Are motorists becoming more and more stupid?

[LTDHO]

If isn't bad enough that the new cars now reverse park themselves.

Now there is an addition to the Sat nav.
It tells you when you approach a train crossing.
As if the lump of pine blocking your path, load chime from the bell and bright red flashing lights aren't enough.

It is both sad and pathetic that the average road user is being made more dumb.

[BLDNUT01]

yes and even though i don,t want to bag ford their blind spot system is stupid too all its going to do is create complacency. What happened to just looking rearview , side mirror blind spot check and merge.

[Jim Goose]

Are motorists becoming more and more stupid?

Answer... Yes

A few years ago in townsville a young female driver ran into a train at a level crossing in south Townsville. The newspaper reported that when questioned how she came to hit the train midway through its passing, she said " I didnt see it"!

[TMC]

Yes!!!!!!!!

[EFFalcon]

not all crossings have gates etc.

but its hard to miss 1000 tonnes of train.

people are just getting shorter attention spans and can't concentrate on driving for more then it takes to complete a level of angry birds.

[Rodge]

To be fair.... a fair percentage of the population are no good at parallel parking, (I couldn't possibly comment that this may be a gender thing ) and an even greater percentage don't enjoy doing it.

Blind spot assist...there's lots of people with neck problems who arn't as flexible as they might have been at an earlier stage of their lives.

I guess some people scoffed at reverse camera's or reverse sonar years ago, now we take these useful technologies as desireable features with a new car.
No I don't think we're getting dumber, people want convienience, Technology improves, just go with it I reckon...

[_Ben]

Originally Posted by Rodge

To be fair.... a fair percentage of the population are no good at parallel parking, (I couldn't possibly comment that this may be a gender thing ) and an even greater percentage don't enjoy doing it.

I find this sort of funny, in the year that I've had my Ps, I haven't had to parallel park!

[Bushbasher]

All this technology is just encouraging people to become lazier and slower of mind. If you don't exercise your brain it gets lazy just like any other muscle and all these "conveniences" just exacerbate the problem.

Bushbasher

[Kable72]

Short answer - Yes

Long answer - Yes.

People are getting lazier and it's pathetic. No one gives way, no one indicated, no one has patience on the road anymore. Too many people sit below the speed limit holding up traffic for no apparent reason. More often than not, people will slow down at school zones, on weekends, at midday. While it is good that people slow down here, not on the weekend at midday. Too far.

Last night, I was stopped at the lights, 2 lane. One lane was left turn only, the other straight/turn right. I was going straight and some fella in a beat up old magna roared straight past me using the left hand only lane just to get in front of me.

[Grunter]

All these new-fangled bells and whistles are a waste of time! Bring back the model T Ford!!!



Seriously guys, Blind Spot Assist is not a replacement for the driver checking before lane changing, it's to assist (funny how the technology has that word in it) the driver and further reduce the likely hood of cutting someone off, which could lead to an accident.

The Sat Nav notifications on speed limits, cameras, etc, is again to aid the driver, not to lessen any drivers awareness of their surrounds.

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by _Ben

I find this sort of funny, in the year that I've had my Ps, I haven't had to parallel park!

Agree, in the close to 2.5 years on mine, I've only ever done it once. Doesn't bother me if I need to walk an extra 10 mtrs when it comes to parking.

[EDManual]

Speed limits and red lights, especially turning red lights are my pet hates! Make people so useless behind the wheel!

Might sound a bit harsh, but keeping some parts of the road seem to be dangerous is the best way for people to keep concentrating.

[Jeddak]

isn't it funny how times change things...

in the 1970s when Chrysler released the VH Valiant and the CH Chrysler the company was blasted by the motoring media for making such a car with poor visibility to the side and rear,this was very obvious when compared to the then new HQ Holden and Statesman. these were class leaders in all-round visibility (XA Falcon was sot of in the middle)

today nearly every car made has tiny side glass (top to bottom) and wide sloping "A" and "C" pillars with downward sloping front and rear ends which cannot be seen from the drivers seat
and SUV's are no better, I know we own one

Also with better sound proofing, better sound systems with speakers EVERYWHERE,its no wonder that more people are not connected to what they are doing behind the wheel,
and lets not get onto the phones in cars,hands free or not....

[302 XC]

It still amazes me even in this day and age of all the gadgets,bells and whistles,people still cant read the lines in the middle of the roads
Double lines means its not safe to overtake,usually poor visibilty for whatever the reason,or theres a corner coming up
But alas a drive yesterday we got overtaken,us and the car in front on double lines approaching a corner,in all things one of those underpowered heavy as lead 4x4s
Then not the next corner some dude on a motorbike
Im sorry but when these stooopid people become car/trucks bonnet ornaments im not stopping to peel them off
Like the saying goes ,you cant teach stupidity

[Cheese3]

sigh . . . these aids are good to assist the driver but i've ranted on this for years that people are getting lazier and it's pathetic . . . sad state we are becoming . . . sigh

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Jeddak

Also with better sound proofing, better sound systems with speakers EVERYWHERE,its no wonder that more people are not connected to what they are doing behind the wheel,
and lets not get onto the phones in cars,hands free or not....

I listen to my music loud all the time, I'm still alert to what's going on around me. You have to be these days with all the pathetic drivers going around these days. Probably going to get flamed here but I see better P plate drivers than those who hold an Open licence. Some people just should not hold one.

[poppa smurf]

the world is now a far more complex place than it was years ago......driving is no longer a simple pleasure

it has become a very serious and complex day to day necessity

advertising, increased traffic, in car distractions all add up to make this pastime very dangerous indeed

the simple pleasure has passed into another time

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

If isn't bad enough that the new cars now reverse park themselves.

Now there is an addition to the Sat nav.
It tells you when you approach a train crossing.
As if the lump of pine blocking your path, load chime from the bell and bright red flashing lights aren't enough.

It is both sad and pathetic that the average road user is being made more dumb.

Agreed, my Navman tells me where there is a train crossing even if I'm not going to cross it.

QLD Rail are now going to fine people up to $10,000 for destroying boom gates as a result of driver negligence. About effin time because they do stand out. You must be an absolute moron if you don't see one or even hear it.

[Ford_The_Win]

What's with all the 'modern technology/society sucks' threads of late? Howzat and Puberty Blues making people nostalgic?

People have always been dumb and lazy, and they always will be.

[EDManual]

I think we should all have massive spears poking out of our steering wheels right at our heads, also have spears poking out from the fronts of our cars. That would make pedestrians pay attention, as well as the driver!
Instead we have fluffy airbags to pad our heads, and soft crumple zones (with volvo introducing fluffy airbags for peds) on the front for pedestrians!

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

Agreed, my Navman tells me where there is a train crossing even if I'm not going to cross it.

QLD Rail are now going to fine people up to $10,000 for destroying boom gates as a result of driver negligence. About effin time because they do stand out. You must be an absolute moron if you don't see one or even hear it.

Its not that they dont see it... its that they DONT CARE.
Nealry all the cases are people trying to outrun the train and stuff the boom gates im going through! How dare a train stop my precious life for 5mins making me wait!
The amount of morons i continually see quein across rail lines beggers beyond belief too.
a few months ago a had a good laugh at the Stuart railway crossing, there are signs to say that crossing cameras are in use. It didnt stop one moron from simply ignoring the boom gate as it was coming down, he just drove through. The flash from the camera goes off.....

Same with red light runners.... no difference.

everyone is in a hurry... no one wants to wait.

[Ducati888]

Originally Posted by Rodge

To be fair.... a fair percentage of the population are no good at parallel parking, (I couldn't possibly comment that this may be a gender thing ) and an even greater percentage don't enjoy doing it..

I find it a constant source of amusement that a certain gender boasts of its ability to multitask, and takes great pleasure in lampooning the opposite gender for not being able to multitask, yet find me one who can reverse park a manual car (or an auto one for that matter...)

As to the OP - are drivers getting more stupid? Pretty hard to measure. They are starting from such a low base already.

[mik]

all i can say is the sooner we have cars drive themselves the better, yesterday i pulled away from traffic lights at sydney rd and mahoneys rd heading east and the dude(2010 celica driver) in the lane next to me decided to move into my lane..................while i was in it !!!
I don`t think some motorists can become any dumber.

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by Ducati888

I find it a constant source of amusement that a certain gender boasts of its ability to multitask, and takes great pleasure in lampooning the opposite gender for not being able to multitask, yet find me one who can reverse park a manual car (or an auto one for that matter...)

I can't help you with that. My wife outright admitted to me the other day she will not parallel park, I've known her for long enough to know that's code for, she can't

[Ducati888]

Originally Posted by mik

all i can say is the sooner we have cars drive themselves the better, yesterday i pulled away from traffic lights at sydney rd and mahoneys rd heading east and the dude(2010 celica driver) in the lane next to me decided to move into my lane..................while i was in it !!!
I don`t think some motorists can become any dumber.

I ride a motorbike to work. That happens a lot to me. Needless to say there's a few cars along Nepean Hwy that lose their wing mirrors from time to time.

Had a bad run with VW drivers of late. I hope they are not becoming this decades Camry drivers.

[strobe]

People need bells and warnings and stuff because they're too busy updating facebook "Driving my car, about to hit train."

[vanman_75]

They are meant to be aids ...but people will rely on them and use it as gospel , heck it might even able to be used in court....my navman didn't tell me a train was coming .

Small story - At work ( shovel fleet in mines ) they had people backing into and over stuff - So they installed proximity alarms and multi view cameras .The result was people were using them as a sole means of vision , which ended in even more stuff getting hit and run over .
30 million down the drain and since removed .
Humans are lazy , And will find any way to do less with no accountability .
We do need technology to progress its just unfortunate that people will use it the wrong way :/

[Full Noise]

I don’t have time to write a long detailed post, but, YES. In my opinion, people are lacking in the true skills of driving more so these days.

I won’t single out any particular group but I will say that I have a problem with: young girls in zippy little jap cars, Asians, taxis, VHA hire cars, soccer mums at schools in their 4WDs, tradesman in their work vehicles, old people who are past it, Indian courier ute drivers, Indians who drive trucks, Asians who drive tippers, any truck that has Linfox written on it, any well to do business man in an expensive car who doesn’t think that the road rules apply to them because they are wealthy, baseball cap wearing Commodore drivers who don’t understand that there is a time and place for everything, grey nomads and old people who wear hats while driving.

[2011G6E]

I'd agree with that list...he says, ducking for cover...

Don't get me started on railway crossings...I've been driving trains for a bit over four years now, and have had at least four or five close calls at crossings. Even ones with boom gates and flashing lights don't stop morons pulling around in front of 10,000 tonnes of train doing up to 80kph. Some are that close that you don't even have time to react and hit the emergency brakes...you just look at your offsider and say "****...did you see that?". The nearest miss was a green Falcon that I lost sight of in front of me, he was that close...I just waited for the crunch, but he must have scraped by with the skin of his teeth.

There have been serious suggestions from some members of the public that we make trains slow down at level crossings...you know...to make it safer for idiots to break the law without risk of death...or something.

I merely say Do it...go ahead and drive around the boom gates, ignore the flashing lights and my locomotives blaring horn and bright headlight, and drive right in front of me...go ahead and remove yourself from the gene pool, I literally do not care if I turn your car into a squashed tin can full of strawberry jam (chunky style) because I'll be going home to my family and you'll be going home in a box...a small one. The only thing that would upset me would be if you do it with your family in the car...then I'd be filled with an overwhelming hatred for you and your stupid actions.

Where was that study from some years back in, I think, a Swedish city where they removed all road signs from the roads...and accidents went down, and road speeds were pretty much as they always were, evening out to suit the area? It showed that the majority of people were always going to "drive to the conditions", and be careful at intersections. The people that couldn't cope with the new environment with no signs to prompt their slow brain every five seconds seemed to leave the car at home and take public transport, perhaps being afraid to venture out and trust their meagre driving "skills" in the new traffic environment.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I'd agree with that list...he says, ducking for cover...

Don't get me started on railway crossings...I've been driving trains for a bit over four years now, and have had at least four or five close calls at crossings. Even ones with boom gates and flashing lights don't stop morons pulling around in front of 10,000 tonnes of train doing up to 80kph. Some are that close that you don't even have time to react and hit the emergency brakes...you just look at your offsider and say "****...did you see that?". The nearest miss was a green Falcon that I lost sight of in front of me, he was that close...I just waited for the crunch, but he must have scraped by with the skin of his teeth.

There have been serious suggestions from some members of the public that we make trains slow down at level crossings...you know...to make it safer for idiots to break the law without risk of death...or something.

I merely say Do it...go ahead and drive around the boom gates, ignore the flashing lights and my locomotives blaring horn and bright headlight, and drive right in front of me...go ahead and remove yourself from the gene pool, I literally do not care if I turn your car into a squashed tin can full of strawberry jam (chunky style) because I'll be going home to my family and you'll be going home in a box...a small one. The only thing that would upset me would be if you do it with your family in the car...then I'd be filled with an overwhelming hatred for you and your stupid actions.

I think that all level crossings should have their lights and boom gates removed and replaced with two simple signs. The first one saying “do you feel lucky”, the second one saying “whoever gets here first has right of way”.