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

*@lovelyupnorth
*
Yeah, but if my speedo says I'm wankering past you at 98, then you can bet your soon to be devalued on January the 31st miserable English pound against some metronomic German engineering that I'm actually doing 98, and stay in the middle lane dreaming about, you know, one day being able to afford something that goes as fast as it's telling you it is. 🤷‍♂️

Always stick to the limits - just leave it plenty of time to male sure l am not late - winds me up when people try to bully me into going too fast so l totally agree with you Op x

YABU. I bet you're really driving 45 🙄

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!

To a poin. If i'm not in DSs car and the traffic is ambling along at about 43 in a 40 zone, i'm happy to amble along with the flow. If some dick head appears out of nowhere and rides my arse then i'll slow to 40. it's not my job to ensure his temper isn't triggered - he doesn't give a shit if he is triggering mine - if I can safely allow him to pass then I will but in the meantime i'd like to reduce the speed of any collision he is going to cause that might impact me.

I've noticed that my little city runabout corners like it's on rails and accelerates really well in lower gears (shit on a motorway though) and I'm actually a fairly decent driver, it adds a bit of interest to any city tailgating. What I find is that it develops into a bit of cat and mouse. They ride up my arse on the straights, i do the corners and junctions well so open up a gap, they catch up and tailgate on the straight - and so on. It only takes me 10-15 minutes to and from work but i get or see about 2 of these dicks a week - it's really common.

YABU. I bet you're really driving 45

If you say so! If we all based our responses on the assumption the OP was lying about the premise of their post, it would make the discussion pretty redundant.

Crispy, how would you move out of the way if it's a single lane carriageway and there's no lay-by to pull into?

@ohdeardaddyibrokeitagain

Just keep wankering along. I’ll still be hoping that the shit show on the 31st never happens.

@Lizzie0869

I posted a second time to explain that I meant on dual carriageways, motorways etc. On single roads people just need to accept they cannot exceed the speed limit.

However plenty of people do 30/40 on 60 roads in good conditions and I think those people shouldn’t be driving.

However plenty of people do 30/40 on 60 roads in good conditions and I think those people shouldn’t be driving.

Agreed, definitely on that point.

dreaming about, you know, one day being able to afford something that goes as fast as it's telling you it is

Nope. I'll be dreaming about you being caught by the speed trap just further on.

On the local B-road this morning, where I like to drive about 40 (twisty uneven road). BIG car in front wanted to only drive 28-32. (Sigh) There's driving over the limit, there's driving close to or at the limit and then there's "Whatever I fancy" speeds.

However plenty of people do 30/40 on 60 roads in good conditions and I think those people shouldn’t be driving

100% agree. But thats not what is being discussed here is it? whats being discussed is people sticking to the FULL speed limit and being bullied and harassed by impatient and dangerous morons who come up their arse behind them and flash and beep aggressively. Thats not on and its dangerous and it is NOT the fault of people doing 70 in a 70mph zone.

On the local B-road this morning, where I like to drive about 40 (twisty uneven road). BIG car in front wanted to only drive 28-32. (Sigh)

Out of interest, what's the limit on that road?

I think a lot of people fall into the old mentality: "Everyone faster than me is a maniac, everyone slower than me is an idiot".

Back to the OP’s question, has it ever been explained at which point does the OP move over into the right lane?

100 yards before? Half a mile before? As this is going to affect how other drivers behave.

I’m still waiting for the OP to answer why cars are still going over the speed limit when you’re approaching a roundabout...

@MimiLaRue absolutely spot on. Any time there are complaints about tailgating on MN, others assume they drive too slowly, which certainly isn't true of me or other posters on here. I'm also staggered at how entitled some posters are at thinking people sticking to the speed limit are unreasonable and they should be allowed to drive as fast as they can.

I'm also staggered at how entitled some posters are at thinking people sticking to the speed limit are unreasonable and they should be allowed to drive as fast as they can

Right? and the advice to simply speed up when someone is tailgating you is flat out dangerous. That basically means everyone is going faster and faster so if an accident were to occur the time is takes to stop will be longer and longer.

I'm also chuckling at the "just keeping up with traffic" excuse for speeding. I'd like to see them argue their way out of that when a speeding ticket arrives! The police aren't going to say "oh! you were keeping up with traffic- why didnt you say- of course we'll let you off breaking the law if everyone else was doing it!"

face palm

Re: The keeping up with traffic.

If you are driving at 50mph and indicate and pull out into a flow of 70mph, rightly or wrongly, the car behind you is going to catch you up as you won’t have been able to get your speed immediately up to the 60mph limit. That looks like tailgating and the second it does the driver behind should be backing off.
But I can see why drivers would get frustrated at someone pulling into a flow of traffic at a much slower speed, causing people to brake and slow down - then making the tailback even longer due to the car that’s came into the lane not keeping in with the flow of traffic.

This is what I think must be happening with the OP as it doesn’t sound like a one off occurrence so not the same driver tailgating the OP every day. I also don’t get how a car is speeding like that on the approach to a roundabout, I like driving to the speed limit but as soon as the markers start for a roundabout I start to adjust my speed on the approach, so the only answer is the OP is pulling in much too soon.

whats being discussed is people sticking to the FULL speed limit and being bullied and harassed by impatient and dangerous morons who come up their arse behind them and flash and beep aggressively.

I drive a LOT each year and much of it on motorways, dual carriageways and other high speed routes. I can count the number of times I've had this happen. It seems very strange that it happens so very often ("almost always" = near-daily?), which is what has led me, and several others, to question OP's own driving and manouevreing.

And her absolute insistence that she is right about everything in these daily events, and that it is everyone else's fault leads me to believe she is as not a perfect driver as she believes.

Querying any of that is not the same as giving carte blanche to F1 speeds or (as I have rather extravagantly been accused of) endorsing anyone to "dangerous and intimidating manner to try to make [OP] do what they want".

I experience or see tailgating far less on motorway or national speed limit 60 roads than I do when driving around the city on 20/30/40/50 roads. To be fair, nowadays I do more of the latter but I did routinely drive on all sorts.

Poor driving, aggressive or entitled arrogant driving seems to be the norm.

which is what has led me, and several others, to question OP's own driving and manouevreing

Nah. I drive fast. I drive a fast car and I enjoy speed. I have been tailgated by plenty of obnoxious impatient idiots when going fast. Its a real thing that happens a lot.

Also who IS a perfect driver?, I dont believe for one second anyone on this thread is a "perfect driver" - certainly not from the things they have been describing lol

I'm not going to start calculating what my actual speed might be when I'm driving. I'll go by my speedometer because that's what it's there for AFAIK. I stick to the speed limit if safe to do so, but if I have to go slower when it's dark and wet and headlights are blinding me, then I will.

In fact, Ive got to go on a speed awareness course next week so I fully admit I'm not perfect.

I just think its lame as fck to pretend your reason for speed is "keeping up with traffic". There is no excuse for speeding and I have no excuses for what I did. At least I own it and I'm not whining "well everyone else was doing it!!"

As someone with 9 points on my license I stick very very carefully to the limit. We have a dual carriageway near us that is 70 then 50 then 40 and people get the rage with me for sticking to it but I'm not losing my license for their poor planning or anger management issues.

BTW I didnt get the speed awareness course for tailgating on the motorway, I was 5 miles over the limit and was caught by a mobile traffic cop with a gun.

@MimiLaRue I'm with you on that. I got a fine and points a couple of years ago. I was driving down a dual carriageway that's a 40 and could safely be a 60. I didn't see the sign for the mobile police camera.

There's no excuse for my speed. I don't chose to speed, I accept the consequences.