# General > General >  Driving in Caithness

## baggie boy

Hi all,

As part of studies in HND Business, i have to do research skills. 

I am researching whether the driving standards in Caithness are better or worse than anywhere else.

Could you please fill in the questionairre on the link below and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MB5SVCP

Thanks in advance

Baggie boy

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## Beat Bug

Done!...........

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## smithp

Good topic to choose. There are idiot drivers everywhere, but the idiots in Caithness are the best!

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## Even Chance

Yer right. Its the ones doing 40/50mph everywhere that are the worst. Holding up long lines of traffic during the rush hours, and even doing the same speeds in 30 zones!

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## Invisible

Sadly enough I enjoyed filling out this questionnaire. I gave me the opportunity to vent frustration and put forward opinion without it being questioned or attacked.

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## Beat Bug

Any chance of a synopsis of the answers?

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## sids

> Yer right. Its the ones doing 40/50mph everywhere that are the worst. Holding up long lines of traffic during the rush hours, and even doing the same speeds in 30 zones!


The worst are the ones who have high speed crashes.

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## pmcd

"Driving in Caithness" is perhaps a misnomer. "Aiming in Caithness" gives a better flavour of some road-hogging bottom-feeders throwing their tin chariots along the A9 at suicidal speed and with little regard for other road users.

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## Shaggy

Q9. What do you think of the driving standards in Caithness. 
  A. I'll crack the jokes round here!

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## Gronnuck

Having driven a variety of vehicles all over the world I can say hand on heart driving in Caithness is a doddle.  I do have a great deal of admiration for the pick-up driver I encountered yesterday who was speaking on his mobile phone, eating his piece and manoeuvring into a passing place to let me pass.  I just hope he didn't spill his tea when he returned my cheery wave!

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## poppett

Simple rules in Caithness...........keep to the brow of the road unless there is something in the way.   Never parallel park if you can double park and have a chat instead.

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## mi16

Dont follow Q10 re powerful cars being more readily available to inexperienced drivers.
There has never been any rules to prevent access to powerful cars, if you can buy it you can drive it

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## focusRS

If anything I would say it's now more difficult for a youngster to have a powerful car. My cousin just passed his test and to insure a 1.0L micra is costing him £1700 for his first year fire and theft.

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## mi16

It's certainly much more expensive than it was when I were a lad

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## focusRS

When I started driving 14 years ago you could get more BHP for your buck when compared to now.

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## ducati

> When I started driving 14 years ago you could get more BHP for your buck when compared to now.


Can't see that. Yer average 10 year old family car had about 90 BHP then. Now more like 120. Assuming, like me, your first car is about 10 years old. What has changed is that a 10 year old car then was a wreck. Where as now they can be quite reasonable.

My first car was a 10 year old Austin 1300. That was a wreck!  ::

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## stekar

I don't claim to be a perfect driver, but have to share what I saw today.

Heading into Thurso approaching Ormlie Industrial Estate, when the Homeaid van pulls out in front of me. I was quite near the junction and if I'd been waiting to come out of the junction I would have waited for the traffic to pass, but the van didn't.
 Then approaching the Homeaid shop it indicates and pulls over to double park outside the shop straight into the path of an oncoming car. The look on the driver's face in the silver car that was forced to stop said it all! Obviously the silver car heading up towards the station didn't have right of way!
Appalling driving from the Homeaid van driver.

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## Koi

> Yer right. Its the ones doing 40/50mph everywhere that are the worst. Holding up long lines of traffic during the rush hours, and even doing the same speeds in 30 zones!


40mph is too slow unless weather conditions such as heavy snow etc make 40mph and below very necessary. I drive at 50mph on 60mph roads due to the fact i use alot less fuel at 50 than at 60. Don't have a lot of money to waste in fuel so i drive at the speed I do to ensure i get more miles to the gallan.
 Too slow and too fast is what causes most accidents. They are both as bad as each other.
 There are alot of people in caithness who should not be on the roads. Some I have no idea how the heck they passed their test in the first place.
 When we get heavy snow here it will also weed out who can drive and who can't.

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## Even Chance

> 40mph is too slow unless weather conditions such as heavy snow etc make 40mph and below very necessary. I drive at 50mph on 60mph roads due to the fact i use alot less fuel at 50 than at 60. Don't have a lot of money to waste in fuel so i drive at the speed I do to ensure i get more miles to the gallan.
>  Too slow and too fast is what causes most accidents. They are both as bad as each other.
>  There are alot of people in caithness who should not be on the roads. Some I have no idea how the heck they passed their test in the first place.
>  When we get heavy snow here it will also weed out who can drive and who can't.


 Dont agree there Im afraid. Your still holding up the flow of traffic and causing frustration. How many folk overtake you whilst on a regular trip I wonder? That can be dangerous in its own right. Have a look in yer mirror and see the line forming, then have a wee think to yourself. I know fuel is dear nowadays, but the difference in consumption between driving at 50, and 60 is marginal. At least I presume your one of the ones that slow down when you get to a 30 zone?

 last week a white van pushed me through Watten at 30mph glued to my rear bumper, and was even wandering over the road as if to pass me! Yet when I accelerated back up to 60 again, they were just a speck in my mirror! ::   Eejit!

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## outsidethebox

I think the biggest problem with drivers in Caithness is that folk that learn here and don't then do much driving elsewhere just have no concept of how to drive when there is other traffic on the roads.

In particular behaviour at road junctions is appalling. A little courtesy would go so far. When there are cars waiting to pull out of a junction, and you are waiting to pass that junction in a queue of traffic it will cost nothing to leave a gap for the cars wishing to pull out to drive into. Even if they happen to be waiting to turn your way and would then be in front of you it will still at worst cause you an extra second or two on your journey. Basic courtesy makes such a difference!

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## outsidethebox

> Dont agree there Im afraid. Your still holding up the flow of traffic and causing frustration. How many folk overtake you whilst on a regular trip I wonder? That can be dangerous in its own right. Have a look in yer mirror and see the line forming, then have a wee think to yourself. I know fuel is dear nowadays, but the difference in consumption between driving at 50, and 60 is marginal. At least I presume your one of the ones that slow down when you get to a 30 zone?
> 
>  last week a white van pushed me through Watten at 30mph glued to my rear bumper, and was even wandering over the road as if to pass me! Yet when I accelerated back up to 60 again, they were just a speck in my mirror!  Eejit!


The problem is not that someone drives slowly, but the idiots that are content to simply sit behind them no matter how good a passing opportunity presents itself. 

People need to accept that if they wish to drive faster than a vehicle in front then they need to pass them. 

If they choose not to pass then they need to leave plenty of space between them and the car in front, and be prepared for other drivers to pass them and pull in behind the vehicle they refuse to overtake. Much safer passing one vehicle at a time and when they stick themself to the bumper of the car in front they make it far more difficult for any other drivers to overtake safely and drive the speed they wish.

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## Koi

> Dont agree there Im afraid. Your still holding up the flow of traffic and causing frustration. How many folk overtake you whilst on a regular trip I wonder? That can be dangerous in its own right. Have a look in yer mirror and see the line forming, then have a wee think to yourself. I know fuel is dear nowadays, but the difference in consumption between driving at 50, and 60 is marginal. At least I presume your one of the ones that slow down when you get to a 30 zone?
> 
>  last week a white van pushed me through Watten at 30mph glued to my rear bumper, and was even wandering over the road as if to pass me! Yet when I accelerated back up to 60 again, they were just a speck in my mirror!  Eejit!


Fair enough you don't agree. There is never a long line and I usually help anyone who's showing signs of wanting to overtake me but isn't sure a helping hand. Its a great deal more for my car so I'll just carry on doing what i'm doing. There are times when I too decide the extra cost is worth it though if i'm running a bit behind for work. Saves me an extra 5 minutes but sometimes that is a crucial 5 minutes. 
I have a little boy and I would never dream of going above any speed limit and of course i slow down for a 30/20/40 zone. Outside mount pleasant school last year A driver stormed past me while i was doing the 20mph in the 20 zone at the time. Made me really angry as the kids were coming out of school. The driver had no regard at all to the safety of the kids. It only takes a second for a kid to fall in the road. On my street the kids play about at the top of the road and can come out of nowhere. I never go above 10 mph coming up my street for this very reason. 
The very same thing has happened to me in watten too. Its just crazy!

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## Koi

> The problem is not that someone drives slowly, but the idiots that are content to simply sit behind them no matter how good a passing opportunity presents itself. 
> 
> People need to accept that if they wish to drive faster than a vehicle in front then they need to pass them. 
> 
> If they choose not to pass then they need to leave plenty of space between them and the car in front, and be prepared for other drivers to pass them and pull in behind the vehicle they refuse to overtake. Much safer passing one vehicle at a time and when they stick themself to the bumper of the car in front they make it far more difficult for any other drivers to overtake safely and drive the speed they wish.


Well said!

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## Even Chance

> Well said!


Agreed there! Good post by outsidethebox!

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## ducati

I tend to drive about 50 for fuel saving too. What does use a horrendous amount of fuel is overtaking a very slow car. I dont. I just drive about a 1cm from their bumper.

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## mi16

Driving at 50 in a 60 zone is a fail for the driving test

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## ducati

> Driving at 50 in a 60 zone is a fail for the driving test


Who cares? You're not taking a test.

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## mi16

Indeed but you are not driving to a satisfactory standard either

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## outsidethebox

> Driving at 50 in a 60 zone is a fail for the driving test


As far as I am aware the above is not correct. You might fail for failing to keep up with traffic if you drive at 50 and all around are doing 60. Conversely if you are trying to pass every vehicle on the road that are all doing 50 in a 60 limit you are equally likely to fail.

Driving (and passing tests) is all about driving appropriately to the circumstances, not some arbitrary limit as you have stated above.

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## mi16

It was a fail in my day
You would not fail for overtaking vehicles as long as your manoeuvre was safe and within the constraints of the law

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## ducati

> Indeed but you are not driving to a satisfactory standard either


Again, who cares?

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## sids

> Indeed but you are not driving to a satisfactory standard either


Yes you are.

How fast should mopeds go in a 60 limit?

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## Alrock

> Driving at 50 in a 60 zone is a fail for the driving test


When I first did my bike test about 15 years ago one of the things I failed on was not speeding up to 40 when the limit on the road I was on changed from 30 to 40, the trouble was that by the time I realised it had changed to 40 it changed back to 30. Ironically it was a stretch of road that I travelled down quite often & would have normally been doing about 50.

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## focusRS

> Can't see that. Yer average 10 year old family car had about 90 BHP then. Now more like 120. Assuming, like me, your first car is about 10 years old. What has changed is that a 10 year old car then was a wreck. Where as now they can be quite reasonable.My first car was a 10 year old Austin 1300. That was a wreck!


Series 2 RS turbo 130 BHP in good nick back in 1999 purchased, insured and on the road for under £2200. You would pay that in insurance alone now for a fiesta 1.25 zetec as your first car.

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## sids

Apart from during tests, where someone is interested in whether or not you are able to drive at 60, what would be a reasonable speed on a road where it is illegal to exceed 60?

How about 50 mph?

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## mi16

> Again, who cares?


You do realise this thread is related to the standards of driving don't you?

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## mi16

> Apart from during tests, where someone is interested in whether or not you are able to drive at 60, what would be a reasonable speed on a road where it is illegal to exceed 60?How about 50 mph?


60mph would be quite reasonable

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## mi16

> Can't see that. Yer average 10 year old family car had about 90 BHP then. Now more like 120. Assuming, like me, your first car is about 10 years old. What has changed is that a 10 year old car then was a wreck. Where as now they can be quite reasonable.My first car was a 10 year old Austin 1300. That was a wreck!


Modern cars are considerably heavier than older ones, I would bet that the power to weight ratio would be similar between the two

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## john w

Austin 1300 =90bhp???? i wish!

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## sids

> 60mph would be quite reasonable


Yes, I think so, under many circumstances.

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## ducati

> You do realise this thread is related to the standards of driving don't you?


So I'm not allowed to save petrol? I drive at about 60 on the motorway for the same reason. Haven't been told off by a policemen yet.

I'll tell you what, I drive to Wick, about 10 miles, cruise set at 50mph, someone overtakes me and I catch them on every bend and arrive right behind them. So what was the point?

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## ducati

> Austin 1300 =90bhp???? i wish!


No...that wasn't 14 years ago. Do try to keep up!  :Grin:

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## Koi

> So I'm not allowed to save petrol? I drive at about 60 on the motorway for the same reason. Haven't been told off by a policemen yet.
> 
> I'll tell you what, I drive to Wick, about 10 miles, cruise set at 50mph, someone overtakes me and I catch them on every bend and arrive right behind them. So what was the point?


I try and tell my partner this sometimes when he's getting hot headed about slower drivers. He does however drive my car at 50 when i ask him to as at the end of the day its the fuel i put in the car and not him. 

I totally agree with you and won't be put of driving the way I do. Its a reasonable speed so why not  :Wink: 

My car is actually on the motorway better at 70mph on cruise than 60 mph  ::  She loves being on the motorway  :Smile:  She was made to be driven down south really. 

The speed limit is not a target and just because the speed limit is 60 mph doesn't mean you have to do it. I do feel that 50 mph is quite reasonable and isn't too slow at all. If it was 40 however then that would be a different matter. 

When I was learning to drive I had to show I could drive at 60mph but my instructor told me it wasn't a target but a limit. Nowhere in the high way code does it say 50mph is too slow.

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## ducati

> I try and tell my partner this sometimes when he's getting hot headed about slower drivers. He does however drive my car at 50 when i ask him to as at the end of the day its the fuel i put in the car and not him. 
> 
> I totally agree with you and won't be put of driving the way I do. Its a reasonable speed so why not 
> 
> My car is actually on the motorway better at 70mph on cruise than 60 mph  She loves being on the motorway  She was made to be driven down south really. 
> 
> The speed limit is not a target and just because the speed limit is 60 mph doesn't mean you have to do it. I do feel that 50 mph is quite reasonable and isn't too slow at all. If it was 40 however then that would be a different matter. 
> 
> When I was learning to drive I had to show I could drive at 60mph but my instructor told me it wasn't a target but a limit. Nowhere in the high way code does it say 50mph is too slow.


I wonder what the impact on the planet and carbon emissions, price of fuel etc. would be if we all drove on average 10mph slower?

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## pat

On a recent trip down to Cairnryan to get ferry to N Ireland - in a long line of traffic tottling along at around 50ish with plenty of time to get to ferry,  along comes this eejit with 2 bikes on roof rack, starts overtaking and passes about 30 vehicles in total that we can see, taking many risks and making many  motorists in both directions brake due to this eejit driving.  He pulls up in queue for ferry as the vehicle in front of ours.
He risked many lives, had many drivers jamming on brakes and taking avoiding action - what for - 10 feet further on and to wait longer in the queue?  He nearly ended up 6ft down a few times, driving like that it won't be long in my estimation before he is 6ft down.   
Feel sorry for whoever is there when he does end up crashing, he was driving as if everyone had to give way to him, it was his personal road and nobody else should be on his road.
Was going to approach him and comment on driving ability but decided otherwise (thought I would have been on the end of a fist or two), did pass on the number of the vehicle and description of his driving to police at Cairnryan, other passengers in vehicle also logged issues.  A few drivers after that were having chats with police!

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## Koi

> I wonder what the impact on the planet and carbon emissions, price of fuel etc. would be if we all drove on average 10mph slower?


Aye i often wonder this myself.

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## Alrock

> I wonder what the impact on the planet and carbon emissions, price of fuel etc. would be if we all drove on average 10mph slower?


I wonder what the impact on the planet and carbon emissions, price of  fuel etc. would be if we all drove on average twice as fast?
OK, those cars would use more fuel but there would be less of them on the road as many would be to scared to venture out... lol

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## poppett

If the homeaid driver could park the lorry right into the shop.....trust me, he would.   No thought for other road users, just swings across and double parks on a regular basis.   OK for the locals who know this happens, but it must be risky for tourists.

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## Alrock

> If the homeaid driver could park the lorry right into the shop.....trust me, he would.   No thought for other road users, just swings across and double parks on a regular basis.   OK for the locals who know this happens, but it must be risky for tourists.


It's not just the Homeaid van, I quite often see vans double parked all along that road. If these was room to single park I'm sure they would, maybe the problem is people using a shopping street as a longstay carpark, the solution would be to make the areas outside shops loading/unloading zones only during business hours.

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## sids

> the solution would be to make the areas outside shops loading/unloading zones only during business hours.


That might close some shops down.

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## billmoseley

As i drive for a living i get to see all sorts of driving. To the driver who potters along at 40 in a 60mph limit it as dangerous as a speeder. They cause frustration and thus faster drivers become impatient  and take risks to get past. A lot  don't use their mirrors so are unaware what's behind them. Then you have the arrogant ones who seem to get pleasure from holding people up. (tourists are worse for this) But on the whole up here slower cars do usually let you past.

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## ducati

> As i drive for a living i get to see all sorts of driving. To the driver who potters along at 40 in a 60mph limit it as dangerous as a speeder. They cause frustration and thus faster drivers become impatient  and take risks to get past. A lot  don't use their mirrors so are unaware what's behind them. Then you have the arrogant ones who seem to get pleasure from holding people up. (tourists are worse for this) But on the whole up here slower cars do usually let you past.


This post is typical of a speeder. Blaming others for your own dangerous driving.

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## billmoseley

> This post is typical of a speeder. Blaming others for your own dangerous driving.


 Speeder? lolol on my bus i think not but very funny.  ::

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## pmcd

Whether you're a speeder, a slower, a boy racer, a ditherer, or - in most cases - the best driver on the road today and a total expert on anything to do with driving - what's coming over is a very strong sense of "I'm the only one driving properly: the rest are idiots who got their licences off the back of a cornflakes packet". This tells us a lot about drivers as a tribe. Please tell me (apart perhaps from brain surgery) which other activity bestows such infallibility and total lack of humility amongst its adherents? Given that there ARE so many incidents resulting in culpable death, injury and destruction on the roads, how can drivers claim to be perfect in every way?

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## billmoseley

> Whether you're a speeder, a slower, a boy racer, a ditherer, or - in most cases - the best driver on the road today and a total expert on anything to do with driving - what's coming over is a very strong sense of "I'm the only one driving properly: the rest are idiots who got their licences off the back of a cornflakes packet". This tells us a lot about drivers as a tribe. Please tell me (apart perhaps from brain surgery) which other activity bestows such infallibility and total lack of humility amongst its adherents? Given that there ARE so many incidents resulting in culpable death, injury and destruction on the roads, how can drivers claim to be perfect in every way?


 Now i never said i was the best driver in the world on the contrary i see myself as average but hey in the the bed room i'm a sex god  ::  ::

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## sids

> As i drive for a living i get to see all sorts of driving. To the driver who potters along at 40 in a 60mph limit it as dangerous as a speeder.


What speed do you think heavy goods drivers should drive at on the open road in Caithness?

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## Alrock

> What speed do you think heavy goods drivers should drive at on the open road in Caithness?


Whatever is appropriate to the road conditions...

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## billmoseley

> Whatever is appropriate to the road conditions...


 well said. Most professional drivers drive to the road conditions and to what they are transporting. None are going to risk their own lives by driving too fast

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## sids

> well said. Most professional drivers drive to the road conditions and to what they are transporting. None are going to risk their own lives by driving too fast


Are "professional drivers" the ones who are paid to drive, or do you count bus driving among the learned professions such as medicine, divinity and law?

So how do you feel about lorries which never exceed 40mph?   Frustrated?

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## billmoseley

> Are "professional drivers" the ones who are paid to drive, or do you count bus driving among the learned professions such as medicine, divinity and law?
> 
> So how do you feel about lorries which never exceed 40mph?   Frustrated?


 Bus driving is a job just like any other and if a lorry is doing 40mph then have you thought there might just be a reason for it? heavy load? live stock? fragile?

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## sids

> Bus driving is a job just like any other and if a lorry is doing 40mph then have you thought there might just be a reason for it? heavy load? live stock? fragile?


There's a reason for everything, but a lorry at 40 must be at least as "dangerous" as the potterers you were complaining about.  And the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles is 40mph.

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## billmoseley

> There's a reason for everything, but a lorry at 40 must be at least as "dangerous" as the potterers you were complaining about.  And the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles is 40mph.


 only 40 on single track

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## billmoseley

*peed limits for Trucks, Vans, HGV, LGC and Towing

*The speed allowed in a national speed limit area mentioned above is for cars and other small vehicles. Consult the Highway Code  for speed limits for larger vehicles and vehicles that are towing. The speed limit for vehicles that are towing on a dual carriageway or motorway is 60mph. Some speed cameras can differentiate between different sized vehicles and will activate at a lower speed for larger vehicles.
Speed Limits in mph >
Type of vehicle
*Built up area (street lit)
*
*Single Carriageways
(National Speed limit)*
*Dual Carriageways
(National Speed limit)*
*Motorways*

*cars & motorcycles (including 'car derived' vans up to
2 tonnes maximum laden weight)*
*30*
*60*
*70*
*70*

*cars towing caravans or trailers
(including car derived vans
and motorcycles)*
*30*
*50*
*60*
*60*

*buses and coaches
(not exceeding 12 metres
in overall length)*
*30*
*50*
*60*
*70*

*goods vehicles
(not exceeding 7.5 tonnes
maximum laden weight)*
*30*
*50*
*60*
*70
*60 if articulated
or towing a trailer*

*goods vehicles
(exceeding 7.5 tonnes
maximum laden weight)*
*30*
*40*
*50*
*60*

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## sids

> only 40 on single track


"Single carriageway" ( in your posted table) doesn't mean single track.

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## billmoseley

i'm not gonna split hairs over such an unimportant detail

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## sids

> i'm not gonna split hairs over such an unimportant detail


It's important enough to mean that lorries are limited to 40mph in Caithness.

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## therealducati

> This post is typical of a speeder. Blaming others for your own dangerous driving.


I think Ducati is bored and having a troll. None of what he is saying on this thread is true (except the bit about his first car- the gear lever fell off in his hand on on memorable occasion)! I have been married to him for 28 years and have NEVER seen him drive at 50mph (unless conditions demanded it) in a 60mph, especially not on his MV Augusta!

I shall force him back under the troll bridge until he behaves! Don't feed him in the meantime.

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## Shaggy

> I think Ducati is bored and having a troll. None of what he is saying on this thread is true (except the bit about his first car- the gear lever fell off in his hand on on memorable occasion)! I have been married to him for 28 years and have NEVER seen him drive at 50mph (unless conditions demanded it) in a 60mph, especially not on his MV Augusta!
> 
> I shall force him back under the troll bridge until he behaves! Don't feed him in the meantime.



LOL...Ducati = OWNED!!!  ::

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## mi16

Ducati in stranger to the truth shocker!!!

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## ducati

TRD never goes in my car when I am driving. (She thinks Cruise Control is Mysteron Drive  :: ). When I am driving her car with her in it she is paying for the juice  :: .

I stand by my posts.

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