People who drive 40 everywhere

[PeRiO]

Sorry this subject has probably been done to death but I let it really annoy me today so just want to get it off my chest 🤣
AIBU to be annoyed at people who drive 40mph everywhere? Following a car home today, I live in a small village of which the road to it varies between 30/60. It isn't a bad road, fairly straight on the 60 bits but I appreciate 60 isn't a target speed but it riles me up when said car is happy to speed in the 30 bits but not willing to go a little faster in the 60 bits.

Anyone else?

My late OH used to call 40mph the Norfolk speed limit, whatever the posted limit was, for many drivers over a certain age!

Can’t help people who don’t want to be helped I guess, but the fact remains that if you can’t manage a concept as simple as acceleration sense then you’re a poor driver.

OK 🤷‍♀️

If NCD was that relevant, the NCD discount would be much higher than it commonly is. For example, Admiral maximum NCD (9 years) is only 27%!

Other factors have more influence on the total premium, such as the make and model of car, age, driver's age, numbers of years without offence nor accident, etc., number of years a licence has been held, etc., number of named drivers, address, etc etc.

The maximum discount for NCD is also typically 9 years, so it makes no difference if your NCD is 10 years nor 30 years, which kinds of proves that driving claim free for 40 years is no better than for 10 years!

It is also pretty cheap to have a protected NCD which again tends to suggest a full NCD isn't that much of an issue to the insurance firm.

But purposely changing down through the gears deliberately to slow down is putting immense stress/pressure/wear and tear on the clutch and gearbox and should be avoided.

Absolutely this. Brakes to slow, gears to go.

That happens here too, a major road is 50mph, when I turn into my single track road with passing places I could do 60mph. Apparently speed limits are determined by the use of the road and the amount of property along it, hence a little used 'road', the sort that's so narrow you can scratch both sides of the car at the same time, are derestricted.
I'm not sure if they still do it but some major routes in Germany used to have a minimum speed limit to deter dawdlers.

I was referring to drivers who don't slow down to 30 when driving at a consistent 40.

if you’re behind someone who brakes it’s impossible to judge whether they are just slowing gradually for an impending corner or because there is a real need to suddenly brake (ie an animal in the road Can't you tell by whether there's a rapidly decreasing distance between you and them?

parkrun500club · Today 11:35

And engine braking is much better for your car.

It depends on how you do it. If you lift off entirely and quickly, it increases stress through the clutch plate, but not if you do it gradually. Short shifting is even worse for your clutch. I come off the accelerator before braking, unless someone is close behind.

On the other hand, engine braking and short shifting to lose speed on motorbikes is taught to learners, as most have multi-plate oil bath clutches and can stand a lot more abuse.

@BIossomtoes what are you achieving by “tickling” the brakes? Unless you’re sending a message to a tailgater taking your foot off the accelerator will have the same outcome.

The car should know. You should be conscious of the distance between you and the car in front and take action to maintain it. Of course that's far easier to do if you're maintaining a decent stopping distance and not tailgating. (Sorry - I see you were talking specifically about tailgaters) The time when I do tap the brakes gently is if I'm rounding a bend and see a queue ahead of me that the car behind can't possibly have seen yet.

@MereDintofPandiculation yes but that will take a couple of seconds, by which time you will have had to have braked, probably unnecessarily.

It'll take a lot less than that! Two seconds is a long time in a car. Actually, I think I've misunderstood your post because up thread you said what are you achieving by “tickling” the brakes? Unless you’re sending a message to a tailgater taking your foot off the accelerator will have the same outcome.

Why are you asking me? I’m a shit driver who shouldn’t be on the road so anything I say is completely invalid.

@MereDintofPandiculation I always leave quite a large gap between me and the car in front on open roads so yes it would take a second or two for the gap between us to narrow significantly (I absolutely loathe tailgaters).

@BIossomtoes you questioned whether I knew how to brake gently up thread.

Speeding and tail gating cause more accidents than slower or inexperienced drivers

Well that’s why you shouldn’t be driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone as the OP says and it goes without saying that inexperienced drivers are often precisely the ones who speed.

And the biggest cause of accidents is failing to look properly - I’d be interested to see the correlation between inexperienced drivers and accidents caused by failing to look properly.

Try wearing the Cloak of Invisibility.*

*Riding a motorbike.

I'm not sure speeding causes accidents (except where you are going ludicrously fast eg round a sharp bend) but it does make them worse.

I agree that not looking properly or pulling out when you don't have time are much more likely to cause an accident. A few weeks ago I witnessed a nasty motorbike accident when a driver pulled across his path. She simply didn't see him. I have no idea how he wasn't killed - he didn't even break anything despite flying a few feet through the air. It wasn't his fault at all, she just didn't look properly. But if he had been speeding, I have no doubt that he would be dead.

Drivers and riders who are travelling at inappropriate speeds – exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions – are more likely to be involved in a collision and their higher speed means the collision will cause more severe injuries, to themselves and/or to other road users.

ROSPA quote.

Speeding is estimated to be a factor in around one third of all traffic fatalities in the UK so yes it causes accidents.

It's a "factor", not a "cause". The number of accidents "caused" by speeding is a lot lower. There are nearly always other factors such as being over the alcohol limit, being on drugs, not paying attention, vehicle faults, accidents "caused" by others such as a pedestrian not checking before walking into the road, cyclist not stopping at junctions, etc. You have to be very careful with statistics.

Well yes, and all those other factors cause accidents too.

Speeding clearly reduces your ability to react and avoid a collision. It obviously causes accidents.