Seven people overtook me in the space of 20 minutes

[Tankersome]

AIBU to be so bloody annoyed by how easily some people find it to speed?

I live rurally with lots of windy, pot-holed single track roads. I commute into the town every day. The rural roads are all NSL but I drive them around 35mph max - and always pull over on the rare times a car is behind me to let them pass if they like.

When i finally get onto the main road that takes me into town, i get myself up to 60mph and switch on cruise control. It's a lovely straight single-carriageway with no pot-holes so I feel comfortable doing this.

But despite going the speed limit, I'm always overtaken. This morning it was a new record with seven people overtaking me in the space of the 20 minutes I'm on that particular road (it was five last night on the drive home).

They don't just speed to overtake either - they continue along at 70-80mph until they're out of my sight. It's not a busy or congested road whatsoever, and there aren't any pavements. So they probably feel safe going at that speed but it's illegal. I've never once seen a speed camera van parked at the roadside either so there is no incentive for these people to drive within the speed limit.

It just really annoys me. Yes, we all have places to be. But why do some people feel so at ease with speeding like that? And the annoying thing is, it makes me feel like I'm the one in the wrong because it's as though I'm holding people up despite going the fastest speed allowed on the road.

OP I'm glad I don't get caught behind you when you're driving at 35mph. Have you ever noticed a queue of traffic building behind you because there must be one? Perhaps you have delayed people so much that as soon as they are able to overtake, they do.

Just my opinion, if you're going 60mph on a clear and straight dual carriage way you're going too slow and probably causing a hazard.

Thanks - you're all right. I need to see it as a positive thing: the more these people overtake me, the less likely they are to go into the back of me. I just don't understand why they could feel so entitled to break the law.

Oblomov The roads are through woods until the main road and extremely narrow. Limited passing places. No way to pull up onto grass or anything as it's all dense hedges and trees along the sides of the road. No pavements and a lot of dog walkers. Loads and loads of awful blind bends. Tons of pot-holes. I go 35mph on the rare bits that are straight for a minute then need to slow right down as you have no idea what's round the corner. Much better at night time when you can see car lights but it's not getting dark until about 9.30 these nights.

A little bit like the picture attached. Though the hedges/trees are much denser at the sides and the road surface is much more holey!

I drive at a speed I feel safe doing and that is often more than 70 on a motorway.

The fact that so many windy country lanes have a 60 limit but my powerful and fast car couldn't safely do it shows just how wrong a lot of limits are.

Rider It's a single carriage-way, not a dual carriageway. If it's a clear road, I always go the max speed limit and pop on cruise control until i see a potential hazard. I'd not go 60 on a clear dual carriageway unless it was very rainy or something.

I don't understand the problem with the OP driving at 35mph when it's a rural 60mph road.

I grew up around roads like this and they have to be national speed limit because they don't meet the requirements to be 30/40 - regular street lights, clear painted road edges and lane divider, etc. it's just a single-track, windy and bendy country road.

So it has to be national speed limit (60). But anyone who ever drives more than 35-40 on these roads is being incredibly dangerous. There are blind corners, not enough space to pass a car coming the opposite direction unless someone stops in a lay-by, and as the OP said, plenty of pot holes.

This is not about someone driving tortoise slow at 35mph on a regular main road that has NSL.

The general public and parliament are complacent to road death. 5 people a day are killed on UK roads and 60+ seriously injured. Speeding is a contributory factor.

If an infectious disease was killing 1,800 people a year, we'd be looking for a cure.

Speeding drivers think they're safe, that they can handle it. Arrogant and dangerous.

Where to start - there is so much wrong with this, and sadly this seems to be a common view...

Have a look at this:
static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/10/28/Factfile_deaths_large.png

Yes, it is 10 years out of date, but the overall % has not changed other than fractionally...
Transport accidents (top right in a red/orange colour) are 1,970 p/a = 0.3% of deaths p/a
Gov figures released a few years later state that speed as a cause of death on the roads is

YANBU. I've also seen some of the most dangerous overtaking on those roads. People speeding into oncoming traffic and then barging into a space barely big enough for their car and expecting everyone else to make way for them.

The NSL on the windy country lane doesn't mean it's safe to drive at 60. It just hasn't been classified I think.

I get more annoyed at the overtaking in traffic into a queue of traffic up ahead. Never understood the reasoning! The other week I was in traffic and this happened twice - when cars were coming the other way as well!

I had cars behind me and at least 10 cars in front of me. Normal gaps, all going the speed limit - fairly straight road so it was easy to see there were loads of cars ahead. These 2 cars still chose to do dodgy overtaking moves.

I think in about 5 very dangerous moves between them they managed to get about 3 cars ahead. So pointless and dangerous.

Why is it perfectly safe for you to do exactly 60mph (probably a true 55-57mph) but anyone doing 10mph more is a lunatic?

What exactly is it that changes at 61mph?

There are NSL roads around here where 30mph is too fast in some places. There are others where it would be perfectly safe to do 70+.

There is a 30mph limit past the local nursery and first school. At turning out time it would be incredibly dangerous to stick to 30mph passing it as it's a narrow road with poor visibility, nevemind the little ones who might escape and make a dash for it.

Speed limits are arbitrary numbers applied with the broadest of broad brushes.

Exceed them and you risk being prosecuted, but to deride other people's speed because it doesn't conform to that arbitrary number in a little circle is just ridiculous.

These rural roads by me have hardly anybody driving them. Not many houses on the route. On the rare occasions I do see someone behind me, I pull in at the next available space and allow them to pass. I don't hold up traffic. I think i made that clear in my OP so I'm not sure why people haven't picked up on that.

Based on the example picture i posted, what speed would you feel comfortable driving that type of road?

sirely if you can only go 35 on a nsl road, (not just for blind bends but throughout your journey), then you feel you know better than whoever set the speed limit for those roads?

The speed that you are supposed to limit yourself to on an NSL road is whatever is safe for that road under those conditions, up to a maximum of 60. There are many rural lanes where

I would be concerned that you were part of the problem too
I drive a lot as part of my job (probably 30,000 miles a year) and constantly see drivers totally unaware of how their overcautious driving style is more dangerous than someone doing 55 in a 50
This morning in my rural NSL first few roads of the day there were people who struggled to get to 25, people who feel that the safest place to be on the road is in the middle so no one can pass them, people who pull away so slowly from junctions etc etc

i get myself up to 60mph and switch on cruise control. It's a lovely straight single-carriageway

Fortunately, you have an accurately calibrated speedometer, too, and you're not doing 55 (which would be within construction and use) or 53 (which would reflect a speedometer which is legal, plus the difference between new tyres and legal minimum wear tyres), or 50 (which would be worn tyres plus the pressures off a bit).

Cruise control on an NSL single lane road is irresponsible. Assuming your speedo is accurate is just silly.

I think do what you’re comfortable with, but 35mph as a top speed on a road you know well is very slow and it might be worth trying an advanced driving course to build your confidence.

No. 35mph is the maximum speed that is safe on plenty of bendy rural roads. Even if you could safely control the car going faster (which isn't guaranteed since there are so many pot holes and tight bends) you have no idea what's on the other side of the next bend however well you know the road - hikers, cyclist, car going in the other direction. You wouldn't be able to stop in time going faster and on a single track road there's nowhere to swerve. People who are confident because "they know the roads" are usually the ones who get into accidents round here.

Also I took an advanced driving course to increase my confidence and the teacher actually said I should never drive faster than 25 on one of the roads near me (it's national speed limit but very bendy, overgrown and single track)

It’s awful and yanbu. Today I was doing 55 on a 50 road. There’s nowhere to overtake and some twat drove up my bumper the whole way, it’s so dangerous and really distracts me! He overtook on a BLIND bend with oncoming traffic, swerved, and I had to slam on my brakes when he pulled back in! This happens constantly too. So many arseholes on the road. Wouldn’t mind if I had been doing 25!

For god's sake, it is incredibly stupid to say that you can always go faster than 35mph on an NSL road!

The road to my parents' house is all single track, blind bends, high hedges, yes, potholes, loose animals from farms.

I make no apology for saying you would be utterly thick and arrogant to think going over 35mph would be ok on those roads. Nor is it confined to 'tourists'. My dad is considered one of the speedier drivers of the valley, and he never tops 35.

I was going at a mere 25 when I was driving down it for the first time ever - with a car traveling at 35ish coming in the opposite direction. No collision, but a hasty nip into a potholed passing place knackered a tyre.

With care and practice, I have built my speed on the roads, but I would never be so idiotic as to surpass what was sensible.