That I’m not going to speed just cos some dickheads are?

[Agsjsgkahs]

Hello

I drive to work each day, on a mix of motorway and city roads. Shift work so always before 7am and after 8pm.

I drive within 2mph of the speed limit. The area I live and work in has one of the highest amounts of speed cameras, red light cameras and police cars doing speed checks in the UK. I have zero desire to get 3 points.

Yet now and again( often a taxi driver) honks at me, today I was going 51 in a 50, and had this prick up my tail, going on the horn.

AIBU to stick to the bloody speed limit ?

If I was going 35 in a 50 I’d get it but I go the limit.

I slow down just to piss them off even more. I drive the M6 regularly and have this, usually BMW / Audi / white van man drivers....

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango

I slow down just to piss them off even more. I drive the M6 regularly and have this, usually BMW / Audi / white van man drivers....

Why don't they just move from lane 1 (where I presume you're driving, and being "slow" to them) into lane 2 or 3 and overtake you?

I really don't understand this post, I'm sorry.

If you think something is wrong with your car, find a safe place to stop, pull over, and do a walk around.

PP meant they slowed down because the driver behind was honking and therefore thought something was wrong with the car. It's happened to me a few times when I have been driving bang on the speed limit.

There's a road by me that goes from national speed limit (country road and impossible to overtake on), to a 20 with speed bumps and cameras, then a 30 (with no houses on for a stretch so looks faster than it is). The amount of tail gating through the fast stretch and the 30 is unbelievable. Funny how they don't do it in the section covered by cameras.

@SnackSizeRaisin

You could be prosecuted for doing 30 in a 50 for no good reason

Rubbish - the speed limit is a maximum, there's no obligation to drive at it. You can go any speed you like as long as it's below the limit
Tailgating however is an offence.

I got a mark on my driving test for going to slow so I thought it was wrong?

@SnackSizeRaisin

You could be prosecuted for doing 30 in a 50 for no good reason

Rubbish - the speed limit is a maximum, there's no obligation to drive at it. You can go any speed you like as long as it's below the limit
Tailgating however is an offence.

No that is not rubbish - what you are saying is wrong and inaccurate but posted in an "I know best" tone which I had to respond to because of the dangerous disinformation.

Yes the speed limit isn't a target. BUT - you can (and people have been) prosecuted for inconsiderate or dangerous driving on A and B roads and motorways. If someone is driving 30 in a 50 and a traffic police sees this, they may be concerned that this speed could cause danger to other road users who aren't expecting vehicles travelling at this speed. Traffic police are trained to look out for this and could pull someone over for "creating a hazard".

So whether they are right or wrong, traffic police do and have done this. People have been given points for it (careless driving offence) or asked to attend driver awareness courses.

You can argue the point all you like about the speed limit being an indicator and not a target, but please don't rubbish folk who are stating the legal guidelines for traffic police.

You can go any speed you like as long as it's below the limit

No, you can be given points and a fine for driving too slowly. (Also for braking without good reason). It's classed as inconsiderate driving as it may be a hazard to other road-users.

It's definitely possible (although unlikely) to be prosectured for driving too slow and it's very bad practise BUT it isn't the same as driving too fast as there's no predefined limit on what constitutes too slow for a given road and driving conditions. There are NSL roads near me where you wouldn't get above 15 MPH because they're increadbly windy and steep. Likewise even on a wide road if it was very foggy and icy you might need to drive well under the limit.

Do you always move over to the left if there is space?

Drivers that are evangelical about speed but dont know how to use a motorway or two lane road drive me nuts. Drive at the speed limits by all means but dont sit in the fast lane to do so

There's no way I'll start speeding just to please someone who's a prat.

I drive consistently at the speed limit, only lower when conditions necessitate but I frequently encounter tailgaters who cannot tolerate following a law abiding driver...especially a female one.

Added to which I have a dash cam to prove that I'm a safe driver in the event that someone collides with me - it would take a colossal idiot to film themselves breaking the law!

You need a pithy back screen sticker OP

Something like…
I work in A&E. Fancy a visit?
No
Don’t drive up my arse

Or
Are you my husband?
No
Stop riding my arse

Or
Are you a proctologist?
No
Stay away from my rear end

Drivers that are evangelical about speed but don't know how to use a motorway or two lane road drive me nuts. Drive at the speed limits by all means but don't sit in the fast lane to do so

There is no such thing as a fast lane in the UK. We have overtaking lanes, sometimes more than one but they are to be used to overtake at no faster than the speed limit except in very few circumstances (being an impatient arse isn't one of them). If someone is using the overtaking lane at 70mph and is actually overtaking then back off and stop being an arse.

People who hog the overtaking lanes at any speed without making progress overtaking are bad drivers - that I won't dispute.

On a single carriageway road there isn't much you can do. But, if you are on the outside lane of a 2+ lane road, move over to the far left. The traffic will flow smoothly and you will have less stress.

@PixieDust28

YANBU.

YABU about the taxi driver comment though.

Why? She's staying a fact.

There is no such thing as a fast lane in the UK. We have overtaking lanes,

It was a lazy use of language. But as you got the right idea of what I was saying, it did the job

@InTheDrunkTank

It's definitely possible (although unlikely) to be prosectured for driving too slow and it's very bad practise BUT it isn't the same as driving too fast as there's no predefined limit on what constitutes too slow for a given road and driving conditions. There are NSL roads near me where you wouldn't get above 15 MPH because they're increadbly windy and steep. Likewise even on a wide road if it was very foggy and icy you might need to drive well under the limit.

But those NSL roads that are windy and bendy where 15-20 mph is the realistic driving speed... those are never going to be the ones where someone is at risk from traffic police. You know this, I know this, so why this extreme example?

I wish there had been traffic police was last week, white Seat Ateca, 40 mph in completely clear lane 2 of 4... causing a hazard doesn't begin to describe it.

I think the point was being made that unlike speeding, where you are categorically breaking the law by exceeding the limit, there’s no prescribed speed for ‘too slow’. It will be a judgement on the road, the conditions, etc.

Drivers that are evangelical about speed but don't know how to use a motorway or two lane road drive me nuts. Drive at the speed limits by all means but don't sit in the fast lane to do so

What's the fast lane? And does it have a different speed limit?

@groundedagain

Drivers that are evangelical about speed but don't know how to use a motorway or two lane road drive me nuts. Drive at the speed limits by all means but don't sit in the fast lane to do so

What's the fast lane? And does it have a different speed limit?

As someone who started a whole thread on middle lane hogging, I'm not a fan of "fast" and "slow" lane terminology - but come on, in this case I clearly knew what they meant.. and they're right also about impeding progress when sitting in lane 3 or 4.

I slow down just to piss them off even more
Why retaliate? Why start behaving in a dangerous game that can cause an accident? That provocative behaviour is like a red flag to a bull sometimes.
All you need to do is continue safely at the speed limit, and when there is the opportunity move over so they have room to overtake.

The speeds on the roads/motorways/dual carriageways are a limit not a target, at times you will need to go slower i.e. busy, bad weather, unfamiliar roads, so you don't need to be always doing the limit

Why don't they just move from lane 1 (where I presume you're driving, and being "slow" to them) into lane 2 or 3 and overtake you?

@Ginuwine you literally can’t on the M6 in rush hour. Unfortunately everyone drives aggressively, defending their space in order to be able to move. Lane 1 is full of lorries, in fact most of Lane 2 is also full of lorries.

The section I drive on, just south of Birmingham, if you get in lane 1 you can’t actually get out again, no one will let you out, you’ll have traffic joining (usually lorries) at services and there’s no space to get out and you’ll end up in Birmingham instead of the M42.

I always move back over to the left, but rush hour is something else and I actually have to drive differently in order not to be sandwiched between two lorries.

If you don’t take up space, you literally can’t get out from behind a lorry, drive at a consistent speed, or get into the two right hand lanes as the motorway splits.

It is a different beast. My experience of the M1 in rush hour is much better to be honest.

@Ginuwine I'm not English & haven't heard that terminology but I'm happy you knew what it meant.

This is a perfect time to use a speed limiter, if you have one. Set it at 1 mph below the limit.

@Neron

I slow down just to piss them off even more Why retaliate? Why start behaving in a dangerous game that can cause an accident? That provocative behaviour is like a red flag to a bull sometimes. All you need to do is continue safely at the speed limit, and when there is the opportunity move over so they have room to overtake.

Oh, I always thought the correct thing to do when being tailgated was to slow down a bit (not ridiculously slow, and not by suddenly braking) especially if there is a car in front of you, as it gives you more reaction time and they’re less likely to go through your back window if you need to stop suddenly.