Top 10 Driving Frustrations

Everyone has their own pet peeves on the road. Here are 10 common frustrations that all of us will experience whilst driving, from the irksome to the downright infuriating.

1. Indication frustration

Lack of indication is a popular vote for driver frustration. Or a token flicking of the indicator after the vehicle has already started turning. It's for letting people know what you plan to do before you do it - which is why it's called an 'indicator'. It would be desirable if drivers got into the habit of indicating even when there's no other traffic around, as pedestrians rely on indication too. And when it comes to choosing when to cross a road, a motorist's lack of indication is more than frustrating - it's just plain dangerous.

2. How much do manners cost, again?

Discourtesy on the road really got people's goat. Whether that's stealing a parking spot that another driver was clearly about to take, being trigger happy with the horn, or simply not thanking other drivers for their courteous acts, it's all just bad manners. Why can't people just be nice?

3. Middle lane hogging

You always get these on motorways - the ones who go at 60mph in the middle lane when there is nothing in the slow lane. Why? Who knows?

4. It's not always good to talk

It's illegal to have a handset glued to your head whilst you're driving, but people still do it. Put the phone down! Pay attention to the road! Or at least get a hands-free.

5. Box clever, or box stupid?

Also featured are people who don't understand box junctions, or drive onto them even when they do. If your exit isn't clear, there's a good chance you're going to end up blocking traffic. Even buses sometimes do this, and bus drivers should really know better. This choice could possibly be extended to 'people who just don't know their Highway Code'.

6. Things that go bump in the night, and the day too

Poorly-maintained roads and potholes were big ones for the Confused.com team. One of them has had two tyres rip in the past few weeks. Potholes are no fun.

7. Tailgaters

Nobody likes another driver right on their butt. It's more than rude - it's dangerous. "Only a fool breaks the two-second rule!"

8. Not even amber - just red

It's always a surprise to me that some drivers seem to think that red lights are optional. And this is a real problem in cities, where the volume of traffic is so much higher. I was reluctant to include cyclists in this list, as saying emission-free road users are annoying seems churlish. However, some cyclists (and I'm sure they're in the minority) seem to cherry pick which parts of the Highway Code suit them, and the traffic light stipulations are the ones most noticeably dropped. Red means 'stop' for everyone, guys and gals!

9. Say cheese!

Being frustrated by speed cameras is a bit of a contentious one. Although the members of the team that suggested this were also keen to point out that they didn't mean all speed cameras at all times. Clearly no-one would object to having cameras in accident black spots, near schools and hospitals and so on. But one member of staff argued that some mobile speed cameras are clearly located for pure revenue generation. And another said that cameras don't differentiate fast and dangerous driving, and that driving on a clear, straight road at 3am is a different kettle of fish from the middle of the day when there are greater volumes of traffic and pedestrians. Discuss...

10. "Are you talking to me?"

Arguably taxi drivers are an annoyance due to a number of the factors already discussed. And yet so many of the team mentioned them, their inclusion must surely be warranted. What sets taxi drivers apart is that much of the time someone will be paying them for their service. I'm sure that when most of us pay for a service, there will be a tacit understanding that the service provided will be legal. Why would anyone financially endorse breaking the rules of the road and being inconsiderate to other motorists?

I must issue a disclaimer here that this may not apply to some, if not most taxi drivers. But if you're a cabbie, even you'd have to admit that some are worse than others.

...and the rest

Just outside the top ten were Nissan Micras, parking in disabled spots without the right to do so, caravans, motorway flirters and drivers wearing hats.
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