Tailgating. Pull over or keep driving?

[Staffielove23]

I was driving on a country road this morning. It’s national speed limit so 60mph, and I drove at this speed for the straight bits slowing right down for the corners as it’s so bendy and I don’t want to end up over my line with a tractor oncoming or something like that. I had someone behind me, I think they must drive that road everyday, as they were getting right up my ass even on the bends. I mean I couldn’t even see their bumper and I had my kid in the back. So I indicated and pulled over to let them past as they were making me feel nervous. They lean on their horn and make some kind of hand gesture as they pass me. Was I being unreasonable to pull over?

@MelonFarmer shit did he die? That's awful

On a similar tack, I once missed a pile up by a mere hair’s breadth - caused by people driving far too fast and close after heavy rain - with a blinding late afternoon sun on top.

I was in the middle lane of the M3 as cars whizzed past in the fast lane, and was just thinking how much too close they were driving, when literally as I passed it, one car smashed so fast into the next that it ended up half on top of it.

I just carried on - couldn’t do anything else.
I don’t believe in guardian angels but that did make me wonder for a bit!

If the speed limit is 60mph it's safe to take the corners at 60 in dry conditions.

@Grumpybutfunny If you mean this as a general statement then this is the stupidest thing anyone has written on this thread. Typing gibberish would be less stupid.

A few years ago, my employer arranged for staff whose jobs involved a lot of driving around to have "safer, greener driving" training.

The guy who came out with me in my car was an ex police driving instructor and an advanced motoring trainer. He told me that the best thing to do with tailgaters was to ease off the gas a little from time to time, so that they didn't know you were slowing down, and they'd soon back off when they realised the gap in front of them was diminishing frequently.

It sounded a bit dangerous to me, but I tried it and it really works. I did get a torrent of abuse from a woman tailgater in a BMW convertible once though.

He did.
He exploded in apoplectic rage at the fine he got.

Just because there is a speed limit, it doesn't mean that you have to drive at that limit. When someone is tailgating you, the only safe thing to do is to drive more slowly, and pull over as and when you can. Either that or turn into a side road, or if there is a roundabout you can go all the way round it, which then puts them in front of you.

They were totally wrong, and I think they were probably annoyed that you innocently sped up along the straight bits, which prevented them from overtaking.

I thought you were meant to drive at or just below the speed limit?

I don’t want to be involved in their accident

Sums it up perfectly

Dreadful that person shouldnt be on the road.

Dont pull over for them ever.

It's people like that who make me hate driving. My ex husband used to drive like that. Complete arseholes.

In the winter, I had to take a bendy country lane in the dark and rain, facing the lights of on coming cars. I got peeped at twice because I wasn't going fast enough for the arrogant fuckers behind me .
But there have been long threads in the past from posters who are incensed that other drivers go too slowly. I'm surprised that none of them have rocked up on here.

Well clearly it depends on the corner! It’s madness to assume you can go round ALL the corners on a road at the speed limit. Don’t you have the signs with the recommended speed for the corner in the UK?

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · Today 14:38

I thought you were meant to drive at or just below the speed limit?

No, it's just the maximum, which has been assessed for safety on any particular stretch of road. If you drive consistently at an abnormally low speed, for no real reason, you can fail a test / be pulled over.

If you're in a 40 limit and there are loads of kids going to school and you decide to do 25 mph, that's sensible. If you just do 15 - 20 with few pedestrians and the road was clear and dry, that would be seen as problematic.

You should drive to the conditions, not the posted limit.

Taking corners at 60 on country roads? Nope. Seriously bad idea.

People do though. Candidates for the Darwin awards if you ask me.

It's one of the many things I don't miss about living in the countryside. Idiot drivers who don't think there just might be walkers/horseriders/livestock round the next corner.

I hate 60mph limits on small country roads for this. You get local drivers who know every bump driving up the bum of anyone observing the actual speed limit.

Sausagenbacon · Today 15:05

It's one of the many things I don't miss about living in the countryside. Idiot drivers who don't think there just might be walkers/horseriders/livestock round the next corner.

And born again bikers, who have regular runs. A few of us were out on bikes and several idiots on sports bikes came up behind, trying to intimidate us. One of them pulled alongside, pulled a wheelie and gave the middle finger.

They then overtook on a blind right hander. Seconds later, two of them were in a field and a hedge - we didn't stop to help. The Helmsley to Stokesley road, if that means anything.

@Grumpybutfunny thanks for explaining the mindset of the people who regularly crash into trees/walls/telegraph poles near me, I'd often wondered if you lot were just impatient or actually stupid so helpful of you to clear that up.

For anyone else reading, councils generally won't reduce speed limits on country roads because a) you're meant to engage your brain and b) it can actually make it more dangerous when you have 50% of people doing 40mph and the other 50% who think they know better. Can you imagine the cost and chaos of sticking a speed limit reduction up at every blind bend in the UK because it hasn't occurred to a few people there might be a tractor just round the corner?

I've never once regretted keeping of the way of a dangerous driver. I'd rather let some dickswinger think he's won than have to with the hassle of being crashed into, or worse. I've been proven right just the once so far, and was glad to be able to pull over safely and give my details as a witness to the couple whose car had just been smashed into.

This. I can’t be doing with arseholes on the road.

No, it's just the maximum, which has been assessed for safety on any particular stretch of road. Not strictly true. National speed limit roads in general not been assessed, which is why you can turn off a 59mph A road on to a single track lane with passing places and grass down the middle signposted as NSL

And the speed limit is simply the max - it’s not expected that you should be able to take a bend at 60 just because the rest of the road has a 60mph limit.

Originally, urban areas had a limit of 30mph and everywhere else had no limit. Which is why NSL signs don’t have a number on them, simply a bar to indicate you’re at the end of the urban speed limit area.

No. Don't be so idiotic. That applies only if it's safe to do so.

If the speed limit is 60mph it's safe to take the corners at 60 in dry conditions.

I take it you don't live in sheep country.

www.gov.uk/speed-limits

Some people need to read the first paragraph.

When it’s safe. Most country lanes are NSL ie 60, which is way too fast for safety on many of them. It would be suicidal to do 60 on some of the little roads round here.