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?

Yep locals will drive faster as they do it every day and could do those twists and turns in their sleep. They get complacent, and likely expect everyone to be doing 50 in the 40 zone. You’re in the right. White vans and delivery drivers always push it as they need to get on to their next address, so I’d let the buggers pass by.

I live in an area with many coiuntry lanes. When we moved here they were all NSL but over the last five years most have had 40 or 30 mph limits placed on them - this was because of the high number of accidents and deaths

I’m sorry for your loss billy. I do agree people can drive like twats on country lanes - but I don’t think a 30mph limit would stop them, tbh. No cameras, for a start!

OP you are doing the right thing. I've been the local on narrow twisty country lanes. Back in the day I also learnt to drive on roads like that. Instructor's mantra was - assume every blind bend is hiding a horse or a little kid on a wobbly bike, and don't be an idiot.

I get this a lot. I pull into a driveway occasionally to let the boy racers get ahead of me. Then I carry on driving in the way that feels safe to me.

As long as you are not driving under the speed limit then you carry on , you're dou g nothing wrong. It's not your fault they are speeding and impatient, you drive within the limits you are comfortable with or you will end up in an accident

Thank you OP for slowing to 30 for the village. I live in a village half way down a road that's rural but one of the main roads locally iyswim. Too many idiots ignore the 30 limit signs and drive through at full speed including past the village school etc. At least 50% of the times I slow down to enter the village some arsehole tailgates me and I've seen quite a few near misses when they overtake a line of traffic (doing the correct speed) at speed.

@LolaSmiles

billybagpuss Given the central part of driving is driving in a way that's appropriate for the road and conditions, making rural roads 30mph isn't going to magically stop the people who drive riskily from doing so.

The issue isn't people driving more than 30mph. The issue is people driving in a way that isn't appropriate for the conditions.

In my experience country roads show the two extremes of driving: those who take the roads like rally drivers, and those who are tapping their brakes every 5 seconds and excessively slowing to make entirely typical bends.

This.

12 miles of narrow potholed country road with possible tractors every day here. Used to be NSL but there were often spectacularly flipped-over cars usually in the narrow bit where it went to 30 so I agree about nutters ignoring limits.

Council eventually reduced the 60 to 40 and removed all the road markings (!), and now we have those two extremes - people driving so fast in the middle of the road they clip your wing mirrors and don't stop, or those who go at 35-40 until they meet oncoming, then stop or slow down so abruptly that you have to stand your own car on its nose to avoid hitting them the first time they do it. (Then I stay a very long way back...)

The road is also clearly marked unsuitable for HGVs - three times before the turn into it off the A road - but they ignore the signs and cause mayhem. Two artics trying to pass each other on a sharp bend is hilarious... at least when you aren't trying to get to work past them. I usually turn round and leave them to it... and hope nobody rounds the corner too fast.

Combine any or all of the above and it's bonkers.

You are doing it exactly right. As a horse rider, I love drivers like you (unless you drive an electric car which are terrifying as silent).
I drive an electric car and often pass horses where I live. I always slow right down and pass really wide but the horses sometimes get scared as they don't always know I'm there.

Drive country roads a lot - drive safely , do not be pushed into driving fast when you can’t see what’s coming ... as another poster has said if you can pull over to let someone pass - do , but not every 30 seconds

[quote EvilPea]@RedactedTaeFeck
Good choice of car. There seems to be an immediate assumption your a dawdler, and are going to hold them up so should be intimidated.
the ones that make me laugh are the ones that bust a gut to get past you and then your sat next to them at the lights.[/quote]
Yep, and thank you. It is the best small car, we actually have 2 as my boys share one as well now. :)

Many years ago I had a Daewoo (not the best small car) but could still beat a lot of cars from the lights on our dual carriageway. You could feel their disgust at being beaten by a woman in very small, low powered car. I had to give an AA man a lift in it (don't ask!) with my two kids in the back, along this stretch of road and he thought it was hilarious.

As someone who has a lifetime of country road driving, many in this area are now 40 or 30 and still have the police with a radar gun( I know as I was caught doing 32 in a 30 )
As long as you are driving safely and not rapid braking at the last minute you do what you feel happy with.
The country people may know the road like the back of their hand but it doesn't help if you hit a fully grown adult Stag when you are driving at 60!

Heronatemygoldfish
Ignoring the no lorry signs is dangerous.

Once I had to pull my car into the front of a lay-by to help an HGV driver as he was confused by a B road that's explicitly signed as not for HGVs. How he got as far as he did was beyond me, but he'd been flashed down by several drivers as he was approaching an area where he'd have the road blocked for hours. It took several locals to guide him to reverse into a farm track whilst we helped him form a plan.
Apparently his sat nav said it was quicker.

@storminasnowglobe

OP to me you sound like a very safe and sensible driver and I wish more were like you. I've lived in the countryside my whole life and the standards of driving I meet in the lanes these days is diabolical and getting worse and worse. So many idiots who think that because the NSL is 60 they must drive at that speed regardless of road, terrain and visibility considerations.

Unfortunately we can no longer safely hack out our horses on the lanes as a result of the speed and aggressive driving we have encountered in recent times.

And as for people who say "oh it's probably locals who know the road like the back of their hand" well that is a pretty poor excuse. I could probably drive my car blindfold round my local lanes, in fact my car could probably drive itself on autopilot at this stage!!! However, due to the unpredictability of country driving, speed -even in familiarity - is never a sensible idea.

I agree with this. I know our local roads extremely well, which is why I don't speed -- because I am aware that you can turn a corner and find sheep, cows, a tractor, or a horse in the road, or a fallen tree or collapsed wall.

I also know where the aqua-planes are, which is why I've never ended up smashed into the side of a bridge wall, while a car every other year, driven by a non-local, does.

You do what you know and feel comfortable doing. Country roads are a danger as you never know when wildlife decides to jump out at you when driving it can cause even the best drivers to crash. These idiots that speed on these roads are an accident waiting to happen. Keep to the speed limit and stay safe, let them pass when it's safe to do so and carry on being a safe and considerate driver

I was parked in a passing place on the lane outside the village one day, hazzard lights on when somebody in their very new range rover overtook me. The squeal of his breaking, as he came face to face with the bloody great artic truck carrying a bulldozer (that I had reversed all the way back to the passing place so he could get through safely), was a sound to behold. As was the sight of him reversing back to where I was waiting. A lot of people seem to forget that big things use the lanes as well so driving fast around bends on a country lane is not a smart move.

The other drivers are being unsafe - knowing the road does not mean you can see around a bend or hear a cyclist. There are lots of delivery drivers on country roads at the moment who are very unheeding of the risks.

I find the best method is to stop in the road, get out and go to speak to them about why hey feel the need to drive on my bumper. They tend to look sheepish and back off. Explain that you will slow to a speed where they can brake, if necessary as that will help them.

Many drivers that do these roads daily know all the corners and would like to go faster. It doesn’t mean you have to go faster than you are confident to do, but equally if there is a convenient place to pull over for a second to let them overtake it would be a nice thing to do.

It's not you, it's other car drivers. I live in a village, with country roads all around. Usually, people around here, in either Range rovers,or other large cars. and yes big white vans, usually get annoyed when they are behind some more careful drivers, in smaller cars. You can tell they are annoyed,as they get right up your bumper,as though they need you to get out of their way, I have noticed that it is always people in large vehicles who do this,, who think they are kings of the road.. and obviously,always in a hurry.

I once had a car behind me. when a bloke in sporty type of car, was trying to get past me on a bend in the road near me, he then accelerated past me, took the bend to too fast, and ended almost upside down in a deep ditch. I just drove on, and left him to it !

Years ago, in rural Kent with the high hedgerows, the locals would beep their horns going round invisible bends, and I’m sure we avoided a lot of accidents that way.
Now, like another poster, I have a drive home where there are about three safe places to overtake, but that doesn't stop the idiots.
I let most of the desperate to pass people by when it's safe, otherwise I let them fume. If they decide to overtake anyway, it's their funeral, literally in some cases. ☹️
We have a lot of horses, tractors, cyclists, pedestrians, deer, carts, etc, to negotiate on our rural roads. I wish they'd do a public information film about rural driving.

As with all idiots on the roads... be aware of them, but don't let them influence your own safe driving. There is very rarerly if ever an excuse for tailgating other than "impatient idiots", and it causes a lot of accidents.

Drive at a speed you are comfortable and if they are really intimidating you then pull over and let them past - that is safer than you being distracted or them getting overly wound up.

@LolaSmiles

Heronatemygoldfish Ignoring the no lorry signs is dangerous.

Once I had to pull my car into the front of a lay-by to help an HGV driver as he was confused by a B road that's explicitly signed as not for HGVs. How he got as far as he did was beyond me, but he'd been flashed down by several drivers as he was approaching an area where he'd have the road blocked for hours. It took several locals to guide him to reverse into a farm track whilst we helped him form a plan.
Apparently his sat nav said it was quicker.

Lorry drivers who ignore signs and follow their satnav blindly need to redo their HGV test. Like the ones who crash into railway bridges. Complete idiots. If it says unsuitable for HGVs, it means it! If it says there is a low railway bridge, it also means it!

@Kokosrieksts

Many drivers that do these roads daily know all the corners and would like to go faster. It doesn’t mean you have to go faster than you are confident to do, but equally if there is a convenient place to pull over for a second to let them overtake it would be a nice thing to do.

If OP is driving at the speed limit so there is no need for them to be pushing up behind her wanting to go faster.

People who tailgate don't know who is in the car in front or how that behaviour might be impaciting their driving. Tailgating causes accidents and people who do it are selfish morons.

@nancywhitehead

^ If OP is driving at the speed limit so there is no need for them to be pushing up behind her wanting to go faster. ^

OP said she goes under speed limit on corners.

And don’t get me wrong, I hate tailgating.