Annoying Things 2: People in Vehicles
11 annoying and strange things I see when I'm driving
Am I becoming ever more grumpy as I get older, or are things actually getting worse on the roads?
Picture these scenes…
1. Tailgating
The car behind is so close it seems glued to your rear bumper.
No matter how much you speed up, it still isn’t fast enough. They persist until you let them pass.
Another time, you are driving along a motorway and see a large lorry tailgating the car in front, even though it is travelling at the same speed as everyone else.
There is no way it could stop in an emergency. How can that be safe?
Yet nothing is done about it.
2. Driving slowly towards traffic lights
The traffic lights in the distance are green, and the road is empty. But the car in front is going very slowly.
Eventually, you both arrive at the lights just as they’re changing back to red. The slow driver in front just manages to get through – and you are left behind.
3. Bright lights
It’s nighttime, and you are blinded by an oncoming car with its headlights on main beam.
Just as you recover, you see someone with modern high-intensity headlights. All that matters to them is having a well-lit road — they don’t care about dazzling you.
The next morning, it’s slightly misty, and the car in front has its rear fog lights on. They don’t seem to know the difference between thick fog (when you need fog lights) and a small amount of mist (when you don’t).
Their rear fog lights are so bright that you barely notice the difference when their brake lights come on, so there’s a risk you might run into the back of them.
4. A convoy of HGVs/lorries/trucks
You’re on the motorway, and there are several large vehicles all travelling very close together, like carriages on a train.
Another lorry is trying to overtake, but due to their speed limiter, they can only go 1 mph faster than the vehicle they’re passing. So it takes what feels like a year for them to complete their manoeuvre.
If you try to pass them, you’d better be sure you can pass all of them before your exit, because they won’t break formation to let you through.
5. Mobile phones
The traffic lights change to green, but the car in front does not move. You realise they’re on their phone so you sound your horn.
Eventually, they set off. But the lights change back to red when they cross the line, so you have to wait until next time.
On another occasion, you see someone drop off their children at school, and then drive away while talking on their phone.
They appear to think the rules don’t apply to them, or they are such good drivers they can do this safely.
6. Stopping unexpectedly
The traffic lights are on green and you’re driving along behind another car. Suddenly, they stop just before the green lights!
You are puzzled until you see their rear door open. That’s when their child gets out, and heads towards school.
Finally, they start moving again, blissfully unaware of the inconvenience they caused. To add insult to injury, the lights change back to red just before you get through.
7. Speeding
You’re driving through a 20 mph zone near a school. Someone goes past at 50 mph. It’s a school teacher who is late for work.
They narrowly miss the children crossing from behind a tree near the junction.
Another day, you see the car in front speed up to get through the traffic lights before they change.
In fact, it’s a familiar car.
It belongs to the parents from your children’s school who are police officers — the ones who organised a road safety campaign at the school last week.
Later, you see a mobile speed trap on a 60 mph dual carriageway where there are no pedestrians — as though that’s the best place to find the most dangerous drivers.
8. Blocking junctions
You follow the rules and only enter the box junction once your exit is clear. *
But another driver suddenly changes lanes. There is no longer enough room for you to get through, and you end up stuck inside the box, risking a fine.
Another time, a traffic jam in the opposite direction blocks access to the side road you want to turn into. So you have to wait.
Did blocking the junction really gain them anything?
Later, during rush hour, the traffic lights are changing to red. Several cars squeeze through and block the junction.
When it’s your turn to go, you can’t move until the lights have changed back to red, because the junction is still filled with other cars.
You never get the opportunity to move unless you also break the rules, and go through a red light.
* More information about box junctions can be found in the appendix at the end of this article.
9. Cutting in (cutting you off)
You leave a safe gap on the motorway.
Then someone changes lanes and fills it.
You drop back, and it happens again.
Effectively, you’re moving backwards relative to everyone else.
10. Parking in more than one space
You have to park over the line because the car next to you did the same.
When you return, the other car has gone, and someone makes a remark about your bad parking.
Another time, there are no parking spaces left. Then you notice a car that is occupying four spaces!
11. Doing unusual things
You see someone driving erratically. What is the cause?
Eating and drinking
Shaving
Doing makeup
Believe it or not, I have seen all of the above when driving.
Can you think of anything I missed out?
What annoys you when you’re driving?
Please leave a comment and let me know.
Thank you for reading!
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This story was previously published on Medium, on 17 March 2022.
Appendix: Box Junctions
This describes the box junctions we have here in England.
A box junction is really no more than some yellow paint on the road surface in a criss-cross pattern, found at an otherwise ordinary junction/intersection.
They are often found in the middle of busy crossroads but can be used anywhere that traffic tends to become gridlocked.
They are similar to a "keep clear" in that you are not supposed to enter the marked area unless you can keep moving and go all the way through.
The difference is you are allowed to wait in the marked area (the box) if oncoming traffic is the only thing stopping you from turning right (which of course would be like a left turn in your country).
This Wikipedia page has more details:
And I thought these were things that only U.S. drivers did!