My Little Rant

[turbo ute79]

Okay so this is my little rant about annoying/ dangerous drivers.

I probably drive on average 1000km most weeks in between Moura, gladstone, backwater, dysart and moranbah. My work vehicle is a medium rigid truck and weighs 8 tons. Flat out down a hill with a tailwind if you have a big set of nuts top speed is around 130. Flat out on the flat around 110-115. Some hills if steep I'm down to 60km/h. Some of the roads I drive on are a disgrace.

I actually like driving the truck. You really can't get into too much trouble from the plod (unlike my ute), driving 4 hrs gives me time to listen to my music and dream up things to do to my car/house, and drink lots of ice break. If we have 2 people goin to a job you just talk sh*t and if we are coming home and you are passenger it's usually beer o'clock.

The thing that sh*ts me is the amount of dumb things I see that endanger MY life. Not one trip do I go on do I not see someone do something dumb or inconsiderate. Funnily enough it's not excessive speed or burnouts that I see that are dangerous. What I see on a daily basis is

Overtaking on double white lines with road trains coming the other way, 50 meters to spare with both me and the truck breaking heavily.

Overtaking in roadworks zones

Overtaking on blind crests in the rain at night.

People that do 85 kp/h then speed up to 110 on overtaking lane ( usually caravans and old people)

Tailgating

High beams at night

Disregarding police escorting a wide load only to have to reverse 100m back over a bridge (that one was kinda funny)

I might sound like a bit of a hypocrite because I have done some really dumb things in my life but I just get so worked up when some of this

happens. I thought maybe some other people could share some stories.

Surely I'm not the only one out there who sees this stuff all the time.

for listening to my rant.

[Dillz]

  On 05/08/2011 at 1:03 PM, turbo ute79 said:

People that do 85 kp/h then speed up to 110 on overtaking lane ( usually caravans and old people)

Tailgating

My fav, and why I love the the T. Speed up to what ever you want, I'll still go flying past you.

Unfortunately no matter who they are peoples confidence increases by about 100 fold once behind the wheel, I've learnt this over the years as a courier, traffic controller and just general public but I've also learnt that once confronted these people retract almost instantly 99% of the time, learn there lesson and move on. I'm not not saying getting violent or anything like that just confronting there complaint head on.

I do this for a living atm and have learnt how to deal with angry motorists on a day to day basis, and deal with them quite well. To date I've only ever had a weapon pulled on me three times and again I called there bluff (safely) an it ended with them driving away.

Respect and common courtesy, that's all it takes to be safe on the road. It's not rocket science.

[discostig]

Oooh ranting thread, yes please!

Driving to work the other day, 90 zone. Single lane each way. Reid Hwy in WA for anyone that knows it, just near Lord St. It's been raining so I can handle the car in front going 10 under the limit, fair enough if they aren't confident.

So the car in front is driving quite far to the left, near the solid line for the cycle lane. Drifts a small amount side to side as you would normally, but they are staying near the cycle lane. I could probably fit my car in between them and the centre line by this point. I'm nowhere near close enough for them to think I'm trying to overtake, so I'm wondering wtf is going on, are they playing with their phone or something? I never did see if they were. Anyway the car starts driving with it's wheel inside the bike lane...for another 5-10 seconds.

what, the, f... can't this person see?

They come back a little...then get so far off the road, the solid line for the bike lane is in the middle of their bloody car, and I'm watching their left wheel as it drives about 10cm away from the edge of the road, tempting the loose gravel. At 80km/h in the wet. Lots of oncoming cars. I have visions of her hitting the gravel, over correcting to shoot across the road, having a head on smash with me having to ditch the car into the soft shoulder and get it bogged best case scenario, worst is I end up with a truck on my roof or something.

I beep my horn...no response in driving line at all. I've been driving for a kilometre watching this bullsh*t display, the oncoming traffic is gone for a moment so I overtake, beeping my horn.

We meet at the next set of lights and I wind my window down as they roll up...she goes past yelling something at me with her window up. The woman tries to roll right up the arse of the car in front so I can't draw level, even though there's no chance. I calmly but firmly say 'excuse me' out the window and she rolls hers down.

I tell her she was driving in the cycle lane. Her response: "no I wasn't!". I'm pretty amazed. I reiterate by slowly telling her "yes you were, I was watching you from behind. Please be careful, I'm concerned for your safety, you're going to have an accident". She calls back "well I could see you right up my arse driving like a maniac!!". So now she WAS driving off the road?? I guess she didn't like being overtaken while I beeped my horn eh and needed to call me a maniac. At no point did I tailgate the woman, so her claim of being right up her arse was just laughable. She also claimed "I've been driving 45 years!" to which I asked "so you think that makes you perfect?" - "no I didn't say that".

All the time her hubby is sunken into the passenger seat, quiet as a mouse. If I was wrong I would think he'd have backed her up?

It just floored me how she didn't want to know about anything I had to say. "Well don't YOU have an accident" she said. People don't like being told they are in the wrong especially by strangers.

I wouldn't normally verbally engage idiots like this but her driving was beyond a joke. Good thing there weren't any cyclists I guess.

After that she drove 20 under the limit but managed to keep in the lane from what I could see in the rear view, hopefully she actually WOKE THE F*CK UP!

Phew.

Back to the bowels threads for some more laughs from the many closed Kimberly Scott threads

[sexual harrassment panda]

My daily used to be a 3 cyl charade, overtaking anyone doing over 90 required a lot of forward planning. The amount of people who sit on 90 and go to 110 in an overtaking lane amazes me. Also the drivers who, at the start of overtaking lanes, pull into the right lane . . . when there is no car in front. Then there is the ones who will pass one car at the start of a long set of overtaking lanes and sit in the right hand lane til the end . . . . and slow back down once the overtaking lane finishes.

I love going out Mt isa way for work, even with the caravans this time of year. Uhf on 40 and the lil flick of the indicators keeps hiway driving a pleasure. The open roads and 110 limits means not getting stuck behind vans for too long in the work hilux.

Going up a mountain range and cars not using the lil slow vehicle lanes, or thinking they can legally merge because the lane is ending.

Anyone who doesn't keep left unless overtaking when on multi lane hiways

People not indicating properly on and off roundabouts

People not indicating properly in general

*feels sooooooo good*

[tab]

  On 05/08/2011 at 1:03 PM, turbo ute79 said:

Funnily enough it's not excessive speed or burnouts that I see that are dangerous.

Hit the head right on the nail there...yet it's all we hear about and is the only thing that gets targeted.

Have a police blitz on fckwitism and see how many lives are saved. Instead of preaching the speed kills mantra get out there and actually teach people how to drive and enforce everything. And ensure part of the testing includes driving on a single lane highway FFS. :banghead:

[STAINLESS again plz]

I was drunk when I got my P's

Isnt that silly? I woke up in someones garden and then walked to vic roads.

[Henz]

Looooolololol stainless.

I can't stand people that can't/ don't indicate. It's so f*ckin easy to do and it's common courtesy.

I use Melbournes freeways everyday to get to work, normally an hour each way in a MR truck. I can garuntee evey drive we see an act of insane stupidity. People ripping from the right lane to an exit cutting off everyone, merging into lanes with a car already in them, in the righ lane doing 70-80 when the other lanes are clear..then they speed through road works FFS.

My biggest hate is khunts pulling into my braking distance though! People, trucks leave that gap so they an slow down safely. One day I am going to lose it and park the truck in someone's back seat.

I get verbal as f*ck everytime though, say nothing and you just fester on it. Start pumping your fist out the window or even wait for red light and confront them and you feel heaps better.

One thing Ive never seen since living in Vic is the thankyou with the indicators though, no one gives two f*cks here.

[Jake F6]

  On 05/08/2011 at 1:03 PM, turbo ute79 said:

I actually like driving the truck. You really can't get into too much trouble from the plod (unlike my ute), driving 4 hrs gives me time to listen to my music and dream up things to do to my car/house, and drink lots of ice break. If we have 2 people goin to a job you just talk sh*t and if we are coming home and you are passenger it's usually beer o'clock.

You had me at 'hello'. Actually sounds pretty awesome!

[Barra]

  On 06/08/2011 at 12:03 AM, STAINLESS said:

I woke up in someones garden and then walked to vic roads.

That wasn't Henz's garden by any chance?

  henz said:

One thing Ive never seen since living in Vic is the thankyou with the indicators though, no one gives two f*cks here.

On a serious and positive note..... Out where I live dispite the Fwit factor on the Hwy especially, which I spend most of my time on. People actually wave at oncomming traffic, and trucks do the whole indicator to pass thing. I am always courteous to ones that do and give the thankyou wave or indicator wave. I find I do this too in Brisneyland and must shock most drivers, yet the ones that don't wave if I've taken time to let them in etc, I get irate with. Some people need to wake up, we all share the road.

[Guest XR09]

Change of shifts can be fun out that way. Just come off a twelve and Mak or Gladdy is only three hours away. Trouble is they are asleep in two and a half.