My Focus close to being written off by a Festa ST

[simcor]

Had a fairly close shave tonight, I was turning right at a set of lights in when a blue ST Festa came sailing through the lights on red straight in front of me, If I had been a bit quicker setting off I would have been T boned. Their lights had been on red for at least 8 seconds looking at the time from my lights changing to their car crossing the white line at the lights, so clearly not paying enough attention to the road. There was a car turning left in front of me, had it been me or that car at the lights turning right it would have been an accident, thankfully the car in front was turning left not right and was in front of me.

Not happy is an understatement, it's not just other marques that drive like complete !Removed! wombles.

People and I mean all of us need to think very carefully how we drive, as so many people have dashcams these days, if I sent that footage onto one of these websites or directly to the police chances are they would be prosecuted for it.

Lastly I hope it wasn't someone off here.

[Pullock]

I agree wholeheartedly with what you say.

While I enjoy a spirited drive as much as anyone there's a time and place for it and it's not in a built up area that's how people get killed.

[simcor]

That is twice now I have had something on camera that could cause someone to lose their licence and possibly job recently.

I could have sent the footage of both incidents in, but you know what it's not my job to do so, hence why i don't but had they hit me the dashcam would have been worth it;s weight in gold yet again, as it would have proved beyond reasonable doubt the other driver was at fault.

But in the same vain the other reason I have decided not to send the footage in is because karma does come around sometimes, next time it may be me that is the subject of a dash cam rant by someone else.

But it does make you think how simple lapses of concentration etc can cause disastrous repercussions.

So it really is a post to try and make us all think a bit more about our own driving. 

[Pullock]

Couldn't agree more, both my dash cams are worth the money just in case I need them. The stuff they've captured is unbelievable the amount of people not paying attention to the road is shocking.

I have to echo the campaign the police are running called Arrive Alive, two little words but passing this on to other people could ultimately save somebody's life if it makes them think twice about changing how they drive.

[Russ]

It's the culture we now live in and the "I want to be there NOW!" Brigade. The standard of some driving nowadays is shocking. It doesn't matter what the speed limit is you'll always get people saying things like 'if it's a 40mph I drive at 42 PLUS 10% because you are allowed to due to discrepancies in your speedo!' If it's a 40 road it means 40 MAX! I've seen idiots using phones, eating toast, drinking coffee, twiddling with sat nav's, doing make up and reading papers and that's only on a 7 mile drive to work!

i had an argument on an A9 forum with a guy complaining he gets annoyed at people driving at an indicated 58mph and overtakes them so he can do 62mph!! His excuse for his frustration and speeding ...."after a 12 hour day of driving, I'm in a hurry to get home for my dinner!" 

There are some who will never change their attitude or admit their driving is dangerous to themselves and others and like others have said we should all pay more attention behind the wheel.

 

[jmurray01]

You are absolutely right.

Sadly in the past few weeks the majority of reckless drivers I've seen were in Fiestas.  Both driving up my back-side (when I'm doing 65 in a 60!), overtaking immediately before or even ON a corner, and running red lights/stop signs. 

I can cope when Corsa drivers do it, but Ford drivers?  Come on, remember what brand you are representing!!

[mrmetallica]

i was in Tescos in the abbey the other day with my daughter and grand son .

i was waiingt at the top of the entrance to the children's parking an disabled as some one was coming out when a women coming from the other way tooting at me,

so i pointed to the car coming out.she floored it her wheels where spinning she nearly lost it she went round  the horseshoe bit wheels screaming.how she never crashed or killed some one is beyond me

[markjw]

had four idiots over the weekend - number 1 was a delivery van in the left lane at a roundabout who decided to turn right, no 2 was a Focus estate on a dual carriageway, 20mph under the speed limit and would not move into the inside lane even though it was completely clear, No 3 was a Skoda driver who decided to cut across lanes exiting a roundabout and the fourth way an old Escort van that decided to ignore red traffic lights (a good 5 seconds after they had changed to red)

 

[Dee_82]

If it were me id post that video on youtube, people need to learn, in some ways I quite like the system austrailia uses, fine them, on the spot 4 week bans, people need to be discouraged and people wont if they are not pulled up for it.

One other thing that is wrong with this world is the idea that 40 means 40. your absolutely correct but its that mentality that I think is the biggest cause of crashes, just because it says 40 on the sign does not make it a target to reach.

I don't have the stats but I bet if you were to look up fatal accidents on 70mph motorways and A roads and compare them to the number who die on 60MPH A/B roads, more accidents will happen on the slower roads and not necessarily faster than the limit.

People need to learn to drive to meet the conditions of the roads and I reckon speed limits actually make that worse for some.

[Joss max]

About to head out on family shopping trip. Feel full of confidence after reading this thread.

[simcor]

The other car being 2 seconds further down the road or me being 2 seconds ahead of where I was and it would have been an accident.

It does not look quite so bad on the video, but they must have been doing more than 30MPH as they went through the lights, I also blasted my horn and slowed down even though I was accelerating to make the turn, as I was observant to see them coming and not stopping for the lights.

I have the video set to unlisted but it should be able to be viewed.

[Dee_82]

what a plonker, clearly had no intention of slowing down and probably wouldn't have seen you even if you were slightly further forward,

 

yeah dashcams always make things look slower and less serious, something to do with the fish eye lens. Ive had a few videos that at the times looked like near death but the camera made it look like a stroll in the park

[TomsFocus]

I must admit, I see a lot of idiots in Fiestas, but I think it's partly down to how many are sold in the UK, and partly down to the types of people that often buy them (youngsters and old people).  Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'm the idiot in the ST, it gives you a different 'feel' to a Titanium, makes you want to drive harder.

I've also noticed a lot of red light jumpers lately at a few different sets, I'm actually starting to wonder if the light control is faulty though!  There's a particular one where someone jumped me 2 weeks ago when it'd been green a few seconds my side, but the same one last week I was at a steady 20mph following traffic, went through just as it changed to amber and someone shot across from the right, braked and beeped...now either they guessed the green light or the lights aren't timed correctly!?