Not to get why people get angry about being overtaken?

[tigerdriverII]

I have seen this a bit but....

Today, I overtake a car on the way to work. It was safe and legal to overtake. I drive this road every day and know that if there is no one in front of you you can make good progress (country B road). I don't mean speeding, I mean just driving safely but not hanging about.

The driver (middle aged woman like me) speeded up and stuck herself to my bumper. Fine. Then there is more traffic in front of us than normal so of course I drive according to the road and traffic. Ie I can't fly over the cars so drive behind them normally. No chance for me to ver take nor could she have done had she been in front of me.

Get to a t junction with a STOP sign. So guess what? I stop. Cue beeping horn behind me for the whole 5 seconds I am stopped (if that).

A couple of miles later I turn off the road at a point where about half the local traffic turns off. There is no way I could have driven faster at this point and the one or two overtaking opportunities weren't safe if I'd wanted to take them. Cue massive beeping etc. When I got to work I checked the car just to make sure there was nothing hanging off it that they were trying to tell me about. Nope. Can only assume that this lady didn't like being overtaken and spent about 15 minutes in a state of total road rage seething over it.

Don't get it at all. AIBU?

YANBU. I don't get it either. Grow up folks.

She was probably thinking your overtaking didn't get you far!

I have no problem with being overtaken, but have witnessed plenty of drivers who do seem to have a problem.

I do overtake if the road is clear, and the driver in front is slower than I want to drive.

My dad hates being overtaken. I reckon he subconsciously thinks it's a slur that he's driving slowly. I have even noticed he drives a little faster when someone is overtaking him. I mentioned it once and he stopped that for a while.

Luckily I drive my own car and rarely drive with him now. And DP is a sensible driver too (good job with the DCs in the car, etc).

FryOneFatManic I've often thought there must be some ancient instinct that makes people step on the gas when someone pulls out to overtake. I notice it on motorways but also as OP describes - people bumble along, you overtake at a safe spot, suddenly they're doing 20 mph more and two inches from your back bumper. I had one such incident in the Christmas holidays, I was driving my son and overtook on a dual carriageway. The lone driver hurtled up and triumphantly cut us up after we'd reverted to single lanes then drove through a 30 mph zone village doing at least 50 then dropped to 35 again once we were through it. Very disconcerting.

I agree OP, some people get irritated by people overtaking. A couple of times I've been flashed at and gestured at by overtaking at 60mph, on a national speed limit road, someone driving about 45 mph.

That said, I've been overtaken myself when driving at 60mph on same road, on a straight flat stretch, by drivers wanting to speed. I drive a Merc which corners like its on rails, and invariably catch them up doddering around corners, and get held up by them...

I'm firmly in the "You won't get there any faster" camp. Because unless you are travelling a long distance, it just isn't substantially faster to a level that actually makes any difference to your every day life.

The sheer number of people who overtake for no reason, usually dangerously, round here is not funny.

You'll be doing the speed limit and then they go shooting past. Only to get stuck at the lights. Then they shoot off again, over taking everything again. Only to get stuck at the next set of lights in the next town over, no more than 5 seconds before I manage to get there.

Is it REALLY worth overtaking most of the time? It probably is costing you more in fuel.

Unless it is absolutely necessary don't do it; overtaking in good conditions with clear visibility is still a fundamentally dangerous manoeuvre simply as you go into the oncoming lane of traffic.

I suppose I sometimes feel a bit annoyed when someone overtakes. I get overtaken because I'm slower to accelerate but will definitely be going 60 when I get to speed (I live in the country), so the person overtaking in my eyes seems really impatient. I was also told to slow down for overtaking cars when I learned to drive, which I do but it means my accelerating takes even longer.

I don't get upset about it though, it is really an irrational annoyance, because overtaking is legal, and obviously the other car doesn't know I'm planning to drive the speed limit when I get to speed.

I do get when I'm driving at 60 on country roads and am still being overtaken. Doesn't happen that often though.

I was also told to slow down for overtaking cars when I learned to drive, which I do but it means my accelerating takes even longer.

Change down a gear to get more oomph when you then accelerate to overtake, do you mean mmmuffins?

Donkeys I stop accelerating as they go past, so they can get past quickly. I don't think my driving instructor meant I was supposed to change gears - just allow the person overtaking to get over on to the correct side of the road again as fast as possible.

Oh sorry totally misread, thought you meant when you want to overtake, sorry mmmuffins.

Think you wasted your time overtaking her when you knew you had to stop.

Think she was a but of a knob as well.

Think if either of you had ever had a policeman knock on your door to tell you your dd had been seriously injured in a preventable crash then you would both concentrate a bit more on the road and not each other.

Some people just are idiots on the road really and get disproportionately angry at having their macho-ness undermined.

I had a little Renault 5 as my first car. It was just over 1000cc and could get up to 80 but it shook quite a lot when doing it.

Anyway, on the motorway I overtook a white van. Perfectly legally and safely, within speed limit. He was going slower than the speed limit because he was arsing about with his phone.

He took umbrage and immediately overtook me back, then sat in front of me and slowed right down, forcing me to overtake him again. Then immediately overtook me, slowed right down, forcing me to overtake him again. Repeat ad nauseum, throwing in dirty looks while doing it. Dangerous and intimidating as well, I was only 20 and on my own and felt quite worried.

The only way I could think of getting away, given speeding up wasn't an option, was to pull off at the next junction, go round the roundabout a couple of times to give him time to get far ahead, then go back on.

I did get annoyed at someone for overtaking me once, when I was doing 30 in a 30mph limit. He shot off and proceeded at God knows what speed, very dangerous as it's a place in between two footpaths, with no pavement, and ramblers often walk down the road a bit and cross over to join the other footpath. I'm afraid I flashed my lights and beeped at him.