New trend: cars blindly following person in front

[MarkJ]

I've noticed a recent trend round these parts, whereby car drivers seem to blindly follow the vehicle in front, even when it's pulling in to stop. This mainly seems to happen where a car driver will be behind a bus who indicates to pull in, then the car drivers follows them in the the bus stop and only realises what's happening when the bus has practically stopped, even though it was indicating for ages. The car driver then has to swing out at full lock to get around.

Someone did this last night by following a car that was pulling in to the kerb to park. It looked like the car behind was parking too but forgot to put their indicators on, and the gap left in the middle of the road could have easily fit a car through to pass them both. But then the rear car driver swings wildly out when they're practically stopped, could have been nasty if someone had chosen to pass at that point.

Is this just a Sheffield thing, or does it happen elsewhere? It seems to be a recent trend. Possibly because everyone's on Facebook when driving.

[Minty]

Target fixation. Old invention that, nothing new.
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[blurredman]

I always think of car drivers like sheep. They brake when the car infront of them brakes, they accelerate when the car infront of them accelerates. No foresight, no awareness, just follow...
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 52k.

[rideslikean00...]

Treat them all like morons (because most of them are) and you can't go far wrong. I leave more stopping distance than the majority of drivers out there which is bad on their part because they have a lot more weight to stop quickly in emergencies (also your visibility of the road several cars ahead is better if you do, which helps filtering as that's all about planning ahead). The ones that leave the right amount - or too much - are usually doing so because they're going way below the speed limit while a line of impatient drivers forms behind them. Sad old state of affairs really.

The good thing is, this behaviour and idiocy is predictable to a point. Not so much that you should set your watch by it and take things for granted, but assume the worst of all other road users and a) you won't be surprised when it happens and b) you'll be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't.
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2013 Yamaha YBR-125ED -> 1997 Yamaha YZF-1000R Thunderace -> 2009 Yamaha XJ-6 Diversion -> 2007 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2

[jeddy11]

Their probably on the phone or texting under the level of the window so have to look down instead of forward ..
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[notbike]

I've noticed this a lot too. Many drivers seem to follow other drivers even when they're about to turn into a junction or parking spot, and then last minute they snap out of their almost hypnotised state and veer back into the middle of the road. Its like it's almost an automatic reaction to follow the car in front and copy everything they do.

[Suntan Sid]

Inevitably, it was always going to be the consequence of blanket speed camera coverage.
If they CBA looking at their speedometers they just, blindly, follow the vehicle in front, hoping that it's not infringing any speed limits.
This method of driving also gives these morons the ability to give their phone/facefail/text the attention it, so rightly, deserves!
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[wodge]

Of course if everyone stuck to the "two second rule" this wouldn't be a problem but i would be surprised if some of these idiots had even heard about it...

[waffles]

I can't say I have noticed people blindly following the vehicle in front but I have noticed a lot of last minute 'oh shit!' braking when traffic is stopped in front. I've had this twice in the last few days where I have stopped as the car in front is turning right but the car behind me brakes or swerves to the left.

Wrong lanes for roundabouts is spreading like wildfire though. Left lane is for going all the way round, right lane is for cutting people up because you want to go left, multilanes are a free for all hurrah!
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Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[andi]

I approached a pinch point in my car with another car coming the other way. There is enough room/time for me to get through although the approaching car has right of way. Its a bit cheeky to be honest. Matey takes um-bridge and accelerates and moves to the centre to give me a punishment squeeze. Car behind has tailgated me cos this makes you immune from anything. Was quite a loud bang as fuckwit one and two have a head on in the pinch point. How we laughed when we came home some 30 mins later and saw two cars that were going no where.
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Now: Honda Fireblade 929

[Wonko The Sane]

[waffles]

[Fladdem]

Can't say I've noticed this, I'm far too busy following the car in front and pulling in behind them.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[Islander]

I blame that Dirk Gently.

[Skudd]

I blame Xbox.
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[ScaredyCat]

I blame it on the boogie
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[Moo.]

I watched this happen down my highstreet. Had me in tears

On the other side of the road, a car had pulled in behind a line of parked cars along side the road, which could have been misconstrued as a queue for the roundabout. As there usually is one at home time. So the car behind just slowed down and stopped behind him, thinking it was a queue... Then there formed a huge queue of traffic behind this numpty. By the look on some of the peoples faces, they'd been their a while!
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[stonesie]

It makes me wonder what is between their ears, sawdust? Probably just air to be honest.

When I'm at work and I pull over it's quite normal for the cars behind to stop and wait patiently, until that first flash of my Right indicator, then they just overtake even if it means forcing oncoming traffic to stop for them. Fucking retards.