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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think people who overtake are idiots?

677 replies

sallyhansen32 · 15/07/2018 08:36

So this morning I was out early.
I was on a road with a 30 mph limit..there's a speed camera next to a school.
I'm new to driving so didn't want to go crazy so I dropped down to 25mph till I passed through it.
A van overtook me and stuck his fingers up.
Was I going to slow?
If I was then fair enough ..but it's not like I was going through under 20.

OP posts:
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6
agedknees · 15/07/2018 12:50

Well it depends. When I was a community midwife and got a call re a home birth I would have overtaken you doing 25 in a 30 mile zone. I would still have kept to the speed limit though.

jacks11 · 15/07/2018 12:54

Personally being behind a car doing 26/7 then dropping down to 25 with no warning in a 30 zone in good weather conditions with little traffic around risks making the driver behind nervous or angry

If a driver cannot cope with someone slowing down by 1 or 2 miles per hour, then I think they have the problem, and not the driver who is slowing down....

Oblomov18 · 15/07/2018 12:57

Dropping to 25 would be intensely irritating. I'm sure OP now appreciates that.

Pengggwn · 15/07/2018 12:59

Someone just done this to me. I was doing 36/37 in a 40 zone, on a road with blind bends/summits, roundabouts, pot holes, farm traffic, the lot. And a driver came past me at at least 50. Shocking.

Pengggwn · 15/07/2018 13:00

*has

AirForce0ne · 15/07/2018 13:02

Dropping to 25 would be intensely irritating.

maybe for you, but many of us think it's perfectly fine. It's not making any difference to your journey, really is it.

foxyliz26 · 15/07/2018 13:04

Like the old adage
People who drive slower than you are crazy old farts

and people who drive faster than you are crazy

sissy89 · 15/07/2018 13:08

This is something you have to get used to when driving. Don't take offence.

However no people who over take are not idiots.

The road I live on is an A road. The speed limit is 60. At least one or twice a week I over take someone for driving too slow. It's frustrating and there's no need for it. People who drive to slow are just as likely to cause accidents as people who drive to fast.

Stick to the speed limit.

I understand you are new to driving but try not slow down when you don't need too.

There was no need for the man to stick fingers up. That is rude. But that just comes with driving unfortunately. Just forget about it

Mummyoflittledragon · 15/07/2018 13:09

Gottaget
No I don’t get angry. I muddled my sentence up half way through. I get nervous - not frightened. Used in the sense of on edge. They see unpredictable. What next?

catx1606 · 15/07/2018 13:09

Wow give the OP a break, she's a new drivers for gods sake. Being cautious is natural if you're new to driving and I think a lot of drivers forget this when they see a learner driver. She slowed down to 25 for a camera, nothing wrong with that, she didn't break suddenly, the van wasn't close behind her at the time but chose to drive up to her fast before over taking which was unnecessary. She wasn't slowing down for no reason and got her speed back up afterwards. Every car responds differently and i think all drivers need to drive different cars to experience this. Some cars don't accelerate as quickly as others, some don't handle corners as well so you have to drove them slower than ones that do. To call her a crap driver and her driving appalling is harsh.

OP the van driver was being an idiot. He sped up behind you for no reason then gave you the finger as he overtook which would have annoyed me as well. You will gain confidence as you drive and learn how your car responds. Most of us will have had to drive a different car after passing the test and bit everyone will have had the chance to practice hand. Get some p plates and get out there on the road as much as you can. It's the only way to gain experience. Do a pass plus course as that will help you gain experience but i don't see anything wrong with what you did considering had only been driving for 3 days. You will need to develop a thick skin though as there are some inconsiderate twats out there.

Gottagetmoving · 15/07/2018 13:14

Mummyoflittledragon

I responded to 'drivers getting angry* in general, not at you personally. I had no way of knowing if that applied to you too.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 15/07/2018 13:16

Have a whizz around an empty car park, Sally. I recently changed cars and had to do this because the brake was so much more sensitive and I’ve been driving for 12 years.

TopBitchoftheWitches · 15/07/2018 13:17

Are you driving an auto?

DitheringBlidiot · 15/07/2018 13:18

I don’t think people who overtake are idiots, I think the man was an idiot for giving you the finger but not for overtaking you, no.

worstmovieever · 15/07/2018 13:29

It's really fucking annoying when someone is doing the speed limit but then drops speed unnecessarily because they are going past a speed camera.
I can see why he overtook you as he knew you were likely to break for no reason again and maybe cause an accident and won't wanna be involved in that.
Don't know why he stuck his fingers up at you though as that was unnecessary.

ivykaty44 · 15/07/2018 13:30

People who drive to slow are just as likely to cause accidents as people who drive to fast.

The difference is that those making mistakes driving faster are more likely to kill

The reason speed limits are being reduced to 20 is that if you drive into another person at 20 mph the likelyhood of them surviving greatly increases compared to 30mph & 40mph it’s unlikely for a person to live

LatteAndLettuce · 15/07/2018 13:33

OP ignore idiots on this thread.

drearydeardre · 15/07/2018 13:33

gotta
but it is generally the rule that if you drive a certain amount under the limit, generally 15-20 mph, you must make use of your hazard lights.
so I live down lots of SINGLE track roads which are not given a speed limit - and by default allegedly mean that if you drive at 40 (which is extremely reckless Shock) i.e. 20 mph under the sacred NSL I have to have my hazards on !
I assume you mean on 'normal straightish A roads and dual carriageways' but that was not what you said. There has been numerous discussions on the (roads not marked must be driven at 60 mph or else) debate when the reality is that many many miles of Britain's roads have not been assessed for speed appropriateness especially single track roads (old farm tracks in rural areas).

Mummyoflittledragon · 15/07/2018 13:36

Gottaget
I see I thought you were referring to me. 👍

YeahILoveSummer · 15/07/2018 13:44

Guy was being a dick for giving you the finger. This prob won't be the last time it will happen there are loads of angry drivers out there Shock

PipeDown1 · 15/07/2018 13:47

I'm amazed that the op was so alert to everything that she could see the van come up behind her at speed, know exactly what speed she was doing, see the speed camera, know that it was exactly 2/3 mph that she slowed down by and for exactly 5 seconds and could see the van driver putting his fingers up - all at the same time. So her eyes were on her rear view mirror, on the speed camera, on the speed monitor and on the van drivers rude gesture as he went past all at once! All while being nervous and hesitant as a new driver!

MaisyPops · 15/07/2018 13:49

OP
We all make mistakes. Nobody is a perfect driver.
You should be aiming to be consistent. If that's consistently a little under 30 to get your confidence then that's fine.

What's not ok is slowing down abruptly and then when past the camera (probably) speeding back up again as someone is overtaking you.

It's fairly unanimous on here that he should not have sworn at you.
There's also a reasonable consensus that it's generally accepted that drivers should be consistent and aim to make reasonable progreas along a road.

Chalk it up to experience, learn from it and move on.

Original poster
sallyhansen32 · 15/07/2018 13:50

Pipedown1- I would comment but think your username has already done that for me Grin

OP posts:
BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 15/07/2018 13:58

Van driver was out of order for flipping the bird but not out of order for overtaking.

OP seems to think that seeing a speed camera means “slow down regardless” which it doesn’t and would be a fault on a driving test.

Where I live there are huge amounts of speed cameras, just driving to work I pass about half a dozen of them, one in a 50, two in a 30 and the rest in a 40 limit. I never brake or “lift” for any of them as I know that so long as I am doing the speed limit (and this includes the plus 1 or 2 mph that can happen on slight dips etc) then I am not getting “flashed”. The fact that the OP says she was nervous of getting 3 points even though she knew she was already well under the speed limit IS worrying and I would definitely suggest some additional lessons to help her confidence and her understanding of the roads and all safety features including speed cameras (which will not be triggered at only 1 or 2 mph over the limit).

Tutlefru · 15/07/2018 13:58

YABU. Nothing wrong with overtaking providing it's done safely. No need for the finger salute though.

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