People driving at 50mph on a 60mph road

[impossibldream]

I have to use an A road most days which has a national speed limit (60mph). It seems like I’m always stuck behind some idiot driving along at 50mph. I find it so hard not to get wound up. It just results in people trying to overtake (sometimes taking risks so I think it increases a chance of accidents) and generally increasing levels of stress. Why do people do this? AIBU to find it rude and annoying?

How does pulling into a layby seem silly and hazardous? How the hell do you pull over in a car? 😂

Some people don't want to do 60. Why on earth is this even an issue? Are you one of the annoying impatient tailgaters?

Love “It’s a limit - not a target”. Indeed.

Straight roads that I am familiar with I will go to 60 but if I don't know the road or its bendy I will do between 40 and 50. Based on your opening post YABU. Secondly, I don't get impatient. 40 is ok. I think if more people chilled out there would be less accidents.

I can drive safely and be comfortable at 120 - 140 mph on the motorway. But I still bet that if I did so, a journey from say central Cambridge to central London will be largely similar overall time if I do 60 mph on the motorway.

Urban driving - start stop, traffic lights, pedestrians, cyclists, random breakdowns - that’s what takes the time. It usually takes me 50 mins to get between the city limits - 90% of the distance - and 50 minutes to do the other 10% crawling around waiting for a bus to pull out of a stop etc.

You don't sound a very good driver OP, though of course you will think you are

'How does pulling into a layby seem silly and hazardous? How the hell do you pull over in a car?'

There was no mention of a layby in your pp just a silly suggestion to 'pull over regularly' as if people are going to do that to calm impatient arsey drivers.

This

I came on to say this.

Yabu op, for more than one reason.

This is what I was going to say!

I ( and lots of others) have really noticed there's been a massive increase in people driving more dangerously, aggressively, faster and erratically since the pandemic and I think you're part of the problem OP.
Calling someone an idiot for driving at 40 just shows that. Maybe they have small children and prefer to drive at a safer speed. maybe they don't. 30 in a 50 is dangerous. Not everyone wants to fly around and if you give yourself time to get there, you won't have a raised heart beat and be stressed by the time you get to work. It makes a big difference to just let it go!

So let's assume you drive on this road for 25 miles and it's the national speed limit all the way, no villages or roundabouts or traffic lights to break it up. So in the situation you describe, driving at 50 instead of 60 would cost you five minutes.

Of course it won't be a 25 mile straightaway, there will be villages and curves and other reasons to slow down, and you're probably only on it for a very few miles anyway. So in reality, you're probably "losing" a few seconds, at most. All the while fuming and stressing and probably driving more dangerously because of it- you'll deny it but if you're this aggro about a sunday driver, you'll also be accelerating/braking more aggressively than normal. Unsafe and also idiotically causing unnecessary wear and tear on your car.

Angry drivers are a scourge. It's not the person driving 50 mph who is the problem here.

The most dangerous thing you can be on the road, after drunk / high of course, is impatient and frustrated.

An angry driver is a dangerous driver. Calm down, hang back, and overtake when / if safe and legal to do so.

Someone else doing 50mph in a 60mph zone, whilst not ideal for you, is not a crime, and a vehicles top speed will depend on the driver, the vehicle, and the road conditions. Even if you see a modern car with a perfectly healthy looking youngish adult driver, you don't know if they have an injured or unwell child or animal in the back (for example), or fragile cargo, and are taking things more gently.

So focus on your own driving standards, and not those of others. If you think someone is going too slowly then hang back, and wait for a safe and legal place to overtake. If there isn't one, then just hang back.

Where else are they going to pull over? The verge? A ditch? Use your common sense. You use a layby, you don't just stop the car and wait for everyone to pass.

The fact that I have to explain lay-bys to you is worrying. I thought you'd know what they are if you can drive.

We live rurally. There are a lot of 60 mph roads around here that it would be madness to go at that speed at. There are lots of bends, often single track sections, horses, pedestrians, small children on bicycles, chickens, you have no idea what might be around a corner and on some stretches I routinely go about 20. You just need to evaluate the conditions and make choices.

It is annoying when you need to be somewhere and are stuck behind someone. It frequently happens us with tractors, herds of cows etc. I just try and leave lots of time for journeys so we can just listen to music we like and not get stressed about it.

50 in a 60 is fine. Doing 40 on a straight main A road in good weather, isn't. There are some locally that do 40 regardless of whether the limit on that part of the road is 30, 40 or 60.

I'm quite amused by the supposedly good drivers on this thread getting highly irritated by slower drivers.

Couple of things from the Highway Code:

146
Adapt your driving to the appropriate type and condition of road you are on. In particular
• do not treat speed limits as a target. It is often not appropriate or safe to drive at the maximum speed limit
...

147
Be considerate. Be careful of and considerate towards all types of road users, especially those requiring extra care (see Rule 2044_).
...
• try to be understanding if other road users cause problems; they may be inexperienced or not know the area well.
• be patient; remember that anyone can make a mistake.
• do not allow yourself to become agitated or involved if someone is behaving badly on the road. This will only make the situation worse. Pull over, calm down and, when you feel relaxed, continue your journey.
• slow down and hold back if a road user pulls out into your path at a junction. Allow them to get clear. Do not over-react by driving too close behind to intimidate them.

That’s such a bizarre attitude. If you have a line of traffic behind you then pull in when it’s safe to do so - it’s one of the many forms of common courtesies when driving. I’ve already said I tend to drive at 55 to improve my fuel consumption so I’m not speeding, but I wouldn’t be such a prat as to not to pull in if/when I could if I’ve got cars behind me who want to go faster. If nothing else, it’s safer when I can see them in front of me.

I try and be patient , I realise some people might ve just passed their test, some people might be like my dad a bit older and perfectly safe but happier at a slower speed, people might be conserving fuel etc etc.

It just results in people trying to overtake (sometimes taking risks so I think it increases a chance of accidents) and generally increasing levels of stress. Why do people do this?

People can drive 40 in a 50. It is entirely your choice to take a risk, increase your stress levels and increase the risk of injury or death. You decide how to react it.
How about slow down, increase the space between you and car in front and drive?

I do this on very sharp bendy roads where 60 seems ridiculous.

HGVs have their speed restricted to 56mph max so somewhere, in the distance, there'll be one of those which is slowing up the traffic

Rule 169 of the Highway Code states that motorists should not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if they are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle.

The main road into our nearest town is a 60mph limit, but there's only a few small stretches where 60mph is even slightly safe. Most of the road should really be driven at 40mph max due to narrow blind bends, and a heavy farm vehicle presence.

You can always tell when there's been a diversion meaning that people from the town have go through our village. They think the 60mph is the target, and then they tailgate and get awful road rage when you slow down for the dangerous parts.

They also get very irritated when you won't overtake tractors on a blind bend. Idiocy!

This is my biggest annoyance. Its like they only have one speed. We have a speed camera now in one of our local villages and I can see a lot of them being sent on Speed Awareness courses which hopefully will help.