To think you can't just trundle along at any old speed you fancy...

[TallulahTwinkletoes]

I fully expect to get flamed for this because I know I'm a tad over the top about this but it's my pet hate so here goes.

If say be gentle but I know this is the wrong place for that

I drive a lot. Every day I drive on a road that's technically a country road as there are fields either side but it's more than wide enough and not too windy. This road is followed by two straight roads. These are all national speed limit roads.

This is comfortably attainable with a few corners on the country road where 50 is a better speed. Obviously various weathers call for different speeds. I was behind a double decker bus doing 50 down there today.

The last few days I have been stuck behind people doing 35-40. Today the lady flashed at me when I finally get chance to overtake.

They way I see it is if you are driving so slow on the roads either
A) you are unaware of the speed limit/unable to follow basic road signs and therefore shouldn't be driving
B) do not feel comfortable driving at an appropriate limit for the road and therefore shouldn't be driving.

I know it's a limit not a target but you fail your driving test if you 'fail to progress' so they shouldn't be driving like this.

It's the principle that they don't care about anyone's time frame or how they affect other people. They just trundle along deciding what speed they want to go at and not giving a fuck.

We all have bad days where we mess up roundabouts and misjudge but Jesus Christ, if you can't drive at 60 in a straight line...

Humpty - that's not what this thread is about. If you're doing 59 in a 60, then the other drivers are driving dangerously at speed. This thread is about the drivers who constantly drive 20-30 miles under the speed limit - and 10 mph over the limit through villages, ignoring the drivers behind them by not pulling over when possible and adjusting their speed upwards or downwards according to conditions.

Good drivers don't sit at one speed irrespective of conditions - driving at a steady 40 on an A road doesn't make you a better driver than someone who takes account of conditions, other road users, varying speed levels and so on.

Not everyone works in a major population centre though. With 45-60 minute commutes in the car far from uncommon you begin to see the mileage from home we're talking about.

I'd think talking about speed and driving sense is exactly what this thread is about, Thread Captain Sir.

Did I say everyone does live in a centre of population. The arguments re more rural living obv stands. But for most people who daily commute to work in a car when there are options available is absurd when one counts up the costs.

If you read Humpty's last post really carefully Pan and read the OP really carefully you'll see exactly what I mean by it not being what the thread is about.

But it's not just about having public transport links available, as I said in my last post

not last post - previous post

sirchenjin if you read my post carefully, you'll see it was in response to mathanxiety telling me to speed up if other drivers indicate their dissatisfaction with my speed.

But thanks for serving as Thread Prefect.

And again, what you're describing (driving at the speed limit while others are driving at inappropriate speeds and undertaking) is not what the OP is about.

I read every post really really carefully Sir. You should try it!

It doesn't seem as if you do Pan.

However, if you're driving on the motorway and are being undertaken, you're definitely in the wrong lane. If someone has the ability to pass you on the near side you should have moved over.

Oh get over yourself Thread Obermeister. Threads usually happily wander around a bit, as you know. You just don't like the way this one is wandering. A bit.

However, if you're driving on the motorway and are being undertaken, you're definitely in the wrong lane. If someone has the ability to pass you on the near side you should have moved over.

Here - I thoroughly agree with you.

Tallullah I was overtaking. There were slow lorries in the inside lane, and I was moving past them pretty smartly.

Because I don't drive six inches from the bumper of the car in front, I was undertaken, dangerously, by people nosing out into that gap, two directly from a slip road joining the motorway, one who was stuck behind a lorry, and who refused to indicate (at which point I would have let him out).

I should not have been in the inside lane. I was travelling 20mph faster than that lane.

sirchenjin so I shouldn't reply to comments directed at me? Funny, I thought this was a debate?

A bit? Being undertaken by twats in BMWs and Audis on a motorway while doing the speed limit is not a 'bit' of a wander from the OP.

Am heading out for the day now, so will probably forget to come back to this thread, but I wanted to add: it's nice to see so many highways agency officers, and traffic police-people all debating.

I presume those of you saying 'you shouldn't drive/you should drive in X fashion' etc are all somehow in charge of the roads because of your jobs?

Wahoo! Funky and me agreeing? What a day

To that.

I think sirchenjin has been a great thread captain

Out of curiosity - if a car was able to undertake you between lorries on a motorway why didn't you pull back in once you'd overtaken each lorry?

Oh! SirChenjin!

I drive a BM and I don't undertake, ever, promise xx

I do a daily commute on the M1, between 2 junctions, hop on, hop off sort of thing. EVERYONE treats the inside lane as an extension of the slip road both leading on and off the motorway.

M1 is basically 3 lanes up to the junction I join at, and the slip road creates a 4th lane which then becomes the slip road for the junction where I come off.

Result is that the 2nd lane is treated as the inside lane, and this extra inside lane is treated as a slip road where it is not uncommon to see undertaking.

Although it's frequently common to come to a dead stop due to volume of traffic.

Don't blame me - I'm quoting Humpty!

Doing 70mph on a country road is all very well if you know the roads like the back of your hand and drive on them everyday. I recently drove on a country road I have never been on before....my speed didn't hit 70mph as I had no idea what twists and turns lay ahead. I would rather drive for a few more minutes than have an accident.

sirchenjin out of curiosity, do you drive a BMW, Audi, Merc, or VW golf, by any chance?

I'm not going to dignify your stupid question with a response. Maybe one day you'll figure out what stopping distances are for. I hope it's not too catastrophic.

I don't think cyclists are a danger unless they don't have appropriate lighting/clothing (you'd be surprised how many don't) and don't act appropriately but I don't see any of that.

Like I say, my dads a keen cyclist. He's been knocked by countless cars but once hit by a lorry who was tailgating and therefore couldn't see him. Literally, the first lorry went passed and he thought 'shit that was close' and then the second one hit. The lorry drove off. I'm unsure he'd even know he hit anything. My dad shattered his shoulder blade, broke his collarbone, 11/12 ribs, some vertebrae had the spiky bit snapped off (a very medical terminology) and he punctured a lung. I think more needs to be done to raise awareness for cycling safety.