Drivers and their problems

As someone who had to pay nearly a grand to get my headlights replaced (its a BMW so my bad) after driving through the "puddle" which appears everything it rains on Sandon Road Stafford (its got its own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/helpforsandonroad/ ) why would you risk it?

More money than sense perhaps?

David9694 wrote:

Woman claims Wales and West Utilities won't pay to fix her car smashed by road sign

so your street parked "life", "pride and joy" had two flat tyres when this happened and you've decided not to get the the glass done, even. 

'The 37-year-old said: "My car was undriveable at the time because I had two flat tyres and I had warned them: 'Please don't put your stuff so close to my car, it's a custom car, it's expensive, it's my pride and joy, it's my life because I'm disabled and I have got three kids.

"All I want is exactly what I had prior to the damage, and that's what I'm entitled to. I've not had a car for weeks now, I've got three children and my partner works nights. It is not ideal before Christmas. What am I supposed to do? I've got to run around in taxis now. It's ridiculous.

...I've been fobbed off with them telling me: 'We're not happy with this, we're not happy with that'. I'm not being funny, but it's all there to see.

"I'm not asking for a new gearbox, new mirrors, new wheels, nothing, but the problem is, the car does have to be resprayed so it's matching. The window needs sorting. The inside of the car is pretty waterlogged now because it was left for a whole 24 hours. Because my garage is the only place which has the custom paint, they were not happy with the cost..."'

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-claims-wales-west-ut...

This is easily fixed. Claim through her own insurance and let the insurer battle to cover their costs.

My suspicion is that her insurer won't cover the custom paint job at the price her garage is wanting either - nor the water damage to the interior if that's happened while they're arguing about it, rather than a temporary fix being put in place.

Shunted back by the 2.5T range rover is my guess

David9694 wrote:

"I'm an advanced driver"..."I actually feel I could have carried on and driven straight through the traffic lights without any problem"

A deluded driver, more like.  A pity they won't revoke his licence based on his comments in that article.  And the licences of all the idiot commenters.

Think someone did a comedy routine on Northern cities with deficient shopping locations named Arndale Centre.  Personally I think they should have gone with "Sambach Centre" or maybe "Old Chip centre", but I don't make the rules.

An advanced driver would immediately recognise they had made an error and either learn from the experience or identify a need for refresher training.

I have done a few IAM motorcycling refreshers over the years. Also a (non blue light) ambulance driving assessment - I got categorised as "Low Risk" which I felt was up there with "Mostly Harmless". But you are correct, you can get the badge and never do another refresher or any further training yet remain smugly satisfied in your superior driving skills that will never degrade...

Agreed, I've mentioned my dubious IAM status on here a few times. Actually, I think cycling and the close observation you end up doing to survive is pretty much an IAM driving refresher, but I'm not sure my shouts of distress are allowed according to IAM.

I'm inclined to drop my membership of IAM after my run in with one of their directors who thought it was perfectly acceptable for drivers to place fact-free anti-cycling letters in their magazines without any editorial rebutal. There is an amazing failure to grasp that there is no right to have your opinions published, and responsible organisations should not be promoting harmful opinions, even if that is reflecting the opinions of their members when those opinions go against the principles of the organisation. (The opinion was essentially that cyclists deserve to be maimed if they ride on roads when there are cycle lanes available).

IanMSpencer wrote:

fact-free anti-cycling letters in their magazines without any editorial rebutal.

OT, but the Bristol Post ran a 'story' today about it being a year since the HC updates.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/motoring/highway-code-rule-means-pede...

And I quote, in particular (with my emphasis)

Quote:

Under the rules that were introduced a year ago cyclists are now required to position themselves in the middle of the road when on quieter roads, junctions or road narrowings. This is considered safer as it increases their visibility.

In addition, cyclists now have the right of way on roundabouts but must keep to the left.

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

Under the rules that were introduced a year ago cyclists are now required to position themselves in the middle of the road when on quieter roads, junctions or road narrowings. This is considered safer as it increases their visibility.

In addition, cyclists now have the right of way on roundabouts but must keep to the left.

I'm glad I don't live anywhere near Bristol, if that's the kind of misinformation they're spreading to drivers.

Way back I considered looking at IAM. Then walking past their old office on Chiswick High road some years back was nearly run over by someone coming out of their car park, totally oblivious to my presecne on the pavement. 

"Delivery drivers have also been unable to park up and I hear parents have had difficulties too."

At some point the penny might drop...

(I don't know what options were considered, but I imagine the bollards were chosen to deter pavement parking whilst facilitating access to driveways for vehicles and pedestrian access to bus stops.) 

One wonders why he was not in lane 1 some distance before the lights.
If you are going to claim advanced driving, then better show good observation.

well its the A52, which is mostly single carriageway, and average speed camera controlled, so its an easy way to overtake people "within the rules" that way, who you might think were holding you up, especially as I think the left lane does get alot of people slowing down to head to that golf course.

Always have to watch out for this when stopping on green at a junction to let an ambulance coming from the left or right through a red light cross: many drivers seem to believe that their reward for doing the right thing and getting out of the ambulance's way is that they can then proceed in the same way as they would have done if the ambulance wasn't there, i.e. if they could have got over the junction legally if they hadn't pulled over for the ambulance, they are still entitled to cross, no matter what's happened to the lights in the interim.