Slow Motorway Driving

[allmycats]

AIBU to think that if you are driving on the motorway and you are passed by me towing our caravan - bearing in mind that whilst towing said caravan I am restricted to 60mph then you are going too slow. I am getting truly cross with the number of people driving in the slow lane at speeds of circa 50mph - whilst I appreciate that speed limits are not target speeds you need to drive in a manner that is safe and going too slow is just as bad as going too fast. me and my caravan do not like being in the middle lane, causing inconvenience for those behind me when you are simply driving like a tosser in the inside lane at 45-50mph - Rant Over !!

[BitOutOfPractice]

I think you're coming at this the wrong way. Drivers doing 70mph on a clear, dry, daytime motorway aren't driving "too fast". Nor are they uncomfortable with the speed they are doing (I imagine, for the most part). It isn't them going too fast, it's the people driving at 50mph on a clear dry open motorway that are driving too slow for the conditions.

You should assess the conditions on a minute by minute basis and if you (generic you, not you you!) aren't comfortable driving at a speed that is approriate for the conditions, then you shouldn't be driving on thay road!

[tallulah]

My particular bugbear is those who sit in the outside lane doing 60 - 65mph. You follow them forever and they won't pull over or speed up, resulting in all the people behind you pulling into the middle lane to undertake. Then they finally get the idea and pull over, and speed up to 80 .

Probably 99% of the drivers that do this are female, and it's on the increase

[SuddenlySqueamish]

If you need to brake suddenly because somebody in front is going slower, you're going far too fast and not paying enough attention!

[PansBigChainring]

I agree with others. I commute by motorway every day and the drivers going 50 are much more likely to cause an accident then the ones going 80/90. My opinion is that if you are too nervous/ cautious to keep up with lorries then stay on A roads
This rubbish sums it up nicely. Accidents are caused by people driving too fast, not sure where they are going, not allowing for road/traffic conditions. or poor observational skills. Nobody ever who drives at 50'ish takes over the mind of a 'speedster' and makes them a poor driver- they do that themselves. My opinion is that if you can't handle the fact that other people drive at speeds differing to yours then you should examine if you are fit to be on any road at all.

[RiverTam]

same could be said of middle lane hoggers who fail to notice cars coming up behind them and overtaking them - if there's a queue of cars behind you you are almost certainly in the wrong lane!

generally I find that slower drivers are far less aware of the road conditions and what is going on around them, than a confidence fast driver who can at least respond to changes in conditions.

[PansBigChainring]

We seem to be making a sole connection between driving at 50'ish, and confidence, or being timid, which isn't true. Lots of us drive at 50'ish for the good reasons already stated by Suddenly. I can speed along at 70 plus no bother, but it's stupid to. So I don't.

[Raskova]

Pans, if it was stupid to speed along at 70, they wouldn't set that as the national speed limit for appropriate roads now. Would they?!

[IndridCold]

But my absolute pet hate is a lorry who is travelling at 56mph deciding that he must overtake the lorry travelling at 55.5mph - causing them both to block two lanes for mile after mile while the marginally faster lorry slowly crawls past the slower lorry. Worthy of a ban IMO.

^^
This!!

[FreudiansSlipper]

YANBU

if you are not confident enough to drive at the speed you should be driving on a motorway (given conditions) then you should not be driving on a motorway

and likely that you should not be driving at all

[VivaLeBeaver]

Well I won't tow at60mph. So am in slow lane between 50mph and 50mph.

[BellaVita]

Yanbu.

[Mrsmorton]

If the speed limited lorries are overtaking you, you are going too slowly. Their limiters are more accurate than a standard speedo which legally can over read your speed by 10%. If you think you're doing 50, you may be doing only 45 and if lorries are chugging past you and you feel like everyone thinks you're Piers Morgan hates you, you need to speed up.

[AnyFucker]

What has Piers Morgan to do with this ?

[Mrsmorton]

Erm, everyone thinks he's a cunt?

[AnyFucker]

I bet he is a brilliant driver, though ?

[mrssmith79]

It's amazing how many people lose the power of effective acceleration when faced with a long, straight, well maintained road where all vehicles are travelling in the same direction. YANBU.

[Northernlurker]

I think that people in general do not appreciate that the only person's driving you are responsible for is your own. As you join a motorway it's your job to join safely, not other people's to make way for you. Likewise as you bomb along at 85 it remains your responsibility to keep your distance, anticipate and look ahead and move safely between lanes. People driving at 50 (or 40 or 90) are not responsible for your decision making. If you can't cope with encountering different speeds of vehicle then it's you who shouldn't be on the road. And I say that as somebody who does a steady 70 95% of the time.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Yanbu.

Fine chug along at 50mph if you really must...in the inside lane. Not for the love of god in the middle lane!

I drive at 70mph unless traffic/weather dictate otherwise but I have an ever so fuel efficient little car .

I often see people who are very obviously driving under 50mph very possibly under 50mph. These people are almost always elderly. And female.

Men tend to be bad drivers in the sense that they're aggressive, women tend to be bad insofar as they're oblivious to all other road users.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

*ahem, second 50mph was definitely meant to be 40mph.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

I find it amusing that "slow" drivers are seen as "timid".

The most aggressive driver I know drives everywhere at 40 mph, (and I do mean everywhere) doesn't indicate and will enter a motor way and move in to the middle lane of a motorway at a moments notice with out a care for other road users.

I will not under any circumstance ride in her car.

[PansBigChainring]

Pans, if it was stupid to speed along at 70, they wouldn't set that as the national speed limit for appropriate roads now. Would they?!

It would be stupid to go at 70 when you can go at 50 much cheaper, more effectively re congestion, and more safely.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

and more safely.

but when everyone else is going at a faster speed it isn't safer.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

But the thing is Pans the majority don't drive at 50mph...so you doing it doesn't actually help congestion.

[YellowTulips]

My HUGE bug bear is the sheer number of people who drive on dual carriageway/motorways at 56 mph because they "think" it's the most fuel economical speed.

It's not - it's just an arbitrary figure car manufacturers use for fuel economy comparisons.

People drive at or just below this, causing lorries to have to overtake at only a few mph faster, thus slowing down the whole traffic stream.

If 56mph is just your comfortable driving speed then fair enough - but that's not what I see (and hear people talking about) - it's like a gang mentality - an urban myth.

Each car has a different economy point based on the engine, weight, gear you are in etc and the most fuel efficient speed can be very varied.

You need to check your rev counter. In general lower the revs, the lower your fuel consumption.

[Bookaholic]

The worst idiot of this type I saw was on a 4 lane section of motorway. Very light traffic, good visibility, dry, day time. Basically perfect driving conditions. It was possible to pass him (it was a him, I looked over as I passed), on the left with a lane to spare. He was in lane 3, I went past in lane 1, I was doing 65 mph. (I was leaving at the next junction). The best bit - the 'taxi' sticker and tags on the window/registration plate.

Yeah. Great professional driving.