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?

I would never speed on a country road. My teenage boyfriend's best friend was killed in a head on collision with someone who was desperate to overtake a line of cars that were going at the speed limit. He was 21, on his way home from Uni. His life was wiped out in a second by someone who felt their need to get somewhere quickly trumped everyone else's need to get somewhere safely. Country roads are notorious for such accidents.

@ LilaButterfly 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.

This kind of response REALLY annoys me. No one should be driving at the limit because they can. They should be driving at the speed that is safe. Your type of attitude is really dangerous.

Have driven those country roads for decades. Their problem not yours. Follow the Highway Code, keep to speed limit, pull in it you can.

Tractors must drive them mental!

Unfortunately that's my experience with country roads. They are VERY narrow and people drive in another MNers's words "like bats coming out of hell" or something similar. I find it strange when people here complain about drivers in their holiday destinations driving very fast when in fact the reasons why they drive slower in the UK is because 1) there is more police and of course ... 2) lots os CAMERAS!

In countryroads there are not cameras so most people drive like crazy!

@FuckingFabulous

I would never speed on a country road. My teenage boyfriend's best friend was killed in a head on collision with someone who was desperate to overtake a line of cars that were going at the speed limit. He was 21, on his way home from Uni. His life was wiped out in a second by someone who felt their need to get somewhere quickly trumped everyone else's need to get somewhere safely. Country roads are notorious for such accidents.

OMG, that's so sad!

@FuckingFabulous

I would never speed on a country road. My teenage boyfriend's best friend was killed in a head on collision with someone who was desperate to overtake a line of cars that were going at the speed limit. He was 21, on his way home from Uni. His life was wiped out in a second by someone who felt their need to get somewhere quickly trumped everyone else's need to get somewhere safely. Country roads are notorious for such accidents.

As in, my boyfriend when I was a teenager....I don't have a teen partner now.

You’re not doing anything wrong op, you’re doing it correctly. Blind bends are a nightmare, there can be horses or cyclists just round it. You need to slow down to take them.

I’m surprised some folks on here have even passed their test from the nonsense being posted. And don’t pull over to let the twats passed either,

I HATE following people who drive very slowly around all the bends, then speed up on a straight stretch. I always think it is to stop people passing them. They think they own the road.

I would love to live in one of those beautiful rural villages but I hate cars. There are too many and too many idiotic drivers. I feel sad that I would need a car in one of those villages because I couldn't walk on the roads. That is so sad and means there is no freedom (or not the kind of freedom that I want)

@JensonsAcolyte

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

I was going to say this OP. I bet you wouldn't be intimidated if you were driving a big "fuck off" car.

Other drivers like this make me just drive to the rules even more strictly, just to piss them off.

Get yourself a front and back dashcam, just in case anything were to ever happen.

It's not you, it will happen all the time. The 'locals' know every bend and turn and could do it with their eyes shut. Some of them will be happy doing 50-60 on bits where you'll only feel safe doing 30, regardless of the signs.

Never drive faster than you feel safe at, regardless of the signs, they are only the max.

Let them fume, stay safe.

I always think 'what if there's a horse around the next corner?'

If you can't see, you have to be so cautious and always ready to brake. Some people drive far too fast on country roads and are both terrifying and dangerous.

@Tisgrand

I voted YABU purely because of all the braking you say you're doing. Instead of braking coming into corners try just taking your foot off the accelerator in plenty of time to take the bends. This gives a smoother ride.

If you're driving behind someone who's constantly braking you can't know whether it's because they're coming into a bend (so slowing down) or have just spotted something on the road and preparing to stop. Makes for a stressful drive.

This^^

You are being too hard on your breaks which isn't necessary and bad for the car/misleading to the person behind you. Also keep an eye on speeds as you do this, I drive country lanes regularly which are 60 or 40 and sooo many times drivers who do this constant breaking go down to 10mph or less going round bends on these roads, then speed up again as soon as its a straight and I've got a chance to overtake safely. Fair enough going a bit slower, but don't almost come to a stop if it's not required. Other drivers won't know how to judge your speeds either and can end up up your backside as they were anticipating taking the bends faster etc.

@Amelia666

For you the roads are twisting and uncertain as it’s a new commute, for those who have driven it many years and know every nook and cranny it’ll just be a simple route they can do blindfolded... it’s just the law of the lanes.

This is it.

Don’t drive faster than you are comfortable and just ignore the tailgaters. Don’t let them intimidate you.

You’ll find the more times you do it the faster you will drive it. You’ll get to know the twists and the passing places/relative width so you won’t have to be as cautious. For now though, it is much better that you are cautious. Don’t worry about it.

Its probably the other guys being impatient; you say it's new to you but if they have been doing it years they will be more familiar with the road.

The only tiny thing is that by sticking to the speed limit of 40 on the straights (which I would do too), it means they can't overtake without speeding, so maybe slowing to let them pass would be courteous.

I'm in Northumberland and there are lots of similar drives to yours, and DPD white vans etc always drive like bats out of hell. Just drive safely for you and if someone is tailgating you, if you can, let them overtake.

It's not you, these guys are on every road. I was doing just over 70 on a bypass and had a guy in a van flashing and tooting at me, I couldnt move over at that point but as soon as a gap came up he undertook me! Funny thing was he then got stuck behind the same motor I had been . Pretty sure he wouldn't have done it if Dh had been driving though!

I used to have a commute where this happened. One idiot overtook me and went straight into an oncoming farm vehicle.

You cannot moderate other peoples stupid behaviour or shit driving skills. Just do what you need to do and try to ignore them.

I would stop myself from looking in my rear view mirror any more than was necessary and this helped quite a bit.

I guess you could get one of those rear window stickers that says something like " If you can read this you are too close."

Drive to the conditions and do so safely and to the limits
Pull over for any road rage or those who know the road and have no care of your safety.

Higher up vehicles can see clearly but doesn't mean tailgating is ok.
In my higher vehicle I can see doesn't mean it enables faster driving or speed
It is you who needs to get somewhere in one piece so do so at your comfort.
Can you report these tailgaters?
Ignore the glares
Pull over where possible don't play there game!

Put a sign in your back window
Back off ya Muppet

I drive a big old 4x4 and a Fiat 500 on rural roads and I have noticed some very different attitudes depending on which car I’m in. In my big car people are much more likely to stay off my tail and far more likely to thank me when I’ve pulled out of their way. In the small car I frequently encounter pristine 4x4 drivers who expect me to go off road for them. It also seems that 30mph in a Fiat is much slower than 30mph in a Land Rover to some.

I think there is an attitude on rural roads that is “I know this road like the back of my hand” as if that equates to knowing what is around the corner. You’re absolutely right to obey the speed limits which are often pretty ambitious given the poor visibility on many rural roads and the pedestrians in the countryside who are human, canine, equine plus assorted wildlife just around every bend. A white van or a large Audi is not competition for a large farm vehicle either (not that it’s just white vans and Audis of course).

I would say the country roads are the most dangerous statistically as so many marked nat speed limit, and idiots think that is the target. Also, a lot of these people live in the area and are familiar with the road which gives them more confidence. YANBU to drive at a speed you feel safe at. If they persist, I would pull over and let them go on their merry way.

[quote SurferRona]@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.[/quote]
I agree entirely with this.
Braking just before a bend is a sign of a poor driver. Speed should already have been adjusted to enable you to accelerate through the bend.
Speed can be adjusted by lifting your foot off the gas, rather than applying the brakes.

Brake lights going on and off a lot at inappropriate times causes annoyance for drivers behind. I suspect the reason they're getting closer to you is because they're preparing to accelerate through the bend as you're braking for it.

I remember when I was taught this technique, it felt really counter-intuitive but it works and is much safer. Give it a go, lift off well before the corner so that you're slowing down and then you can safely accelerate through it. No need to touch the brakes.

As frustrating as it can be for drivers more familiar with the road, you must never drive faster than you are able to control.

There are some country roads that i'm familiar with so probably don't brake as much on the corners as i'm aware of how fast I can go and maintain proper visibility etc. I know where there are gates coming up etc and just how twisty/narrow the road becomes. On roads I know less well then I'd be much more cautious. I don't generally speed but can't guarantee that I am permanently below the speed limit if I'm just driving with the flow of traffic.

As a PP says, if possible just pull to one side and let them pass or if the straight is clear, maybe don't speed right up and give them a chance to overtake if they want.

There are a lot of arseholes out there as well.

@Nothingyet

I HATE following people who drive very slowly around all the bends, then speed up on a straight stretch. I always think it is to stop people passing them. They think they own the road.

My dad absolutely hated this when I was learning to drive and we had a very stressful ‘lesson’! I do understand now how frustrating it is, which I didn’t then!

But you can’t really overtake on a ‘country lane’. If there’s room to overtake there’s probably no need to be driving at 40mph or slower, IMO.

@LilaButterfly

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.

This entire post is utter bollocks