It would seem that ever since I bought my beetle and started driving it daily, I am surrounded by people doing dumb things around me. I'm constantly being tailgated, rounded up on narrow backroads, not allowed to merge to the point where I run out of lane, and people cutting in front of me last minute at a red light. This is just to name a few!

SO I was wondering. Is it a VW thing? Does everyone suffer this, or is it just me? Or is it just that drivers have gotten worse in the past few months?

I know my 1200 is no powerhouse, but it's like people see a Beetle and immediately think 'shit, a slow crapbox - better do something dumb'

Please tell me I'm not alone!

I think it is mostly that people see an old car and don't want too get caught behind what they think is going to slow them up. We get it in our 68 all the time.

Yogie

Far from alone.

I believe its the general ill conceived "vw's are slsow' assumption from the public. But idiot drivers are everywhere, and even the idiot drivers think everyone else are idiot drivers. lol. If you can find humour in the stupidity, its amazing how the circus performance just smoothly passes on by.

far from alone, if i had a cent for every time ive been cut off or had them do something stupid id be a millionaire by now.

Hi

I have the exact opposite experiences apart from the odd dickhead. My daily is my sons 1303, it looks like its been modified so it may not be considered slow by other road users.

I find that most people a very courteous and will let me merge or giveway without any issues and this is in Sydney where we have many drivers that missed out on the driving gene.

My son has two R31 Nissans and his bug, I sometimes forget to remove the green Ps when I drive them, I have noticed a different driving attitude towards me when I leave P plates on, mainly from other P platers.

Steve

i find it also differs where you drive. when i use to drive to north sydney its was a lot less idiots, but driving to camden every day i see a hell of a lot more. its the i must over take the bug to prove myself.

Totally agree Chris.
There have always been bad drivers, and idiot drivers around me no matter what I'm driving.
But like Yogie said, its probably moreso the fact that everyone percieves them as slow, and don't want to be stuck behind it.

I had a guy overtake me in the bike lane yesterday because I was doing 40 in a 50 zone, up a hill.

i get it alot too, but if you do over take them... should see their face!

I must say I don't seem to see it as much as I used to .

I remember before 100kmh limits, I used to mainly sit between 120 & 140 (country roads), and quite often you would overtake someone, and next thing they would zoom past then eventually slow down again. Once you overtook them a 2nd time, they mostly just let you go then.

My big problem ever since open road speed limits came in, is keeping concentration with 100 or 110kmh speed limits - it is like watching a photograph for hours on end. :-(

Well Ive spent a bloody lot of time and Kays on the road, not to mention quite a few miles, in all types of vehicles both new, old, fast and slow, and I've encountered bad, good, and average drivers ever since I started to drive some 40 odd years ago, I reckon there was times I have fitted into all of those catagories myself, though not at the same time, though hopefully most of the time in the good slot, let the fools blunder on and see if you can match the skills and temperament of the good, then it'll all be fine.
My 2 c worth.

I've noticed other drivers hate it if they get overtaken by an old VW. They then have to prove something and speed up to overtake you. They must be embarassed or something.

As for the merging lanes and cutting in front at red light situations, i think it comes down to the way you drive. I've been a delivery driver for 5 years and spend all day on the road, ducking in and out of traffic and squeezing into tight parking spaces. It's all about confidence. Do you think another driver would let you merge into the side of their car and damage it or do you think they'll eventually brake, move over and let you in? Alot of people drive too cautiously, but sometimes you have to drive offensively to get where you have to go, nothing dangerous though.

Ahah I agree with Joel and Matt.

So true though, if I pass anyone in my bug, it is game on for them.
I just let them pass and put along behind them...
(Sometimes).

When we had a kombi, the engine was a nicely put together 1800 type 4 and it would sit on 130kph (not that I ever did such a thing officer) on the motorway but people would nearly kill themselves to overtake it, then happy that they were ahead of a kombi they would then slow down

Quote:

Originally posted by Joel Quote: Originally posted by shokwave2 I've noticed other drivers hate it if they get overtaken by an old VW. That is definately a VW thing, cos I drive exactly the same no matter which of my cars I'm in but soon as I pass them in the bug thats it, race initiated, the others they just move over and let me pass... The worst ones are the midlife crisis men in the beamers and mercs, they are great fun to play with, cos they hate having their pride hurt by an old VW.

i agree, in my bug-ute, i get dickhead after dickhead giving me grief, they get a shock at the lights tho, its light and fast. the worst offenders are young women drivers, they drive like they have something to prove, sooner or later i will see / be involved in a nasty accident just hope its not me getting hurt.
when i'm in my musso 4x4 i get no bother, its almost invisible on the roads!

I get the idiot drivers all the time when running around in the B-Double. I once had a clown jump in front of me as I was slowing down for a red light
Needless to say he left me no room to pull up and I hit the fool from behind. The funny thing was as I climbed out of the cab, this guy decided to do a runner and drove off with his boot caved in.
Me thinks he may have been drinking and didn't want the cops around because in the eyes of the law it was my fault and it would be damn hard to prove otherwise. At least now the boss has installed forward facing cameras in the cabs

on the ipswich motorway my cream vw is king hahahaha ... i pass heaps of people on the way to work and back home (doing 55mph (90kmh) which is the posted limit) :P . its just a standard 1500cc sp but once its moving its got some get up and go! most idiot drivers will think top speed is everything. my average speed is higher than them and therefore i keep infront of them i find most people curteous usually. sometimes you get a wanker who wants to go you at the lights (why?, when its obvious you are going to win), but in general i have no hassles. i can't wait to get a bigger dp engine though

Had it on the way to work this morning.
In the rain too. Idiot almost smacked into the side of me to squeeze into the gap in front, had to slam on my brakes.

Cursed and blasted off.

So it took research to work this out???
Well f**k me

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/sci-tech/study-finds-rich-upper-class-...


Its true though, some of the worst drivers on the roads are those soccer mums and the big 4wd that hubby had to have cos it tows a boat once a year.

This Prado cost $57,000, it must be able to take round abouts at 80km/h....

I'm the opposite,..

Whenever I see an old vw I slow down so it can pass me so I can check it out!!!

Ive got a double dose of the surrounding idiot syndrome your talking about, it happens in the beetle and even more so when im on the ducati. Its bloody louder than the beetle so they should hear me but its worse on two wheels!

Quote:

Originally posted by bugsandoil I'm the opposite,.. Whenever I see an old vw I slow down so it can pass me so I can check it out!!!

on a bit of a road trip at the moment left albury friday, drags saturday wsid, boat racing sunday upper hawksbury, then west of kempsey monday, touring around the mid north coast for the week. All i can say is i hate most pepole on the road, got cut off in traffic on the way to wsid with millimetres to spare by a bloke towing a trailer. tailgated then abused as he flew by for doing over the posted limit on the way to the boat racing. then watched idiots on the pacific hwy speed up, slow down, take stupid risks just to overtake one car. doesnt make sense to me, dont get me wrong i am a hoon love it, but in traffic take it easy, open your bloody eyes and have a bit of common sense!

I think the problem isn't driving skills, just ignorance. A severe lack of thought of possible circumstances of actions, forward thinking, mental role playing and problem solving. Driver education doesn't strongly highlight to not get caught in your own personal 'bubble' on the road. I remember watching a clip of the german autobahn, public drivers would move off the overtaking lane well ahead of cars catching up, there was the constant 'open mind' to surroundings.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda though... The general consensus of the type of drivers in Australia isn't going to change too quickly.

As Lee would say, YIKES, after reading the above posts I'm handing my licence in, too bloody dangerouse out there, with the reports of some drivers being mentaly deficient and others admiting to being in the same condition themselves I'm outa here. YIKES.

They were saying on the radio the other day that one in ten drivers are drug affected in some way these days.
It's not hard to believe. It would explain a lot.
The increase in road rage seems to match the increase in amphetamine abuse too.