High fuel price road user fall-out

[Mr Gus]

It's school half term, wife took the kiddo to MK (Milton keynes) for a rare day out whilst I kept neurotic "monsieur le velcro" with me ( a Frenchie can be the most clingy breed going & should not be considered kept on its own if you work away from home, they can suffer terribly, torturous separation anxiety).

Late leaving the snowdome this evening they caught peak traffic, & a bad jam due to tailback from what appeared to be a 4 car crash involving a Ford ka !?
This meant several hours (give or take) in slow to NO moving traffic.

What was very noticeable were the amount of cars in the jam which developed "problems unknown" that wife & daughter think were folk who had run out of fuel due to the high prices at the pumps following the recent fuel-fool hysteria, prices are so high that folk.are under normal driving circumstances looking for the cheapest of the bloated record prices.

They reckoned witnessing at least 6 cars with hazards on, either on the hard shoulder or dead & stranded in the road lanes behind the crash site.
This is going to carry on for a good few months with supply flow.being restricted from source, no likely big drop in pump prices for the forseeable)

Whilst they were chilled in the tesla
it did hit home now it is affecting ice owners leaving it as long as possible between fuel top ups. (Supply is fine around here, prices as high as anywhere else)

It did jar them off that there is no ability to use the car Wi-Fi to safely watch Netflix as a passenger with a tablet in order to allow the car to creep along periodically & passengers to be entertained without driver distraction, but hey!

Also, mk snozone BP fast charger failed to recognise wife's new rfid card, anyone else has trouble since the rebranded cards came out?I

On the plus side, I think it will make for a more frugal Xmas for many this year, curbing the usual excess through sheer expense related to covid, brexit economics & winter surge precautions soon to be (govt too chicken to say much before 7th of Dec in order to maintain the illusion)

Another thing, albeit unrelated: Wife commented that many folk now recognise tesla's round here, but she's noted men giving her "what's a woman doing driving that" !? Looks, including coppers, ..to date she's only seen 2 other women behind the wheel of a tesla, (one of whom said it was her husband's car, an x) ..is male society still that retarded where cars are concerned?

[Stinsy]

I used to drive 30k mikes a year and noticed “seasonal drivers” on several occasions.

For example: driving to see relatives at Xmas along familiar motorways, the standard of driving was notably different, with drivers veering out of their lane unintentionally, changing lanes without indicating, and generally giving the impression they were not frequent motorway users. In addition the number of breakdowns was astonishing, I guess a lot of cars are used normally for short trips only so overheating or other mechanical problems don’t show themselves. Another time we went to IKEA on a Saturday, driving along a motorway route I traveled 4x a week, the experience was utterly bizarre, the motorway was filled with Festa-sized cars driven with little-if-any competence I witnessed dozens of near-miss accidents along a short stretch. It turned out there was a Take That concert…

As for Teslas, I’m sure I see as many women driving TM3s as I do men. I certainly wouldn’t have thought it notable if I saw a woman driving one. When I met my now-wife I drove an Impreza, when she drove it she got a lot of attention from men, they’d wave at her on the road, start conversations in carparks, etc.

[Oliver90owner]

I used to drive 30k mikes a year and noticed “seasonal drivers” on several occasions.

I notice them all the time. Plenty of ‘weekend’ drivers. Plenty who do not consider it necessary to inform others of their intentions (indicators are only for special occasions?). Plenty that don’t know the width of their vehicle, too.

I call them GWIGs (Guess Where I’m Going), numpty drivers or worse.

[Joeboy]

I used to drive 30k mikes a year and noticed “seasonal drivers” on several occasions.

I notice them all the time. Plenty of ‘weekend’ drivers. Plenty who do not consider it necessary to inform others of their intentions (indicators are only for special occasions?). Plenty that don’t know the width of their vehicle, too.

I call them GWIGs (Guess Where I’m Going), numpty drivers or worse.

Since June I have driven the Aberdeen to Glasgow/Edinburgh roads 7 times. I noticed the non use of indicators is becoming (it seems) more common and quite a lot of crash sites/erratic driving. I waft along at 60 most of the time and it hasn't bothered me beyond a mild irritation. A further post covid symptom maybe? Inattention?

[Bugtownboy]

My view, from a slightly different perspective. Since retiring we’ve reduced annual mileage significantly (4K last year, probably 6K realistic) down from circa 20K.

My driving style has changed - I think less aggressive and less heavy on the volume pedal. Fuel consumption has improved circa 10-15%. I still think I drive considerately and well (would, wouldn’t I )

We try and walk far more - some food shopping/hardware/Screwfix etc or consolidate journeys.

What does surprise us every time we venture further afield from our rural bubble is the increase in vehicles and how much more aggressive/irritated drivers appear - this is comparing to pre-pandemic levels.

[Ken]

When money gets tight people skimp on maintenance and breakdowns increase.
We are all maturing and forget we are slowing down/relaxing but also how we used to drive.

[Mr Gus]

Fact is guy's that we are no-where near silly season yet (xmas prep panic) so I'm doubtful it was anything other than as reported (fuel) considering the length of time sitting in traffic, ..no-one wants to turn off their engines & conserve what little they have as borne out last time we sat for nearly 2 hours on the road.

It is a road we travel a lot so have seen it all there, but not like this. (there was a petrol station nearby on the accident side, not far past the crash)

Wife also commented that driving EV's actually slows her ICE driving to more controlled (smooth) & economic driving when she gets in our Yeti (the odd drive in a hatchback) ..it needs filling after going to the pumpkin farm the other day, but she, just like others does not want to hit a garage till pump prices drop (this is extreme for her with 45 miles left in the tank) so i'm seeing the same "fuel hedging"

She'll be stealing my 2x 5 litre fuel cans set aside as car top ups, stihl cutter, the non battery chainsaw, & weed-eater fuel any moment now.

[Stinsy]

I filled up the dirty diesel the other day. Over £80. I know prices were high, then the pandemic pushed them down to below £1 a litre, and now they're back up again. But I don't ever remember paying that much for a tank of dead dinos!

It must be really hurting those who need to drive for work.

[Tinbum]

My father in law drives like a boy racer and can never understand why his fuel economy is really poor. He always blames it on the car.

[Mr Gus]

Lads.
In other related news the kiddo needs to practise driving.
Context:

Passed her theory (before getting lessons)
Taking lessons currently, now practicing reverse parking (this morning)
Putting her onto the Leaf is around £130 till june next year as a provisional driver add on, compared to the low mileage (27000 miles) 2003 smart 450 at £300 for a year.

EV is cheaper.
(yup I know its a bolt on policy, but still gives a further indication of how EV perception is changing in the associated industries)