People who drive 40 everywhere

If you can't drive appropriately to the conditions, you shouldn't be driving. At least not on those roads. Sorry, but if you're going to claim it's something you can't control, it should be treated as a disability that disqualifies you from driving. Would you think it reasonable if someone with poor eyesight or reaction times said "do you think I want to drive incompetently?". I hope not.

You'd fail your driving test these days if you drove everywhere at 45, I don't see why the standards should be lower just because you got your licence in the past.

There's a road near me that has a 50 limit for most of its 7 miles, reducing to 30 where it goes through a village that has 2 side roads, a pub car park and an awkward and deceptive double bend.

Loads of people drive along it at 40, when 50 is perfectly safe (used to be 60, and imo was safe at that speed, too), and don't slow down when it reduces to 30. It really annoys me and imo it's bloody dangerous. Cars leaving the pub car park and one of the side roads have impaired visibility because both are on the bend and they have no choice but to creep out slowly until they can see it's clear.

Your situation is probably unusual. Why not lean into it (and earn forgiveness) by getting yourself a vintage or classic car?

It's infuriating. "It's a limit not a target" applies on country roads or in difficult conditions. It's both a limit and a target if the road is straight and the weather is fine. You'd fail your driving test for doing it, holding up other drivers without reason is one of the biggest sins when learning to drive.

I'm not a speed demon, my son's nursery is down national speed limit country lanes that I rarely do more than 30 on, but that's because it's tight and a blind bend every minute. If you're driving in good weather down a road that is decently maintained and not blind twists at 10-20 miles under the speed limit, you're either a selfish arsehole or incompetent to drive.

Don't get me started on the people who want to do 55 in a 70 so block up the right hand lane to avoid anyone slower. Put your fucking foot down or get back to the left.

@Popetthetreehugger could you do it in increments? E.g drive it this week at 46, next week drive it at 47 etc up to say 50. So your mind has time to adjust that it’s safe, nothing bad happened etc. is it a road most others happily drive at 60?

@Popetthetreehugger hopefully you slow down in 20/30 zones?

Have you tried an automatic as it’s easier to accelerate/decelerate.

Why do you self-impose 45? It’s an arbitrary figure? If you are on a 50mph stretch what benefit do you see in going slower?

I don’t particularly like motorway driving as even though its long and straight it’s fast however I realise and do go at the speeds required as going too slow would be dangerous to me & others!

The people who fucking faff and dawdle are the ones who cause accidents, not those quick off the mark

Couldn't have said it better! 👏👏👏

No I don’t . In honesty I don’t like even being driven on a motorway. This isn’t some game I’m playing , I don’t behave in this way by choice. My body reacts in a mad way , I start shaking , I can’t get my breath . I’m fighting not slamming on the breaks . God knows why I’m triggered by speed 🤷‍♀️. Iv been to the best people and spent a packet ( years ago ) I drive early to work and am looking to get a job closer to home so I don’t have to drive that far ( I moved ) I know I piss people off . But now I drive a car the size of a tank ( my daughter laughed her socks off and said I look like a drug dealer) people are less inclined to drive up my tail.

Do you do any motorway driving @Popetthetreehugger?

Cars coming the other way often make overtaking impossible!

but 40 in the national speed limit road, really depends on the road, the conditions of the road for example.
windy lanes, filled with pot holes,, not conducive to doing 60

Some lack the confidence, some because they're trying to conserve fuel consumption, but some, in my opinion, is because they truly believe they're safe drivers.

See it on here regularly, plus add in the ones who slow down if people are too close (just continue at the speed limit, why antagonise a situation). Also the, 'it's a limit not a target' gang, who are fully aware of what they're doing, love to complain about the people they purposely holding back, but don't realise (or won't admit), that they're just as dangerous.

I’m the slow driver your all bitching about . For me it’s a speed thing , I just can’t do it . Iv been for therapy over the years and driving courses. My DH has encouraged me to have bigger and bigger cars over the years so wankers can’t bully me . ( what do you think you’ll accomplish? Do you honestly think I’m driving slower than suits you out of choice?) I truly wish I could just put my foot down , but I can’t . I always just pull up behind those who overtake at the roundabout anyway. I do pull over if people are behind me . The stretch is probably 10 minutes that I’m a pain to people . I drive at 45 .

I live off a narrow country lane where the limit is technically 60 but you would be mad to go more than 20 unless you want a head on collision with another vehicle. Or a horse.

A national speed limit sign doesn't mean that driving at 59mph is advisable. If I don't know the road and where any sudden dips and bends are likely to be then I won't be driving near the speed limit. If it's a long straight stretch and not busy, or bad visibility etc then I'll likely drive up to it.

A few A roads near me have had a 40mph limit imposed recently as there had been several serious accidents when they were national speed limit.

I agree though that drivers that just plough on regardless of speed limits or road conditions are dangerous. As are people who drive angry and/or in a mad rush.

It’s vv annoying. I live in rural area lots of twisty roads and some people drive so slow they don’t have to break for any corners. I’m talking 15 mph. It’s really dangerous when you come up behind them.

@Biggybigbiggles yes the roundabout thing as well! Having to come to a complete stop before being able to check it is clear to pull out, when you can see for ages before that it is.

See also painfully slow turning into a junction usually coming to an almost complete stop. Infuriating!!!

Its irritating when you know the roads but OTOH if they're doing it because they don't know the roads, I'd rather grit my teeth and put up with it than end up having to pull over and remove them from their wrecked car because they flew off a bend at 60.

They are simply bad drivers
Speeding on a 20/30 road and causing havoc on A faster road .

If they choose to do 40 in a 60 pull over let others past. They lack confidence at best .
Part of your test is to show you are capable on faster roads . I mean the faster roads are there for a reason.

And 40 in a 20
Can you imagine if they seen you do 120 on a 60 road . They be giving you all sorts of looks .

Worst drivers around!

Since I started driving I’ve always called them the 40 mile an hour drivers . Sitting at the same speed rhey feel comfortable with regardless of what’s going on around them or what the law is. .

They're nervous about their own safety, but not that of more vulnerable road users and pedestrians. Narcissists.

Weirdly I prefer driving during rush hour because by and large, most people are driving snappily, getting a move on with minimal hesitation. I find during the day infuriating due to dithery 'careful' drivers pootling along slowly, blocking the road.

My daily commute used to include a stretch that alternated between a 30mph limit (villages) and NSL (open country). In daylight and good weather, it would be safe to drive to the speed limit for this entire stretch, giving a predictable normal transit time for this stretch.

I frequently encountered drivers who would take the whole stretch at a steady 40mph, as OP describes, completely heedless of the risk to pedestrians in residential areas.

What was more annoying to me personally though was this: the road was busy and winding enough to preclude overtaking, and the ratio and disposition of the two types of speed zone were such that Mr 40mph would enjoy a reduced transit time (because he gained more by the speeding than he lost by the laggardliness between villages). Whereas I, if I was just behind him at the start of this stretch, would suffer an increased transit time (because I would get left behind every time we entered a village). Just infuriating.

Why do you think people do it? Is it because they’re nervous drivers so maybe want to go slow in case anything happens? I’m genuinely intrigued now

Yes there are 60mph roads. I drove on one tonight, with 60 in a red circle. If it were an NSL road it would be 70mph limit for a car as it's a dual carriageway.

Not if there are vehicles coming in the other direction, straight road or bendy.

@IchIchWill
Are you up in Cumbria?😍