To think that 40 in a 60 is too slow

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Ok, so you're driving on a country road. The speed limit is 60. It has officially been deemed as safe to drive at 60. So why do so many people tootle along at 40 or less??? That's 2/3rds of the safe speed for that road and the limit safe for a lot of residential areas. If you do my feel safe driving at that speed then don't use the road! I'm fed up of getting caught behind Sunday drivers!!!

I agree that slower vehicles should aim to pull over and let traffic past: we have a camper van and driving around the Highlands were making sure we weren't building up a queue and were glad when we got behind a lorry and were no longer the cause of the queue

But on one occasion we hadn't found anywhere to pull in for a while on a bank holiday, we had maybe 5-6 cars behind us. One car pulled out from mid-queue, overtook the whole lot and zoomed away (we were at this stage doing 50-55mph). Unfortunately for him there had been an unmarked police car in that queue so 30 seconds later he had his blue lights on and 2 miles up the road we found them having a discussion

If someone doesn't know the road they also don't know where the safe places to pull in are, so just be patient.

Bartman I think we all agree, but the point is that 2 cars head on at 60mph, is the same as one car at 120mph ploughing into a stationary car. Not many people when they crash hit an infinitely heavy concrete block so I think that analogy is giving you a false sense of security. You are more likely to hit a brick wall (which will collapse)or a lamp post, or side rails and so the 60mph head on crash has the same devastation as 120mph into that kind of (not quite immovable) object.

I live in the countryside, where the roads have a 60 limit. You should drive to what you can see and the conditions. If you can go around a corner at 60, fine, as long as you could stop for horses/family out on bikes/parked tractor etc.
But I do get frustrated by drivers who pootle along, oblivious to road conditions, other traffic etc.

This is what makes some country roads so dangerous. People see 60 as a target and some sort of entitlement, regardless of the width of the road or lane and the visibility. This is why I'm getting scared to ride my pony on the lane to get to the bridleways, and why walkers regularly have to throw themselves into hedges.

maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&safe=active&q=dark+lane+wolverhampton&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x48709db64a3f2fff:0x36b486cb0613e156,Dark+Ln,+Coven,+Wolverhampton+WV10+7PN&gl=uk&ei=9dEFU4eGDcjQhAe4toDAAw&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA

If that link works it is Dark Lane, Wolverhampton, it is officially a 60 zone, you would have to be insane to think it is safe to drive on, it is a single track with passing places and turns you cannot see round because of high hedges.

At the moment about 50% of it is under water.

Limits are that, limits.

I have driven on the motorway at 20mph because it was thick fog and you could not see much at all.

I understand your frustration especially if you know the roads well and rate them as fine but I would say yabu.I would prefer a driver was cautious like that then saw 60 as their target to hit and plowed ahead.

There are many many country roads here and yes I too get annoyed on some when people are slower but I'd prefer that over speeding or trying to hit for the sake of hitting. A good number of the roads should not be 60mph, a) because of potholes b) because of unseen meeting places and c) because if horses.

Theres one roads that's 60mph we've asked to be put to 30mph. Idiots speed along it, tooting and tailgating the whole time not realising that horses are often ridden along it because one end is badly signposted and the other people just don't notice. One arse in a bm got right up the back of me as I went down to 30 knowing what could be around the corner, he overtook me and then nearly slammed into the horse rider a bit later down the road because he was going too fast around a blind bend. The poor woman was very shook off, the wanker sped off.

For annoyingly or rather dangerously slow, there wasva mobility scooter trundling along the 70mph road where I was last week, luckily it's a well lit straight road. And yesterday someone was driving along the motorway on the hard shoulder undertaking people.

It might have been an unmarked police car.

Nope, no lights, sirens and there was a very elderly couple in the car. I very much doubt it.