Top 10 most annoying driving habits
Updated: Thursday, 8 September 2022
So, you’ve got your car finance sorted and your driving away from the dealership in your shiny new motor, enjoying the new car smell, revelling in all the new gadgets you’ve ticked on the options list and all of a sudden you’ve been ‘cut up’ by someone (Audi perhaps?!) in a hurry with no manners – sound familiar?!
1. Signalling late or not at all
This is infuriating. I don’t know when in history it occured, but at some point in time, indicators became motoring shorthand for ‘I’m moving lane, regardless of where you might be and regardless of how much you need to brake to accommodate my rudeness or lack of driving ability.’
2. Tailgating
Only a fool breaks the two second rule and all that. There’s plenty of ways to deal with tailgating, but really the only sensible and safe option is to pull over and or change lane.
So, you’ve got your car finance sorted and your driving away from the dealership in your shiny new motor, enjoying the new car smell, revelling in all the new gadgets you’ve ticked on the options list and all of a sudden you’ve been ‘cut up’ by someone (Audi perhaps?!) in a hurry with no manners – sound familiar?!
1. Signalling late or not at all
This is infuriating. I don’t know when in history it occured, but at some point in time, indicators became motoring shorthand for ‘I’m moving lane, regardless of where you might be and regardless of how much you need to brake to accommodate my rudeness or lack of driving ability.’
2. Tailgating
Only a fool breaks the two second rule and all that. There’s plenty of ways to deal with tailgating, but really the only sensible and safe option is to pull over and or change lane.
3. Driving too slowly
3. Driving too slowly
Despite road safety charities claiming that all speed kills fluffy animals and small children, it’s actually inappropriate speed that is the danger. Driving too slowly often refers to those drivers we all see who will cruise through a 30 limit in a village at 45 and then proceed along the next 10 mile NSL stretch at 45 just the same. Dangerous in the village, frustrating on the 60 and often results in less than clever moves being made to overtake on our rural B roads.
Despite road safety charities claiming that all speed kills fluffy animals and small children, it’s actually inappropriate speed that is the danger. Driving too slowly often refers to those drivers we all see who will cruise through a 30 limit in a village at 45 and then proceed along the next 10 mile NSL stretch at 45 just the same. Dangerous in the village, frustrating on the 60 and often results in less than clever moves being made to overtake on our rural B roads.
4. Driving too fast
Despite road safety charities claiming that all speed kills fluffy animals and small children, it’s actually inappropriate speed that is the danger. Driving too slowly often refers to those drivers we all see who will cruise through a 30 limit in a village at 45 and then proceed along the next 10 mile NSL stretch at 45 just the same. Dangerous in the village, frustrating on the 60 and often results in less than clever moves being made to overtake on our rural B roads.
4. Driving too fast
Despite road safety charities claiming that all speed kills fluffy animals and small children, it’s actually inappropriate speed that is the danger. Driving too slowly often refers to those drivers we all see who will cruise through a 30 limit in a village at 45 and then proceed along the next 10 mile NSL stretch at 45 just the same. Dangerous in the village, frustrating on the 60 and often results in less than clever moves being made to overtake on our rural B roads.
5. Using the phone when driving
5. Using the phone when driving
It’s against the law and been proven to impact on concentration levels, but many drivers still think it’s ok to do this. For the sake of a £10 bluetooth earpiece, it really isn’t worth the fine (or worse) if things go wrong.
It’s against the law and been proven to impact on concentration levels, but many drivers still think it’s ok to do this. For the sake of a £10 bluetooth earpiece, it really isn’t worth the fine (or worse) if things go wrong.
6. Hogging lanes on the motorway
My number one. Lane discipline, lane discipline, lane discipline. We all want to make progress, safely and swiftly – being in the wrong lane is discourtious and breeds more (often dangerous) silly manouvres in the form of undertaking and tailgating. Overtake, move over, over take, move over. It’s not difficult, but this perculiarly British problem is rife on the roads. Take a road trip to France or Germany to see how it should be done.
7. Not saying 'thank you' for giving way
Manners cost nothing, but unfortunately, many drivers seem to think that they own the piece of tarmac beneath them and can’t find the good grace to be polite. This breeds more rudeness and before you know it we’re all angry drivers. spitting blood, tooting horns and flashing lights.
8. Leaving high beams on
Another sign of a rude, lazy or forgetful driver. It’s not hard to switch lights on/off/down on a car so I don’t get why so many can’t be bothered. I’ll add another one in here too. Why drive with fog lights on when it’s not foggy? And why, when it is foggy, visibility is down to mere yards and you’re driving along in your grey/silver eurobox do you think that anyone will spot you without lights on, let alone fog lights? Rant over!
9. Taking up two parking spaces
I refer you to this thread on legendary motoring site, Pistonheads – ‘The bad parking thread’ Enough said.
10. Being cut up
Racing to save all of two tenths of nothing from the journey, the typical culprit can normally be found 30 seconds later at the same traffic lights as you, having saved nothing and looking a bit silly.
6. Hogging lanes on the motorway
My number one. Lane discipline, lane discipline, lane discipline. We all want to make progress, safely and swiftly – being in the wrong lane is discourtious and breeds more (often dangerous) silly manouvres in the form of undertaking and tailgating. Overtake, move over, over take, move over. It’s not difficult, but this perculiarly British problem is rife on the roads. Take a road trip to France or Germany to see how it should be done.
7. Not saying 'thank you' for giving way
Manners cost nothing, but unfortunately, many drivers seem to think that they own the piece of tarmac beneath them and can’t find the good grace to be polite. This breeds more rudeness and before you know it we’re all angry drivers. spitting blood, tooting horns and flashing lights.
8. Leaving high beams on
Another sign of a rude, lazy or forgetful driver. It’s not hard to switch lights on/off/down on a car so I don’t get why so many can’t be bothered. I’ll add another one in here too. Why drive with fog lights on when it’s not foggy? And why, when it is foggy, visibility is down to mere yards and you’re driving along in your grey/silver eurobox do you think that anyone will spot you without lights on, let alone fog lights? Rant over!
9. Taking up two parking spaces
I refer you to this thread on legendary motoring site, Pistonheads – ‘The bad parking thread’ Enough said.
10. Being cut up
Racing to save all of two tenths of nothing from the journey, the typical culprit can normally be found 30 seconds later at the same traffic lights as you, having saved nothing and looking a bit silly.
What are your top 10? Let us know!
What are your top 10? Let us know!
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