To drive at the speed limit

[Mamboitaliano]

OK I know in theory I'm not being unreasonable not to break the law - but why do I feel like I'm the only one then?

I drive to work along a dual carriageway. It's a clearly signposted 60mph road. The traffic in the left lane drives at 60. The traffic in the right lane drives at 70+ There's a roundabout where I have to turn off this road, taking the third exit (right), so I move into the right lane and drive at 60. Because it's the speed limit. But almost always, someone charges right up behind me and then drives intimidatingly close to the back of my car. I really really hate it. I feel like I'm being bullied each time, and I also feel very uncomfortable with having drivers so close to the back of my car. If I had to brake they'd go right into the back of me.

Am I just boring and nobody actually drives at the speed limit? Am I being unreasonable driving at the speed limit and annoying all the other drivers on their way to work?

YABU = You don't need to drive at 60.
YANBU = You should drive at the speed limit

Interestingly, has anyone compared the speed on their speeometer to the speed showing on their satnav/satnav app?

My car is always showing 3 mph faster than the satnav. Apparently speedometers aren't finely calibrated, but satellites are more accurate at showing your speed.

But not as much of a dick as the massive knobheads who decided to overtake a bus at a bus stop on a single carriageway while I was on the side of the road they were using to overtake, driving towards them, that I dealt with the other day.

Take someone with you, with a dash cam or other acceptable form of evidence, and report a few of the drivers to the police.

If someone took six bananas from a shop and only paid for five, we would call them a thief and a criminal. Those who break the speed limit are just as criminal.

More people die in road crashes every year than from guns or stabbing.

Tailgating should mean a lengthy driving ban.

I've actually seen folk with stickers to explain that they have a driving monitor to excuse the fact that they are sticking to the speed limit. Why are the idiots ruling the show here? Aside from situations where you temporarily have to increase your speed to avoid an accident or in medical emergencies, there is no need for anyone to be breaking the limit.

So they get where they are going 5 minutes earlier but spend their journey up other folks backsides, making risky overtaking maneuvers and generally causing stress and mayhem and the rest of society is supposed to kowtow to their importance?

It's all types of car drivers as far as I can see, a friend who travels a decent way up a busy motorway every day and has done for over 20 years was telling me that last week she was overtaking a string of lorries (possibly doing faster than the speed limit) but had a fiat 500 behind her, flashing and waving at her and up her arse telling her to get out of the way. Friend was in a queue of traffic at this point btw. So, as you can imagine, as friend doesn't have magical powers, there is actually fuck all she can do about moving out of the way...

I saw a clio apparently towing a range rover last week, turns out there was no rope, just an arsehole driver.

In fact, anyone who's driving faster, slower, in the lane I want to be in, on the main road I want to pull on to or wants to turn into a side road so I have to stop and wait is a dick

Bloody hell Mumsnet, hurry up and introduce a like button!

So they get where they are going 5 minutes earlier but spend their journey up other folks backsides, making risky overtaking maneuvers and generally causing stress and mayhem and the rest of society is supposed to kowtow to their importance?

Exactly- I'm going to get a dash cam and report them from now on. Makes me so angry.

The most satisfying part of driving is when you pass a mobile speed camera driving at the limit, and you see some arsehole speed down the outside lane 30mph above the speed limit and that little smile knowing they’ve been caught and a fine and points are on the way.

-That’s on the A690 between Durham and Sunderland, 50mph limit and the amount of white van men/SUV cars driving way above the speed limit like they haven’t seen the signs is crazy

And i'm sorry, but I couldn't care less if speedometers in cars err slightly on the side of caution, we aren't taking here about people who are occasionally doing 32 or 29 or whatever.

No-one is sitting behind someone doing 40 in a 40 limit and riding up their arse as they are thinking their speedo is overstating the limit and that the car in front should be doing 42... They are doing it because they are rude and aggressive and don't care about others

someone told me if the sign says (eg) 20mph limit, you can drive up to 25.

My answer was that if you can drive to 25, the signs would SAY 25!

I stick to the number on the sign and I'm bloody peed off with tailgaters and revvers behind me and flashing lights etc, if they want to speed that's up to them to cause accidents etc and got stopped by traffic police (which NEVER happens and they know they can get away with it).

There are a lot of dual carriageways round here where the speed limit is 40, and one where it is 30, so one where it is 60 would be bliss to me.

I am one of the few drivers who actually obeys the speed limit, and I have to do the same as OP at one roundabout junction and turn right. Always get fuckwits right up my tailpipe when I change into the rh lane. It really pisses me off.

I've told this before, but my route on the school drop off and then to work takes me down a dual carriageway at the end of a motorway (big roundabout). At the top of that there is a police space and they often sit there monitoring the traffic. One day as I was going to drop off, police car is there with speed gun, I go, drop and am coming back the other way, at the beginning of this road from the other direction, it starts off as a single 30 road and then splits to 50, clearly my car wasn't accelerating from 30 quick enough for this arsehole woman to start up my arse but as soon as the road splits, she goes flying past. I carry on doing 50 only to see her caught by the police further on and round the corner. I gave a wee wave as I passed. If she hadn't been so impatient she would have been doing 50 behind me and not be facing a fine and points etc.

In fact, anyone who's driving faster, slower, in the lane I want to be in, on the main road I want to pull on to or wants to turn into a side road so I have to stop and wait is a dick

Yes!

If she hadn't been so impatient she would have been doing 50 behind me and not be facing a fine and points etc

I truly dont get idiots like this. Is getting somewhere 5 mins earlier really worth a fine and points? esp as if you get enough points you have to surrender your licence. Its utterly moronic. Not only that but as I mentioned up thread, often you end up right behind them at a roundabout or junction so all the impatience and stress is for nothing.

I drive a BMW X4 M Sport and I wish y'all would keep your shopping trolleys the hell off my roads.

@lollybee1

Dual carriage way is only not a national speed limit if there’s either lights or repeater signs wilt a lower speed limit.

@ohdeardaddyibrokeitagain

A more pointless car has never existed and the best bit is it shouts watch out wanker coming through.

Other key thing is remember your speedo isn’t accurate and always reads faster than you are going. My car at 70 is about 6 miles out.

The biggest wankers are Jag drivers....

I don’t know why it’s the case, but I always find van drivers are the ones who tailgate me. Either that or cars you expect not to, like a Nissan Note or Corsa.

I never get tailgated because I actually use my mirrors, and if I see a car coming up behind me at a speed, I move out of the way, as is good driving etiquette. And I only return to the overtaking lane when I need to overtake again.

Single lane roads is where I get tailgated for driving at or just under the limit. For a lot of people this is absolutely unacceptable. It's probably worst at around 6:40am, when the long distance commuters rev up for their daily 90-120 minutes each way.

crispy, you are talking out a hole in your head. So you've never been tailgated? Never? It's not always possible to move out of the way. You may be on a single carriageway, someone might be already in the inside, you might be needing to turn right at the junction and moving back in would mean that there is a line of traffic in that lane and you can't move back in. And if you are in the outside lane, presumably you were overtaking something and would be moving back in at an appropriate time anyway.

There is always a knob on the road and if you aren't coming across it, maybe it's you?

I've just been out in my son's car dropping him into town - all 30 limit roads, i was mainly driving at 30 but I still ended up with a 4x4 style vehicle driving close behind with his lights shining straight in my back window.

I never get tailgated because I actually use my mirrors, and if I see a car coming up behind me at a speed, I move out of the way, as is good driving etiquette.

I dunno... I just feel like this is a bit, 'I never get hit by bullies because when I see them coming I let them in front of me in the lunch queue'.

I agree with the PP who talked about the person who does something like overtake you, driving like a knob, and then a few minutes later you serenely cruise up behind them at a traffic light and think, 'Was it worth it then?'

Poster underneath me makes a very good point - I should have specified ON MOTORWAYS!!! Or dual carriageways! Where one can be in a slower lane.

On roads I have been tailgated loads by wanker drivers, yes. But then it’s like you have the option to do the speed limit and that’s it. No where to move.

Agree with a PP its usually cars I would least suspect like Nissan Corsa or other battered VW types

I always adopt a flexible position in these situations. I stick to the speed limit for the majority and go over the limit to overtake/get out of the way ASAP.

Enforcing the speed limit by slowing down intentionally is dangerous - more so than breaking the limit temporarily. You will annoy people, and if you end up annoying the wrong person one day, they will brake-check you and you may not be able to slow in time to avoid a collision.

Sticking rigidly to the speed limit is sometimes not the best idea. I've found it important to drive with traffic, as opposed to against it to maintain a good flow of traffic, ensuring tempers are not triggered!