'sunday drivers' 40mph everywhere

[angelos02]

Just had a weekend away in the countryside and at least half a dozen times got stuck behind people that shouldn't be allowed to drive. Doing 40mph in national speed limit zones & the same in built up 20 mph areas. Note to you Numpties...if there is big line of traffic behind you, you are probably driving dangerously.

OP, I get annoyed at the 'always 40mph' drivers too. So frustrating to be stuck behind and then see zoom off into the distance when you enter a 30 zone and only one of you slows down accordingly!

But, r.e. some of the PP's comments r.e. people not driving up to the speed limit. Firstly, as a couple of PPs have pointed out, many NSL roads have never been assessed - the limit given is just a default, not what is deemed to be the safe maximum speed. My commute is along NSL roads with a couple of 30/40 zones and some wicked bends, plus lots of cyclists and tractors. There are about two stretches of a mile or so each at which 60 is achievable and even then, as one PP pointed out, revving rapidly up to the limit only to slow down again shortly thereafter isn't very fuel efficient (though I am often guilty of it!)

When I get stuck behind someone doing 40/45 I do get a little annoyed but I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt by imagining different reasons why they might be going slowly. Driving on their spare tyre, passenger in labour, brand new driver, etc! Tends to help bring the blood pressure down and then I overtake when and if I can.

I may have made this up in my common sense mind but if for whatever reason you are holding up a big line of traffic, you pull over to allow them to pass.

Tractirs are supposed when they have 4 people behind them, not sure about cars, but i try to when i am in a pootle mood

What is pootle mind?

I drove from Perth to Stirling on Friday, then back up on Sunday. Both unpleasant journies, to be honest.

I do this journey a lot. The route is dual carriageway all the way, so 70mph limit, and has average speed cameras the full length. I'm not a particularly slow driver - I used to speed more than I should, but now I have my baby in the car with me I am more careful. I tend to stick to the speed limit (if conditions allow) and maybe sometimes I creep up to 75, realise and slow down again.

So on Friday I was driving at 70, the road was busy and we entered a section of road which had a temporary limit of 40 mph. There was no apparent reason for this - I assume that this is in anticipation of roadworks as this is very common on that road, but there was no signage or cones to indicate this.

So I duly slow to 40. I didn't slam my foot on the brake, I took my foot off the accelerator and gradually decreased my speed. However I immediately found that every other car around me was paying absolutely no heed to the new limit, and were haring past me at 60-70. I was getting overtaken by lorries and quickly decided that my 40 was dangerous as I simply wasn't keeping up with the flow of the traffic. So I sped back up to 60. This is not the first time this has happened to me on that road. I don't know if the average speed cameras a calibrated to include the temporary limits, I guess we will soon see

On the drive back on Sunday, I simply found that every single time i pulled out to overtake someone, I had some arse sitting on my tail within 30 seconds, like I had no right to be there. Honestly - almost every time, and I was doing 70! I also don't hang around in the overtaking lane so it's not that I was there too long or hogging it. It was really stressful by the end!

I really must pull up and photograph it... on my way up to Salisbury Plain to walk the dogs I go past a roadsign post with two signs on it. The top one is the black and white diagonal 'National Speed Limit'. And the second one is the blue with white lettering 'Not Suitable For Motor Vehicles'!

I think they are the same people that think the inside lane is the 'slow lane' rather than the lane you should always be in unless you are overtaking.

the bartender

Ugh, temporary / variable speed limits on dual carriageways stress me out for this exact reason! I try to slow down to the limit but then almost no one else does. I always wonder at times like that how every person on the carriageway doesn't get ticketed!

Recently joining a motorway behind a driver doing 30mph was possibly the most frightening driving experience I've ever had. The car wasn't particularly old, or small, but the driver was. I was joining the M6 and it's not a quiet motorway...

I try to be patient with slower drivers after having transported my terminally ill dad and needing to be a bit more careful as he was in pain. However later, when I was trying to get to the hospital shortly before he died, I could quite happily have throttled the slow drivers! I needed to get there and the frustration was like nothing I've ever known.

My mum has had 2 speeding tickets recently (only slightly over the limit) so now has to be extra careful and spends more time watching her speed than the road. She can't afford to worry about anyone being frustrated behind her.

You're an impatient one. Chill out.

Until 2 months ago, when we got pushed along a motorway sideways by a 50 ton truck, I had no problems driving the speed limit. But it is taking me time to readjust. I am building my confidence back, but occasionally, especially on motorways when going past lorry's, I will slow down until I feel safe to pass, I will hog the middle lane to not feel 'trapped' like I did when I was stuck in a car with my daughter and her friend boxed in by a truck going 50mph without realising we were attached to his front grill. And yes, I will drive below the national speed limit on rural roads if I feel my safety and that of my daughter (who is understandably still jumpy) is at risk for the sake of someone wishing to save a few minutes on their journey. If I am in a roadworks zone (where our accident happened) I will leave a very large gap, and if someone decides to tailgate me, I will drive slower because I am fighting my panic attack coming on. If I feel safe , I will pull into the slow lane, but if I do not feel safe to do so I will hog the middle or even the outside lane, and anyone becoming frustrated, angry, flashing their headlights, will be ignored until I feel it is safe for me to change lanes, speed up or take whatever action you feel your life depends upon. Some people are nervous for all sorts of reasons, some people are new to an area and seeking places, some people have just passed their tests some people are going through medical emergencies with family members, there are a myriad of reasons why we do not give a single care or concern (if you do not have a blue flashing light attached to your vehicle) why you feel your destination or journey is more important than ours. So cut us some slack, and hopefully you will never find yourself in the unenviable position of having a reason to drive slow and have some trumped up self important arse trying to bend you to their will by aggressive driving, making your situation all the worse.

I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt by imagining different reasons why they might be going slowly.

I try think of them as guardian angels, sent to deliberately impede my progress so I don't reach a particular spot on a particular road at the particular moment when there would be a collision if I had got there as quickly as I would like to. I can sometimes end up feeling quite benign where I'd started out feeling infuriated...

AlpacaLypse My favourite sign reads

NARROW LANES DO NOT OVERTAKE CYCLISTS

Indeed they don't and neither do wide ones. But why distract us by telling us so?

Greene I have every sympathy for your accident - it must have been a horrific experience - but the answer is not to deliberately hog the middle or outside (?!?) lane. Being so nervous when driving is understandable in your case, but is the road the right place for you at the moment? You're having to fight panic attacks? Are you going dizzy, breathing irregularly?

Green01 your driving behaviour is really unsafe. If you're that anxious about driving you need to get some top-up lessons with an instructor who can make sure you're driving safely while you do it, and apply the brakes if necessary. Right now you're endangering yourself and others with your selfish behaviour.

greene but surely you don't want to cause an accident having already been in one?

The police have and do give points for middle lane driving like you describe. It is dangerous.

os if driving slower disrupts the flow of traffic on your driving test you would fail. If it wasn't dangerous then surely they wouldn't care if you did 20 in a 30 when conditions allow 30 in a 30.

Green01 your driving behaviour is really unsafe. If you're that anxious about driving you need to get some top-up lessons with an instructor who can make sure you're driving safely while you do it, and apply the brakes if necessary. Right now you're endangering yourself and others with your selfish behaviour.

Agreed, you sound terrified - that's not a fit state for someone to be in charge of a car - especially with passengers.

Green01 - that sounds like an absolutely terrifying thing to happen. Your nervousness about driving is completely understandable.

But if you're so nervous about driving that you're fighting panic attacks, then I agree with pp who are wondering if driving is a safe thing for you to be doing right now.

The suggestion about top-up lessons is a good one, I know someone who had similar issues with confidence after a car accident, and they said the extra lessons really helped them regain their confidence. I believe there's also defensive driving courses you can go on, which might be something else that might be worth you looking into.

A few examples for you.

Turning a corner and quickly catching up to a slow driver creates dangers in residential areas, too. You may need to stop suddenly, which can start a chain reaction of braking that could lead to accidents or road rage. - www.esurance.com

t can be due to two main reasons. On a high speed road such as motorways or dual carriageways, excessively slow speeds effectively creates a hazardous obstacle that other motorists must avoid. Drivers may not correctly assess a much slower vehicles speed in time resulting in abrupt braking or evasive overtaking. This can be particularly hazardous for large vehicles such as HGV’s that need a good deal of time to prepare in a change of speed or direction.

Slow moving vehicles typically utilise hazard warning beacons to alert motorists of a potential hazard. Motorists hogging the centre lane, particularly when they’re driving rather slowly is a form of inconsiderate driving that infuriates most motorists as it can often force drivers to illegally undertake rather than overtake.

Another reason why driving too slow is dangerous can be found on single carriageway roads where overtaking is difficult. Following motorists will likely become stressed and impatient whilst following an excessively slow vehicle leading to the possibility of dangerous overtaking manoeuvres and erratic driving. - www.drivingtesttips.biz

Crappy dm link here talking about having slow speed cameras www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016721/Slow-drivers-dangerous-roads-cause-crashes.html

This is an American one but still explains the dangers of slow driving www.esurance.com/info/car/the-dangers-of-driving-too-slowly

Here's a RAC link www.raccars.co.uk/news/article/3263/are-slow-drivers-as-dangerous-as-speeders

All I did was Google is driving to slow dangerous and pages and pages have came up saying it is.

When I say, slow, I mean not at the speed limit, but not 20 mph under it either. I drive to and from work on the M3 roadworks, a 50 zone. So if there is a truck in the slow lane (and if you drive that road you will know the gaps between cars are very small), and I need to pass it, but there is a car tailgating me, I will slow down to 45 to give myself safe breathing space until I can pass safely. If I am on rural roads I am usually doing 50 (if safe) or else I do the speed limit (if safe). Perhaps it sounds extreme to say I hog the middle or fast lane, but its not for the entire journey, just where I am being crowded by trucks, and I am usually not going slower than the car in front of me, but you still get drivers tailgating or flashing their headlights. I have not had an accident for 27 years, and this one has shaken me up, but I am safe. The only thing that makes me panic are tailgaters, and having massive trucks tailgating on the M3. So I am not a nervous wreck! I am merely having an understandable response to a horrific incident. I expressed my views so that speedy drivers will be aware that there may be reasons why the person in front of you is being a bit more cautious.

We know there are reasons, Greene. Most of us will have been in an accident at some point. I had my first one two years ago, after eight years of blissfully-accident-free driving. I was nervy afterwards, of course, but I didn't hog the middle or outside lanes or drive dangerously slow. I was more aware than usual of braking distances, but that's about it.

Your first and subsequent posts are very different. If you're driving like you initially said you were, please get a few hours with an instructor. It will cost you, what, £50?