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[Night_Owl]

Interesting to hear how others feel about driving. 

It seems to be a sign of the times that people (men?) drive so much more rudely and aggressively (in high performance vehicles?) as if they have more right to the road.  I don't remember things being quite like this, say, 10-15 years ago. 

Oh yes - on a long journey, it's the concentration that I find draining too, especially if I've had a particularly poor night's sleep, which invariably happens when I know I have a long-ish drive the next day.

Recently was told during a random conversation with a woman who lives near my father that she decided she had to try HRT when one day she couldn't remember which side of the road to drive on.

I see so many incidents of people speeding around busy roundabouts, not giving way, whilst talking on their mobile phones - or worst still - texting!

[babyjane]

One of my pet hates is other drivers who do not acknowledge when you wait or give way to them.  How long does it take to just raise your hand but they just plough through with their noses in the air as though they had right of way all the time 

[Ju Ju]

  I have to remember not to use choice language when this happens and I'm taking my GS home! Generally, most people acknowledge you if you give way round here. An American friend thinks British drivers are incredibly polite compared to drivers where he lives.

When my children were having cycling proficiency lessons on the road outside their country school, I was assigned the job of waving, with a sign, at drivers to slow down round the bend before they got to the school. Women and older men acknowledged me, waved and slowed down, while the young male drivers ignored me, some speeded up and a couple made rude gestures.

[dulciana]

One of my pet hates is other drivers who do not acknowledge when you wait or give way to them.  How long does it take to just raise your hand but they just plough through with their noses in the air as though they had right of way all the time 

Oh, me too, babyjane!   

My driving since meno?  Well.......I haven't touched motorways since I had a series of panic attacks while I was driving on one, about five years ago - I honestly thought I was going to die that day!       Otherwise, I don't think it's much different.  I learned to drive when I was 34 and was unlucky enough to have an accident seven weeks after passing my test.  Ever since then, I've been a rather cautious (but not ridiculous!) driver, which I think/hope helps at these crazily hormonal times! 

[Michelle46]

Hi Sparkle
I live in Devon. About an hour and half away. I live in Bideford. It is near Clovelly, Westward ho! etc.

[Michelle46]

Dartmouth is just over half an hour from me. I do like living here I must admit x

[Joyce]

I have to remember not to use choice language when this happens and I'm taking my GS home!

My niece's eldest daughter heard her mum let rip at someone once. She wrote her a note saying, " Don't swear in front of the kids!" Now I wonder who she'd heard that from! 😂

[ellie]

I have a mobility scooter and a wheelchair, so I have a sticker on the back of my car asking other drivers to please not park too close to the rear of my car......Most people are good and leave a distance but some of course don't.....We have on occasions had to really struggle to get into the boot.....So I had some notes printed asking the owners of said cars  to be more considerate  etc......and I stick one under their wipers.....

[Elizabethrose]

What a brilliant thread, I laughed out loud Night-owl at your 'literally lost my balls' comment. Haha, think my husband wishes I'd lost mine!

My first driving lesson took me round Hyde Park Corner roundabout so I've never been a shrinking violet in the car. However, I've definitely changed in recent years. For me the daily school runs have ended and I guess I really don't drive as much anymore, or certainly not as many times a day.

I think motorway driving is the thing I least enjoy: I do it, had to do most of the uni schlepping but I find it total tedium and have to be careful not to let my brain wander. I agree, there is a definite increase in aggressive behaviour on the roads but the thing that bugs me more than anything is the disregard of the look, indicate, manoeuvre rule. It so often happens that other drivers will start to manoeuvre before indicating, you've got to be a mind reader!

Night driving has become very difficult for me in recent years because I'm now very light sensitive with migraine. These new highfalutin, all singing and dancing car head lights are like torture to me, especially the ones that encircle the whole car at the back. I don't drink so I'm always the elected driver and therefore can't avoid it. Maybe I need to start a drinking habit!

[babyjane]

with my cataract night driving is definintely out.  On the very odd occasion I have to drive on a motorway or dual carriageway I don't go above 50mph and stay in the slow lane and don't overtake anything.

[dulciana]

On motorways, even as a passenger, I hate other drivers rushing past me at speed - and the slip roads scare me.  I've always been a bit like this, but even more so now.  And that's why I don't drive on anything apart from single carriageways these days - okay, apart from a very short stretch of dual, locally, where the speed limit is 40mph.....

[Ju Ju]

I have to remember not to use choice language when this happens and I'm taking my GS home!

My niece's eldest daughter heard her mum let rip at someone once. She wrote her a note saying, " Don't swear in front of the kids!" Now I wonder who she'd heard that from! 😂

My children insist they learnt all their bad language from when I was practising reversing round corners on a local industrial estate one Sunday. And we thought they were listening to stories with their earphones plugged into their fisher price cassette tape recorders.

My first driving lesson was on an abandoned army parade ground late at night in a police car! Long, perfectly innocent story! Honest!

[getting_old]

Well, this is good timing, as I was about to post to say that I just did a 9 hour drive which included around an hour of (fortunately) not too busy motorway driving. I really enjoyed driving for the first 10 or so years after I passed my test then really lost my confidence, and would minimise all driving and never went near a motorway. I've been like that for almost 20 years, so you can imagine how proud I feel at the moment. There's no way I'll ever attempt the M25 mind, but I feel so much better for doing it.

[ellie]

Good for you  keep up the good work