Bad Driving in East Sussex — NO09 XXT

Additional incident context

This entry records a bad driving report in East Sussex, dated July 27, 2023. Incident pages like this are kept as factual records so local drivers can spot repeat patterns over time and build a clearer picture of risk in specific places. In this case, the report references vehicle NO09 XXT (Volvo) and describes behaviour that may affect nearby road users if repeated under similar traffic conditions.

The original submission notes: “I know this happened over 2 years ago, but to date it remains the worst driving I have seen. I overtook this guy on the dual carriageway as he sat two inches from the rear of a VW van. Once I turned left at the roundabout and into a 30mph urban route this guy was now behind me giving me a personal demonstration of his tailgating abilities (the grille of his square-fronted Volvo was not visible in my mirror – that’s how close he was). On approach to Langley Roundabout we both joined the right hand lane to take the second exit (dual carriageway) as directed by the painted arrows on the road surface – at which point he almost went into the back of me. Once *on* the roundabout the Volvo driver moved to the left lane and positioned his vehicle level with the rear nearside of my vehicle. As I exited into the right-hand lane of the dual carriageway, the Volvo driver in the nearside lane accelerated and remained in my blind-spot as I increased my speed. Once I eventually passed & filtered in I maintained my speed to increase the gap between him & myself before slowing down gently. The Volvo almost shunted me from behind & then pulled alongside and sounded his horn to show his (dis)approval. The heavily bearded driver of this car displays consistent ignorance of the highway code, common sense and for the safety of others. And this was not his first time I had been victim to the sheer ignorance and dangerous behaviour of this one individual, but was easily the worst and most dangerous episode yet. --- Context --- Type: Bad Driving Location: East Sussex Vehicle: Volvo Registration: NO09 XXT Date reported: 2023-07-26 --- Safety takeaway --- Stay defensive, leave space, and avoid escalating risky behaviour.” Keeping this first-hand wording matters because it preserves how the event was experienced at the time of reporting. As more reports are logged from the same area, small details such as overtaking style, lane movement, junction pressure, or recurring time windows can reveal whether this is an isolated event or part of a broader local trend.

This incident is best read alongside nearby reports to understand whether the behaviour is occasional or recurring. Comparing reports by location and incident type helps surface trends that are more actionable than any single account on its own.