In my early years with ropes, sheets and chaining loads down, a mate of mine at the time had an Aggreko generator slip sideways on the bed. In the darkness he didn’t spot it until the unluckiest driver on the A36, coming the other way that morning, got taken out by it. Sometimes its just pot luck it aint you that day.
Then losing a good friend in a head on gave me the jitters for months. Every time I climbed up and headed out onto the road, I questioned whether or not it might be my last trip. Just seemed crazy that one minute we were having coffee, a smoke and a giggle together and the following morning I found out he’d gone forever.
That feeling was one of the reasons I’m currently not driving pro these days.
Well boys and girls looks like its not just me then, but this is kind of newish for me even 5 years ago didn’t feel like this, maybe something to do with the increase in ridiculously bright lights or maybe it’s the really bloody obvious deterioration in the competence ability etc of drivers in general in all types of vehicles coupled with their increasing aggression which isn’t a great combination, not to mention the dreadful state of the roads in general.
Don’t think my skills if you can call them that have diminished, nor is there any deterioration in my sight to speak of, still have a feel for the road and at one and aware with what’s happening under my own wheels.
Lost colleagues aquaintances and friends over the years, though more lorry drivers through suicide (transporters again) than accidents, not for a good few years though now so that’s not it.
Maybe its just an age thing, maybe it’s wondering when that luck runs out, thanks for the interesting replies.
Well said,OP.
I always thought it was a bad idea to abolish tge 40mph limit for trucks on single track roads.
They kept it in Scotland,that was a good idea
Sploom:
Well said,OP.
I always thought it was a bad idea to abolish tge 40mph limit for trucks on single track roads.
They kept it in Scotland,that was a good idea
Really? Not having a pop btw, it’s just that even back in the days of drum brakes etc I thought that it was a ridiculous limit. I always figured that impatience causes more accidents and a truck travelling at 40mph on a perfectly good A road will encourage far more lunatic overtake attempts than one travelling at 50mph. Everything I’ve seen since the increase reinforces my opinion.
Juddian:
What the issue really is though is just how poor so many of our A roads are, hardly wide enough for modern full size lorries to be passing each other at combined speeds of 80/100mpher
Lorries are the same width they’ve been for at least 50 years.
Some of the roads were probably in better nick 50 years ago than they are now. With a lot less traffic and no mongy look at me lights.
Sploom:
Well said,OP.
I always thought it was a bad idea to abolish tge 40mph limit for trucks on single track roads.
They kept it in Scotland,that was a good idea
Really? Not having a pop btw, it’s just that even back in the days of drum brakes etc I thought that it was a ridiculous limit. I always figured that impatience causes more accidents and a truck travelling at 40mph on a perfectly good A road will encourage far more lunatic overtake attempts than one travelling at 50mph. Everything I’ve seen since the increase reinforces my opinion.
i swear blind the driving standereds have dropped since i passed my car test or maybe its just the bleeding thick have come more preverlant. yes we all make mistakes etc but some of the stuff you see every day just makes you wonder how they have lived so long.
I cant tell you the amount of times on the a16 that i have had a car begin to overtake me then realise they cant because of a bollard or on coming car and then when its safe to overtake even when i give them a little left hand indicator and ease off the throttle they sit there like a lemon only to try and over take at the next stupid place.
Sploom:
Well said,OP.
I always thought it was a bad idea to abolish tge 40mph limit for trucks on single track roads.
They kept it in Scotland,that was a good idea
Really? Not having a pop btw, it’s just that even back in the days of drum brakes etc I thought that it was a ridiculous limit. I always figured that impatience causes more accidents and a truck travelling at 40mph on a perfectly good A road will encourage far more lunatic overtake attempts than one travelling at 50mph. Everything I’ve seen since the increase reinforces my opinion.
I reckon they should have kept the 40mph on A roads, now you get stupid overtaking at 50mph, I’ve had a few of them…
Stephenjp:
I reckon they should have kept the 40mph on A roads, now you get stupid overtaking at 50mph, I’ve had a few of them…
Not as stupid as it was when the 40 limit applied. My previous employer was going through one of its regular periods of “compliance” shortly before the law changed and we were all instructed to stick rigidly to the limits. Lost count of the number of times I’ve been cut up by idiots who would pass when there wasn’t enough room. Okay, a few will still do it now but nowhere near as many.
Thing is, most of us were doing 50 in a 40 years before it changed, and the police, knowing full well that it was safer, turned a blind eye in the main on a clear straight road unless you were doing summat else silly. Car drivers got used to that, and since any vehicle can cruise at 50 in top gear everyone was fine about it.
I’ve long said that if we really wanted to make a show about driving conditions, we should stick rigidly to speed limits for a week; and perhaps we missed a trick before the law changed.
As an aside to Juddian’s comments; came back from a vintage truck meet in my old 1963 Foden a couple of weeks ago. Was going to stay in our yard but not enough room so went home; it was getting dark and those old 45W tungsten headlights just didn’t cut it, just a brown-ish glow with no definition. Fortunately dual carriageway all the way home and I know the route backwards of course. Made me realise how much better vehicle lighting is these days.
peterm:
Apart from these horrible bloody headlights we’re now faced with over here as well as there, I’m sure a lot of A roads are simply re classified B’s.
I’m not aware of any - although there are dozens of B roads that used to be As.
Sploom:
Well said,OP.
I always thought it was a bad idea to abolish tge 40mph limit for trucks on single track roads.
They kept it in Scotland,that was a good idea
Really? Not having a pop btw, it’s just that even back in the days of drum brakes etc I thought that it was a ridiculous limit. I always figured that impatience causes more accidents and a truck travelling at 40mph on a perfectly good A road will encourage far more lunatic overtake attempts than one travelling at 50mph. Everything I’ve seen since the increase reinforces my opinion.
I was trying to overtake one of those new Aston Martin DBX suv’s last night that was doing 30 in a 50 [emoji2357]
Driving standards, are there even any left, regardless of what is being driven, lol.
In 12 months of driving Class 1 again ive seen more arctics cut the nose of others after overtaking with a mere 2mph difference, or tailgating the trailer of another than I have ever noticed in the past…
Then tugging along safely at 50mph the other day on the A49 having a wagon behind try to push you along or tailgate is just annoying.
You can be the most conscientious, smooth well planned driver but you cant take into account the tomfoolery of others and thats whats going to end our day badly.
Regarding the upping of the 40mph limit on two way roads.
I’ll echo the above in that i find you get fewer really desperate overtakes by the incompetent at 50ish, the good drivers will be past safely at whatever speed* but you still get those who stay behind for miles of straight roads only to go for a suicidal overtake within spitting distance of a dual carriageway but then so many can’t manage to overtake a 25mph tractor safely, its also made hilly country driving better for progress being able to start the hill at a more sensible speed.
as an aside, what happened to competent overtake maneuvers, every now and again you watch someone who knows how to plan and execute overtakes well and it’s a joy to behold, increasingly though the better drivers are having to overtake several vehicles because the snail trail in front is jammed nose to tail behind the regulation small hatchback causing a rolling roadblock with no intention of overtaking themselves (until they reach the dual carriageway when suddenly 100+ bhp/ton acceleration aplenty is on tap) but desperate to prevent anyone else from making normal progress.
Juddian:
Regarding the upping of the 40mph limit on two way roads.
I’ll echo the above in that i find you get fewer really desperate overtakes by the incompetent at 50ish, the good drivers will be past safely at whatever speed* but you still get those who stay behind for miles of straight roads only to go for a suicidal overtake within spitting distance of a dual carriageway but then so many can’t manage to overtake a 25mph tractor safely, its also made hilly country driving better for progress being able to start the hill at a more sensible speed.
as an aside, what happened to competent overtake maneuvers, every now and again you watch someone who knows how to plan and execute overtakes well and it’s a joy to behold, increasingly though the better drivers are having to overtake several vehicles because the snail trail in front is jammed nose to tail behind the regulation small hatchback causing a rolling roadblock with no intention of overtaking themselves (until they reach the dual carriageway when suddenly 100+ bhp/ton acceleration aplenty is on tap) but desperate to prevent anyone else from making normal progress.
Oh so true Juddian. Good overtaking skills sadly seem to have sadly disappeared some what in recent years. Looking well ahead and forward planning just doesn’t seem to happen with a lot of drivers.
Some seem happy just to sit there all day long stuck behind a slow vehicle. This as you say leads to a rolling roadblock of vehicles nose to tail and increases the chances of a suicidal overtake from an impatient driver who then puts themselves and others at risk.
If I’m plodding along behind something that’s under the limit and don’t want to overtake, I’ll sit well back so that anyone who does, can do it one at a time if needed.
peterm:
If I’m plodding along behind something that’s under the limit and don’t want to overtake, I’ll sit well back so that anyone who does, can do it one at a time if needed.
I’m the same nowadays, very rarely in a hurry and quite happy to sit well back. but the majority.
peterm:
If I’m plodding along behind something that’s under the limit and don’t want to overtake, I’ll sit well back so that anyone who does, can do it one at a time if needed.
Drove back from Cardiff on Monday night, well 11pm. It was freezing fog coming back up to the M50 from Cardiff.
M5 wasnt much better then Worcester to Telford up the A442 was only really safe at 30mph.
What scares me is other drivers! Some not using foglights, wagons not adjusting driving to suit conditions, the tailgating on the M5 I saw was ■■■■■■ scary at times…!
If i gotta sit at 30mph to be safe and bring myself home and take extra time then so be it.
