..to get so frustrated with overcautious drivers?

[Joolyjoolyjoo]

I'm still seething from my journey to work this morning, which usually takes 20-25 minutes and today took 1hour and 10 minutes! The reason? It was raining. A phenomenon not entirely unknown in this part of Scotland, but which seems to instil great fear in many drivers. Now, I appreciate that wet road surfaces DO require an extra measure of caution- keep a safe distance, be vigilant in poorer visibility and use headlights. But is there really any reason to drive at 15 mph on a normal 40 road? To refuse to even attempt to go round a roundabout, despite having the right of way? And then to change lanes suddenly (although still at 15mph) without indicating? To stop suddenly because there is a puddle (not a flood, not even a large pool of water) on the road? Do people actually think this makes them a safer driver??

And another thing that bemuses me is road cone phobia. Say, for example, you are travelling along a single lane road, which normally then becomes a dual carriageway, but one of the lanes is closed and there are ROAD CONES!! Apparently there is a need to brake to 20mph (despite road signs advising that the limit is now 50, as opposed to the usual 60) and sneak past the road cones. Now, I can only assume that, as the lane is exactly the same width as the one in which you were previously travelling, and the road surface is clear, with no works actually taking place, that these people know something about road cones that I don't. Is it imperative that you sneak past in order that they don't jump out? Are they, in fact, merely sleeping, ready to attack your car in the manner of monkeys at a safari park, pulling at your windscreen wipers and trying to chew through your tyres? Why, why, why? can anyone enlighten me?

Don't get me wrong- I am not a speed freak, but I don't believe that being simply slower makes you safer in all circumstances. If people are really that fearful to drive, should they be driving at all? Or am I just a road-hog, who needs to learn to respect the serious nature of rain and the unpredictability of road cones? Well, am I?

Can see both sides of this because I LOVE driving and my colleages rib me constanly for driving around Central London when apparently there are trains running underground that would take me to the same places. And I once drove to Prague, because I was in Germany and couldn't resist follwing signs to 'Praha' just to see if it was Prague. (it was/is).
Hoever, driving in London I am CONSTANTLY checking my wing mirrors for cylcists/motorbikes because they do actaully apparate from nowhere, like in Harry Potter.
And yes, when it rains people suddenly get very nervouse, ut, tbh, I would much rahter this than the crazy lunatics who steam thru llike Jeremy Clarkson testing a new XYJH turbo ulta mean machine.On balance, slow and cautious is better, and I probably drive slower than I should becuase there qill ALWAYS be a maniac who does soemthing unpredictable, and just 'cos the speed limit is 30 does not mean there is a law agaisnt driving @ 29..

I also like driving with my eyes to the front, not constantly having to look in my rear view mirror to see if I'm offended someone by driving under the speed limit.

Morris, we now have an automatic plus I've done some refreshers, and even dh now grudgingly admits I'm a reasonable driver. So your plan of action is bang on.

But the main thing to overcome is worrying about fuming drivers behind you. So long as you're not driving stupidly slowly, let them fester. Good luck.

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For me, it's idiots who don't use indicators, idiots who sit in the middle or outside lane at 30mph and idiots who refuse to let other cars out of a junction into slow moving traffic OR take personal offence when someone filtering in DARES to filter in front of them I think everyone should have to retake their driving test every 5 years or so.

Riven (howdy! How's your DD today?) - in response to your cycling post, I've often cycled down narrowish roads where there's not a 3 feet gap, but definitely room for 1 bike and 1 car.

This is what happens.

Car 1: Vrrrrroooooooooooommmmmm!! Overtakes me gently, with no trouble.

Car 2: (about 5 metres behind car 1) Vrr- errrrm...vrr- errrrmm... (driver nervously twitches then decides to wait while I cycle down the entire length of the very long road.

Now I totally understand drivers being twitchy around cyclists. However. When you have seen a car in front of you and watched with your very own eyes as they happily overtook that cyclist. Surely if you've passed your test you can do it too? Hell, I've even done it during driving lessons!

I used to pull over to let these drivers through but then I realised that I would end up delaying my own journey several times a day for people who either have poor spatial awareness or are just nervous around bikes. So now I just carry on - some people eventually do pluck up the courage to pass me - Hurrah!

As long as you filter in to a proper gap, not the car's stopping distance - but there are so many merging drivers who expect you to either do an emergency stop and let them in, or pull over and let them in. If you are merging onto a main road you GIVE WAY, it's not your right of way.

Paolosgirl - absolutely agree with you - the scenarios that I am thinking about are during rush hours - when the traffic on a stretch of urban road is constant and relentless, travelling at 5 or 6 mph and there are NO natural gaps in the traffic. It makes me laugh when I see drivers refusing to make eye contact with another driver emerging from a side road just in case they have to let them out. I wonder how they manage when THEY are the ones waiting to try and filter out ?

Oh agree, absolutely. If everyone merged in turn, it would keep the traffic flowing. There are some drivers who will just not let other cars in, and as you said, won't make eye contact either! (Although, if a driver is being agressive and pushing in I tend to not let it in )

"I find it harder to keep a reasonable distance behind someone driving so slowly, as my normal instinct is to drive at 30mph"

Um... it should make no difference whether your normal instinct is to travel at 30mph because you should be using the road/gap/car ahead to make your judgement, not your speedo.

I am more cautious pulling out at roundabouts/junctions when I have children in the car because, if I misjudge, they are the ones who will be hurt if the car gets hit.

Obviously I do use the road ahead to judge my speed, but I feel comfortable travelling at a speed I FEEL reasonable- it feels artificially slow to drive at 15mph.

My last, and favourite, driving instructor (who finally got me through my test!) taught me that the most important thing in driving is observation and vigilance. He was always asking me what I thought that person at the roundabout/ junction/ on the pavement was going to do, and I am still very aware of what is going on around me when I am driving- I've avoided plenty of accidents by guessing that the guy who is indicating right doesn't actually LOOK like he means to turn right etc, and so I don't tend to focus on my speedometer. I think some overcautious drivers focus too much on going slowly and their own perceived hazards (eg rain!) and they don't focus enough on what is going on outside their little tin box.