Travel and other road users behaviour

[bowber]

I'm going to be going to Germany again next week via the Newcastle Ijmuiden ferry, now obviously this means traveling through Holland and I usually choose to just get it over with via the motorway, this time I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Last time I was there earlier this year I found that a lot of the Dutch drivers were inconsiderate of other road users including motorcycles, tailgating was the norm and I had a few close do's with early pull ins and generally being cut up but the worst was being undertaken while I was overtaking a wagon.
I was doing the posted speed, maybe a tiny bit over and was coming up on the wagon reasonably quickly when the driver of an estate car just pulled up the inside lane and then moved into the rapidly closing gap between me and the wagon, I had to brake to avoid the back corner of the car and it was very close, I've raced bikes for most of my adult life and I did grasstrack for a lot of years with 10+ bikes going into one corner doing over 70mph and very often we would have contact with some of it lasting for quite a way, so I know what close is and this car very nearly wiped me out.
On that trip I traveled through Holland, Germany, Luxembourg and France and I can say conclusively that the driving in Holland was the worst I've encountered for a long time anywhere. It was so bad I'd compare it to Italy and that's the only place I've ever seen a police car being tailgated!

Maybe it was just a one off as I'd not encountered this in Holland before, it was the later ferry docking time around 11am not the usual 9:30am I've been on before, and the rest of the time I found the other road users very motorcycle aware as they usually are in Europe, so has anyone else seen a change in attitude?

Steve

[Alan29]

On the Rotterdam ring road heading back to Europort. I was in the outside lane of a very full motorway. On the Varadero with panniers, so it was quite wide. An Audi overtook me by squeezing between me and the central barrier. A brown trouser moment.
Not sure if this is a Dutch thing or an Audi thing.

[Oop North John]

Not sure if this is a Dutch thing or an Audi thing.

I thought that Audi's came with a magnet in the drivers door that (a) pulls them towards the central reservation and (b) disables the indicators

[anthony29040]

That's nothing compared to Romania. that sort of stuff is a walk in the park .its the only country I have been in where I thought I was going to die.did 11 east European country's this year and deffo the worst ever driving I have come across.young lad on a trailer full of hay being towed by a tractor stood up as I was overtaking and pretended to throw a pitch fork at me.and that was one of the lesser things that happened. We come out after 3 days we where supposed to be stopping a week.shame because it is a really nice place.

[Alun]

Can’t say I’ve noticed Dutch drivers being more aggressive than any other. However, from recent experience, I reckon you have to aggressively tailgate whilst texting and eating a sandwich to pass your test in Italy.

[johnnyboxer]

Belgian drivers were quite lairy, last week

Oh and I was side-swiped in Austria, on a mountain pass whilst I was cranked over at 45 degrees, exiting a bend - he swerved over to my side despite the fact he could clearly see me exiting the bend and clouted my handlebars, taking out my mirror with his door mirror

That was close, I said a few Hail Mary's afterwards

[herman]

Scary stuff Johnny! I had it the other way with a bike overtaking an organised run on a blind bend and his mirror colliding with my car one. Thought someone had shot at the car it was so loud.

[bowber]

Not good Johnny, bet you were a bit cautious for a while after that!

I know what you mean about Italian drivers Alun, we stopped on the Sorento peninsular a lot of years ago and every day we watched as more and more was smashed off a car parked OFF the road round a corner, what sort of driving was taking place I've no idea but by the end of the week it was a wreck, and every local car had dents and lights broken, looked more like Ireland 25 year ago!

Steve

[SteveW]

Well, I've seen it all in Europe. Generally the further East you travel the worse it gets. With Italy being in a class of its own regarding inattentive driving.
I was in Croatia last week, two lane motorway. I was doing the speed limit (130kph) overtaking a lorry.
I'm on a motorbike, I tend to occupy the right side of "my" Lane. I'm looking to get passed asap then get back into lane one, then roll back to my cruising speed of about 110kph (ccm 450)
I'd just cleared the front of the wagon, I'm now looking to pull over to lane one as soon as I can.
Then a worthless piece of shit driving a Dacia passes me in "my" lane on my inside between me and the lorry.
I was a split second from pulling into lane one....if I'd not seen this moron at the last second I'd have been wiped out.
He's f*cking sat there fully 70 years old with his hag of a wife sat next to him.
He pulls in past the lorry and slows down to about 110kph.
I'm normally fairly cool, but I pulled along side him and shook my fist in a very animated way.
He must of shat himself because he dropped right back ....I hope he was having a f*cking heart Attack.
Rant over...breath and breath....there, I'm okay now.

[johnnyboxer]

Not good Johnny, bet you were a bit cautious for a while after that!


Steve

Yep Steve

It was like a gun going off and as I was cranked over my helmet was right in front of the mirror, so it exploded into the visor (good job it was shut, otherwise I'd have been showered with glass at 50mph)

Had to drive 1000 miles home with only one mirror, which was a PITA