Mercedes drivers.
I have found the drivers of the fine German quality automobile called the "Mercedes" to be more "Common" than other motorists. I ride a motorbike, and it would seem that the class of motorists that elect to encapsulate themselves in this particular brand of vehicle, have less of a regard for other peoples lives than other users of the road-network. Only the other day, one specimen of the species decided it was superfluous to requirements to check his rear-view mirror before changing lanes, thus nearly confining me to an early grave. I have learnt over the years to be extra careful when approaching:
- Mercedes cars.
- Cars where the driver wears a burberry cap.
- Cars with a Jamaican flag displayed ANYWHERE on the vehicle.
I would like to make the hypothesis that: "Peoples driving-skills are linked to how common they are." (People that are NOT common, seem to have a higher regard for the life and safety of people around them.)
Having said that, my lovely mum gave me her old car when she bought a new one, and it was a nice old Mercedes, a lovely, old 190 petrol, manual. And you know what? No bugger would EVER let you in, when I was driving the battered old Micra, people would stop, flash their lights and wave you on; "Come on mate, you may go in front of me" In the Merc, people would go out of their way to cut me up.
(Lump, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 15:41, 7 replies)

When riding...
I am especially wary of "yummy mummys" in their sparkling 4x4s. Generally they're paying more attention to Tarquin's latest turd of Jemima's tantrum than anything else.

I know they can't be defined "common", but they're just so f*cking generic. Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em.

/rant.
(Penguins_Made_Me_Do_It is a dolt ... and she don't care, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 15:45, closed)

A woman in a 4x4 really wound my dad up the other day.
She swerved over onto his side of the road, causing him to brake suddenly to avoid a head-on collision. Her reason for doing this? To avoid driving through a puddle. In her 4x4. Stupid cow.
(Uncle Comrade, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 18:38, closed)

If she was doing it to avoid splashing a pedestrian
(and if there hadn't been any oncoming traffic) fair play to her. Drivers who don't avoid puddles when they could and drench pedestrians in dirty puddle water should be dragged out of their vehicles and shot immediately.
(julius, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 23:41, closed)

i only half agree with this
You say "when they could". In this particular case, if it causes another driver on the road to take drastic action, then I think it would be fair to argue that they actually couldn't, because it was unsafe to do so.

But yes, the general point is a fair one. Just the circumstances seem to suggest that perhaps it wasn't the best manouvre.
( bluemeat has been best of all the animals since, Thu 23 Oct 2008, 10:59, closed)

I have such an aversion
My list of cars to avoid has grown however, rovers (old people drive these), bmw's (same as mercedes'), definitely 4x4's, van's (white and now silver) and so on, until the only car I'm happy being anywhere near as I ride home with my full body in tension is the Hyundai Getz, never a nicer class of driver.
(babydad, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 16:27, closed)

I still think BMWs are worse
but I've heard the thing about people being rude to Mercedes drivers. From a guy who was driving a courtesy-car Audi while his Mercedes was being fixed, and was surprised at how much faster he got everywhere despite the Audi being half as powerful.
(julius, Wed 22 Oct 2008, 18:18, closed)

Yes,
I have been shunted by a couple of BMWs as well.
But first prize has to go to the Mercedes driver who, after nealy knocking me off, proceeded to give me the finger, when I beeped my horn at him. Unfortunately for him, he was just jumping from one stationary lane, to another, as their type often do. So I parked my bike and walked back to him. Changed his tune then. Locked the doors and wouldn't look at me. So I tapped on his wondow. Still wouldn't do anything but stare straight ahead. I tapped a bit harder (With carbon knuckle-gards) Still no response... I was so pissed off at this point, I could hear my own heart-beat. So I grab his wing-mirror, and wrench it forward. And when I let go, it sprung back, with the sound of a ruler being held on a desk and bent, then released, you know, the sort of "BRRrrr" sound...
The guy is panicking a bit now, he's screaming and beeping his horn. I try several more times to get the wing-mirror off, bending and twisting it, but every time I let go, it just springs back to its normal position. Very frustrating. In the end, the sillyness of the whole situation gets to me, and I start laughing, and go back to my bike and ride off. Well built cars those Mercs.
(Lump, Thu 23 Oct 2008, 10:59, closed)