight some day!

Paul

Vast majority of the time I try to read the road and traffic flow, I normally speed up or slow down a bit to keep distance. I get peeved at times, when I'm maintaining a safe braking distance and some nob screams past me, then cuts in sharp and brakes.
Generally I find it a lot less stressful to just give people space, the point about lorries is good, at least half the "road rage" incidents I see are unnecessary. Easier and safer to let the nutters go.

[frasedeb]

[QUOTE=Big Knox;

. Unlike the majority of ejits who usually end up right beside me as I need to pull out and so cause me to brake.[/QUOTE]

Why do people do this, maybe i should just sit in the middle lane with my cruise at 70 and not have to worry about having a gap to pull out

[GSiFan]

^^ I agree.

Paul

[northern lad]

I try and be curtious whenever im driving but theres only a few things that get me a bit riled up

when coming onto the dual carriage way on the way to work im usually in the fast lane however its 50 mph limit for about half a mile but then goes into 70, the amount of people who do 70 stright off the roundabout is unreal, if im in the outside lane and someone is sitting on my bumper I WILL stick to the speed limit, even when it goes into the 70 will sit bang on 70, now say if they drove courtiously say more than 3 feet away from my bumper I would gladly pull over and let them by, same applies to people tailgating other motorists, especially when you see its a young driver or elderly person being followed by a complete ar.se, I sometimes like to see how they feel if the tables are turned (not many times but hey ive done it)