🚦 Hertfordshire — Driving Safety Gauge

When I was driving through Ogmore Vale where there were parked cars both sides and I had to drive down nearer the middle of the road when a young adult male driver in a red Rover pulled out of a side street and came towards me. Whilst turning he could see me already coming but moved towards the middle to obstruct me when there was just enough space to pass me. It looks as if he expected me to move over to let him have the whole middle of the road but when he had to move over to his side he stuck two fingers up at me in anger. Whilst travelling about the country, I was appalled at the standard of driving in the Ogmore Valley above Brynmenyn. Normally I get the occasional motorist who flouts the law or shows no courtesy towards other motorists, but over the spring bank holiday weekend the number of occasions I had two fingers stuck up at me for not bowing down to others impatience I decided I would have to make a one off comment about the driving in this area generally. I observed over thirty incidents each way on both days, which suggests this area has a problem with drivers. 1. Whilst keeping to the 40mph limit from Brynmenyn to Blackmill both ways impatient motorists harassed me. They put their headlights on full beam in an attempt to intimidate me into going faster and became rather frustrated when I wouldn’t go any faster. They all seemed to take a chance on the bends to overtake and although they would have seen cars coming in advance with their beams, supposing there were cyclists or pedestrians. 2. I was driving up a narrow winding road up an embankment when a silver Peugeot came steaming down and nearly hit me on a bend. This was a young adult male driver. These dangerous driving habits along with numerous other acts of impatience and lack of courtesy suggest that in an impoverished area like this, the standards of driving are linked to the capabilities of the individuals. It looks as if many are on benefit and don’t have the essential qualities to attain a decent level in their career and therefore sponge off the State faking their disabilities or weaknesses. They are so frustrated they take their aggressions out on other motorists. This is typical of feckless individuals always expecting preferential treatment and not being disciplined who are contributors towards the yob culture in society generally. Although I don’t live in this area it doesn’t mean that I like all outsiders should be treated unfavourably. I have paid my road tax and these roads are not private. Do you want to give the impression of it being a ‘yob culture’ valley as this is what it is being perceived as? Bullies are best categorized as persons who intentionally and repeatedly subject their victims to emotional, physical and/or materialistic abuse in order to make themselves feel superior over others. It is also proposed they lash out because that is the only way they know how to assert their sense of self worth in society. Although this driving is unnecessary, as long as I am not in an accident I do not care about how frustrated other motorists get when I will not do what they want and start their intimidation. Quite simply they are yobs using the bullying tactics and anyone with this type of mentality has a personality or attitude problem. It simply makes me feel better in myself knowing that I do not lower myself to their level but try to help by pointing out their problems. Newton’s Third Law states ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’, which is why I feel better when other motorists feel worst and become aggressive towards me when I am in the right which means they cannot accept me for what I am. They may feel clever when they have got the better of other law-abiding motorists by flouting the law but this feeling is spontaneous. To do this in general suggests they have problems they are trying to hide and are unhappy – good luck to them if they cannot come to terms with their own faults and weaknesses by trying to conceal the truth. The truth always comes out such as in their driving and other activities. --- Context --- Type: Bad Driving Location: Hertfordshire Vehicle: MG Registration: YH20 VHM Date reported: 2025-06-23 --- Safety takeaway --- Stay defensive, leave space, and avoid escalating risky behaviour.