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Original poster

Driving question - bendy 60 mph road

27 replies

StardustTrail · 01/06/2020 22:47

Hi all,
What would you have done if you're driving down a 60 mph bendy road (so bendy that you can often not see what's even on your side in front of you until you pass the bend and also have an upcoming bend so you can't see oncoming traffic until they are close to you.

I was driving along such a road today and as I passed a bend on my side, a cyclist on the road came into vision (I couldn't overtake the cyclist as I couldn't see clearly what would oncoming at me from the other side due to another bend.

I decided to slow down behind the cyclist to almost crawling speed and follow the cyclist until we were past the bend on the other side so I could overtake him safely.

Whilst I was crawling behind the cyclist, the car behind me beeped at me (this car had been tailing me the entire time even when I had been driving 50-60mph super close behind me).

What should have I done in this case to avoid getting beeped at? Even if I was going 30mph, I still would have only seen the cyclist at very short notice due to the bendyness of the road (it was fairly bendy for a large portion of the 60mph road).

OP posts:

Mrsmorton · 01/06/2020 22:49

Ignore them. Whilst I can't stand dawdlers who pootle at 45 everywhere, looking at the scenery, you have to drive safely and overtake cyclists only when safe. Just ignore them.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/06/2020 22:52

It's dangerous to overtake cyclists on bends.

LivingThatLockdownLife · 01/06/2020 22:53

They beeped at you, irritating but not actually an issue. You did the right thing. Much better to slow down and not kill a cyclist

On the roads sometimes people beep at each other. No biggie.

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YinuCeatleAyru · 01/06/2020 23:00

you were driving correctly and the person behind you was a dangerous idiot.

a 60mph road (ie a single track "national speed limit applies") does not mean that it is safe to go at 60mph. it just means that the road doesn't get heavy enough traffic for it to be viable for the authorities to assign and police a speed limit for it. there are likely to be stretches of road and specific circumstances whereby it is obviously (to the judgement of any reasonable driver) appropriate to go much slower than 60mph and when you are on a road of that kind you are expected and obliged to use that judgement and moderate your speed according to current conditions. you did nothing wrong.

Fleetheart · 01/06/2020 23:03

Exactly what PP said; national speed limit just means be sensible ( under 60)Tooting impatient driver needs to bugger off!

ErrolTheDragon · 01/06/2020 23:08

a 60 mph bendy road (so bendy that you can often not see what's even on your side in front of you until you pass the bend and also have an upcoming bend so you can't see oncoming traffic until they are close to you.

That's not a 60mph road. It's a national speed limit road, so you can drive up to 60 if, and only if, conditions allow that to be done safely. A road as bendy as you describe is not safe at 60.

There is no way to avoid being beeped at by arrogant fools, I'm afraid.

LudaMusser · 01/06/2020 23:10

You did the right thing. You wait until it's safe to overtake the cyclist

As for the car behind you, if somebody gets close to me I simply slow down. I won't be bullied

And, a speed limit is a limit, not a target. You don't have to do 60mph on a 60mph road, esp if there's lots on bends

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 01/06/2020 23:19

You were right. What did they expect you to do, drive round a blind bend in the wrong lane on a 60 road? Yeah, no thanks, I like my brains in my head if it's all the same to them.

Mnthrowaway20202 · 01/06/2020 23:21

In their blinding rage and impatience they probably didn’t even notice the cyclist - let’s be honest

How lucky for the cyclist that you were directly behind them and not the other driver?

Pythonesque · 01/06/2020 23:22

Please continue to drive safely and thoughtfully. I have teenagers who like to cycle a local route that includes a road like this. The older one was commenting only today on how crazy a sixty limit seems for it, cycling after trying to learn driving theory is really bringing it home to her.

Original poster

StardustTrail · 01/06/2020 23:44

Thanks for all the helpful responses. I wish very bendy roads, particular 60 mph roads would have designated cycle paths. I did slow down fairly abruptly especially at the cyclist wasn’t keeping tightly to the edge of the road which is why I kinda worried if I should have done something else instead to avoid getting beeped at but I could literally only see the cyclist 2-3 seconds before I would have reached him.

OP posts:

YinuCeatleAyru · 02/06/2020 05:19

sounds like the cyclist was well aware that the road wasn't safe to overtake on and was correctly and safely riding at a road position further out from the edge in order to make sure that no foolish and selfish driver like the beeper behind you tried to barge past unsafely.
a bendy road like that can't have a cycle lane - if it was wide enough for a cycle lane it would be wide enough for safe overtaking without.

e1y1 · 02/06/2020 06:12

Ignore them , some people men with dick extension cars are just impatient pricks.

You know what is safe, if the person behind wants to do something dangerous let them crack on, their funeral and all that, as long as it doesn't affect an innocent road user.

e1y1 · 02/06/2020 06:15

there are likely to be stretches of road and specific circumstances whereby it is obviously (to the judgement of any reasonable driver) appropriate to go much slower than 60mph

Absolutely this, I live on the very edge (as in 1 minute from house - so on the road a lot) of the West Pennine Moors and there are some sections of the road there is no way you can drive anywhere near 60

Bluemoooon · 02/06/2020 06:17

Just imagine how you would feel if a cyclist had been seriously injured or killed by you or the car behind (the peeper who probably didn't know he was even there) because you'd swerved past him into the middle of the road.
Doesn't bear thinking about.
You just have to remind yourself of how things could have turned out and let the arsehole peep if he feels the need and ignore. The alternative is awful.

isitfridayyet1 · 02/06/2020 06:22

You absolutely did the right thing, don't allow other arrogant impatient drivers to affect you this way. The speed limit is not a target you have to reach at all times in every road, it totally depend on the circumstances and hazards ahead.

SnuggyBuggy · 02/06/2020 06:29

Generally speaking if you are actually hitting 60mph on a bendy road you are probably driving like a loon.

Legallybleachblonde · 02/06/2020 06:50

OP you absolutely did the right thing. I am like you and would have done the same thing. You had no other option and I hate these people that tailgate in situations like this. Luckily you weren't driving like a loon otherwise you could have knocked the rider off his bike and/or crashed head on into an oncoming car.

Original poster

StardustTrail · 02/06/2020 13:46

Thank you everyone

OP posts:

mencken · 02/06/2020 15:07

to reiterate, you did the right thing. The cyclist has an equal right to be on the road, you (as per the law) did not overtake when you had no clear view.

a horn is a warning of presence, not 'I got out of bed too late for my appointment'. Tailgating is dangerous.

hopefully the aggressive driver will hit a tree and die soon. quite a lot of them do.

Kazzyhoward · 02/06/2020 15:10

Regardless of speed limit, you should only drive at a speed where you can stop within your field of vision. On a "bendy" road, even 30mph could be too fast if the bends are severe. As a general rule, watch out for the "bendy road" road signs - if there's a sign, you almost certainly need to slow down - they don't put signs on roads for fun!

CigarsofthePharoahs · 02/06/2020 17:08

Sounds like you were driving sensibly. I wouldn't do 60 on a bendy country road. Was it one of the ones with huge high hedges either side?
You waited for a safe place to overtake. Again the right thing to do.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 02/06/2020 17:20

I read a poster on mn who said that washing windows if you had a tailgater was the most effective way to get them to back off. Ive tried it a couple of times and it worked, so I probably would have deployed the window washer fluid.

Original poster

StardustTrail · 02/06/2020 21:16

Thanks a lot everyone

OP posts:

lljkk · 02/06/2020 21:50

Since I got 3 points on my license I'm a lot more resistant to pushy other drivers. Boy are there a lot of them.

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