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...

Tallulah, you may be right, you maybe driving absolutely fine, whilst seething.

But YOU said the driver in your OP didn't seem to think so.

And, what is this doing to you? Your blood pressure, stress levels?

You are not OK! You are an angry driver, you say you are, your posts show you are. Angry drivers are not always safe drivers. That is the bottom line. YOU must do something to change how you feel about this or YOU will, at the very least, make yourself more and more unhappy/angry over something you simply cannot control - that's the worst kind of stress, the kind that, over years, leads to heart attack!

If you can't find it in you to give a shit about the annoying road users, have a care for yourself!

I work with several women who, by their own admission, never drive at more than 50mph on an A rd near us. This is a busy A road, three lanes, no cross junction/lights. More like an M road. One of them likes to drive in the middle lane because she feels it's safer. None of them are able to drive to a nearby town, because they don't know the road.

They literally cannot drive their own vehicles other than to well practised destinations or at low speed. It staggers me.

Op you are stupid and ignorant and you need to stop tailgating slower
drivers .That is dangerous
You might feel confident at driving faster but :-

1. OTHER PEOPLE make mistakes .If you are going slower it gives you a better chance of avoiding a collision and
2. If a collision does occur then the outcome is better

Slow driving doesn't actually cause accidents .If everyone drove slower there would be fewer accidents.It is thye impatient f*ckers like you trying to overtake in dangerous places that cause problems.

I could have wrote this post and at the risk of getting flamed it is ALWAYS an elderly person or a woman.

Rather than testosterone fuelled manly men? Hmm...wonder if it's you not them...

If everyone drove slower there would be fewer accidents

Not necessarily.

Of course there would! dirkdiggler How can you argue otherwise?
Shorter stopping distances, more time to react

sorry but I think YABU. I drive on twisty country lanes every day for an hour each way. 60% of the accidents in the UK are on country lanes. I see near misses several times a week where people take bends too fast, end up on the wrong side of the road, swerve to avoid a pothole etc. I know the roads very very well but don't drive above about 35/40 BECAUSE I know how dangerous they are. I am a confident and competent driver but many people are not and my driving reflects the fact that I may have to stop suddenly because some twat flies round the corner on the wrong side of the road. Of course there are exceptions, some people do drive far too slowly and are not confident enough to be driving safely but you sound aggressive and dangerous. Leave earlier if you are under time pressure - and what someone said upthread about stress levels is true too. If I leave late and am chafing at every delay / red light etc I get to work feeling knackered and stressed. If I leave on time and can take things in my stride, let people out of junctions etc. I don't have all the time in the world and if I am late my class will be sitting there waiting for me, so I leave enough time to not have to rush (it involves getting up at 6, so not an easy option either).

Of course there would! dirkdiggler How can you argue otherwise?
Shorter stopping distances, more time to react

And yet Germany has one of the safest motorway networks in Europe - you know, the motorway network of which 65% is derestricted.

In fact I'd go as far to say that I actually have much more respect for German speed limits as I know that soon enough I'll reach a derestricted section where I can make progress at 150mph+ if the conditions allow.

Marnia clearly can't read. I. DON'T. TAILGATE. ANYONE. is that clear enough?

To the pp who said they drive twisty country roads and go at 35/40... You say that's appropriate to the road and that's fine. Again, this stretch of roads is not twisty. It has a few slight bends in the road and one corner that needs braking.

And what did caravan of love say????

Surely you have conversations with people or your kids annoy you where on the inside you're thinking 'aarrrrggghhh' but you appear calm and sane on the outside? It's the same for me here...

And yet Germany has one of the safest motorway networks in Europe

Yes, and we have a shitty motorway network, and a bad driving attitude [as evidenced in this thread] which scares the living shits out of some drivers who then clag up the A and B roads.

Driving is not about getting from A to B in the fastest possible time, it is about getting there safely.

Ever since being told this, it's helped me with slow drivers:

Better late in this world than early in the next.

And if I want to go at a respectable 40mph to enjoy the journey, or save fuel, or because it's an unfamiliar road, then I will. It's not a race.

I'm not sure why my post was deleted. I obviously can't repeat it as it was clearly not allowed but I said its always people of a certain age and gender who are driving slowly. And I wasn't generalising, I've been doing my own personal audit.
Awaits deletion again...

I think I can assume the age and gender to which you are referring. I agree to a point. Men are the opposite tho (stereotypically) and seem to hope for the best. Younger people again drive too fast. There's a nice medium ground I think

I can't get het up about it. Everyone is just trying to get somewhere, you may get stuck behind a tractor for miles or a herd of cows in the road. Just get there as safely as you can.

Sometimes the overtaking isn't worth it. Everyone bunches up again at the next set of lights/roundabout.

See I get stressed about commuting to work and for what - no reason really. For me there are two types - dawdling people who have all the time in the world (during commute times - usually wearing hats or with a straw hat on the back shelf - tartan blanket is optional) or aggressive 4x4/sports performance car man.

Both fuck me off but its not worth it. I want to get home to my husband and kids at the end of the day.

Please, someone answer my question; I MUST know! slumps strategically dramatically

What was your question special agent??? I missed it and can't see it scrolling through

Sorry for the tantrum But I've wanted to know this all my driving life!

I just want to understand the cars that drive slowly then speed up at any opportunity to overtake. Since I never tailgate, blare my horn or drive belligerently this phenomenon really makes me curious. Why pootle then refuse to let me or in some cases, a flow of traffic pass you? Why then slow down again when overtaking isn't possible? These are the only types of drivers (other than the obvious such as flat out dangerous psychos) that piss me off.

Answer to Special's question-

Because they are arseholes, and they think that an overtaker is criticising their driving somehow.
Or they are a man who can't bear the thought of a woman getting ahead of them.

Because they are arseholes, and they think that an overtaker is criticising their driving somehow.

Or, once the traffic on the other side of the road ceases, they feel more confident about driving faster.

It's not only traffic on your side of the road that you need to be aware of, but people coming from the other direction who may or may not be trying to overtake themselves.

Funky I've never tried to overtake unless it was 100% safe, yet this is something I encounter often on certain roads. It seems oddly deliberate.

I hardly ever overtake, I don't feel there's an advantage on the whole.