This must be happening across the whole country not just down Sarf, I see the same things up in Yorkshire.

Swerving in to your safe braking zone at speed and slamming on!
People driving up the right hand lane to a roundabout knowing full well they need to squeeze back in further down to go off first exit
People going on to a roundabout through traffic lights knowing full well they will block it for everyone else
The bell ends ignoring the fact that an obstruction is on their side of the road and then waving their hands at your like it is their right of way

Riding my motorbike to work saves me around 10-15mins so I only do it on nice days, it does however make you realise how people are oblivious in their own little worlds playing words with friends, facetiming their mothers, watching p0rnhub etc... if they are a total hazard to everyone I sometimes pull up and wag my finger and point to the helmet camera It seems to get a quick reaction as they all must have spotted the cyclist copper-grass on DailyMail/BBC. Riding makes you acutely aware of the dangers of driving, I feel people in their 5 star NCAP boxes have a sense of invincibility.

I have a dashcam in both my cars also for this reason and I have learn to just take it easy and let the bell ends get on with it. If they bash in to me I have proof

Stay safe.

 

Simply put, the country is overcrowded and full of incompetent arseholes. Introduce roads to the mix in a busy area and its incredibly rare to not find yourself stuck or otherwise obstructed by idiots doing stupid/dangerous things.

This is why I love getting away to Wales or somewhere desolate. Being surrounded by morons on a daily basis can be soul destroying and you need a chance to escape!

 

As to who is to blame in any "situation", if they don't look at you, you know you were in the right. The slightly distracted, teenage girl in the battered Clio who pulls out in front of you causing to brake sharply can't possibly be to blame because she's looking fixedly ahead and since she can't see you, you're simply not there. I'd normally give them a blast on the horn but the Swift's horn is a pathetic wee beep that just produces giggles ...

 

Too crowded little island. Mind you it's the same in Belgium. That's why i spend that much time in the Périgord.

 

the worst driving i've witnessed lately has been from pensioners

one on a single carriageway NSL.. doing 35mph, huge queue behind
approaches a 40 stretch, van parked delivering.. does not slow down or react until very late then just swerves into oncoming traffic - near miss

head on crashes like that could have been are pretty serious usually due to combined closing speed

on the other hand i followed a vintage porsche, he was giving it some beans in the wet down a deserted NSL twisty but was conscious of any approaching traffic and eased off

the fuzz would no doubt nick the latter

 

Driving standards have declined alarmingly in the last few years. People distracted by phones etc, drivers who shouldn't be on the road anyway (for various reasons - no licence, uninsured, etc. etc), those who don't understand how to drive in the UK, airheaded morons (both genders) and so on.

I have cameras in both of my cars - my everyday car has them front and rear, the S2000 just has one in the front. If it's a case of being in any situation where the other party starts lying and trying to evade responsibility, I've got the evidence.

 

Indeed; the law of unintended consequences striking again.

It's increasingly encouraging driving like an utter cunt - but as long as you're not exceeding the speed limit, it must be OK.

 

I see an increasing number of people doing 'whatever speed they like' in 30 and 40 zones - some of them don't seem to change speed at all. It's because they know where all the fixed cameras are, there are almost no traffic police out and about and the SCAMeras publish where they will be. I reported one flucktard last week - got him pulled over by the police on the A507 to have a word in his shell - most satisfying.

The general thing seems to be to pretend they haven't seen you as that excuses any driving error(s) they feel obliged to make in the name of progress.

The only way around it for now is to drive at the times that other people do not.

 

One of the cornerstones of high quality manufacturing is standardised work.
Probably the best example you can use to explain it is driving. 99% of the time most of what you do you don't think about what you're doing you have routines that you have drilled into yourself that mean everything generally happens automatically. Only time you tend to think about it is when the unusual happens

Thing is one of the ways that standardised work has to work is to keep reviewing it constantly to ensure it is followed.
I'm strongly of the opinion that people should have to have refresher training.
That way any dangerous habits could be corrected and any decline in ability spotted.
It'll never happen though.

The more pressure on people the more friction and the more mistakes.
I think more a function of busier roads than skill levels dropping.
After all, anyone can have a bad day but it is more likely to be noticed these days

 

I've done ~30k miles/year on business for the last 3 decades
I've also enjoyed ~7k miles/year in a roadster for many of them
I've recently invested in a dashcam and grown eyes in the back of my head
Over the years I think I've developed a 7th sense for road muppetry