Are people REALLY this stupid ?

MattC59

I live on a modern estate, pretty much at a mini roundabout. This roundabout is on a camber and there is currently about 4" of fresh snow sitting on top of 2" of compressed snow and ice. There are two ways out of the estate from here, one up a steep-ish hill, the other is through the estate and the route is flat.

I've lost count of the number of people trying to get up the hill this morning and failing miserably, most of whom end up at the bottom of the camber, against the kerb in 6"-7" of snow...... stuck and wanting help.

I saw one guy about 10 minutes ago (he's still half way up the hill revving like hell and spinning his wheels) who I helped to get moving at the same place last week.

Being a good natured chap and full of community spirit (when the mood takes me !!) I've been very helpful over the past week, digging people out pushing cars etc. I got a knock on the door the night before last at about 11:30pm from a lady who was, yep, stuck at the bottom of the camber spinning her wheels and in the deep snow. I helped her out and away she went with barely a wave.

However............. As I'm now seeing the same idiots attempting the hill and getting stuck....... F*ck em !!!!!!

Lack of intelligence is not a problem, but lack of common sense and plain stupidity winds me up, especially when they've made the same mistake once before. They're on their own !!!

Sorry, bit of a rant, but the Mrs is getting sick of my ranting :?

snakehips

At least it sounds rather entertaining. The most interesting thing I get in my street is people rummaging round in other people's skips after bits of metal or firewood.

Snake

My Library

Cressers

In a word, yes.

sicknote

You have to remember that a lot of drivers take they brain out and put it in a jar next to them when they get in the car so it is some where safe :roll:

Chip \'oyler

The only people happy at the moment are mechanics.

"I'm afraid madam a new clutch will be £500"

Cressers

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

MattC59

snakehips wrote:

At least it sounds rather entertaining.

It is, but i work from home and it's becoming distracting

MattC59

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

Oh, I am smug !!!!

I have a Passat 4Motion, which in these conditions gives me all the traction I need, I get 47mpg and cheap-ish tyres.......... much better than a Range Rover which only sees gravel drives at worst !!

Tempestas

MattC59 wrote:

snakehips wrote:

At least it sounds rather entertaining.

It is, but i work from home and it's becoming distracting

Get your camera out and shame them on YouTube....or a new site called YouKnob ?

Mark Alexander

MattC59 wrote:

snakehips wrote:

At least it sounds rather entertaining.

It is, but i work from home and it's becoming distracting

get supplies of bread milk and tea, lock the door, turn off the lights and act like you're not there.

Or just tell them not to be thick and use the other route. :evil:

Ollieda

MattC59 wrote:

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

Oh, I am smug !!!!

I have a Passat 4Motion, which in these conditions gives me all the traction I need, I get 47mpg and cheap-ish tyres.......... much better than a Range Rover which only sees gravel drives at worst !!

Range Rovers are truely awesome vehicles off road (yes even the new ones!) and if you have ever done the G4 challenge you would see how good they are (it's normally dominated by discos and defenders but sometimes you see a new style range rover there)

Unfortunately it's the "new" style range rover drivers that have taken the Chelsea tractor image and boosted it! If the driver actually knows what he's doing then you can get the car quite easily out of most situations!

Anyway back to the OP, if they are going to keep making the same mistakes over and over then there's no need to waste your time helping them if they refuse to take the safer option.

Pokerface

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

I'm pretty happy to have a 4x4 right now. No special tyres needed thanks. Makes up for the rest of the year when I'm getting 20MPG!

Anonymous

Pokerface wrote:

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

I'm pretty happy to have a 4x4 right now. No special tyres needed thanks. Makes up for the rest of the year when I'm getting 20MPG!

I get 32 MPG

(Actually, I really do!)

Woolfie

Unfortunately not even 4WD helped this morning on the hill outside my house as I saw a number of cars (including a range rover and a discovery)slide off up the kerb and onto the grass verge. It was just a sheet of black ice which was very difficult to stand on never mind drive. I just didn't even try in my AWD until the road got gritted by some builders working further up the hill.

Pokerface

NapoleonD wrote:

I get 32 MPG

(Actually, I really do!)

Did I mention I now weigh 12 stone!?

MattC59

Ollieda wrote:

Range Rovers are truely awesome vehicles off road (yes even the new ones!) and if you have ever done the G4 challenge you would see how good they are (it's normally dominated by discos and defenders but sometimes you see a new style range rover there)

Unfortunately it's the "new" style range rover drivers that have taken the Chelsea tractor image and boosted it! If the driver actually knows what he's doing then you can get the car quite easily out of most situations!

Don't get me wrong, I love Rangerovers (proper ones), Discos etc, and if I had the £££ would happily buy one, it's just that most of them never see anything more than a gravel driveway :?

skinson

If someone knocked on my door at 23:00 the only help they'd get is a lift up the drive from my right foot!!
dave

hopper1

Pokerface wrote:

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

I'm pretty happy to have a 4x4 right now. No special tyres needed thanks. Makes up for the rest of the year when I'm getting 20MPG!

+1

I'm even happier that it's safely locked up on my drive & won't be getting used until the snow/ice has melted, 'cos I'm not there

fungus_the_muffin_man

I have the same happening in front of my house. It's only a slight hill but for the past month I've been woken up at all hours listening to cars reving away and getting no where. Luckily they don't come knocking on my door cos its an apartment which has locked metal gates down stairs

I saw the look on a smug 4x4 driver to as he came down past my house as though there was no snow there at all. Well it was smug untill he went to turn right only to find nothing happening as he mounted the kerb and went into someones hedge.

Serves the stupid cocky tw@t right. There were kids playing about and he thought he was Colin MacRea. Luckily no one was hurt

redjeepǃ

I'm suprised that you doubt the level of stupidity some people can display.

Try reading this without laughing. Two guys drove for 1/2 mile along a frozen canal until, guess what ?

http://news.scotsman.com/odd/Men-charged-after-driving-car.5974722.jp

At least they were arrested (somebody has finally made stupidity a criminal offence).

It's like they say. You can never make something completely idiot proof, as somebody will just make a better idiot.

Pross

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

I was feeling smug. I've got a Frontera that we keep for towing and it was a saviour last week - right up until the time it decided to switch from front wheel drive / 4 wheel drive to no wheel drive / rear wheel drive and become 2 tonnes of useless metal sitting on the road. My Mini is the worst car I've ever come across in the snow, switch off the traction control to get some spin and grip but after a few minutes all the system management lights come on and tell me my steering lock is on / engine immobiliser on etc. etc. Hopefully I can get the Frontera to the garage on Friday as it's been brilliant in the snow when it worked! :oops:

Pross

Ollieda wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

Cressers wrote:

And how smug must 4x4 owners feel right now? Up until the point when they search for real winter off road tyres only to be told that their pimpmobiles are too camp to go off road and that proper off-road tyres arn't made for their particular vehicle...

Oh, I am smug !!!!

I have a Passat 4Motion, which in these conditions gives me all the traction I need, I get 47mpg and cheap-ish tyres.......... much better than a Range Rover which only sees gravel drives at worst !!

Range Rovers are truely awesome vehicles off road (yes even the new ones!) and if you have ever done the G4 challenge you would see how good they are (it's normally dominated by discos and defenders but sometimes you see a new style range rover there)

Unfortunately it's the "new" style range rover drivers that have taken the Chelsea tractor image and boosted it! If the driver actually knows what he's doing then you can get the car quite easily out of most situations!

Anyway back to the OP, if they are going to keep making the same mistakes over and over then there's no need to waste your time helping them if they refuse to take the safer option.

Did a charity off road day with work about 5 years ago. We had a Range Rover per team with me our designated driver and they had only come off the transporter the day before. They were fantastic, I really didn't think they'd be so good off road - the descent control was amazing I was bricking it going down some slope that didn't seem possible and we had one challenge where we had to knock different height tennis balls with the wing mirror going through a wood by using the various suspension settings to reach. Was a bit worried at trashing such an expensive brand new car but left it undamaged. Others who did the same day a few weeks later said they were wrecked by then!

rolf_f

The gritter got stuck on the hill outside mine this morning - they had a story about it on Look North. Traffic did seem a bit bonkers this morning with cars sliding down the hill by gravity as much as engine. I just carefully picked my way past them and got onto the main road which was mostly OK - didn't take so much longer than normal to get in. Will leave later tomorrow morning though. Can't help thinking my luck is due to run out :oops:

garrynolan

Rolf F wrote:

The gritter got stuck on the hill outside mine this morning - they had a story about it on Look North. Traffic did seem a bit bonkers this morning with cars sliding down the hill by gravity as much as engine. I just carefully picked my way past them and got onto the main road which was mostly OK - didn't take so much longer than normal to get in. Will leave later tomorrow morning though. Can't help thinking my luck is due to run out :oops:

Why does the grit come out the back - defeats the purpose somewhat if the gritter gets stuck in/on the snow/ice in front of it?!

Bikehawk

The grit comes out the back because in countries that get regular heavy snow there is usually a great big snow plow on the front to allow them move at all.

garrynolan

Bikehawk wrote:

The grit comes out the back because in countries that get regular heavy snow there is usually a great big snow plow on the front to allow them move at all.

Bikehawk...
As you know - not in little old Ireland. Saw them down the country chucking it out of the back of a lorry. Did you see them "repairing" the potholes on the news? Filling a flooded hole with stones and something resembling cement - certainly wasn't tarmac.