Just started to drive any tips???

[Chugz]

Always brake test any tailgating BMW.

Considering the average BM driver, I really wouldn't try that

[The Hand]

Get a car dash cam (forward and rear facing if possible) for insurance purposes. It improves your own driving too .

[abaxas]

Get a car dash cam (forward and rear facing if possible) for insurance purposes. It improves your own driving too .

Also get 'peado' grafitti-ed on your home if you drive past a school.

[The Hand]

Wouldn't surprise me in this day and age. Remember the paediatrician who got her office attacked ..lol? Lots of drivers and cyclists have cams now and newer higher range cars are having them built in as standard too.

[Ttaskmaster]

I am not sure if it is still the case, but I believe the only extra mirror that is required in the car during the test is the one for the examiner to look out of the rear window;

Pretty much - My instructor has just gone mental with the extras!

Bikers meanwhile don't know that they are supposed to drive in lanes on dual carriageways. Every week, I see at least one whizz through in between cars i.e. in between lanes. These guys deserve to be hit!

It's called filtering. It's perfectly legal in the UK. You can even filter on your bike test - It's called making progress. Technically you can also fail if you don't use permissible bus lanes, under failure to make progress.

Your jealousy is understandable though, given how you have to sit in traffic. That's the price of having a stereo, roof and aircon, though.
Easy solution - Get a bike!!

[ik9000]

Pretty much - My instructor has just gone mental with the extras!


It's called filtering. It's perfectly legal in the UK. You can even filter on your bike test - It's called making progress. Technically you can also fail if you don't use permissible bus lanes, under failure to make progress.

Your jealousy is understandable though, given how you have to sit in traffic. That's the price of having a stereo, roof and aircon, though.
Easy solution - Get a bike!!

That applies when traffic is static. I read it as him referring to nob-heads overtaking by weaving through fast-moving lanes of cars - which is downright dangerous

[Ttaskmaster]

That applies when traffic is static. I read it as him referring to nob-heads overtaking by weaving through fast-moving lanes of cars - which is downright dangerous

Define "fast-moving"...
Define "weaving"...

Most of us move from side to side a bit, as cars have wing mirrors and either don't drive in a straight line, or think it's funny to actively try and block bikes off. If you'd rather we just followed the white line and took your mirrors off, that can be arranged...
'Weaving' would be more along the lines of going rapidly from the (approximate) centre of one lane, to the (appoximate) centre of the next and back with little indication or regard for the spaces of other motorists.

There is NO speed limit on filtering, or even an official guideline.
Most use the 20-20 rule - No filtering if traffic is going above 20mph and never filter more than 20mph above the speed of traffic.
That means we could be filtering at up to 40mph (speed limit of the road, depending), though technically it could be up to 70mph and there's no law against it.
It's also much easier to filter if the traffic is moving a bit as more people are able to move aside to give us room. Those on the left of us who do often get a wave of thanks.

Either way, so long as it's done safely and car drivers understand it's perfectly legal, there's no problem.
It's also generally advised to filter between lanes 2 and 3 on motorways as vehicles change lanes less and have come to expect bikes there.

[ik9000]

It's also generally advised to filter between lanes 2 and 3 on motorways as vehicles change lanes less and have come to expect bikes there.

I don't. If I'm pulling in from the fast lane to the middle lane, I check to make sure I've passed the vehicle I was overtaking. I don't expect a bike to try to squeeze between us. Overtake on the outside only. Basic highway code.

[Ttaskmaster]

I don't. If I'm pulling in from the fast lane to the middle lane, I check to make sure I've passed the vehicle I was overtaking. I don't expect a bike to try to squeeze between us. Overtake on the outside only. Basic highway code.

And yet basic highway code also tells you to look out for bikes that may be filtering...

If you're watching, indicating and moving over (Observation, Signal, Manoeuvre), as you're supposed to, you'd see the bike coming, while any half-sensible rider will be watching for this and not trying to pass at that point anyway.
But if you're going fast enough to blaze past and think merely checking to see you're past whatever you're overtaking is enough, then you run a two-fold risk:

1/. You smack into the bike you didn't look for.
2/. You smack into the car doing the same as you while moving in from Lane 1.

1 is debatable and depends on the circumstances.
2 happens quite a lot - I see little prangs from this at least once a month and have given my details as a witness on numerous occasions.

Then again, if we add the SMIDSYs in, it gets even dirtier and we're going a ways off topic...

[MrRockliffe]

Assume people will make the wrong decision (indicating when they shouldn't be etc)

When living in Spain, high vis jackets were mandatory too, and triangles. A good idea in my opinion.

DASHBOARD CAMERA.

[Butcher]

I don't. If I'm pulling in from the fast lane to the middle lane, I check to make sure I've passed the vehicle I was overtaking. I don't expect a bike to try to squeeze between us. Overtake on the outside only. Basic highway code.

There is no fast lane, all lanes are the same speed.

[Knoxville]

One thing I don't think has been mentioned - Whenever you see a large hire van one the road take into consideration that there's a good probability the person behind the wheel has never driven anything that large before.

[Zak33]

keep your wiper blades clean...

lift them off the screen.. run a wet cloth over the blade.. lower gently back to the screen. Repeat all round, front and back

Done regularly you will then notice them wearing out and buy new ones.

It will prevent bits sticking to the wipers which leave lines on the glass in rain.

[Ttaskmaster]

lift them off the screen.. run a wet cloth over the blade.. lower gently back to the screen. Repeat all round, front and back

Don't forget to wipe the glass where they normally rest as well!

[Zak33]

/\ that

[ik9000]

There is no fast lane, all lanes are the same speed.

there's meant to be all the same speed. The reality is you will be in the outside lane doing 70 (ok 75) and a Merc/BMW/Audi/[insert other nob mobile] will arrive rapidly growing in your mirrors until it tailgates you flashing its lights because you made it slow down from 100+. I really wish they would book those morons and leave the rest of us alone.