Speed limits - please explain

[wherestheaircon]

You're driving through the country roads. You're in a 30mph zone going through a school - fair dos - best not to risk any kids running into the road so let's stick to the limit. HOWEVER. You drive another mile or so and pass a clearly labelled "40"mph but you carry on doing 30 - sometimes you even dip down to 25, and break randomly with no reasoning (to add, I'm keeping a very reasonable and safe distance between our vehicles). The roads aren't that busy - couple of cars here and there but it's definitely safe to go up to 40mph otherwise they wouldn't put that restriction on.

So why in the world are you STILL doing 30 when you've entered a 40 zone??!!! You even drive through a 60mph zone and creep up to 40mph but no further than that. I am being so genuine when I ask that, if this sounds like you, why? I'm sure if there's a reasonable explanation I will be ok...

I just drove home down some very small, bendy country roads which are NSL but you absolutely wouldn't go anywhere near that far. At one point two of us had to reverse 20 metres to the previous passing place to allow two tractors past.

As countless people have pointed out those of us who want to drive as close as possible to the speed limit are well aware of when that is not appropriate. I didn't go over 30 for the majority of that journey. It doesn't change the fact that driving at 45 on a NSL that is wide and straight in good conditions is a failure to drive at an appropriate speed just as trying to do 60 on the road I just came home on would have been.

I was behind someone doing 35 on a (mostly) winding rural road with a 50mph limit the other day. As soon as it was safe (a shortish straight stretch, and Iknow the road like the back of my hand), I overtook, perfectly safely, and the cheeky mare leaned on her horn when I passed her.

A bit further up the road, I heard her horn sound again. A few moments later, another car appeared behind me, so she'd obviously been overtaken again on the next straight.

Driving 15 mph below the speed limit is bad enough, but then to get arsey and blare your horn when you're overtaken is just taking the piss!

To add to the "old people" cliche, I often get stuck behind slow drivers on this road, and a surprisingly large proportion of them end calling in at the garden centre near the end.

My real bugbear though is the people who find it necessary to brake whenever a car comes from the opposite direction. Wtf is that all about? Do they think it's going to drive into them, and they're trying to reduce the impact speed? (You see an awful lot of this on the Ashdown Forest section of the A22, for some reason).

An accident which would not be fatal at 30mph would likely be fatal at 40.if everyone drove slower there would be fewer deaths and life changing injuries. So actually op, you are the selfish one. Leave home a bit earlier and drive slower

My real bugbear though is the people who find it necessary to brake whenever a car comes from the opposite direction. Wtf is that all about

I do that on narrow roads. It was what I was taught to do by my driving instructor.

Because the speed limit is not a target, that's why.

Exactly! Not everyone is in a hurry. Annoying though.

Mind you, the REALLY annoying drivers are those who drive in the middle lanes of an empty 4 lane motorway. At any speed. If the inside lane (1st) is free, that is where you should be. Don't make me change from the 1st lane to the 4th lane just to get past you!!

OP was that absolutely necessary? You just proved a point.

I do that on narrow roads. It was what I was taught to do by my driving instructor.

On single track roads? Makes sense to brake when someone comes towards you otherwise you'll hit them.

On normal roads with lanes for each direction? No that's not right at all. Why do you need to brake? What was your driving instructors reasoning for that?

I just saw a beauty out driving today. They had stopped more than a full cars length back from the white line at some lights, that were on red, in the right hand lane to turn right. Odd but some people just are. I drove up alongside them, stopped and waited. The car behind them beeped to basically tell them to move forward. They for some reason took this as telling them to go, so they pulled off and turned right. ON A RED LIGHT!

Some people are just clueless really. Maybe instead of just retesting, or just black boxes, we do both? Keeps them educated and keeps them monitored so they don't think 'oh I'll go fast/slow now outside of testing'.

@thedayofthethreeMagnums I've lost the POINT of this thread so if your question is asking whether driving 15/20mph UNDER the speed limit in perfectly GOOD conditions, then yes, you are a moron and need to learn some driving skills.

@blueoasis on narrow roads two way. Reasoning is that if other car does not move over enough, a crash at lower speed will have less impact. Since it was what I was taught to do by an instructor with the highest level of rated ability (all instructors are examined every year and given a rating) I will continue to do that.

Was the driver who stopped a car length short, stopping for that box that is for cyclists? I find many car drivers don't understand how to use these.

@jennymanara never heard of an instructor saying that. I would slow down for a lorry or tractor but not another car.

No box before the white line, its just a basic junction. Left hand lane to forwards (no left turn) and right lane to go right. They aren't advanced enough here to have cycle lanes or anything like that. 😂

wherestheaircon
insulting posters and going into a rage makes you the bad driver, and whatever abusive name you enjoy using.

Of all the irritants on the road, a constantly slow driver is really at the very bottom of the list. Going into any kind of rage is just childish - and tells me you must be a terrible driver.

@blueoasis Not on normal roads, but narrow country roads yes. When I started learning I drove at normal speed and he told me off and told me to slow down when passing. He had the highest rating possible, only instructor awarded it in my city, and he taught me things other instructors did not mention. So sorry it annoys you, but I will continue to do it.

Damn I missed a melt down it seems.. but, whatever else has been said on here, this:

Of all the irritants on the road, a constantly slow driver is really at the very bottom of the list

Is absolutely true.

Even just in my short journeys today I've seen speeders, dodgy over takers, tailgating, lack of correct indicating at islands and someone in front of me pulling off the motorway and stopping on a slip road to make a phone call..

All of them, I'd probably class as more dangerous than Beryl going a bit slow in her 1983 Lada.

@jennymanara see now with your comment at the end you just sound like a twat. I never even said it annoys me. 😂 Glad it annoys you though that I don't agree with your apparently fabulous instructor. 😂

Someone with a powerful car driving exceedingly slow in windy roads BUT accelerating pas the speed limit as soon as there's a straight line so you can't overtake them safely, these would be a lot higher on my list. Be consistent, that's all we ask.

So far this week, the twat parked on a blind bend is still winning.

The one cutting in front of me on the motorway because they narrowly missed their exit annoyed me too, but at least I always half-expect that to happen.

A driver at 40 on a 50 zone? meh, who cares.

Hope you are not going out in your car today OP, you sound a bit het up, wouldn’t be good to be raging behind the steering wheel.

@RingtheBells no driving for me today! Enjoying a few beers instead.

@jennymanara why on earth do you need to brake if there's enough room for two cars to pass safely?

There's no need to brake every time a car comes towards you unless they're a wide vehicle eg. tractor or van or caravan. Otherwise why? On a busy tourist road like the one I commute on daily you'd be permanently sat on your brakes

@blueoasis No you don't annoy me at all. You are a stranger on the internet, why would I care? But your comment made it sound like you were annoyed. When people talk about a bugbear they usually mean they are annoyed.

@adaline not on a normal road. In narrow country lanes that just fit two cars. I made that clear that I was not talking about ordinary roads. And actually IME lots of 4x4 do drive in the middle of the road in such roads. So driving slowly gives them time to get over to their side of the road.

I also slow down on normal roads when cars coming towards me have those hellish headlights that dazzle me. They make me unable to see anything for a few seconds.

@adaline not on a normal road. In narrow country lanes that just fit two cars. I made that clear that I was not talking about ordinary roads. And actually IME lots of 4x4 do drive in the middle of the road in such roads. So driving slowly gives them time to get over to their side of the road.

Yes, that makes sense. I regularly drive on roads like that. Not actually single track, but not really wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other without both moving towards the very edge of the road and often actually driving partially on the verge. Great fun if the weather has been wet and the verges are soft and muddy!

But if there is otherwise clearly space for vehicles to pass on opposite sides of the road, then no reason at all to brake.