Safe Speed Forums

Well, I'm a "slightly overweight" company director with an X5 but I've only got one at the moment.

Actually, you have missed out one favourite X5 grouping. It's the car of choice for footballer's WAGs. I leave it to you to decide what this means.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Quite right. The Porsche Cayenne too.


Toyota Yaris, Skoda Fabia - Often driven by women in their 50s/60s. Kids have left home, only need a small car again. Too old to worry about "image" but not old enough to drive a Micra. Often the victims of accidents caused by other people, but rarely cause accidents themselves.

VW New Beetle, Mini One, Mini Cooper - See Peugeot 206CC

Mini Cooper S - Most of these are actually driven by blokes. Up-and-coming drug dealer's car of choice.

BMW 330i - Middle-management guys that play golf.

BMW Z4 - Middle-management guys that don't play golf.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

Odd, in my drives around Essex I tend to find that Audi drivers (with the exception of the dipstick that hit me head on) are generally careful drivers.

If I see a Merc or BMW in my rear view I get out of the way in case I end up being tailgated.

Most of the aggressive driving I've seen is from BMW's often the 4x4's.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

I reckon the X5 is getting a bit of a pikey's motor.

To reignite the Impreza debate, I think we need to clarify our stereotyping terminology.

Isn't a Chav a low intellegence unskilled scroat of a person?

We haven't included "Wide", would anyone like to supply a definition for "Wide"? I think the early Impreza is now a Wide Boys motor, well a Wide boy who is in the early stages of his Wide goings on. They have a particular driving stance. No seat belt obviously. The right arm is often resting on the window ledge of the drivers door and the wheel clasped between thump and fore finger. Either that or right arm out straight with wheel clamped by hand at 12 o'clock.

If you're in a hurry the Defender is not the vehicle to be driving. Admittedly my present one (90 TDi) isn't too bad, but my old normally-aspirated diesel 110 was - shall we say - "sedate" at best. Might get it up to 70 down Haldon Hill with a following wind. And down here most - if we ever venture on to a motorway at all - tend to live in lane 1 unless it's chocker with Lithuanian HGVs.

What gets me is the "metallic paint/alloy wheel/chequer plate everywhere" Defenders I occasionally see. Who drives these? And why b****r up a perfectly decent vehicle?

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Save a cow - eat a vegetarian

Ressurecting this topic to bring some shocking news: on the Bentley Arnage, a top line prestige car, indicators are an optional extra!!

I know this may come a surprise to those of you who believed that indicators were a legal requirement, but I actually witnesses someone on the motorway yesterday who had spent so much on his car that he did not even have enough left over to fit these handy devices to forewarn other drivers of hisyour intended manoeuvers! I actually witnessed no fewer than six lane changes without the slightest warning, including one after I decided he was too much of a liability to remain behind, and he swung out about 6 feet in front of me as I went to pass, without so much as a by-your-leave (fortunately I had anticipated further stupidity on his part and was able to compensate)!

So perhaps this tells us that people who buy these cars feel they have more of a right to the road than others, and need give us mere serfs no warnings whatsoever as they cavort across lanes.

"Beep beep, I'm a motorist"

That's no big news - they've been an option on BMWs for years

Whilst we're on the subject of BMW drivers - i suspect that they're slightly dyslexic - reading COAST as TOAST --(Tailgate, Take the p etc)

I'm sorry to inform you but it is a problem with your telepathic indicator receiver

I to have fault in mine, I tend to find most problems occuring with Mercedes telepathic indicators.

I drive an old Jag XJ, I get let out, let in, and people often move lane if I approach from behind, it also is a most relaxing car to drive, possibly due to its dynamic ability which is seldom used to the full.

fatboytim

one monday night there was a programme called "The Trouble With My Penis". The "star" of the show was some body builder that wasn't satisfied with the size of his manhood. They showed us footage of the operation (how small would it need to be?) then cut to him driving through Hollywood. And guess what he was driving ? That's right, a crew cab Dodge Ram 4X4 pickup.

No further questions your honour...

Hi!

Newbie here and this is my first post! 'Safe Speed' is something very close to my heart so I'm looking forward to contributing to the forum/cause.

Anyway, I found this thread very interesting. Both my wife and myself drive Vauxhall Omega estates. (Now there's no need to roll your eyes!!).

My Omega is an '02 3.2 MV6 auto, it has a bodykit, tinted windows and hoofing great big wheels and tyres on it. (Basically it looks as though it's waiting to pounce on it's lunch! Not my words incidentally!). My Wife's is a 'V' '99 2.5 V6 Elite auto and is completely standard aside from a 'Baby on Board' sticker. (On the side window, predominantly for use in car parks in the hope that drivers parking on that side of the car might afford us a little extra space and, should the worst ever happen, to assist emergency crews locate my child(ren).)

Now the difference in performance of the two can't be overlooked, but while it's noticeably not as quick as my 3.2, the 2.5 isn't shy whatsoever.

So for a number of reasons, I did all the driving over the festive period while we visited my Wife's parents in Buckinghamshire, (We live in Fife in Scotland.), so during the week, I put about 1300 miles on my Wife's car.

I have to say that I found it absolutely incredible the difference in perception and attitudes between the two cars, (even though they are to all intents and purposes identical!).

When I'm driving my car other drivers seem more respectful somehow. I seldom have a problem changing lanes or being 'stuck' behind slower moving traffic on motorways but when I'm behind the wheel of my Wife's standard car with the 'baby on board' sticker the world seems to be such an intolerant place!!

On a slightly different tack, my Wife used to own/drive a Micra. Now without going into details, her driving etiquette and discipline left a lot to be desired. However now that she has a sizeable car with performance to match, while she's not perfect, (are any of us?), her driving skill has improved immensely!!!

JM2PW!

P.S. While I'm trying to get my head round the percentile rules, can someone enlighten me as to what COAST stands for? I couldn't find an explanation for it anywhere.

Cheers!!

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

That one is easy to explain, when you're in an underpowered rollerskate, you become a lot more intolerent of people cutting in, or of letting people in, or indeed anything that will cause you to slow down.

Why? Because it will take half an hour to get back up to 70 again (literally so, in my latest shitbox purchase, a 1.3 Automatic Corolla).

Of course, everyone behind you knows this and they don't want to be behind you, you know that if they overtake they will cut in and cause you to slow down, so you try to prevent them from doing so by not leaving them a big enough gap.


Most of this is likely subconcious, and can be overcome by good driver training and/or a good attidude but in normal people I beleive it's exactly what happens.


Of course, it doesn't help that the Micra is the car of choice of jesus-fish-displaying doddery old gits who never exceed 40mph under any circumstances.

If only I owned one of those 3.5 litre V6 mid engined RWD Micras

If I had a big Omega I'd keep it really standard so that everyone thought I was a policeman!

COAST:

Concentration
Observation
Anticipation
Space
Time

I think!

I used to play that game with my white Senator!!

Besides, I bought it because it looked like it is hungry!!



Cheers for that!

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

Please don't anyone take this personally but only one sticker irritates me more than a 'baby on board' sticker and that's a 'caution show dogs in transit'
One is clearly more trivial than the other in the grand scheme of things but both suggest I might drive differently because of either your proven fecundity or because you don't find the film Best in Show very, very funny. In both cases I don't care. I drive just the same around every one, dumb sticker just get up my pip. And such stickers don't even guarantee that the driver of the bestickered car won't drive poorly either.
Barkstar

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The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence has limits.

In my experience I find that such a sticker is a fairly good guarantee that the driver of said car will drive poorly.

Not encountered (m)any of the show dog ones though.


My favourite Baby on Board incident was an actual genuine baby on board event, some guy and his wife on their way home from the hospital after giving birth, how do I know this?

Well they had taken a shortcut down a residential road, saving them a whole 60 seconds, now this road is poorly surfaced and maintained (think: 10 years of cable TV installations, utility works, potholes and never resurfaced) and they come hurtling towards me in mid-three-point-turn at what I thought was a lunatic speed (and this was in my "invincible" days) only to slam on the anchors to avoid hitting me.

Apparently this was my fault and I nearly killed their baby. I'll freely admit that at that age I drove like a nob sometimes, but that was not one of them. I was mid three point turn in a road barely two car widths wide (with parked cars) and could not have gotten out of their way even using the pavement.

I still don't get what posessed them to take their oh so delicate new born for a rollercoaster ride down such a crappy road, it's not even a good rat run in rush hour.

they are just stickers. I wouldn't expect a car with Baby on Board, Dogs On Board, a Safespeed sticker, Canal Fanciers Sticker or even a local radio station sticker to drive any differently.

Get over it.

Sheesh. You really shouldn't be spending your attention on looking at stickers in other vehicles, Paul will be along with a wholly unscientific way of measuring the time taken to read "baby on board" (17 second per sticker probably).

[T-I-C]You should always mistrust anyone with a car related sticker ("owners club"), they obviously have no real friends so pretend to like people who one the same sort of car as they do. They may well be suicidal on Friday afternoons as their weekend holds only the promise of polishing paintwork and similarly on Mondays they may be depressed after a weekend without speaking to another human (except their mum) so they may cause a crash in order that they can talk to someone whilst exchanging details.[/T-I-C]

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

How about an IAM badge?

Would you expect any different driving standards from those with something like furry dice hanging from the interior mirror?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Too late! I took it personally!! I didn't put the 'sticker in my Wife's car in order to attract concessions while driving.



As my Wife is, how shall we say, diminutive in stature, an extra inch or two of space at the side of the car in the car park can make all the difference when getting our 2.5 year old in and out of the car.

Also, I'm not trying to get preferential treatment in the event of an RTA. If my wife, myself or both of us are incapacitated then I want people to be aware there is a minor on board who cannot fend for himself!

For your info', the sticker is in the corner of the side load area window so you're not even likely to see it unless I was overtaking you.

I'm sad to admit I used to share your dislike of these types of stickers because I thought the drivers of the 'offending' vehicles sought concessionary treament on the roads. I got over it!!

However I did see one a few weeks ago on a Golf that made me want to drag the idiot out of the car and beat some sense of perspective into them. The sticker read 'GetOffMyAss.COM'. I had a look and the website ain't all that, but the ironic thing was that this Golf was at the front of a line of cars in lane 2 with nothing in lane 1!!!!! It's a shame really!!

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

see previous comments on car related stickers!

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.