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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to overtake, before another driver?

118 replies

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 12:45

I don't think technically that I was, but I'm sharing for thoughts.

I'm driving along a single carriageway 60mph stretch of road and there is a car in front doing about 40mph in front of me and so I get stuck behind him. A car arrives from behind me, and I can see that they are itching to overtake both of us.

We then enter a straight bit of road where I have a good long view where I see I can overtake safely. I indicate (for a few seconds) and move out, while the car behind me tries to overtake both me and the car in front. My car doesn't have the greatest acceleration and the car behind starts beeping at me. I manage to overtake and the car behind can't, so he goes back in line. I carry on my journey and I can see for a longtime that the overtaker to be is stuck behind the slow car.

Was I unreasonable to overtake, knowing there was a car with greater acceleration behind me who wanted to overtake both of us?

OP posts:

SudokuQueen · 10/03/2020 14:04

There is nothing more irritating than someone overtaking a car by passing it so slowly they prevent anyone else from doing the same.

Actually the most irritating person here was the one doing 40 when it's clear it was fine to do faster.

This is why more testing needs done. Bad driving from the slow driver, who almost caused an accident from their hesitation. Bad driving from the BMW driver, who was driving aggressively and likely too fast.

Dollywilde · 10/03/2020 14:05

Meh, car behind you was a wanker, move on. There's a quite steep uphill stretch of the A303 that turns into dual carriageway after a long period of non-overtaking single carriageway. I generally try and overtake on that stretch when I can (usually stuck behind a couple of tractors at that point) and my Fiesta doesn't have the greatest acceleration. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm in a low gear with my foot down I'm doing the best I can (we don't all have 0 - 60 in 3 second cars) and if the person behind me has to wait until the next dual carriageway section to overtake the tractors then so be it - I was there first.

FixTheBone · 10/03/2020 14:07

YANBU.

The other driver was a complete tosser, in-fact all drivers that think they have a god-given right to overtake lines of congested traffic because they have a slightly faster car are tossers.

If they could see you, and they could see the car in front of you doing 40 with empty road in front of them, they are being extremely ignorant if they couldn't anticipate that you would want to overtake on the first clear stretch of road, and even more so if they failed to react to you indicating before you pulled out.

Original poster

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 14:07

Thanks, I think the Highway Code is pretty clear I was in the right - the question is rather I should have recognized the driver behind was an idiot and let him out first.

OP posts:

SudokuQueen · 10/03/2020 14:14

No you shouldn't have. He can learn his lesson to not be a knob head in future. He won't, he's too stupid. But hopefully next time he does it, it will be an undercover police car and he'll really regret it then.

Next time though, get the number plate of the driver if they act like that. Then phone 101 when you can and let them know. They will keep an eye out for them and have a chat with them if they find them.

Jeleste · 10/03/2020 14:17

Not unreasonable. Overtaking 2 cars is dangerous, i hate when people do that.

Hingeandbracket · 10/03/2020 14:24

They will keep an eye out for them and have a chat with them if they find them.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 10/03/2020 14:24

Surely overtaking properly is when you go faster than the car you are overtaking in a safe manner.

No. Safe overtaking is when you spend the minimum amount of time possible on the wrong side of the road (i.e. you need to put you foot down). Slow overtaking is incredibly dangerous.

Overtaking two cars at once is not necessarily dangerous provided there is space and visibility to do so safely.

Hingeandbracket · 10/03/2020 14:24

Overtaking 2 cars is dangerous, i hate when people do that.

No it isn't.

Cacaca · 10/03/2020 14:25

Explain exactly what you mean by no indicators please. If you are indeed referring to bmw/Audi drivers then you’re being ridiculously petty, judgemental and stereotyping.

randomsabreuse · 10/03/2020 14:26

Definitely you were in the right. You have fewer opportunities to overtake slow hesitant numpties as you need a longer straight/gap anyway.

It's a queue to overtake - you were there first.

ThePlantsitter · 10/03/2020 14:28

Explain exactly what you mean by no indicators please. If you are indeed referring to bmw/Audi drivers then you’re being ridiculously petty, judgemental and stereotyping.

Honestly can anyone be offended by this? I drive an Audi by the way. I don't feel victim-y about it (and I try to be a v considerate driver).

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 10/03/2020 14:31

I cycle to work rather than drive most days, and when a car passes too close, it is usually either an Audi, a Range Rover, or someone in a work van. There are two Audis in particular who pass too close to me every single day (it's semi-rural, so tends to be the same vehicles every day).

I know some very courteous Audi drivers, but stereotypes do usually exist for a reason....

Original poster

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 14:33

Safe overtaking is when you spend the minimum amount of time possible on the wrong side of the road (i.e. you need to put you foot down).

But who gets to determine the "minimum time possible"? Had there been a Ferrari behind of all us, should we all have waited for him?

OP posts:

Daftodil · 10/03/2020 14:35

I overtook the car at the national speed limit and I got in safely. I had a clear view of the road in front and could judge if I had time to do so. I don't see that I'm responsible for the car behind me. Especially if they don't indicate.

Completely agree with this. And beeping a horn is not a suitable alternative to using indicators! If someone beeps me I slow down, not because I'm being petty, but in case there is a hazard that I've not seen that the beeper is trying to alert me to. If there wasn't time for both to overtake, unfortunately, the other car has to wait for another opportunity to do so.

MintyMabel · 10/03/2020 14:35

Thanks, I think the Highway Code is pretty clear I was in the right

If you had moved quickly past the car, given you said there was a long straight bit of road, doing 60, passing a car doing 40 should have taken you 5 seconds max, leaving them plenty of opportunity to pass.

You spotted the car was itching to pass. You knew what they wanted to do. You pulled out anyway. Rule 168 is clear on that too.

Also wondering, if you were doing 60 and the other car was doing 40, you'd have been out of sight of the slow car very quickly. How did you see it stuck behind for a long time?

Original poster

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 14:35

Explain exactly what you mean by no indicators please. If you are indeed referring to bmw/Audi drivers then you’re being ridiculously petty, judgemental and stereotyping.

As I said, the car behind (an Audi) didn't indicate. And I made a joke, as it is a well known (or at least I thought so) stereotype.

OP posts:

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 10/03/2020 14:36

But who gets to determine the "minimum time possible"?

'The minimum time possible' is literally as fast as you can do it - being on the wrong side of the road is hazardous, so you don't hang about there any longer than you have to. You put your foot down.

SudokuQueen · 10/03/2020 14:37

Honestly can anyone be offended by this? I drive an Audi by the way. I don't feel victim-y about it (and I try to be a v considerate driver).

Some people just have to be offended by everything. Dunno why, it's universally known that it's a running joke about BMW drivers. Even they joke about it. But some can't take a joke.

Travis1 · 10/03/2020 14:37

Explain exactly what you mean by no indicators please. If you are indeed referring to bmw/Audi drivers then you’re being ridiculously petty, judgemental and stereotyping

Except @Cacaca the driver behind OP clearly lived up to the stereotype beautifully!

Cacaca · 10/03/2020 14:39

@ThePlantsitter I’m in no way offended - I just think it’s absolutely pathetic the way people like to jump on bmw and Audi drivers - I don’t drive either but it’s small minded and childish. My husband drives what would be considered a prestige car and believe it or not he knows how to indicate and actually is a considerate driver.

Original poster

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 14:41

MintyMabel, you misunderstand. I and the car behind me were both going 40 while we followed the slow car.

I just don't think there's anything in the highway code that says more powerful cars should be given priority, which is what you're suggesting. I could see he was considering overtaking, but he didn't signal. I got first sight of the gap, and I signalled and went first.

OP posts:

Original poster

BowermansNose · 10/03/2020 14:43

'The minimum time possible' is literally as fast as you can do it - being on the wrong side of the road is hazardous, so you don't hang about there any longer than you have to. You put your foot down.

Exactly, which is what I did.

OP posts:

redcarbluecar · 10/03/2020 14:48

I don’t think you did anything wrong; you just came up against an impatient driver. I think it’s a good idea to give plenty of notice of your intention to overtake, or the car behind will often try to whip round.

redcarbluecar · 10/03/2020 14:50

And if you’re overtaking, you’re overtaking. There’s no particular speed at which you must do it so that you don’t annoy arsey other drivers.

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