XLR8's Bad Drivers Forum Gets News Coverage

[Cret]

Sorry - people won't like this but I don't agree with some of the stuff here.
If the back end of the car steps out and you weren't expecting/didn't plan it then you've lost control of the car whatever way you look at it.

Yes you might be a good enough driver to straighten it without a problem (ie regain control) so there's no issue you might think, but it still shouldn't happen in the first place. I'm not trying to say it doesn't happen as it has happened to me before, but I'm just trying to make a point.

I presume that in the eyes of the law it would come under driving without due care & attention.
For instance, if that happens on a roundabout where there's no cars closeby then even if you spun out in the wet say you might be ok and not hit anything. But what happens if that happens when you go round a bit where a pedestrian is stood and the car knocks them over when it loses grip? We all know how close some people will stand to the traffic when they want to get over a road etc.
Sure maybe they shouldn't have been there, but it wouldn't happen if the car hadn't slid out, so all of a sudden a minor mistake turns into a huge problem just because of the circumstances. Might sound unlikely but if you want the ultimate proof that this sort of thing happens just read that article that was posted the other week about the guy who went to jail because he did a bad overtake & the bike hit him. He might have been fine 9 times out of 10, but the exceptional time when it goes wrong still happens.

It's a tricky one and I don't believe that someone should be banged up for instance because they accidentally creep to 31 in a 30 zone but there's a large element of common sense with things like this.

Hope that makes some sense!

[DD]

so jonathon - are u saying that if you saw someone drive sensibly and within the speed limit up to a roundabout not looking at all like they were about to perform a handbrake turn in the middle of the road but then did one, that you would report this person?

OR if you saw an older more maturing person do the same thing, im sure you wouldnt think that they got the back end out on purpose would you?

I think if i was going to report someone for this kind of thing then i would only do so if i was absolutly sure they had intention to do such manouver on a public road. Things like speeding and stupid overtaking, fair enough, the person obviously meant to do those manouvers.

[Cret]

That's the sort of thing I mean Di - that there has to be some common sense involved.

[iomgto]

i got advise from a proper traffic police man not a copper pretending to be in traffic department and he totally agree'd with me and did the correct thing and to ignore this particular officer. So like the forum the differences can occure within a force also!

Usually you can see by the face expressions or their driving prior or after the event weather they ment to do something like this or not! in most cases anyways!

[Cret]

I agree that a lot of the time you can gauge by the general 'impression' of someone's driving behaviour, although it's by no means definitive!

[Pugguy]

If I saw a car swing the back end out on a roundabout, I wouldnt report it no- but I may mention it on here.
Then 'If' lots of other people came forward also saying they have seen this car doing simular things, Then it should be reported...
If this driver is doing it intentionally or not is irrelevant, it is unsafe.



Its simular to 'mr white corrado' ( http://www.xlr8.co.im/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2050 ) , one person mentioned him on here- then loads of others also came forward & thus he got reported. But the first reporting was only that this guy was overtaking with an oncoming vehicle, could have been a genuine error/lack of attention....? -Untill the mass of other reports proved that this guy was actually an idiot.

[chaz]

^^^^ Nail on head i think.

Every1 makes mistakes but if its happens all the time then either the person cant drive or they are driving dangerously by choice.

Im sure that topics which get few responses the police take little interest in.

The ones which get several people all indpendantly saying they have seen a specific car driving dangerously will get some police attention im sure.

[Geordie]

the way i see it is, its a small island, you're easily gonna see the car again. If you see it being a plank the first time, make a note of where, when etc. and leave it at that, if you see him being a plank again, make a note of that too, see him again, then he's obviously being unrespectful, so report him. It's all down to common sense like people say!

If i saw iomgto doing drifts around a roundabout, i wouldnt report him straight away, but if he later on speeds past me i would certainly consider it!

[QuietOne]

Sorry, but if I saw anyone driving in such a manner as to cause injury to anyone, at anytime of the day, then the vehicle would be reported!

How would you feel if you saw a 'vehicle' making what you would call "a mistake" and you thought 'Oh well, he's made a mistake' and the next day you read on a local website or paper that the same 'vehicle' had been involved in an accident that had caused injury (or worse, DEATH) to an innocent person, how would you feel?!

We all know when we've made a mistake, and hopefully, the lesson is learned, but there seems to be some drivers who just don't care!

If you're driving safely, then there is no need for mistakes to happen!

[tree]

I agree but there is the otehr matter as what may be perceived as dangerous and actually isn't.

I have overtaken on a few long sweeping corners as you often can see any oncoming vehicles, on coming out of the corner and overtaking I have been flashed from the car that has been overtaken as if to say it was a dangerous manover.

A well planned and executed manover may be perceived as dangerous.

Very rare in comparison to blatent bad driving but still an occurance non the less..
just thought id mention that one.