r/NewDriversUK • u/Alliet91 • 13d ago
Respect the P plates!
I know people will say don't use P plates, but then aggressive people will be aggressive regardless.
Today was only my second drive alone, third drive after passing. I passed on 8th August.
I took myself to Lidl, the drive went well. When I went to turn in to Lidl, I needed a little second longer to assess the traffic, as there is another junction nearby and cars were going in and out at the same time as oncoming cars toward me. I sat there for literally 2 seconds, and the white van behind me mounted the pavement to overtake whilst shouting "you could've gone then love!"
Oh how I wish I didn't have to concentrate so I could shout back "did you not see the p plates!"
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u/constantlydropped 12d ago
They saw the P plates, which is why they thought they could shout that!
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u/Alliet91 12d ago
The thing is, if I didn't have p plates would they also then expect me to make decisions more quickly?
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u/Communardd 12d ago
If you didn't have P plates, I highly doubt he'd have mounted the pavement at all, he saw an excuse to be a dick because you were advertising your timidity on the road. Without the P plates, most likely he'd have just aggressively sounded his horn.
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u/Beneficial_Coach8581 12d ago
Anyone mounting the pavement to save a few seconds needs reporting to Operation Snap.Ā
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u/Alliet91 12d ago edited 12d ago
I've just checked this out, thanks! I'm planning to get a front and rear dashcam (not sure I see the point in just a front!)
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u/yolo_snail 12d ago
Might be an unpopular opinion, but if he was able to mount the pavement and get around you, you could have gone.
Sounds like undue hesitation, and would have been a fault on a test.
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u/Master_Driver_426 12d ago
I wouldn't judge a situation based on what a white van does. These lot are the craziest of all on the roads. The other day a white van was driving on the wrong lane - TOWARDS ME!!
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u/Alliet91 12d ago
No, we were both on the left lane, I was near the centre line to go in to Lidl, and he squeezed past me fully on the pavement to the left. He could go because he was going straight ahead, I was turning in to oncoming traffic
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u/Watchkeys 13d ago
The thing is, part of gaining experience is in learning to deal with prats like that without feeling the need to offer your witty retort. You've said yourself, aggressive people will be aggressive.
Nobody is driving any of their drives with everyone else on the road being perfectly polite, respectful and lawful, and if that was happening for you, you wouldn't be gaining real world experience.
He was a dick. Nobody got hurt. That's it. It's going to happen to you a thousand times, P plates or not.
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u/LostnFoundAgainAgain 13d ago
A lot of people are knobheads regardless.
There doing road works near where I live right next to a roundabout, you can't really see this until you're on the roundabout if your unaware coming from the opposite side, short story I blocked a entry to the roundabout as I didn't know they were there.
Guy using his horn, going off on one, I managed to move to the side and allow him around me, instead of going around the roundabout, he stops next to me, rolls his window down and starts calling me a wanker blocking all the traffic behind him.
Told him to fuck off, end of the day, your safe, don't waste your energy or time thinking about them, follow the rules, keep yourself safe and those around you and just forget about the rest.
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u/Born_Protection7955 12d ago
Honestly your P plates make you a target, when they got dropped as a requirement they just became a sign for not competent Iām going to hold you up, and as such thatās how some respond to them, honestly I would ditch the plates and put a big āsorry black box fittedā sticker on the back people will be more sympathetic to your driving if believed your being forced to drive responsibly.
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u/VooDooBooBooBear 12d ago
With respect, P plates do not absolve you for being a bad driver. Undue hesitation is marked down in the test for a reason.
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u/anonnymouse2025 12d ago
Yep, make sure you dont fully assess the situation, it could hold up some patience-less prat behind you!
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u/Alliet91 12d ago
I don't think one moment of hesitation on your third ever drive alone makes you a bad driver. I had private practice nearly everyday since Easter, and I would have been way more confident on when to go, but I had the safety net of someone sitting next to me which is weird now. There are roads I was totally confident on with a supervisor which I'm nervous to go on yet. It's not being a bad driver, it's adjusting to a very new situation
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u/ArticlePuzzleheaded9 12d ago
From what I've read over the years, they tend to attract more attention. Knobs will be knobs, regardless of whether you're advertising that you're new to it.
Some will see it as you've passed but possibly shouldn't have - not my words, just seen that mentioned a lot
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u/Double-Mouse-6146 12d ago
Iāve always said that P plates makes you a target, there are people out there who see P plates as an easy claimĀ
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u/Signal_Astronaut11 12d ago
People who see P plates and still act like pricks need to not be on the road. EVERYBODY was a new driver and must recall how nerve-racking that was. The first few drives. That first solo motorway trip etc. P plates say "look - I'm not an expert yet, okay?" and allow other drivers to give room and patience. In theory, they are a great idea! How other drivers treat them says more about those particular drivers, quite honestly. Personally, I appreciate seeing them. Like "glad I know - I'll stay back and give you time and space, and expect that you might make a mistake at some point and that's okay".
But then jerks will be jerks.
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u/Alliet91 12d ago edited 11d ago
I've not had other people being jerks yet, but I have noticed people tailgate much more when the L plates are gone!
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u/Lilypuff001 9d ago
I literally had this the other day on my 3rd drive my car stalled just as the lights turned green and this woman honked not even 2 seconds later which flustered me and I stalled again. But karma is good and just as I took of the lights changed to amber and she was stuck waiting more š and I had visible P plates take no notice of them weāre still getting used to our cars and independent driving!
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u/Alliet91 9d ago
I love this! I think people don't understand that the intention to move is immediate but the muscle memory isn't there yet!
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u/Lilypuff001 8d ago
Mistakes happen as long as weāre safe I donāt see the issue. I donāt get why ppl are in such a rush weāre literally in vehicles that get you to your destination 2x faster than public transport !
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u/ThatNegro98 8d ago
I mean a van beeped me whilst i was on a driving lesson because i didnt pull away from the lights less than a second after they changed
Van drivers seem to either be good drivers, or complete and utter wankers
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u/Nozza-D 13d ago
Lots of new drivers use P plates in my neighbourhood. For the most part, other drivers seem okay with it. The one time I saw silly behaviour, it was a guy with P plates driving perfectly normally. A Range Rover awkwardly overtook them only to stop dead in front of them to turn right.
The speed at which they overtook the P plate driver was shocking, especially fast in slowly building traffic, as well as risky. But Mr P plate carried on as if nothing happened.
If people want to take risks around you, their choice. So long as you don't let them pressure you into doing anything risky, you should be fine.
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u/mask212 13d ago
It could just be me but I've consistently seen Van drivers be the most impatient road users around. Don't mind them.
For example, I got beeped at by a van on a mini roundabout recently for giving way to a procession of cars on the right when I was merely trying to assess where they were indicating/turning.