to have been infuriated by this driver?

[Gentleness]

Part of the route we were taking tonight was closed for roadworks and there was a long diversion. In the end it added 30 miles to the journey on winding single carriageway roads, almost all clearly marked as national speed limit. We soon ended up 3 cars behind a little car being driven at a steady 40 despite all the signs. 1 car managed to overtake quite early on on a rare straight stretch but it was rainy, dark, hilly and winding so much that there just weren't other opportunities. 20 miles we were stuck behind this fool who either didn't notice the long stretch of diverted cars stuck behind her, didn't notice the many places she could have pulled in, didn't know what the national speed limit sign meant or was too anxious to take it all in and respond appropriately to the situation. Or just didn't care. Who knows?

Eventually I managed to overtake ( which is how I know she was female) but I was so cross at her incompetence that I honked the horn at her as I did. Ok, I know that bit was unreasonable, but dh thinks it was unreasonable to be cross with her at all. I don't - pointless maybe, but justified given that however nervous, she could have pulled over rather than hold everyone up for so long. So, your opinions please - worthwhile anger or not, do you think her driving was enough to anger?

[QueenOfFarkingEverything]

It is just dickish really and I've noticed its often Audis too

But then I didn't learn to drive until I was 30 and so after all those years on the bus I'm just grateful to be going anywhere above 25 mph

[VinegarTits]

YABU the speed limit is there to stop you driving over that limit, that doesnt mean you have to drive at the speed limit, especially on a dark, rainy, hilly (possibly unfamiliar to her) road, i would say 40 was quite a reasonable speed to drive in those conditions

its impatient drivers like you that are likely to cause accidents in the conditions like you describe, and getting road rage with someone because they are not as fast or confident as you would like them to be is totally unreasonable

[OldCatLady]

As my dad is always telling me, it's a speed limit , you can drive up to it.

But...my dads one of those twatish drivers, I'd have done the same as you!! Though I probably would have added some flashing lights when I was behind them too!

[DebbieTitsMcGee]

The road to my mum and dad's is like that. I know every twist and dip and do 50 on a dry day and 40 or even 35 if conditions are bad. If I drove a newer better car perhaps I'd go 5mph faster.
There are loads of bad accidents due to unimaginative wankers who think they must drive at the speed limit minimum or tailgate sensible people.

What makes anyone so arrogant that they think their desire to arrive somewhere ten minutes earlier trumps my right to stay alive and uninjured?

[DebbieTitsMcGee]

Oh yeah YABVU and may you get stuck behind a tractor every time you have an appointment :)

[PurplePidjin]

OldCatLady, that would make me slow down. I would want to piss you off further would find your tail-gating and flashing extremely distracting in already dangerous conditions

[VinegarTits]

god i cant stand twats who flash you to get out of the way, i always think that maybe they are in such a rush because they have the shits, or at least i hope that they will get the shits for driving like a cunt

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

There was a thread a while ago about tailgaiting on the motorway/dual carriageway.
The general advice was to ignore them, not to antagonise them by braking or touching the brake pedal to give them a 'red light' .

So, this driver should have pulled over TBH.

But yes, 40 mph in these conditions sounds a good enough speed.
And you don't know what's in front of that driver.
(As I said to the prat who was up my arse tailgaiting me last week when I moved lanes to avoid a piece on plastic guttering on the road and he, erm, didn't)

[freddiefrog]

I do get annoyed at people driving massively under the limit, but if it's dark/windy road/raining/etc then I'd drive at a speed safe for the road and conditions.

I live rurally with no motorways or dual carriageways and I'm always stuck behind someone doing wildly under the limit (27mph all the way home in a clear, straight 40-50 limit last night) and it drives me mad.

[nightowlmostly]

People going 40 on a clear national speed limit road get my goat OP, sometimes one of the routes I travel frequently seems to always have someone on it going too slow. It's really annoying.

In the situation you describe, I would probably be the one at the front tbh! I hate driving on unfamiliar country roads when I have to go a bit under the limit because I don't know where the bends are. Mainly because there always seems to be a driver who knows the road well behind me who tailgates because they want to go faster!

OP YABU, sorry. Next time take a deep breath and stay calm. A few more minutes won't kill you, just be patient!

[Sirzy]

I don't think she should have pulled over. She wasnt crawling along she was driving at what sounds like a safe speed for the conditions

[squeakytoy]

40mph is plenty fast enough on long dark unfamiliar winding roads. As others have said, just because you can go as fast as 60, it doesnt mean you have to if the conditions are not suited to it.

[MummysHappyPills]

God how horrible. Poor woman. How aggressive to beep at her. I personally think that inconsiderate drivers like you shoukdn't be allowed on the road. 40 mph is not that slow anyway, especially on a winding country road, that she probably doesn't know. I live in the country, and most roads are not safe to go 60 on, especially round bends. If you don't know the bends and turns coming up it foolish to drive at the speed limit. It is no coincidence that most deaths occur on such roads, often young drivers going too fast.

So what, you got home 10 minutes later? Better late than dead. Shame you had to bully and intimidate another road user into the bargain. Yabu and I agree with your husband. At least he sounds like an intelligent man with a bit of patience and tolerance.

[QueenOfFarkingEverything]

"What makes anyone so arrogant that they think their desire to arrive somewhere ten minutes earlier trumps my right to stay alive and uninjured?"

Exactly!

[MummysHappyPills]

If you keep your speedometer at 60 and went round a sharp bend without slowing down, you would leave the road and go off into a hedge. How is that good driving?!

[AngryBeaver]

Right sorry, misread. Although, I still think 40 mph on a dual carriage way is too slow if conditions are fine.
op Yup, I know you wanted to get home quicker, I understand that,but I think she was very sensible going at the right speed for those conditions. I would do exactly the same thing. You were intolerant...and mean

[MorrisZapp]

Glad to see the sensibles are winning this one. Op and her ilk make a mockery of the likes of Jezza Clarkson et al who argue that motorists don't need to be 'nannied' by speed limits and cameras, and that they are perfectly capable of driving appropriately for the conditions.

The reality is that most motorists think it's a huge inconvenience to have to drive under the posted limit, regardless of conditions.

Fog, snow, heavy rain. Ime motorists do not adjust their speed for these unless made to, with the threat of cameras etc.

Britain is not, and never will be, able to sensibly police it's own driving speed.

[TandB]

Excessively slow drivers drive me insane. I sat behind someone on a main-ish road the other day, doing 20 mph for several miles.

But 40mph in those conditions wouldn't get me wound up. Yes, I might go a bit faster myself, but I wouldn't think someone else was unreasonable for doing 40mph which isn't really that slow. We live down some lanes where you are technically allowed to do 60mph but in reality 30mph would be too fast.

You were extremely unreasonable to beep at her and could easily have caused a nervous driver to brake hard, not realising what you were beeping about.

[janey68]

I am shocked at people trying to defend this driver by saying maybe she was tired. There is no 'safe' speed if you're tired- you pull in, take a rest and let other drivers past.
If there were legitimate reasons such as weather for her driving so slowly then that's different.

[TandB]

I meant to say that it is also easier to be the car behind in some conditions and on some roads. Down our country lanes I quite often get tailgated by people who are effectively being protected by my car. If I wasn't there they wouldn't be able to go any faster because of all the blind bends.

[steppemum]

Are you my Mother?
She can't bear to be stuck behind someone driving slowly, and gets wound up.

I don't like it, but given dark wet hilly conditions, she was driving at her safe limit.

I am not prepared to waste emotional energy being cross with drivers. It probably took you 5 minutes longer. All this anger for 5 minutes? There are more important things in life

[TerracottaPie]

Also agree with the majority.

In addition to the driving conditions which means YABU you need to remember it's always easier to see when you are the one behind the car rather than the one in front.

You have their movements and brake lights to guide you when you need to turn or brake and by how much. They just have their headlights and judgement. And when cars are coming in the opposite direction you don't even get to use your headlights. Add in unfamiliar roads, rain and winding hills it's not really surprising she was doing a safe 40mph.

[TerracottaPie]

X post with kungfupanda. God I type slow

[LonelyCloud]

YABU.

In the conditions you describe, 40mph doesn't sound unreasonably slow. And the presence of national speed limit signs doesn't necessarily mean everyone should be trying to do 60mph. There's plenty of national speed limit country roads where I live where it would be insanely dangerous to even attempt to drive at 60mph.

And if she was unfamiliar with the road, given it was a diversion, she may not have known where was safe to stop until she was too close to the lay-by or whatever to pull in safely.

[fluffyraggies]

I meant to say that it is also easier to be the car behind in some conditions and on some roads. Down our country lanes I quite often get tailgated by people who are effectively being protected by my car. If I wasn't there they wouldn't be able to go any faster because of all the blind bends.

Kungfu DH calls that a 'meat shield' ugh