Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Boy racers and drivers who don’t say thanks when you’ve let them out are the two most annoying types of road user for British motorists, according to an AA/Autocar survey that shows there’s a need for better manners on the UK’s roads.

Boy racers are the most annoying, with 42 per cent of UK drivers naming them as their number one irritation, but 41 per cent of those surveyed named drivers who don’t say thanks as the type they most dislike.

AA president Edmund King said, “Many dri...Read the full article

For me, it's women drivers. Men take too many risks, and women are too cautious. For me, driving means having to take small risks. And before anyone asks, here's an example. You're waiting at a T junction to turn left. You see a string of cars all coming down the road with their left hand indicators on to turn into your road. A man simply pulls out, expecting all of them to turn as they are indicating. I have sat behind women who will wait for ALL the cars to turn in before they dare pull out. Here's the rub though. Two months ago I was in exactly that situation. Saw a youngish woman in a car with her left hand indicator on as I was waiting to pull out. So I did. You can guess the next bit. The next thing I know her bonnet is right at my side window and she is horning it. She also had turned off her indicator. Fortunately she was going the same way as me and followed me for six miles. When I got to a T junction I stopped, got out and went and tapped on her window and explained why I pulled out in front of her. She apologised, but I had the suspicion from her reaction that she had realised at the moment she nearly hit me the reason why.

Have to say that I don't have a sexist bone in my body, it's just that women and men have different brain patterns, and men make better drivers overall.

Well. Last week's survey said tailgaters were the most annoying drivers. I wonder what next week's survey will say? The AA run a pretty good breakdown service; perhaps they should stick to that while they are still ahead!

 I find far more women than men fail to acknowledge when you let them out/pass on a narrow section of road.

I think I could sum it up by saying men are arrogant, women are ignorant.

I was taught from day one to treat all other drivers like idiots and not to expect anything. So nothing suprises me at all. The ignorant ones just make me laugh rather than get annoyed!

And as for pulling out of a T junction when other cars have their indicators on, am I the only bloke that doesn't take it for granted and doesn't pull out??

golfman:

Two months ago I was in exactly that situation. Saw a youngish woman in a car with her left hand indicator on as I was waiting to pull out. So I did. You can guess the next bit. The next thing I know her bonnet is right at my side window and she is horning it. She also had turned off her indicator.

 

The only problem with this story is that unfortunately it is you that is in the wrong. Making assumptions while driving is dangerous and she had every right to change her mind.

Yip I agree, you should not assume that because a car is indicating that it is indeed turning.  Not all indicators self-cancel all of the time and the driver may be unaware that they are indicating.  Pulling out in front of another vehicle would make you the culprit, not the other person.

As for 'most annoying', I thought that title was already won by BMW drivers...

R32:

As for 'most annoying', I thought that title was already won by BMW drivers...

I thought that title had been past on to Audi drivers??

One of my pet hates are people who think that because they have indicated that means they do not have to think or look.

Fog lights as well, very rarely is there any need for them and when there is they seem to be largely ineffective anyway.

The major one though is people speeding through 30 limits at 40mph then  doing the same speed after them. If you can't do 60 in a 60 then why does that entitle you to do 40 in a 30 where there are schools and other detritus?

sportwagon:

Well. Last week's survey said tailgaters were the most annoying drivers. I wonder what next week's survey will say? The AA run a pretty good breakdown service; perhaps they should stick to that while they are still ahead!

Personnally I find AA van drivers the most annoying drivers, pretending to be an 'emergency service' in their bright yellow vans...

JontyB:

was taught from day one to treat all other drivers like idiots and not to expect anything.

I'm sure you were taught to treat other drivers as 'hazards', rather than 'idiots'. As, logically, they will be, as they should be, treating you as a hazard. Thus, you will all be ready to expect anything and be ready to deal with it within the realms of your own expertise.

I find these 'surveys' of very little importance. Particularly, when then select a section of the driving community for special attention whether they deserve it, or not. Many use these misguided references to section of motorists to divert attention from their own weaknesses behind the wheel. We all have our moments on the road.

Rather than sidelining an group of drivers, who are just a small part of a bigger group, we should consider our own driving standards. To fall into the trap of considering one group worse than another makes you no better than they are. From this, good manners will fall into place.

Like all things in life, driving is no different. Respect engenders respect in others.

 Like anything, driving is a skill, some people are good at it, but unfortunately a large number of people aren't. Boy racers, tailgaters, people who use foglights all the time even though it is illegal, people who use mobile phones whilst they are driving, etc are all showing a low level of knowledge and skill about cars and driving.