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

ROAD sign. I've definitely never seen a toad sign saying anything. 🙈

@hmmokaythen That's horrible. You do wonder what people are in such a massive hurry for! I have been undertaken on the left and cut in on once (different road, still driving at the speed limit!) and it was scary, and all they did was get one car place forwards so was it really worth risking their, my, my kids' and other nearby road users' lives for?!

Oh god immokaythen I see that all the time on my commute. It's like the person behind can't fathom that you might be driving under the limit for a reason. Sadly I've yet to find the function on my car that allows it to pass unscathed through the slower moving vehicle or queue of stationary traffic in front. Mybad.

Someone in a BMW did that to me yesterday - I was in the outside lane of a 2 lane motorway, doing 70, overtaking a whole load of traffic on the inside lane, when he appeared in my rearview mirror.
Every time he flashed, I tapped my brakes. And then I let a truck out in front of me to overtake another truck
As soon as I'd finished overtaking, I pulled in, and let BMW man past. It was a good 5 miles or so though, he backed off a bit once I'd braked 3 or 4 times.

But I'm not trying to 'enforce the speed limit' @Babdoc I'm just driving within the boundaries of the law. I'm not driving slower to make them slower, I'm driving slower because it's the legal limit!

And tbh even as a young doctor covering emergencies, you shouldn't have been breaking the law unless you were in an emergency vehicle (if you were, I'd move out of the way). Nor should you be overtaking on the left. I don't care how many seriously ill patients were waiting for you, it's not worth risking your own and other's lives in the process of trying to save theirs!

It's not always easy to pull to the left in a stream of traffic, and also I really don't see why I should. I absolutely don't believe that there are just dozens of drivers dashing off to emergencies when I'm on my way to work every morning.

Dual carriage ways are only 70 mph if there is a central reservation separating the two carriageways.
I recently had to do a speed awareness course, and this was something I wasn't up on in my knowledge

I don't think I've ever seen a toad sign saying "60". I've only seen 30, 40, 50 spelled outside as numbers. Or a NSL white circle/black line.

Not to sound mistrustful, OP, but it is actually a sign reading 60?

Haha OMG yes of course it is! I've said many times that there are multiple repeaters all the way along there stating 60 very clearly. Do you genuinely think that 60mph signs don't exist?!

There's 60mph signs between J1 and J2 of the M25. They're not uncommon.

But you should only drive in the right lane if you are overtaking. Once you have overtaken you should return to the left lane to allow others to overtake.

I drive a BMW also and ferry my kids to school and back on a 60mph road with various 30mph segments in villages on a daily basis.

The amount of times I have small fiestas and corsas up my backside Is ridiculous!! In my opinion (From personal experience, not generally) they are the most aggressive!!! Or maybe it’s just the drive to school/work in a rush mentality that blinkers these drivers?!!

Equally this evening, I was in a trail of 18 cars following some elderly couple Who insisted on doing 30mph the whole way (inc in the 60 areas), but because of the type of roads with a lot of bends, there is no where to overtake. It is this sort of driving which creates people to become frustrated, angry and will then take risks.

But from reading your post, I do believe you are entitled to do 60 in a 60 as you were, but you probably pull over sooner than maybe you should have, perhaps look in your wing mirro and judge the approaching cars in that lane, if some appear to be going faster (that’s their issue) let them go and pull into the lane after them. Try not to look behind you after you’re in that lane and concentrate on your manoeuvre at the roundabout and those in front. If you’re doing nothing wrong, then carry in, it’s their issue and shouldn’t be yours. Try to ignore as hard as it may be.

But please can I say, don’t tar all us BMW/Audi drivers with the same brush: we personally chose our car because we can afford it and wanted a solid, safe, reliable car to transport our family! That is all, not to intimidate any other road users.

Goldenwrapper, not if you're turning right at a roundabout or lights, you need to be in the rh lane then.

@Babdoc but that's not what OP is doing. OP isn't doing the speed limit in the right lane to obstruct speeding motorists, she's doing the speed limit in the right lane because she'll soon be fucking turning right.

With so many worshipping the sanctity of the speed limit, I doubt if anyone on MN has done 31 in a 30.

If I'm honest, I wouldn't recognise a BMW or Audi from my rearview mirror, it just seems to be a big/powerful type car that tends to loom up. My dad drives an audi and he's a very safe driver.

I've just read that they've very recently turned the next section of that carriageway into a 50 (I turn off before there) so there's obviously some reason for it. There are driveways and little roads off some bits of it, which is very disconcerting as cars have to slow down to 5mph or whatever to turn off, and it's also on a bend at the last bit and wooded on both sides. There is a central reservation though.

And tbh even as a young doctor covering emergencies, you shouldn't have been breaking the law unless you were in an emergency vehicle (if you were, I'd move out of the way). Nor should you be overtaking on the left. I don't care how many seriously ill patients were waiting for you, it's not worth risking your own and other's lives in the process of trying to save theirs!

This. Drivers of emergency vehicles have special advanced driver training (my friend drove an ambulance and now teaches others to do so) and heavily marked vehicles. And they never put lives at risk even when on an emergency.

Ths used to happen to me as well. I had to get into the right hand lane or else I would have had to go on the motorway. I always felt that if the driver behind got any closer I would be able to look down their tonsils. Very intimidating but I used go just touch my brakes ever so lightly to get them to back off. The thing is these were the people who should have been in the left lane as they actually going on the motorway.

OP, does this happen to be the Leeds outer ring road from the between Armley and the roundabout for the Bradford turn off? This stretch of dual carriage way ranges for 40 to 70, to 60 and then back to 70. There are loads of entry busy slip roads to let in and you totally have to anticipate being in lane early or you will not make your turn off. Also factor at any turn you could hit stationary traffic and the famous wild west driving style favoured in Bradford. Not all dual carriage ways mean you can cruise along in the right hand lane.

It’s not boring to keep yourself and others safe. People are killed through dangerous driving which is why speeding is.

This.

“OP, it’s not your job to enforce the speed limit. ”

Also all of you “tapping” your brakes to teach the car behind a lesson should fucking stop it, brake-testing someone is really dangerous.

OP, you're obsessing too much over other drivers' free will. You are not on the road to make sure other people stick to the rules or to second guess why all drivers are doing what they're doing. Sons people go slightly over the speed limit, for various reasons, some of which some of us may fathom, some of which we never will.

Stop obsessing over that and, if someone is up your bumper, learn not to be so distracted by/fixated on it and concentrate on your driving - the one thing you are in control of

It's not always easy to pull to the left in a stream of traffic, and also I really don't see why I should.

Op, seriously, just get the hell out of the way. Stop fixating on "I'm doing the speed limit, why are they on my tail??" And, if you can move over, do.

Like you OP I stick to speed limits. Boring I know, but I've never had a speeding fine. Again, like you I have idiots drive right up my arse. When they stick their high beams on I don't tap my brakes, but I take my foot off the throttle and switch my rear fog lights on.

If you're driving at the speed limit, great. If you're lane hogging, not great.

It's that simple.

You do you. Don't make it difficult for others to do what they want to do.

If someone wants to drive at 64mph, move out the way. I'd rather someone drives calmly at just over the speed limit than angrily slightly under.

Without fail, babdoc posts on speed limits threads mentioning their job and berating all other drivers for not realising the law doesn't apply to them. They were allowed to break the law in increasingly dangerous ways apparently. DH drives a vehicle with actual blue lights and sirens and says every twat who causes an accident and kills somebody else thinks they have a reason for ignoring the law.

It's not always easy to pull to the left in a stream of traffic, and also I really don't see why I should
Because actually OP generally that's the law too. You're only supposed to be in anything other than the left hand lane if you're overtaking.
I understand in the initial example you give you say you're in the right hand lane as you plan to turn right. But your comment above suggest other occasions you are in a right hand lane when you shouldn't be.
I also pick up on a sanctimonious attitude-'I'm not speeding like other people so I can behave as I like on the roads'.