Aggressive/bullying driver

[AtHomeDadGlos]

So, I popped to the shops this morning and behind me was a very impatient/angry driver who was frustrated at my driving a touch under/on the speed limit of 30mph.

Lights flashing, fist pumping, watch tapping away as the lights turned from green to red - he wanted me to speed to catch them.

Just wondering how other people deal with these bell ends (invariably they’re blokes). I just slow down even more as needing to check my mirrors more intently means I can’t give as much attention as to what’s in front of me. also it pisses them off

Eh? No, I’m not. I drive principally round London’s South Circular which is full of idiots thinking the speed limit doesn’t apply to them, and/or people walking blithely into the middle of the road. It is a dangerous and not particularly enjoyable obstacle course.

But frankly I don’t see why the fuck I should drive slightly - and it is marginally - faster. It isn’t mandatory. And I don’t somehow feel inadequate as a human being, or that I’m some sort of dozy loser, just because I’m driving a bit more slowly. It’s only driving, ffs.

Our 18 MO babies heart started to fail (Teterallogy of Fallot).
Called 999. Was told an ambulance was at least 20 mins away so could I drive the baby the 41 miles to the specialist unit.
They wanted him there asap and not longer than 45 minutes.
Police escort would meet us on the way.
Two cars deliberately tried to slow us down and tried to stop us overtaking before we reached the Police.

Ahem ........... nods to my username

I bloody hate tailgaters but yes when someone is driving slow there's usually a reason.
Like the driver (female) who decided to go from 30-0 in an instant to reverse park into a space, on yellow lines, on a bend.
She could've indicated with her intention to stop but no , slams on the brakes , reverse, car sticking half in/half out space.
Luckily (for me) she was driving like an idiot for the time I was behind her so I gave her ample space (Good job)

In theory the speed limit is a limit. In practice on urban streets and high-standard roads it is a target, the social expectation is that you drive near or at the speed limit unless you have a good reason not to, and driving significantly below the limit will annoy other drivers.

('Significantly' is subjective I know. On a 30 urban street I'd say 25 should be fine, but below 20 is annoying.)

Yes, men are wankers

did I miss the point of this thread?

I had a full on ranty rage at a van driver that did this to me. He was up my arse then was so close at traffic lights the parking sensors were going, I saw red, he looked petrified! Not that you should do this as it's a vulnerable position to put yourself in. Dickhead drivers make me so mad!

I pull over as soon as it is safe and let the idiot pass. I would rather have him or her in front where I can see clearly.

I hate people like that, I had a total asshat like that yesterday on dual carriageway whilst I was overtaking a load of lorries, she sped up behind me at about 100mph and was getting arsey because I was doing speed limit and started tailgating me,.
She got a number of gestures from me when I was able to pull in, then she carried on speeding away, I hope she gets caught speeding.

Asshat is nicer than the words I was using at the time

Drivers such as yourself really annoy me and are the cause of accidents, if it says 30 mph keep to that and keep other road users happy.

Don’t be silly Crimson. Tailgating someone aggressively is much more dangerous than someone driving just below the speed limit.

Although there is no minimum speed limit on the majority of UK roads, you can still be fined for driving too slow if it is seen that you are a hazard to other road users. There is no specific penalty for driving too slowly and as such, penalties may be as little as a verbal warning by a police officer along with a lecture of the dangers of driving too slow and in more serious cases, a motorist may find themselves in court charged with driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users (penalty code CD30). The more serious penalty CD30 comes with penalty points on a motorists licence, anywhere from 3 to 9 along with a fine. Penalty points stay on a motorists licence for four years from the date of the offence and are likel

Asdad has just illustrated nicely why I would always pull over in such scenarios and allow them to overtake.

They might be in a situation as described, or they might just be an idiot. Either way I don't see the benefit in getting in their way.

I’d be interested to know just how many people per year are charged with driving too slowly as opposed to those who speed and kill people.

crimsonlake. I had a beauty last December. Driving on a back road to Ripon one Sunday morning. Fine driving conditions, NSL road. 60mph inadvisable due to frequent bends and hills but 50mph would have been ideal. Try telling that to the infuriating woman driving a Mini just ahead of me. For nearly eight miles she did not exceed 40mph. Every time there was a bend, however slight, she braked. Same approaching any hill, up or down or any oncoming vehicle on the other side of the road. Brake. Absolutely no need. Traffic was slowly building behind. By the time I was finally able to overtake - just before the speed limit dropped to 30 - she had NINE cars stuck behind her. I had a quick count in the rear view mirror. Unbelievable and a lot of patient drivers around that morning.

She might have just passed her test?

She might have had a passenger like my DM

Obviously a cautious driver Flo. Would you rather she drive faster and cause an accident?

She might have been any number of things but that morning, she was causing unnecessary delay to other road users by imposing her personal speed limit.

So you get somewhere a few minutes late.
It’s no big deal in the great scheme of things. Nobody likes to be sat behind someone driving slowly but it happens for all sorts of reasons and the best thing to do imo is just drive at he same speed and keep a safe distance. Getting too close and flashing and them will only make them either more nervous or dig their heels in even more.

My baby was dying. I couldnt afford to be a few minutes late.

FloControl I may get flamed for this but I don't think a driver like that should be on the road if they're incapable of traveling at the speed limit when it's safe to do so, causing unnecessary delay/obstruction to multiple people behind and haven't the confidence to approach even simple issues like a bend in the road appropriately. I never tailgate or gesticulate but I absolutely have been known to mutter in disbelief to myself 'what's the fucking hold up!?' when stuck behind those drivers. It doesn't fill me with confidence they'll be able to handle adverse situations quickly and confidently when necessary.

ducks

The majority of elderly drivers I see daily drive slowly, are very cautious etc.

They shouldn’t be on the roads then?

If they're incapable of driving at or close to the limit and their reactions are dangerous or slow then or course not (why else would someone be driving slowly if not slow to react/overly fearful?).

There are millions of older drivers who are completely capable and drive well. But we all know there is a subset that for various reasons become a danger on the roads and are no longer safe to drive. I've had countless friends struggle to find ways to get their elderly parents/grandparents to relinquish their licences once it's become clear they're no longer safe on the roads.

I'm in favour of mandatory retesting at a certain age and after certain violations/health conditions. To test the speed of ones reactions.