To think I had every right to be in the right hand lane when driving the speed limit on a dual carriage way

[P3kingDuck]

Dh thinks not.

So I’ve had to do a speed awareness course a while ago so do my best to keep to speed limits at all times.

Driving home on a curving dual carriage way on a slight tilt. 50 limit signs every few yards and a speed camera sign. The lane on the right turns into a fly over which I needed to keep on. So I was in the right hand lane driving at 50. A car came right up to my bumper and kept flashing. I stayed in the lane and pointed at the signs. He kept flashing then overtook me in a dramatic fashion, zoomed off( so breaking the speed limit) then slowed down so ended up driving not that faster than me but still over the limit.

Dh said I should have pulled over. I don’t understand why. Nobody on that road should be doing over 50 so what would be the benefit of me pulling over if I’m doing 50?

I think the point was that you are only responsible for your own driving and you can't make other people drive safely as it may pose a risk to you.
My sdad used to believe he was a volunteer Traffic Officer and if he felt someone was driving incorrectly he would take it upon himself to use his car to "discipline" them by brake checking or similar.
It was bloody dangerous for all concerned.
If you see someone driving badly just get out of the way and let them get on with it. Report to The Police when/if you can do so safely if you want

This is from the Top gear website about flashing lights, so there was no reason for the twat driver to use them.

They may have been trying to get to a dying relative or a partner in labour….

Or just being a twat.

Yep. Both sides are in the wrong.

OP should have moved when she noticed the aggressive driver (if it was possible/ safe to do so before the turn).

Although, obviously, the aggressive asshole started it. If they had the tiny bit more patience required to wait the couple of seconds until the road split and OP got safely back to the left lane, there would not be an issue.

So I do have quite a lot more sympathy for OP.

Jesus, you just don’t get it! You were in the wrong. It doesn’t matter what the speed limit is, you dont use the outside lane for a Sunday drive! You were basically causing an obstruction in the overtaking lane.

Just move over!

Move out the way.

Flash your lights a lot do you?

Well it's not that clear cut is it, because the road was splitting and she had to be in that lane to come off. You can be in the right lane if you need to be because the road is splitting.

The aggressive driver could have just had a tiny ounce of patience to wait until after the fork when she presumably got back into the left.

This thread really shows off how average people don’t respect speed limit laws. “You shouldn’t police other people’s speed”. Oh okay, well in that case I should keep my mouth shut when I see a shoplifter or pickpocket as well because I wouldn’t want to be a vigilante now would I

No... Feel free to disapprove of people breaking the speed limit. I do too. Trying to 'police' other drivers' speed by disobeying the highway code yourself (e.g. by driving in the wrong lane) is stupid, dangerous and deeply hypocritical. Reporting someone for shoplifting or pickpocketing is not dangerous. Really bad comparison.

Unless you are overtaking or about to get to a roundabout and turn right on which case you can't move in you should always be in the left lane.

Did you keep both hands safely on the steering wheel as you pointed at the signs?

A single flash whilst travelling at a safe distance behind to say “I am here” is quite acceptable. Normally used when some digbat’s sat in lane 2 of an empty DC travelling at 10mph below the limit.

SHE was in the right hand lane BECAUSE SHE WAS GOING RIGHT.

FFS

He was a bully, good for you to stand up to him. Men think they can just push women off the road and break the rules of the road. You were going right and needed to be in that lane, you don't need to move over when doing the speed limit if that means you'll miss your turn off point. Also you should not be forced to break speed limits. I would have done the same as you.

Eventually. The road clearly hadn’t split and was, to all
intents and purposes, a normal dual carriageway.

I drive A LOT. I’ve started to dream about fitting a snow plough to the near side of my car to push middle/right lane hoggers back into the lane they should be in. Bit like robot wars.

1. He shouldn't have been speeding.
2. You shouldn't have been sitting in the overtaking lane if you weren't overtaking.

If the road was literally about to split off and you were simply in the right lane for the direction you needed to go in, then fair enough, but it sounds like you were near but not quite at that bit.

I get it because I find it stressful to change lanes in busy traffic, but that isn't a reason to hog the right hand lane when you don't need to be there.

I’d have done exactly the same as so called “idiot driver”, and I’m 100% female.

A MILE?!

OP shows a lack of situational awareness by framing her AIBU in terms of her right to use the overtaking lane by virtue of her speed (wrong) rather than in terms of her need to be in that lane because she is, in effect, turning right (we don't know whether she moved over 'too early' and in any case it's done now). She's also confrontational and doesn't acknowledge that the safest way to deal with a tailgater is always to get out of his way if you can.

PP criticising OP show a lack of situational awareness by not looking at the bigger picture. Lane changing close to a junction disrupts traffic flow. And if the tailgater is just the first in a queue of aggressive closely-packed drivers, she will miss her junction.

Lol I know! Just shows people are too scared to use their driving skills properly. They think it's too hard to pull in and out within the space of a mile!!! Wtf

You've obviously never had to go southbound on the M25 from northbound on the M3 on a weekday teatime...

You move over when the signs tell you to, and the sign there is about a mile.away from the junction

Do people really think it through like that? I think they move to the right after they see the junction sign, but only when the lane is clear as far back as they can see, then they assume that no-one will catch up with them and try to bully them back into the left lane. An assumption which falls down if and only if that other person is speeding.

'Get in lane' signs are usually set at half a mile, but can be more (this sounds like a straightforward layout though).

OP's attitude reminds me of this little verse:

Here lies the body of Thomas Grey,
Who died defending his right of way.
He was perfectly right as he sped along,
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong

🙄

Interesting that OP says she was on a speed awareness course. I attend up to 5 a year in a work-related capacity, and every time the trainers are singing from the same song sheet - if someone is driving aggressively at your rear, pull over and let them past.

OP posted because her DH thought she should have pulled over.
To have had the time for the knobber to approach, tailgate, flash lights and undertake, it's more than likely that there was sufficient time for OP to move left, release knobber to go about his urgent business and get back in lane again.

If the left lane was too busy to allow to pull in safely, why did OP's DH disagree with her?

It's not worth aggravating impatient, aggressive drivers and it's better to let them get off ahead out of the way than have them sitting up your rear bumper.

It's important to know rights when driving, but also when to give and accept that you share the road with idiots. Sticking to petty principles of absolutely being "right" does not lead to good driving, and adapting driving to the conditions around you.

If the left lane was too busy to allow to pull in safely, why did OP's DH disagree with her?

It's not entirely clear whether DH was in the car. Also, I really want to know now who was behind the knobber. Because, sometimes, it's knobbers all the way back. And once you've been swept aside, they're not letting you back in again.