Aibu to not understand why people drive like this?

[HarryPotterISreal]

Why the fuck do people drive like this?

1. It’s rush hour. You’re driving your lorry. Fine, you need to get places too. You are going 40 on a 60 road. Fine, your engine can’t manage the hills. The unreasonable bit: there is a queue behind you going back 5 fucking miles. You know no one can overtake as it is a narrow road with blind corners and rises.

There are places he can pull over. If he did that every five miles or so he wouldn’t be responsible for adding 15 minutes to the journeys of 50 people. But HE would be 5 minutes later so no way, just cause a fucking traffic jam.

At least twice a week.

1. Four lane motorway.

Lane closest to the hard shoulder: Slow moving truck going 55 or whatever. Fine. Lane 2. Another lorry trying to overtake the slow one. It takes a while to build up speed so it is going about 60. Third lane: someone who doesn’t want to be behind trucks. Going 60.

Fast lane: I know it’s not meant to be the ‘fast lane’ but face it, it is. Someone going 65. Behind them someone going 60.
Behind them someone trying to keep distance so going 57.

So between them four selfish twats manage to clog up the whole fucking motorway and cause a traffic jam. And this happens every fucking day.

When you overtake (and continue at a cruising speed of 70 ) the road is clear. The whole traffic jam was caused by a truck that wanted to overtake, a twat who didn’t want to go behind a truck but also did not want to go above 60, then the third dick who wanted to be in the fast lane but to go about 65.

Those three selfish people inconvenienced dozens, even hundreds.

Ffs.

Aibu to hate those people?

People need to stop using stupid phrases like 'slow' and 'fast' lane. There is no such thing. There is a lane and then there are overtaking lanes. The speed is irrelevant. God. So many people shouldn't be on the road.

People use the colloquialism because you drive slower in the 'lane' and faster in the other two 'overtaking lanes'.

• And if the ‘slow lane’ is full of lorries with them not being allowed to move how would anyone actually get into the motorway? Especially other lorries!•

Perhaps they should only be allowed to move into other lanes when traffic joins the motorway.

If like people say it's about accommodating all road users then lorries in the lane/slow lane shouldn't be a problem.

This morning on the motorway I went 58 for most of the way for the reasons described above. The limit is 70.

Is this reasonable?

Tbh I think you are quite lucky to have reached 58mph.

I used to do a regular commute where the traffic literally crawled down the motorway for a good few miles

I find that, when I don't stress about how quickly I'm travelling, generally it makes little difference to the length of my journeys.

Well, that definitely depends on the road, doesn't it?

Because, for example, going along on the motorway at 65 instead of 70 probably won't make any noticeable difference to your journey time, but going along at 25 instead of 50 in a 60 obviously will make a noticeable difference.

What really infuriates me is when posters come on and say "well, you should leave earlier!" like everyone has that as an option. Some people have to drop children at childcare which doesn't open until 8am, then be at work for say, 8.30am somewhere else. It's obviously not going to be possible to drop your children at childcare that isn't open yet.

Does anyone know if it's actually illegal to drive at say 30mph in a 50mph zone?

It depends. You can be pulled over for driving too slowly for the conditions and it can be considered dangerous driving. If you're driving at 20mph, for example, on an NSL road and refuse to use the passing places, the police would probably pull you over if they saw you. But if you're driving that slowly because it's dark and icy and you have poor visibility as a result, then it probably wouldn't be illegal.

In your driving test, you're expected to drive as close to the limit as is safe. You can fail for driving too slowly without good reason.

Re the motorway scanario as long as they are overtaking they are doing nothing wrong. There isn't a minimum speed limit for that lane and its use depends on what is in the other lanes
My hate are those that sit at 40. My commute takes me through several villages with a 60 limit in-between them
If I drive in the day time I see numerous cars who don't slow down through the villages and sit at a steady 40 the whole time

@Passmethecrisps it's horrible isn't it, I only passed my test 2 years ago and it took me ages to use the motorway from there, people drive so aggressively when it's clear you are trying to move over, I hold my breath until I can get out of the fast lane (it's Stockport way if it's the same one you have been on)

Pretty sure that in the US truck drivers have to pull over to let other traffic pass them on the equivalent of A and B roads - they certainly do do that, it may be the convention rather than the rule. Lots of country roads have pull in places every mile or so to facilitate this, even in fairly mountainous areas.

A lorry stopping on a hill really isn’t going to be possible, or help the situation, in a lot of cases! A hill start pulling 40 tonnes isn’t easy!

Lorries would be forever stopping. Totally impractical (and dirty as they use so much power accelerating).

People drive slowly on country lanes because they don't know what's round the corner. It's completely different from driving on roads you know well. You can feel the impatience from drivers who 'have to get to work' when you drive at 50 on a countryside road, but your getting to work is not more important than my not dying. I don't know when the road narrows, where the blind corners are, when there's a particularly steep bit etc. I learned to drive in the country too but - surprise! - every road is different.

As for motorways, why don't people indicate to change lanes??? It's so dangerous!

A lorry stopping on a hill really isn’t going to be possible, or help the situation, in a lot of cases!

What do you think happens in hilly areas where there's frequently traffic lights or junctions on hills, or turnings, or roads that are too narrow for two vehicles to pass safely? The lorries stop, the same as every other form of traffic stops, and pulls away when safe or possible to do so.

I don't know when the road narrows, where the blind corners are, when there's a particularly steep bit etc.

Then pull in and let other people who do know those things pass you. Not knowing the road is absolutely fine and I sympathise but it's not a reason to hold up traffic while you drive at 30mph. Pull into a passing place and let other people carry on with their journey!

"A lorry stopping on a hill really isn’t going to be possible, or help the situation, in a lot of cases! A hill start pulling 40 tonnes isn’t easy!"

I pointed that out too, @Sirzy - but was completely ignored by @HarryPotterISreal and those who think that she has a point. Not to mention the fact that trying to do that hill start, in a heavy lorry would be less fuel efficient and would contribute more to pollution.

I actually don't find slow lorries to be a problem on country roads. The vast, vast majority of the ones I get stuck behind will pull in at the nearest opportunity and allow you to pass. The only time they don't is if the passing place is full, or if it would be too dangerous to do so. Tractors are similar and will pull in to allow you to pass as soon as possible.

It's people in normal cars who seem to cause the majority of slow traffic around here, probably because a lot of the roads are windy and have sharp corners, but surely if you look in your rear view mirror and realise you're holding up a queue of 7/8+ cars, you pull over and allow them to pass you? Why on earth would you carry on driving a good 20-30mph under the limit, knowing you're holding up at least 7/8 other people and their families?

I think driving along and knowingly holding up other people is selfish driving. Passing places on country roads exist to allow to wide vehicles to pass, but they are also there to allow slow or unsure drivers to pull over to allow the flow of traffic to continue safely.

Most lorry drivers will try to approach traffic lights in such a way then don’t need to fully stop if at all possible.

Also agree with adaline - car drivers pootling along at below the speed limit on hilly/bendy country roads its near impossible to overtake on despite having a massive queue behind them are far worse than lorries who for so many of the reasons highlighted- are forced to drive at a particular speed. We rent a cottage in the Lakes and when approaching from London this year were sat behind exactly the same type of driver you describe, wander if it even was the same car!
We'd been driving for hours already, but making good progress, up until the actions of this 1 car causing such a massive tailback behind it must have slowed us down by at least half an hour- with knackered, hungry kids in the back it was just infuriating.

Its so dangerous to drive like this not only causing intense frustration to the cars forced to sit behind, but when you can finally overtake cars - so thrilled at being able to drive at decent speeds again/now in a hurry- they will far exceed the limit for the rest of the journey when finally "free" because of the time lost by one tepid, scared of driving idiot who shouldn't even be on the road.

YANBU. Why should everyone else have to put up with it slow drivers. Yes some may argue add extra time to your journey or take a different route. That's not always possible if your commuting from work or have a last minute emergency and need to be somewhere. Yes I have experienced the country lane a lot. Living on the outskirts of a small town surrounded by country lanes. Not just lorries and tractors but cyclists too feel entitled to hold up everyone else. Yes we all know cyclists have a right to use the roads like everyone else, but seriously?! If a road is 40/50 and your cycling or driving 20 25 with long tailback a mile long, then that is just being pure selfish with no consideration for anyone else so I don't have sympathy for them at all. They are putting themselves and others at risk by not pulling over and letting the tailback clear, obviously drivers will want to overtake and it's not always safe as OP stated with blind bends and obstructed vision especially on country lanes. There should be a law. Don't get on the roads if you can't keep up with the speed Or at least have courtesy and manners to consider everyone else wanting to use the roads.

@PJbanana most of road where I live are too bendy to safely over take. It's a good idea on straight wide roads but narrow twisty roads it wouldn't work.

You just need to look at the M6 around Prrston for key examples of how not to drive. There are constant collisions, a lorry hit a bridge last week and caused a whole day of chaos, a lorry overturned yesterday and caused more chaos, then 2 car fires this morning where the M6 meets the M61.

Yes and if the lorry driver pulled over he could possibly be discipled for late delivery so on that one yabu

If you think lorries travelling at 56 mph (or whatever their legal limit is) is annoying, you should try driving in the States. Lorries there are subject to the same speed limits as all other traffic on the Freeway or Expressway or other motorway equivalent. And their biggest lorries are bigger than ours, so imagine wanting to overtake 40 or 50 tons thundering along at 70 or 80 mph. And if you drive at, say, 60 mph these lorries will creep up and overtake you! Now that is pretty scary, so at least on UK roads the fact that lorries are restricted to 56 mph means you can overtake them and leave them behind.

Agree with Adaline, it's people pootling along at 30mph on a 50mph road, it's so bloody frustrating and dangerous. Tbh I'd rather large lorries did drive more slowly on country lanes and tractors usually pull off the road after a mile or so.

I have a perpetual bugbear about lorries near us. There is a large roundabout with 5 roads converging - a major A road and 3 local roads. There are hundreds of lorries a day using the A road and hence going round the roundabout. I regularly use one local road, joining the roundabout to the right of the A road, so I have right of way, yet usually (and I’m not exaggerating - not having a life I kept a record for a while!) I have to brake sharply when I’m on the roundabout because a lorry comes careering off the A road and onto the roundabout without stopping for me. And the same thing happens coming the other way too. Why on earth do these arrogant lorry drivers think they can ignore the rules of the road and risk a nasty accident just so that they do not need to stop. If I and all other drivers similarly affected weren’t alert, there would be a nasty accident, but do they care? I once blew at one who did that and his reaction was to stop dead on the roundabout and glare at me. He blocked my exit so I and the other vehicles just had to wait till his lordship deigned to move.

Grr!

Most lorry drivers will try to approach traffic lights in such a way then don’t need to fully stop if at all possible.

Again, it really depends on where you live. I'm in the Lakes and there is often no choice but to stop - either because you have two lorries coming towards each other and both need to either stop or slow to a couple of miles an hour to manoeuvre past each other, or because that's where the traffic lights are.

I have one set of lights on my journey on a hill. They are in a 40mph zone and exist because there's a bit of road on a bend that's too narrow for two cars and too many people were speeding through and there were accidents. I'd say I get stuck at the lights every other day and there's always a lorry in the queue somewhere ahead or behind me, and they're always stopped.

I'd say 95% of lorries, wagons, tractors and tankers on the roads here stop and allow traffic to pass, even if that means pulling in on a hill, or stopping and having to wait a while to pull out again. Because they know holding up a queue of cars is dangerous and poor driving, and it's in the highway code to pull over if you're holding up traffic, especially if you're a heavy goods/slow-moving vehicle.

But again, vehicles that are restricted by law don't bother me, because, y'know, they don't really have a choice. It bothers me when car drivers do it and refuse to pull over - normally because they're either ignoring the queue behind them or because they think it's an admission of failure to have to pull over and admit that they don't know the road!

I like to drive too fast but I do think it's unreasonable to get frustrated with other road users. There are lorries and slow drivers virtually everywhere. Surely everyone who's had their licence more than a few months has learned that. I expect to be held up by other road users, and if it doesn't happen that's a bonus.

It's middle lane hoggers that annoy me.

M3, yesterday. Junction 1 going towards M25 mid morning. Not a soul on the road. I'm doing 70 in left lane. Suddenly spot a Fiesta in middle lane doing about 50. I have to pull over all the lanes to overtake and then move back into left lane.

I checked my mirror afterwards and they're still pootling down the middle lane. Why?