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?

Its even more fun in the winter when the slightly higher vehicle sitting right up your arse has their headlights on and every time you look in your mirror you're blinded by their glare.

You sound sensible. Can't see ahead. Might be single lane width. They are the dicks. The ones who squash wildlife at the very least.
I knew my route to work well. Drove it at a safe speed. Winter's day, rounded a blind corner on a downside of a hill and the car in front had stopped dead a little way down. I slammed brakes and glided on ice all the way into the back of her. She'd stopped to let a wide lorry pass.

There are also more walkers and cyclists about on lanes as well as young spring birds. Stay cautious when you can't see ahead.

I drive on country roads all the time so am well used to this kind of thing. At one point I too had a tiny car and was tailgated every time I went out. One day I borrowed my neighbour's truck, I didn't go any faster than I would have done in my little car but no-one tailgated me in that.
I am of the opinion that's it's bullying behaviour and not much to do with your driving!

It's commuter mania ime. Time of day madness rather than what you drive prejudice. I get the same thing no matter which car I drive (Fiat 500 gets same tail-gating nutters as big VW). Especially early morning journeys.

I want to blame all my license points (for speeding) on the maniacs right up my bum making me feel like I must exceed speed limits. I'm tougher now about just going the speed I'm happy with and ignoring the Gits.

I do pull over if they are driving me batty or I get 4+ behind (legally required in California where I'm from, anyway). I'd rather maniacs were in front not behind me.

My lovely neighbour once gave me a lift early morning into the city. That was eye-opening. She turned out to be one of the maniacs. Drove a little old banger car, too.

My pet peeve on country roads is the "always 40" lot. That's the only speed they drive at. I just manage to overtake them on the 50 mph zone road when we reach the 30 mph zone of the village. I slow down to < 30... & so they overtake me. Turnip heads.

I drive a lot of different vehicles for work and peoples reactions do differ depending what I’m in. Van or big car they tend to back off. If I’m driving something more feminine e.g 500 /beetle/mini some people do pull out on it, tailgate and drive more aggressively towards it.
I drive them all the same.

Doesn’t sound like your doing country lanes wrong by the way. Easier said then done but just keep your self in check and let them worry about themselves.

@NoSquirrels

It really is quite unusual to have a 40mph on a road that’s not 2-lane passable, though.

Is it? There are plenty around here. They "might" be just about passable for smaller cars, but put 2 SUV and it's game over. Knowing that they are also used by trucks, tractors, vans and so on...

Then you have signs indicating 20mph. Surely any normal human being should get the hint? Sadly they don't.

@AmberIsACertainty

It's not you. It's that most people drive like idiots especially in country road. They're pissed off because you're not speeding too.

This. Drive at the speed you are comfortable at (within reason). I don't exactly crawl along the roads, but I do think people go along country lanes like a bat out of hell and since just before lockdown started, there seems to be an assumption that nobody else is using the roads. Hint - they are.

I drive a lot of different vehicles for work and peoples reactions do differ depending what I’m in

Completely true. Learners, Honda Jazz drivers, Nissan Micra drivers - all (particular) targets for tail gating, cutting up and dangerous overtaking. Off topic, but driving a learner car when I was having a manual gearbox refresher was quite illuminating - people treat learners terribly.

Keep going as you are, don’t pull over and let them pass if there’s an accident that’s then your fault. I’d definitely invest in front and rear dash cams. Sounds as though you do all you should

I've been driving those roads for 7 years. Now that I know them better, I don't slow down into every bend as I know they can be taken at a given speed. But there are basically twats everywhere desperate to push out a few extra minutes.

I do pull over if they are driving me batty or I get 4+ behind (legally required in California where I'm from, anyway). I'd rather maniacs were in front not behind me

Interesting rule. Does that still apply if you are doing the speed limit? I can see the logic, but if you are doing 60 in a 60 limit, not so much ( I know speed limits in the US tend to be lower than in Europe).

I use country lanes all the time.

I drive with appropriate caution where it's required. You never know what might be round the corner and if I can't see the way is clear I slow down.

There are a lot of drivers round here who bomb around, and are probably quite lucky they don't end up in a ditch more often. I've seen far too many overtaking when they can't possibly see a clear way ahead.

Interestingly when I've borrowed my Dad's little hatch, I've had experienced tailgating way more than when I'm driving my 4x4.

YANBU. Drive at appropriate speed for the road.

don’t pull over and let them pass if there’s an accident that’s then your fault.

of course it isn't - if someone overtakes you, it's 100% their responsibility to decide that it is safe.

I drive 20 miles too and from work..mainly a country road with lots of straight road and few villlages. The main problem is Deer so I always drive fairly carefully because they do tend to jump out into road without warning. You can guarantee that people will overtake or you have the really painful crawlers chugging along at 30 mph .

statistically - apparently - you are more likely to have an accident on country roads than on the motorway. Most probably down to know it all AH's.
Speed limits aren't targets or obligatory -drive the speed you fell safest & if possible allow the $$££# a chance to overtake - dh says better an idiot far in front than one close behind & I agree. Van men often have bosses that expect them to do journeys in impossibly short time frames or to do overtime if they haven't done delivery/servicing in x period of time -which is why they may feel compelled to speed & its very wrong

You can guarantee that people will overtake or you have the really painful crawlers chugging along at 30 mph

It's always one extreme or the other isn't it. And if I am stuck behind someone doing 40mph in a 60 limit the car behind will act as if it's my fault and go up my rear end. Well I can't go faster than the car in front is going!

Van men often have bosses that expect them to do journeys in impossibly short time frames or to do overtime if they haven't done delivery/servicing in x period of time -which is why they may feel compelled to speed & its very wrong

This is true. Ditto requiring them to take calls when driving.

@EvilPea

I drive a lot of different vehicles for work and peoples reactions do differ depending what I’m in. Van or big car they tend to back off. If I’m driving something more feminine e.g 500 /beetle/mini some people do pull out on it, tailgate and drive more aggressively towards it. I drive them all the same.

Doesn’t sound like your doing country lanes wrong by the way. Easier said then done but just keep your self in check and let them worry about themselves.

Agree re the car making a difference to people.

I drive a Citigo, perfect for my purposes but i'd moaned to DH about it apparently being invisible with the amount of folk that pull out in front of me and tailgaters etc. He said I was probably driving too cautiously...

We swapped cars and I had his estate for a few days, he soon changed his mind about how drivers treat a car that they perceive to be driven by someone weaker than themselves. And it's not just men, some are women in big SUVs.

I live on a country lane with no pavements and im sick and tired of having to throw myself and 3 dogs into the hedge because some twat refuses to slow down so i can get out of the way safely. Thank you op for driving sensibly.

@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.

Does driving g the same road foryears enable you to see round blind bends snd over the crest of hills? Because a lot of people seem to think it does. Pig sick of people going round bends on the wrong side of the road because they are going too fast to take it safely. The council have to replace the reflective posts on some of the bends round us regularly for that reason. If it's not great speeder who ends up in the ditch/hedge it's the poor sap who happens to be coming in the opposite direction and has to swerve to avoid them.

We've just read the 40mph comment differently - I read it as surprise that the speed limit was as high as 40, other posters read it as surprise it's as low as 40! So my point was, it's not unusual to have a high speed limit on a single lane road.

Perhaps I’m wrong motherloaded or round ‘ere is just unusual. But I can’t think of a single speed limit on a road that’s not 2-car passable. The limits are all on B-roads. Because if it’s not 2-car passable people should be driving to conditions and those are usually NSL. But maybe I’m describing the type of roads wrong or it’s odd round here.

I'm not sure what changed but at some point I realised this was stupid and I now take great pleasure in it, so much so that I slow down even more if someone is driving up my arse and give them a huge smug smile if they overtake.
See this sort of thing is the same sort of emotional response as those who tailgate.
The tailgater seems to think using their car to get too close sends a message and is smug about how awesome they must be as a driver.
The 'I'll slow down deliberately' driver is also using their car to prove points and using their car in a way to deliberately prevent other drivers making progress. They're just doing it in a passive aggressive way, whilst being equally emotionally charged.
Both sets of drivers could do with chilling out and driving in a way that's appropriate.

FWIW if a tailgater is on my bumper, I'd rather pull in and let them past that be stupid enough to try and deliberately annoy them. If we had an accident it would be their fault for being too close, but if I was lying in a hospital bed the last thing on my mind would be "hahaha. I showed them! Isn't it hilarious that I annoyed the tailgater".

You're doing everything right, unfortunately many drivers on country roads think they can do what speed they like as they won't get caught.

I do a lot of driving on roads like this and if I have someone driving too close behind then I slow down even more until they get the message.

I find there are certain types of vehicles that do this; Audi, BMW and Range Rovers with private plates are the worst.

Another thing that's annoying on country roads is that if you encounter a 4x4 then they expect you to go up the verge, when their vehicle is far more capable of it. Grrr!!!

@GravityFalls

We've just read the 40mph comment differently - I read it as surprise that the speed limit was as high as 40, other posters read it as surprise it's as low as 40! So my point was, it's not unusual to have a high speed limit on a single lane road.

What I meant was I was surprised there was a limit (other than NSL) on a road that’s not 2-car passable.