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?

When someone drives up my arse, I slow down. It's much safer that way.

Sometimes they end up getting the message!

It's much easier to be the car behind on a country lane because they have the car in front as a 'buffer'. I think this can lead to over confidence and getting too close to the car in front because they have your brake lights as an early warning system for obstacles and corners.

I don't think it's always a push because the car in front is too slow, more of a 'safety in numbers' mentality.

I occasionally drive my sister's C1 rather than my Zafira and there is a difference in how much people will try to bully me.

I do a lot of rural driving too and my car isn't the best for the lanes so I tend to drive more slowly, same as you and quite often get people right up my arse. Just try to drive smoothly and let them pass when you can.

Just let the idiots overtake, and if you then see the idiots ahead in a ditch, pull over to give a statement to the police about how fast they were driving. It will mean their insurance won't pay out. Good luck to the audi suv twat if that happens after he totals his car.

Are you driving exactly 40? Does your car have a digital speedometer or the old fashioned one with the needle?
The digital ones are quite accurate nowadays, but if you have a needle one then you are actually driving 5-20km/h slower than it shows, depending on the speed. At 40 you are probably around 35ish, which is really annoying for cars behind.
I was even taught this over a decade ago, that its not accurate at all and the newer cars with the digital ones are much better. DH has an old car, i have a newer one. When i drive behind him he is always slower than the speedlimit.

Also, some people are just very impatient.

"The Audi"

I didn't need to read any more.

You are experiencing the now common phenomenon of the "Rural Audi". It is so bad where I live that we have set up speed groups, are currently ordering community speed awareness signs, and have had the police out numerous times to do speed spot checks.

And it is, by far, overwhelmingly Audis that speed. I have actually wondered whether there is something about the engineering of Audis that creates this behaviour, whether it is something to do with the acceleration process or drivers just cannot sense their speed.

It is, in fact, so serious where I live that one road has had nine crashes in the last two years. One woman down the road was nearly hit on the pavement when an Audi span out of control.

Inevitably, they are not locals. They are either just using our country roads as like a rally circuit, or are just passing through.

I have lived in a semi-rural area all my life. No one local speeds after the age of about 25 because they'll all been in some sort of near miss by that point and it's scared the shit out of them, or they know someone who has died on the local roads after taking a corner too fast.

@motherloaded

When someone drives up my arse, I slow down. It's much safer that way.

Sometimes they end up getting the message!

Good idea.

@ancientgran have you started drinking early?

I have a rural commute and ime there are 3 types of drivers on country roads:

1. The aggressive racers you describe who seem to think they are on a F1 racetrack. Prone to overtaking dangerously, tailgating and swearing/ gesticulating to anyone who interrupts their 90mph joyride.
2. The extremely over-cautious driver who goes 20mph, brakes constantly and pretty much comes to a standstill at the first sight of any potential hazard (e.g. a horse in a field). Would still rather encounter this type than type 1, but it is frustrating and can be dangerous in some situations.
3. The 40mph coaster. Doesn't matter what the speed limit is, this person has hit their stride at 40mph and that's where they will stay. Never mind this is 10mph over the speed limit through the villages, never mind it's 20mph under the speed limit on the straight stretches of the NSL roads: cruise control is on and they will not adjust their speed for any reason.

All you can do is drive safely. Don't be bullied and be very wary, especially when you encounter one of the above types.

There are lots of idiots on country roads. I was riding and could see over a hedge, it was a blind bend. Put my hand out to ask the car behind me to stop, he swore at me and went flying round the bend, straight into a tractor. I did try to warn him...

Another one came flying round a bend, slammed on the brakes and screeched at me for having the audacity to.. well, exist 🤷🏽‍♀️
Apparently she didn't see me and I scared her. If she had slowed down she might have not had to slam on, and I was head to toe in fluorescent clothing in daylight

@Packingsoapandwater

"The Audi"

I didn't need to read any more.

You are experiencing the now common phenomenon of the "Rural Audi". It is so bad where I live that we have set up speed groups, are currently ordering community speed awareness signs, and have had the police out numerous times to do speed spot checks.

And it is, by far, overwhelmingly Audis that speed. I have actually wondered whether there is something about the engineering of Audis that creates this behaviour, whether it is something to do with the acceleration process or drivers just cannot sense their speed.

It is, in fact, so serious where I live that one road has had nine crashes in the last two years. One woman down the road was nearly hit on the pavement when an Audi span out of control.

Inevitably, they are not locals. They are either just using our country roads as like a rally circuit, or are just passing through.

I have lived in a semi-rural area all my life. No one local speeds after the age of about 25 because they'll all been in some sort of near miss by that point and it's scared the shit out of them, or they know someone who has died on the local roads after taking a corner too fast.

It's BMWs where I live. They think they bought the road with the car.

Drive as fast as you safely can and within the speed limit. Their hurry is not your worry.

Things are so bad around here, there are SIGNS stating cars coming the other way will be in the middle of the road (there are some very nasty bends).

Does it stop idiots to try to intimidate others and drive too fast? Of course not.

You have to be an incredibly new level of stupid for ignoring the risk of ending up face to face with another vehicle driving too fast, but there you go. People are stupid.

[quote SofiaMichelle]@ancientgran have you started drinking early?[/quote]
No, I'm tee total so never drink at any time.

Didn't you like me agreeing with you. It sounded quite effective but I've never tried it.

[quote SofiaMichelle]@ancientgran have you started drinking early?[/quote]
why?

@JensonsAcolyte

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

You won’t. I used to drive an old clapped out Peugeot 406 we had; it was huge. Then I saved up and bought beautiful blue fiat 500. I was so thrilled but the minute I took it on the road (all country roads here) I couldn’t believe the difference. People were suddenly utter arses. Right on my tail the whole time, cutting in front, you name it. I can be going right at the speed limit of 60 on country roads here - only a maniac would go faster - and still I get constant twats overtaking me.

It’s not you. It’s the misogynistic arsehole factor.

Sorry mixed you up with another poster.

@Horehound is right about using the disappearing horizon to determine the safe speed. You shouldn’t be braking into bends, you should brake before them and accelerate through them (you have control when accelerating, not when braking). I’d give you space on a road because the inappropriate braking you are doing would make me think you were an unconfident and not very good driver.

You're not in Wales, are you?! 😂 They're all rally drivers there.

Some vehicles are designed to grip the road better on corners and so they will outperform you every time.

Plus the boy racer mentality.

Try not to let them distract you from the road ahead.

Pull in and let them pass if it gets ridiculous and it's safe to do so.

I live down country lanes and everyone seems to speed. I think as it’s off the big roads and they’re so used to them that the rules kind of go out the windows and it’s not just white van and Audi drivers.
I drive the speed limit because there’s often horse riders, dog walkers etc and it’s an accident waiting to happen.

It’s always easy to be the person following behind than the leading car so just ignore them!

Some people are Too Important to bother with mundane things such as speed limits and safe driving.

This. Lots of country roads around me, and there is always one - generally someone who doesn't live here! Even if you are doing a granny crawl along the road, that is no excuse for somebody driving up your backside. I know the roads around here, I know every turn, every narrowing, every blind spot... and I still drive at a reasonable speed because what I don't know is the hiker around the corner (no footpaths) or the idiot driver around the bend.

That said there is one thing that is guaranteed to make me slow down, to a snails pace if I wish - and that is a driver driving up my arse! Especially when I know that they can't get past. When they learn to observe a safe braking distance, then I will drive faster.

DH has a "toy" car (honestly, it's barely more than a toy) which handles the corners beautifully. Even I can leave anyone behind if I drive it, a powerful car won't catch up until we reach straight roads.

I'd still would't glue or drive to close to anyone, how would that help? If you don't break in corners properly, it's up to people behind to pull back if they are bothered. If they have to constantly adjust their speed, they are too close.

You are doing the right thing. You are also protecting pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists, not only from your own speed but also from the useless twats behind you who don't give a shit. Unless they kill someone and then in court they are always 'really sorry' - yeah not as sorry as the dead person and their family.

I live rurally and the speeding is far worse than in town sadly. Stick to your guns. It drives me mad when people speed through our village. So dangerous.