AIBU - If you want to drive below the speed limit you should pull over at regular intervals

[TheCumbrian]

'It's a speed limit not a target' etc

But equally, on a good road in good conditions theres no reason why a competent driver shouldn't be able to drive somewhere close to the speed limit (sharp bends, single track national speed limit C roads etc excluded) and make reasonable progress without holding up other road users.

If you can't, you should pull over, when safe to do so, once you have 5 or more vehicles trundling behind you.

It had to be a BMW. No idea about the M135i bit mind.

Completely agree but usually these people are so self centred they don’t think about the convenience of others
And the next comment

I’m a slow driver and I’ll go at what speed I consider safe

PoffleWaffleWoo Just because a road is national doesn't mean that people have to do 60. You drive for the road in front of you and it's easier to had roads signed at national and common sense applied than start arbitrarily signing a different speed limit every 400m.
Often the issue is that people who learn to drive rurally have to cover large town to nearest city driving as part of their learning and test, but those driving in urban areas don't encounter country driving.
Most single carriageway country roads, excluding single track with passing places, can be safely driven at between 40-50 mph in good conditions with appropriate speed reductions for bends and hazards etc

People's issue with not making progress is when you want to drive at an appropriate speed to make progress and then get stuck behind someone who is either incompetent or unwilling to drive in a way appropriate to the conditions.
The same applies when you're driving through a town and the dual carriageway has a 50mph limit on to ease traffic flow and then some irritating people drive at 40/42 mph in both lanes. The road conditions would be perfectly safe at 60/65mph if speed reduction for traffic flow wasn't in place.
Same on a dual carriageway when someone is in the outside lane hogging it at 60mph when they've had ample opportunity to pull over.
Same for middle lane hoggers.

It's a category of driver who fail to drive in a way that is appropriate for the road and displays no road awareness.

Even worse are the ones who drive very carefully and slowly around wide bends and other (non) hazards and then speed up on the lovely straight overtaking section. Grr.
Move out of my way slowpoke.

Vulpine a driver who is unaware of what’s going on around them and is unable to respond to changing conditions isn’t a safe driver. Safe driving isn’t just about speed.

I did a small amount of driving on our recent rural holiday and I really struggled so handed back to DH who is fine on all these narrow roads, even when he doesn’t know them (he can also reverse smartly back to the nearest passing place up a hill, which not all drivers we met could). It made me think that I need to do some kind of driving course so I can help out more with the driving.

Unless you're on your on your way to peform emergency heart surgery, turn the radio up and chill the fuck out.

Yanbu. Unless you’ve only been driving a few months and you’ve rarely been on national speed A roads then it’s beyond me why people think it’s safe driving. It’s not considered so in a test. If you can’t keep a steady speed at the limit for the conditions, can’t get round a mild corner without slowing to 20, and come close to parking on any twisty bits, then you aren’t a safe driver, you are a shit one.

I know there are roads that as a regular driver I might go faster on than someone unfamiliar with them, or someone familiar but with a car less suited to windy hilly roads and adverse cambers, but the vast majority of crawlers I see trundle along on stretches that are more akin to a dual carriageway too. And invariably do the same speed in villages etc where they are then going too fast

Also, if you’re one of those drivers that ends up with tractors, Hgvs and people towing horses all stuck behind you on a twisty country road, or indeed the driver of the red corsa that I once overtook uphill in a loaded horsebox without any difficulty, then you shouldn’t pull over, you should give up driving.

I like to drive close to speed limit where safe, but one lane near here has lots of deer jumping over, at dawn and dusk, so I slow down then

Aldo, people need to stop stressing so much. Leave 5-10 mins earlier to accommodate cyclists, slow drivers horses, tractors, and stop winding yourself up over a few minutes delay

Have you ever driven at an economical speed on a rural drive and compared the time saved with driving normally . Very little , so keep your cool and enjoy the view. Ps l normally drive above speed limit except when conditions do not allow.

Sometimes people do drive a bit slowly, maybe they are looking for a turning, maybe they are elderly, maybe they aren't very experienced. I don't think constantly pulling over is the answer, that isn't safe either, and many roads don't have safe places for pulling in.

If we're talking about steam traction engines doing 5 mph on a 60 road then yes, it would be good if they pulled in, but they have a right to use the road too I guess.

My friends dad was a policeman. He said it was dangerous to drive like this as it was the cause of many accidents he’d attended.

Well he's a bit of an idiot then. Driving at a speed miles under the limit may be annoying to others, but doesn't cause accidents. The behaviour of other drivers who become impatient causes the accident.

What will you put on the claim form? "The accident wasn't my fault, I had to overtake on a bend to get passed someone going too slow?"

Have you ever driven at an economical speed on a rural drive and compared the time saved with driving normally

This. I've been doing 50mph instead of 60mph for most of my commuting journeys recently, and there's little effect on time as most of the time, you end up at lights. roundabouts and junctions anyway.

Most times someone overtakes me, I've caught them up in a few minutes.

Chill

Cassian - so you're on holiday, meant to be chilling, getting annoyed by slow drivers?

Aldo, people need to stop stressing so much. Leave 5-10 mins earlier to accommodate cyclists, slow drivers horses, tractors, and stop winding yourself up over a few minutes delay
Most people do leave enough time for those reasons.
It still doesn't mean it isn't irritating getting stuck behind someone who refuses to make reasonable progress along roads and refuses to drive in a way that is appropriate for the conditions. Horse boxes, tractors and cyclists don't annoy me on the whole actually because they're a different type of vehicle and as long as they're behaving in a reasonable way for the vehicle type who cares.

If people can't or won't drive in a way that's appropriate for the conditions and are a hindrance to other motorists then they're not a good driver (though amusingly in my experience the people who do it seem to think they so much better than everyone else).

Vulpine have you understood that slow doesn’t always equal safe? I’m not chilling if we’re behind an oblivious driver with a queue of cars behind them. I’m not annoyed, I just don’t want to be stuck behind them. And funnily enough I’m not just in the car when I’m on holiday.

I am sometimes baffled as how/why the spped limits are set. Coming into our town is a mainish road, country side on one side, nearer the town, houses on the other (pavement only 1 side) it goes from national speed limit down to 30 and police regularly do speed checks at the bus stop. I think it would be safe to drive at 40 right into town as there are only houses and pavement on one side so very unlikely any pedestrians would be crossing. But elsewhere there are narrow winding country lanes, not wide enough (apart from passing places) for 2 cars to pass, often used by horse riders, cyclists and runners and they have 60mph limits. I'm afraid i do drive cautiously and under 60 on those.

@Mum2jenny
It’s attitudes like yours that cause accidents. Why in good conditions do you expect other drivers to overtake in order to compensate for you lack of driving skills?

I live in Scotland and up here there are lots of ‘pull over and allow overtaking’ Signs primarily because of attitudes like yours which would rather see tailbacks of cars stuck behind you than accept you’re a driver who is incapable of driving to the road conditions.

Overtaking is often dangerous on national speed roads and by forcing other drivers to either overtake or sit behind you for miles, you’re both inconsiderate and selfish

still doesn't mean it isn't irritating getting stuck behind someone who refuses to make reasonable progress along roads and refuses to drive in a way that is appropriate for the conditions

Can you define 'reasonable progress for the road" and 'appropriate for the conditions?"

Just saying

roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/review-national-speed-limits-as-soon-as-possible/

"The report recommends reviewing national speed limits, with a particular emphasis on single carriageways in the countryside – suggesting that a 5% decrease in mean speed could produce a 30% reduction in deaths on these roads"

Just because it's 60 doesn't mean that it should be 60...

If you don’t drive to the maximum speed limit when road conditions are favourable you will fail your driving test. Driving too slowly is an offence and can be classified as driving without due care and attention. YANBU

Totally with @Sparklingbrook here, just because you know the road you can't assume everybody else does. If I'm on a country road (for example) that I don't know and decide I'm happiest at 40mph then I'll drive at that, regardless of who wants to drive up my ass!

If you don’t drive to the maximum speed limit when road conditions are favourable you will fail your driving test

So someone doing 50mph instead of 60mph would fail their test?

There’s a journey I regularly do that I know takes me 20 minutes at my time, without driving dangerously or speeding. Stuck behind one of the incompetent and proud crew, it can be 35/40 minutes. Not just because of the speed, but the overly cautious dither at junctions and roundabouts too, and by the time you get to the main town junction you’re one of many bridesmaids trailing behind, which means longer queuing at lights etc. I allow that time for horses, tractors, learners etc but I resent it when it’s down to shit and selfish driving.

I imagine they are the same drivers that spend 10 minutes and 7 manoeuvres to park a tiny car in a space big enough for a transit, whilst congratulating themselves on their superior and safe driving skills.

chomalungma Are you being deliberately obtuse there? It's fairly obvious when someone is being unreasonable but this is from the information given out for driving tests from the Driving Standards Agency:

18 Use of Speed - You should make safe, reasonable progress along the road bearing in mind the road, traffic and weather conditions and the road signs and speed limits. Make sure that you can stop safely, well within the distance you can see to be clear
20 Maintain progress
In order to pass your test you must show that you can drive at a realistic speed
appropriate to the road and traffic conditions. You should approach all hazards at a safe, controlled speed, without being over cautious or interfering with the
progress of other traffic. Always be ready to move away from junctions as soon
as it is safe and correct to do so. Driving excessively slowly can create dangers
for yourself and other drivers.

Interestingly it mentions not being over cautious and not interfering with the progress of other traffic.

If someone can't or won't drive in a way that is reasonable and appropriate that then they need to consider if their judgement and skills are really road worthy.

Despite being a notoriously careful and slow driver I have points on my licence so am now super cautious- terrified of racking up more points and that takes priority over pissing off strangers sorry not sorry.

We drove to Norfolk on Monday..... single track roads mostly from Peterborough to Kings Lynn. And we got stuck behind a car towing a caravan.... going at 32mph. Couldn't get past for mile after mile, and there were cars behind me as far as I could see. There were so many places they could have pulled over but chose not to.

I was so angry by the time we eventually got to some dual carriageway that I blasted my horn indignantly as did around several other cars following me. I had no issue behind tractors whatsover, but facking caravans.......