Driving like a twat


Edgar friendly

Edgar friendly

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Jun 5, 2009
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333
Right,

I don't really know how to explain this but I'm going to try.

This has been something that's been bugging me for some time, it's not a recent thing however I've noticed that it's been happening a lot since being in the ownership of a Honda, not that I'm pertaining the blame to Honda cars as ultimately I'm the one behind the wheel and the responsibility lies with me.

I'm 33 years of age, no kids and live with my brother. Have always had a cushy decent lifestyle where my parents have always looked after me so can't complain. I've got 7 years no claims and no smash in that 7 period but have had smashes before including rolling a car and knocking someone over when I was 17 (not my fault). I've never had a speeding ticket in my life.

I've basically had Honda's as my last 3 cars, got the EK9 now have had it a few months. Had a CRX VT before that for 3 years and a CRX 16v for about a year and a half prior to that. In between I've also been in the brief ownership of a Golf GT TDI (PD 150) and have had various reasonably quick (and slow cars I must add) before that including a 306 GTI-6, Peugeot 205, E30 BMW 325i amongst others.

To cut a long story short I'm finding that I'm driving like a complete bellend everywhere I go, whether that's in a 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 zone. It's been happening for some time, I'm talking about years here and has gotten considerably worse during Honda ownership.

It's like I have feelings that I need to show off the power of Honda or how noisy my car is. I'm struggling to drive along at normal speeds most days and I find it hard keeping to the speed limit.

I've become a lot more confident in my own driving ability the last 10 years or so however I do get nervous when giving it the beans or if I'm in 'race' with someone, some other boy racer for example. I seem to get drawn into driving like a prick if someone's trying to have a go, a bit like "my car's faster than yours type of thing". Most of the time no one's actually racing me at all and instead I try and overtake and drive aggressively whenever I get the opportunity to do so and it's making me feel nervous and uneasy.

I do this all the time, it's like a mixture of showing off and enjoying the noise the car makes and the high revs. I feel like I'm the greatest driver on earth sometimes and I know I'm not. The feelings I get when I'm actually flooring it make me feel sick, it's a mixture of feelings really. Fear, fear of driving too quick and being seen by the Police or reported by a member of public, fear of knocking someone down and going to Prison for the rest of my life, fear of coming unstuck and totalling my car.

It's not just that. I'm 34 years old this year and I'm driving round in what is in essence a boy racers car, no disrespect to people here but anything with a big exhaust, noisy induction kit and lowered is a boy racer car, no getting away from it no matter how old you are.

I see people that are a lot younger than me that I recognise from school that are now settled down and have kids and I'm single, 34, have no kids and and am driving round like a bellend showing off pretty much most of the time and I feel embarrased. Everyone I know knows that I am car mad though.

I know people will say "Well if you want to stop driving like you do the sell your car" but I don't want to sell it. I love it, I love performance cars. I'm a petrolhead, I always will be but I just want to start growing up and acting like an adult and not a child and start behaving myself and respecting other drivers around without feeling the need to hammer it every single place I go.

If I'm a passenger in a car I'm the first to have a pop at someone from driving recklessly or out of order yet I'm the biggest hypocrite there is.

I'm scared, I really am. I'm not a bad lad. I have some maturity in me I can be a decent guy but the whole driving thing is worrying me and I need to sort it out. Sorry for the long post.

Does anyone else feel the same?
 
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Not going to lie, since I've been in Hondas (s2000 and now ek9) I've started hitting the corners super fast.
Like there's a slip road near me that is quite a sharp turn and I'm hitting it at 90+mph and always try to go faster everytime! Other than the corners I'm not too bad though. I know what you mean about a honda egging you on lol
 
Like said above I find myself doing kinda similar things how ever I always do it wayyyy out of town and only places where I can see or predict what is around the next bend. Never in a situation where I do not know where I am nor what the road is like.
I think what you need to do is ask yourself why you are doing it. The fact you are driving a Honda is just an excuse. You obviously feel the need to prove yourself. May I ask what it is you do in live and weather you just live of what your parents give you? If that is the case may I suggest you try and make something of yourself and find a more constructive way of proving yourself.
If this is not the case and you have made a living for yourself then you may just be getting bored. I find myself in that situation sometimes. You could have a look at doing some events in the civic like hill climbing or maybe get yourself a cheap race cars such as formula Vee or something like that.
All I'm trying to say is there will be a reason behind your needs to drive like you do. So work them out before you hurt some one or yourself
If you want to talk privately just PM me I've got no problem helping people of they ask for it

Chris
 
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i used to have a rb25det powwered s13 and have had 3 s13`s before it my rbs13 was running 360bhp atw weighed 1022kg was an absolute brute shitted out at 167mph one night car still had more but didnt . sold that to keep my civic and every tunnel/enclosed area i see it gets a vtec pull its weird like vtec is a drug and you need to have your fix whenever your out and about they are capable little cars but the most dangerous mentality comes from these i think haha do love vtec though
 
CR1S said:
Like said above I find myself doing kinda similar things how ever I always do it wayyyy out of town and only places where I can see or predict what is around the next bend. Never in a situation where I do not know where I am nor what the road is like.
I think what you need to do is ask yourself why you are doing it. The fact you are driving a Honda is just an excuse. You obviously feel the need to prove yourself. May I ask what it is you do in live and weather you just live of what your parents give you? If that is the case may I suggest you try and make something of yourself and find a more constructive way of proving yourself.
If this is not the case and you have made a living for yourself then you may just be getting bored. I find myself in that situation sometimes. You could have a look at doing some events in the civic like hill climbing or maybe get yourself a cheap race cars such as formula Vee or something like that.
All I'm trying to say is there will be a reason behind your needs to drive like you do. So work them out before you hurt some one or yourself

Chris
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It's hard to explain.

I'm going to open up a bit here to you guys. I've been suffering from depression and anxiety for the last 2-3 years (diagnosed) in this period and have had low feelings on and off for probably the last 6-7 years, possibly longer. I tend to either be very low or very high, mostly on the low side.

I've been on anti-depressants, not on them anymore as I don't feel they help. I've seen a Psychologist too which my work have paid for mainly to deal with my anger, self confidence issues in order to help give me some direction. It has helped briefly but I always delve back into driving like a prick and acting immature, not just whilst driving but in life in general. Sometimes I can act mature but most of the time I don't.

Driving my car is my freedom, it's the only time I ever feel truly confident and that's why I drive quickly, when I'm not in my car it's back to normality and dealing with everyday life. I'm untouchable when in my car. It's my time, my time to be free to be me.

I only work in a call centre, not a great job but I bring home 19k a year. When I say supported by parents I mean they've always helped me get back on track when things have gone wrong.

I've had massive debt problems in the past and have only very recently come out of an IVA and gotten debt free. My parents in that period helped me get decent cars by lending me the money. I've been lucky in the sense that I've never been without a decent car during the entire 6 years of my IVA but the cars I've owned, they've never been enough for me.

It could be that now I'm out of it and have another quick car (got into debt again for) that I feel like I've got 6 years of catching up to do I don't know. I feel like I'm just going around in a vicious endless **** circle of disaster. My Psychologist thinks I should have gone on a round the world trip or visited a different part of the world with the 4k loan I took out to buy the EK9 but it was my choice. I have contemplated finishing work, sacking everything off and going overseas but I'm just too scared to go on my own. I will also miss driving my car too much.

I think what you've advised about taking up a hobby or perhaps doing something Motorsport orientated in the EK would perhaps help. I'm hoping to do a trackday this year which should move some of my anger and aggressiveness off the road on to the track and help teach me a few things at the same time.

Sorry for the long posts lads. I'm in a ****** up place right now. :(
 
Defo need more self controls lads.

I'm running a B18 turbo and I find taking it to 3k hearing the psshhhhhhhh of the bump valve and then the chatter of the waist gate is enough for me most of the time. There is the odd time I take it further but there are places and times for it and it's not around town or busy traffic.

I suppose it's driving like a nugget is what gives Honda drivers a bad name.
 
Jimbo said:
Self control, we all have the ability.
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It's not easy though man this is the thing.

I really struggle with self control and having the restraint to drive like a prick.

I also don't like losing, if someone's behind me right up my arse I will give them a go. If it's someone in front who accelerates away from me even if it's a quicker car I will give them a go.

I had a blast against an AMG Merc a few weeks ago. I knew I was never going to get past it but felt the need to try and race the flash prick. My car did 'alright' but it had too much power for me. I kind of knew that would be the case. I did the same in my CRX last year, I tried to give a 330D BMW ago and it left me for dead.

When racing the AMG it brought a brief smile to my face but I did feel quite shaken racing with it, nearly lost it on a bend at one point. After that the feelings of regret started coming along. I started asking myself questions then "Do you think the Police have clocked you speeding?" "You could have smashed it then" "You were hammering **** out of the car racing that AMG" "******* hell, look how much fuel you've used nailing it" then I realise it was all a complete waste of time driving like a prick.

Can you guys see where I'm coming from here?


Things like that come into my head.
 
D17KDB said:
Defo need more self controls lads.

I'm running a B18 turbo and I find taking it to 3k hearing the psshhhhhhhh of the bump valve and then the chatter of the waist gate is enough for me most of the time. There is the odd time I take it further but there are places and times for it and it's not around town or busy traffic.

I suppose it's driving like a nugget is what gives Honda drivers a bad name.
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Definitely mate.

For instance I had a lad behind me in a MK4 Golf Turbo today, he started off right up my arse but then backed off. This was in the middle of a town in a 30 zone.

I was doing a bit of foot to the floor action in 2nd/3rd trying to show him that I was no mug and my car would give his a go but what he kept doing was backing off, slowing right down then nailing it in 2nd so everyone could hear his dump valve going off where as then I felt the need to better him by flooring the Civic so that everyone could hear the noise off it as it is ******* noisy, a lot louder than his Golf.

It's like the more heads I can turn the better but then instantly I feel like a dick and regret doing it. The EK9 is a head turner anyway, teenagers and boy racers always turn round to see what's coming whether I'm going slow or not as they can it hear it coming up the road but the way I drive at the moment just makes it worse. Actually not at the moment but how I have done for the last decade tbh.

For example, the town I work in has a really nice open stretch of road (30mph zone - built up area) and there are two bus stops on either side and two or three turn offs (Junctions) to the left and right yet every time I drive up and down that road I feel the need to plant it so that pedestrians walking to the shops or whatever or people waiting for the bus get to hear the noise off the car, it's like I just want to show off and turn heads.

I've been doing this kind of **** on this stretch of road since I was 17. It's dangerous in the sense that anything could pull out of one of those Junctions, another car, a bus, a person. I actually sped passed by Traffic Police car last year in my CRX which was parked by one of the Junctions and I reckon I was doing over 30 when I went past and didn't get pulled for it, how I don't know.

Does this give you an idea as to how I'm feeling and what I'm trying to explain here chaps?
 
Maybe you should get in the track before you possibly cause yourself some serious harm. I was recently passanger in a crash with a CRX 4 month ago and still recovering, my close mate driving passed away. Yeah everyone gives it a little now and again, me included but after this.. Ive realised it seriously not worth it.
 
murrayc1991 said:
Maybe you should get in the track before you possibly cause yourself some serious harm. I was recently passanger in a crash with a CRX 4 month ago and still recovering, my close mate driving passed away. Yeah everyone gives it a little now and again, me included but after this.. Ive realised it seriously not worth it.
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I'm sorry to hear that man. :(

That is sad news Murray. I don't really know what to say you know. It's a bit different me writing on here than you saying you've been involved in a serious accident and losing a friend.

I'm sorry mate. I hope I haven't upset you with my posts I just feel like things are getting a bit out of hand with myself and how I drive, can't speak for anyone else.

I don't want to end up in a similar situation to what happened with you. It's really worrying me. :(

Once again, my condolences to your friend. Hope you're ok mate.
 
Trackdays aren't a bad idea but you need just as much self control on a track otherwise its just as dangerous. You need to be able to let people past you when they are faster, which you probably wouldn't like doing lol
I'm not as bad as you, mines purely a fast corner/roundabouts thing. I even held up a Prius in a 30zone the other week lol
Sounds like your stuck with a teenagers mentality, like a rivalry with anything to show your the bigger man.
Coming online and telling everyone you have a problem is a decent thing though.
Have you tried a drag racing day at your local drag strip? Cheap fun, if you don't break the car obviously lol
 
I used to be the exact same when I first past my test had a ek3 though I was amazing every time I was in my car or had a excuse to drive my car I drove like an apsalut bellend had to over take every one that was in front of me even though 90% of the time i was shiting myself but i did this whethere there were people in the car with me or not so i still dont know why i drove like that. Then I had a close one was going round a long left bend at 125mph and the back end decided to kick out well just about had to stop at the side of the road and empty my pants just glad I managed to control it because there's no way I would have survived I grew out of it after a year or so of driving now I you's slow drivers as a excuse to drive slow myself lol. But like some of the other guys say there is a time and a place to put the foot down a we bit and its defiantly not in a 30mph ect.
 
Track days to vent that aggression! Just don't be an utter tool cause you'll crash and or ruin someone else's day.

I drive quite conservatively these days and only drive spirited when its free, quiet and safe to do so. Many think I am boring but speed limits are there for a reason.

Sounds to me like nothing bad has ever happened. Until you lose friends because of this recklessness, get in trouble with the law or even you your self have a serious accident I don't believe you will ever stop.

My advice save it for track days and get yourself a little Eco diesel 1.4 for daily driving where the temptation is not there.

God help you and others if you ever throw your leg over a bike?
 
I'd say you've been very very lucky so far to both avoid an accident and also not getting caught speeding.

I'll tell it how I see it, I think you need to grow up.

Yes I give mine an odd blast every now and again but I don't race every single car that is behind me on the road.

How gutted would you be if you went off the road into a field all because some boy racer noises you up and you wanted to show off.
I've had countless dicks try and race me on motorways and A roads and its not worth it. Getting caught speeding is one thing (I've been caught twice) but being caught racing is completely different and can have much more serious consequences.
 
Maybe look into other sports like sailing. I recently took that up and it's easily as fun as driving my s2000 but not anywhere near as dangerous. Go on YouTube and type in RS Vision sailing. Y'all see what I mean.
Or something like rock climbing where the element of fear is all there but you can't hurt anyone else.
 
I drive like a maniac at times, hitting vtec everywhere then i stripped it out and one day i decided to take the BMW out instead and to much dismay. i prefer driving speed imits on the bmw makes life simpler
 
Driving a VTec is like a drug, an addiction, once you have your first hit, you want more! lol

No seriously, it's all about self control, maybe you need a speeding ticket to warn you of your faults, as since you've never been caught, you are abusing the position. I know when I got 6 points for doing 59 in a 30(I was overtaking a car and slowed back down afterwards), I suddenly realised I was 3 points away from 9, then another 3 points away from having my license taken away from me, so I went into driving like a grandad mode! The points are long gone now, I have a clean license, but no need to drive like a maniac, not to mention there's an aweful lot more traffic out on our roads these days, it's not possible to drive that fast anymore.

My tip is though mate, go get yourself a woman, once you have one nagging at you constantly from the passenger seat, you will automatically slow down! :D
 
Understand your worry mate, its the Honda engines lacking torque low in the revs, when you want some more torque/pull you end up dropping a gear which will put you in vtec and to me once you start to hit 5 or 6k in a car there is no denying you are trying to go fast and to the sound of 7k or 8k older people tend to look and think 'bellend'

i have 10 points and im pretty bricking it if i use vtec these days

also i do find it makes the car easier to drive for example i have fujitsubo legalis r now its so quiet it doesnt give me the same urge to floor it always where as with my spoon n1 or apexi n1 i always wanted to rev up to make it rasp then pop & bang and then i realised i just look a twat doing so
 
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