To not overtake the tractor?

[Minesaguinness]

A rural road I travel on a couple of times a week - good amount of farm traffic & lorries, single carriageway, 60mph limit.

I am a fairly confident driver but still a bit wimpy, I do not have a fast car and have my two small children in the back. I will overtake if there's a good, long gap but otherwise, prefer to hang back. I leave a gap to the tractor so that someone else can nip in between.

Today I was hooted at and have been before.

AIBU? Should I try harder to overtake?

I'm the same as you, very cautious about overtaking. If people behind me want to take a risk then that's their look-out, but I won't compromise my safety just so they can get somewhere faster. As you say, I leave a gap between me and the tractor so they can nip in if it means that much to them!

You should only overtake when you feel it is safe to do so. Don't be bullied into potentially dangerous driving by impatient asshats. YANBU.

Not if you don't feel safe, but the tractor driver was being unreasonable if he didn't pull over and just let a queue build up.

Don't be bullied. The traffic behind can take its own risks.

YANBU, they are twats I'm the same, why take the risk

YANBU

YANBU. I bet they were honking at the tractor, not you (which is why it's stupid to honk at all in that situation!). Some would say the tractor should pull in if a queue builds up. I wouldn't overtake in that situation either.

YANBU

Only overtake when you feel it is safe. Some people really do overtake when they can't see what's coming (I couldn't believe the situations people would overtake me when I was a cyclist!)

I disagree with BedHog, slower road users are entitled to use the road, and if faster road users wish to pass them, it is their responsibility to do so in a safe manner. It is not the slower road user's responsibility to pull over.

YANBU. My car is crap and old and doesn't have the power to overtake at speed so I feel your pain!

YANBU, don't be bullied into doing something you feel to be unsafe.

Yanbu you should only overtake if your confident it's safe to do so

i would not want to overtake as ds likes looking at tractors...

YANBU. Only overtake when YOU want to and when you feel it is ok to do so.

If someone beeps at you just remind yourself that it is not work risking your life for a tosser like that.

YANBU I am exactly the same - fortunately our new (had it for 9 years) car is quite zoom-y (that is the technical term) which makes me more confident.

I hate it when people honk at me too. Ignore ignore ignore!

YANBU
i think some new beemer drivers forget that while their car has enough poke to whip round a tractor in a nanosecond, not everyone's does.

and the highway code states that if you are driving a slow-moving vehicle causing traffic to back up you must pull over at the earliest and safest opportunity to allow others by.

YANBU - if you aren't happy that it's safe to overtake, then you shouldn't do so. If someone wants to get past you/the tractor that badly, you could pull over to the side of the road and let them have a go at overtaking the tractor if you feel like it - otherwise ignore them.

yanbu

its utterly ridiculous, i am fed up of playing chicken with cars racing towards me on my side of road - causing me to slow down adn take action - all because they MUST get past a bike etc..

I just look at the driver and think you might kill me, my DD and my un born child, is a few seconds on your journey really worth destroying our lives for?

Tail gating is another that drives me mad, driving so far up the arse there is absoluty NO room for manouvre should I have to break suddenly.

Id like to be able to flash up messages to car drivers behind sometimes...

Are you sure you are leaving a big enough gap though? There is nothing more frustrating than being unable to overtake something slow because of the timid driver stuck right behind it. Unless you leave an obvious gap it is difficult to judge from behind whether there is room to pull in.

IFYP!
If it happens again just drop back a little to leave a very obvious gap.

YANBU though probably slightly annoying :o
I rarely overtake nowadays, I drive a very old Land Rover and I am sad to say that our overtaking days are over However once I had resolved myself to this unfortunate realisation, I realised how much less stressful it is when you don't have the "shall I, shan't I, I think I can, shit maybe not" debate raging internally. These things rarely slow me down to such a degree that I am morbidly late for something very important so who cares? :o

YANBU. You are carrying precious cargo and they are not worth the risk if you don't feel it is safe to overtake.

As a farmer I know the other side of the story. A friend was driving his tractor, he prepared to turn right into a field, indicated and everything when some idiot back in the queue decided to take his chance, roaring past just as the tractor started its turn. Took the front wheels off the tractor and left one seriously mangled Volvo and driver.

YANBU - I live in a rural area and I expect to meet tractors and farm traffic. I allow for it when planning my journey times although quite often the tractors round here go at quite a speed :)

YANBU.

You should only overtake if you feel it's safe to do so. Ignore the people behind you.