Country road etiquette. Am I doing it wrong?

[JensonsAcolyte]

I have a new twice daily commute which is mainly country roads. Very twisty and windy, most of it is wide enough for two cars to pass but not all. Lots of up and down hills as well.

I’ve done the journey three times now. It’s 40mph until it hits the two villages then it’s 30.

Every single time I’ve had a car right up my arse for nearly the whole way. I’m starting to think it’s me.

So I drive at 40 along the straight bits with good visibility ahead. I brake coming into sharp turns and then accelerate coming out. I slow right down if I think I’m going to struggle with the gap with an oncoming car. I sometimes have to tap the brakes on a downward steep hill to stay at 40. I slow down to 30 approaching the village.

Every single time I slow down, the car behind pushes right up to me. It was a big white van this morning and yesterday morning (thinking about it, it could be the same guy) and an Audi SUV thing yesterday evening. The Audi overtook me when we got to the dual carriageway and GLARED at me. I’m in a mint green fiat 500, girly little car which I think is half the issue.

Am I being over cautious? Do I need to just thunder round the lanes at a steady 40?

If you are the sort of driver who would be pissed off with me can you explain why?

Is it the A65 in Yorkshire/Cumbria by any chance? I drive that road a lot and there are a few sections that are 40 mph and definitely not safe to drive faster. But there are always twats tailgating and being impatient.

I hadn’t thought about the height factor. That’s a good point.

Perhaps I need to get myself a Chelsea Tractor.

Two things. Firstly, you should let them pass when it is possible. That doesn't mean they aren't idiots, they are.
Secondly, if they are too close, slow down to a speed you feel safe with them that close to you. They may or may not get the message that getting closer is actually slowing them down.

Another country driver here, don’t be forced into driving faster than you feel is safe, even if it’s below the speed limit (default is 60 mph even on single lane windy roads before I get flamed). You may meet a tractor and they are huge, combine harvester, a flock of sheep, horses, pedestrians or a group of cyclists. Give yourself time, Pull over and let the idiots pass if you’re bothered but, you will learn to read the road ahead better with experience, so your driving will become smoother in time.

If your driving at the speed limits, you have nothing to worry about, what other drivers think/ do is upto them, but as it’s a new route (to you), maybe your being over cautious, the other drivers are probably more familiar with the road/ bends etc, don’t worry about it

My commute to the office is largely country roads and I encounter other drivers who don't believe the speed limits apply to them every time I commute. There are three safe places to overtake over about 8 miles and I get overtaken in unsafe places when I'm driving at the speed limit. It's not you, it's them. Pull over if you feel intimidated and let them pass you.

How I hate single lane roads, I would much prefer driving behind someone like you where I could just maintain a suitable speed for the conditions. You are not doing anything wrong let idiots overtake where they can.

Yep arseholes! So many of them on Country roads! Ignore and continue to drive safely, I understand how annoying (and stressful) it is though.

Honestly my husband grew up in the country and drives like a twat on country roads. I think lots of people are like him. I think it's harking back to when they drove a fiesta and wore a baseball cap. I tell him he's driving like a twat.

Thanks all.

The stupid thing is this is taking DD to work until she learns to drive. And now I’m totally put off the idea of letting her learn! Other drivers are mean.

(I am of course joking about ‘letting her’ before I get jumped on).

@JustAnotherOldMan

If your driving at the speed limits, you have nothing to worry about, what other drivers think/ do is upto them, but as it’s a new route (to you), maybe your being over cautious, the other drivers are probably more familiar with the road/ bends etc, don’t worry about it

I think particularly on bends, depending on how your vehicle handles and how brave/foolish you are, it may well be that the person behind would normally take them more quickly than you are doing. As you get to know the road better you might find you become a bit smoother through the wiggly bits.

once you get used to the the roads you will be faster and not slowing/speeding up as much, which is annoying for people behind.

I live in an area surrounded by country roads. All the locals can drive them easily at the speed limit but I have to say it is borderline torture being stuck behind someone driving slowly on them or who brakes for every bend, even the wide ones that only need you to ease off if you know them well.

BUT don't pressure yourself to drive faster than you can handle or you'll end up in an accident. I'd rather you were slow in front of me than caused a pile up.

They are the monumental arseholes OP, not you. I live on a wind-y country lane and I know that round any corner there may be a kid on a bike or a parked tractor cutting hedgerows. You are doing the world a service by slowing them down.

People drive like twats on country roads.

Even if you are familiar with every twist and turn, you should still slow down on blind bends. Could be god knows what round the corner.

If they aren't blind bends though OP, it might be a bit annoying if you slow down every time.

It won’t be you. I live on an A road with a 30mph limit and a B road intersects it with a 50mph limit on one side and 40mph on the other. Both roads are crazy with speeding drivers and bikers. And when you do have someone driving up your backside there’s not always somewhere to pull over. You’re more than likely driving in a safe manner.

They are blind bends, really sharp and with either hedges or woodland or houses so you really can’t see what’s ahead.

Even with slowing down I’ve been taken by surprise by an oncoming car cutting the corner. Much easier to deal with at 20 than 40...

If you're going at or under the speed limits, you're doing nothing wrong. These people who speed on winding country roads (or any roads for that matter) are the ones who cause accidents. If they're up your back, slow down and let them pass or flash your rear lights to let them go. Don't let them intimidate you though.

I might borrow my sisters Mercedes SUV and see if I get the same reaction. I have a sneaking suspicion I won’t.

the speed limit applies to you and white van person, and is not a target. He may be able to see further than you, but you can only drive safely within what you can see.

let him pass when you can (safely) and hope that a nice big tree will solve the problem for good.

he's pissed off because he is a really shit and dangerous driver. There's a lot of them about.

It’s the “small car is holding me up” mentality, OP. I used to get this in my Fiat 500 on the M6. When I changed car, and because I was going to continue commuting on the motorway, I replaced it with an Audi.
I feel much less threatened now, even though my driving style remains the same...

It's not you. I drive very slowly (20mph) on single track country lanes, I don't want to crash into anyone coming the opposite way and, as a horse rider, I know how scary it is coming around a blind bend when you can hear a car thundering towards you that won't be able to see you until the last minute and there's nowhere for you to go to get out of the way. I've nearly been hit a few times by people that seem to think a mark of being an excellent driver is having the confidence to scream around country lanes at 60mph. They never lived locally, were always using them as a cut through and were universally disliked by anyone who did live in the area, who all drove steadily on those lanes. I don't drive slowly on lanes because I lack confidence, it's because I don't want to be a selfish twat. As others have said, so long as you're not crawling along well below the speed limit on motorways or main roads, I actually think it's a mark of a good driver that you have the patience to drive appropriately on lanes.

My gut instinct is if something is happening regularly then it's worth thinking about my own actions, and apply this to other people too. If you're regularly having issues then reflecting on your driving might be wise.
If you're slowing to 20 on several bends then I can understand their frustration. Even when I lived out in the country, 20 would be excessive for most bends.
It doesn't excuse their tailgating though.

I used to have a 2 hour commute mostly on country roads, in my little 1.0 old lady car (which hated hills and, because of what it looked like, seemed to infuriate all other drivers).

I basically went for a mix of 'fuck off, I'll drive how I think is safe' on the bits that were NSL and I was taking bends at 50 cos if I hadn't my tiny, poorly balanced car would have tipped over, and, if a couple of cars were building up behind me on the steep bits where I really couldn't get much speed up, I'd pull over and let them past.

Basically, it was fair enough that on some of the hills my little car wouldn't go above 40 so I'd move out the way first, but on winding bits they just had to get over themselves because I was being safe rather than a dickhead.

And now I have a more stable, faster car I always remember not to get annoyed on country roads if someone is taking it at their own limits - I'd never had experience of driving them before I moved and had that commute so that plus my high sided car meant I was genuinely concerned about taking corners any faster!

It is nice having a car that other drivers don't bully you for though. My old car I would regularly get cut up, people would get up my arse on the motorway, nobody would let me out of a junction... It is a stereotypical 'old woman' car and people behaved horribly as a result. If I drove my DH's massive estate car, completely different responses... Infuriating.

I would pull over and let them pass. You should enjoy your drive, not feel harassed.

It's your car . I used to have a fiat 500. Not a mint green one though. The effort people went to to nip out in front of me at junctions, or get past on country roads! It was ridiculous. There seems to be an assumption that because you are in a tiny car you'll drive at about 5 miles per hour and hold them up. I didn't get any aggressive drivers up my backside went I drove DH's beat up work 4x4 that was covered in mud and dents. Funny that.