AIBU To think that if the speed limit...

[sadie3]

Is 50 mph you drive at 50 not 30 mph

Rant over !

Emmieline Ive been driving for over 20 years, I passed my test with only ever having 3 "real" lessons and in all that time Ive not once had a parking ticket, speeding ticket or had an accident, so I consider myself a safe driver. I said I didnt like to overtake because the woman was obviously not a confident driver and I thought that if I wizzed by in my car it might scare her so I decied to keep behind her.

v annoying being stuck behind someone driving really slowly - however there is the odd situation where you have to, eg my spare tyre is not a proper spare and has some ridiculous low limit on how fast you can drive with it.

One (at least) of the highways I use (not in UK) now has a minimum limit as well as a maximum, which presumably means people were actually driving below 60kph on a (straight, multi lane) road with a 100kph limit. I really don't know how anyone would think that reasonable but there are some odd drivers around.

My DH failed his first driving test for driving too slowly!

If yo come round a bend on a country lane and plough into the back of someone because they are doing 25-30 you are completely at fault. What if it had been a broken down vehicle or someone on a horse?

You should always be able to stop in the distance you can see ahead of you. If you can't do that you are driving too fast.

I wasn't on about country lanes but main roads we are quite rural but have main roads there have been several instances of police reminders especially in the summer season of reminding drivers of slow moving vehicles to use the many laybys to allow trafic to pass I tend to slow down by easing off rather than breaking every time. You learn to read the road most locals drive that way.

Whatever the road you are on you could come across something stationary around any bend. You need to be driving slowly enough that you can stop in time and will not hit it. Therefore if you hit a driver doing 25-30 you are at fault because you were driving too fast.

Police remind drivers of slow moving vehicles to allow people to pass in order to reduce the number of dangerous overtaking manoeuvres carried out by impatient drivers. It is not to prevent people who are driving too fast from piling into the back of the queue.

I live in a rural area and know the local roads very well. I still drive so that I can stop within the distance I can see.

On the way back to my house there are two short stretches of road (30 limit ) with three mini-roundabouts on and no visibility to the right where cars which have right-of-way might be pulling out.

I like taking my time and doing just below twenty when there are no other cars behind me but DH told me that driving that cautiously might indicate to a watching cop-car that I am drink-driving

The speed limit on some of our windy country lanes is national speed limit. There is no way I'd drive at 60mph along such roads. Boy racers probably do and they are the drivers who kill. YABVU.

Eh, you're not meant to indicate when overtaking anymore, 3monkeys ? Since when?

Yanbu. I live in an area that has a wide 60mph road. It crosses the top of a valley so the views are incredible. Many, many idiots tourists drive at 20 -30 along there, forgetting that the locals need to go about their daily business. It's a great road, however, it is far to dangerous to overtake, because although wide, it's bendy and you can't see oncoming traffic. I do wish they'd pull over, and let the rest of us pass. They don't even stop in the designated spaces. Grrrr!
Oh, and it is common for police to arrest for going to slowly these days. Many forces are convinced that it's a major cause of road rage.

I also said it was a scenario not the way I drive I have said I drive to the way the road dictates we have a main road which is notorious for accidents many caused by idiots not driving to either road conditions, to fast or overtaking in stupid places impatient people who don't like you driving sensibly. I have a philosophy better to arrive in this world late than the next one early. Police have even taken to putting decoy cars in some places to try to slow people down hope it works, I agree with you all believe me. I hate the phrase dangerous road as there is no such thing roads don't cause accidents people driving dangerously/carelessly do.

Assuming good driving conditions etc YANBU to expect drivers to get up to the speed limit. In fact, people driving under the limit for no good reason (and preferring to drive slowly is not a reason) would fail their advanced driving test for "not making progress".

Everlong do you seriously never go over 50 on a bend what about the M25/M60 or M62 (to think of the first curved motorways to pop into my head) Do you drive at 50 on roads like that?

YANBU!!!

Pretty please people, drive at 50 on nice wide A roads if that's the limit and don't break for every miserable tiny bend [hangry]

Oh and just because their is no limit on the single track roads past my house doesn't mean its safe to do 50 while talking on your mobile.

Can I echo Jenai's concern re indicating. 3monkeys it is very dangerous to pull out to overtake a bike or pull out to go past a parked car without indicating your intention. The highway code makes it clear.
You said that it annoys you when others do it?

there, sorry that's twice in the last 10 minutes. I need tea.

YANBU. Drives me mad. WHY drive so slowly and wind people up? At least pull over and let them past.

YANBU in good driving conditions.

I was warned I would fail my driving test if I drove at 30 in a 50 zone without good reason.

I can't think of any bend that I've been doing 50 on.

Even on long stretches of road that are national speed ( I do a few fairly regularly ) I drop down to at least 40 whilst taking a slight bend.

Aah, ok then Everlong. Its just that from what you said above, I got the impression that you meant every bend in every road

Can't think where I got that from though

But so long as you don't actually do that. I'm pretty sure that the highways agency etc would introduce lower speed limits on roads where it is not safe to actually do the national speed limit. As it happens they are proposing increasng it to 80mph on dual carriageways and motorways I thought.

OP If the conditions were such that you did not feel safe to overtake, maybe the other driver wasn't going too slowly?