whats the best way to make a slow driver go faster?

Derivative

mikey72 wrote: »

I think it's because most of them are idiots, who don't like to speed on there own.

That's pretty much what I tend to think too.
Unless you're driving on a single track road, noone is blocking you from overtaking.

And unless you're in an econobox, noone is going to be harmed if you go to 35 or even (gasp) 40mph for a brief moment to overtake someone driving before slowing down to 30.

alastairq

And unless you're in an econobox, noone is going to be harmed if you go to 35 or even (gasp) 40mph for a brief moment to overtake someone driving before slowing down to 30.

except that, [since you say the limit is 30?] such action would be unlawful.


A good driver firstly drives within the Law.

A cowboy driver does as they please.


Personally I would find such action incredibly inconsiderate.....especially if conducted within a rural NSL.

If I am [albeit not flat out] increasing my speed steadily with the intention of going to 60 mph....and some clown screams past doing 80, only to then sit right in front doing 58.....that, I find inconsiderate.


If confronted by a driver who doesn't appear to leave you much of a speed differential within the limit, then it is worth using your eyes to identify where such a driver might lose some significant speed.....and see if you can overtake at that point?

[At a visible speed camera site is one example? My favourite tactic...and one I have seen even the Polizei do....a sort-of motoring equivalent of blowing a raspberry.?


Of course, personally I am supremely confidant of controlling my speed within the limit.


Sorry if that sounds arrogant to the ordinary motorist, but given what I do for a living, absolute confidence and competence behind the wheel are essential,expected, and frequently assessed.

And is not hard to achieve, either.

mikey72

I usually find the worse ones are behind me on 50mph sections of the motorway. I do 50, eventually they do pull out, and trundle past at 53mph. And if they want to drive at 58mph in a 60 limit, that's good enough for me. Even if we drove all day at that, it would only take a few minutes longer to get there. (Of course, personally I am supremely confidant of controlling my speed within the limit as well. Unless I'm watching the other traffic, or changing the cd, or just drifted into autopilot and got to a uphill section, or a downhill bit, or been distracted by a really good accident, or probably a thousand other things that put me off.)

bazster

Gotta agree about the 40mph brigade, they get right up my nose. Someone who drives for miles and miles at 40mph in a 60mph limit, oblivious to the queue building up behind, and then blithely continues at 40mph when they reach a town, now oblivious to the 30mph speed limit, is not cautious or safety-conscious, they are a plain-vanilla incompetent idiot. But cruising to within inches of their rear in an attempt to hurry them up not only never works, it's dangerous, so don't!

BTW, I'm another of those who has an "idiot behind" detector which causes my vehicle to get progressively slower if someone tries to intimidate me when I'm making good progress near to the speed limit.

Lum

The funny thing about the idiot detector, as described above. I used to have a mate who was a really aggressive driver and he actually came up with a technique to exploit that.

When he was stuck behind a 50 in a 60 person who employed that tactic, he'd tailgate them ever closer and annoy them into dropping their speed further and further. Thing was he'd do it when he knew there was a small overtaking opportunity coming up soon, one he'd have no hope of actually using if the person were still doing 50. Then he'd just hoof it past them.

Dangerous: yes, Agressive: yes, Annoying: yes. But much as it pains me to admit it. It worked more often than not.

It's part of the reason why I just don't adjust my speed for a tailgater, at least not until the point where I just let them overtake.

bazster

Lum wrote: »

The funny thing about the idiot detector, as described above. I used to have a mate who was a really aggressive driver and he actually came up with a technique to exploit that.

When he was stuck behind a 50 in a 60 person who employed that tactic, he'd tailgate them ever closer and annoy them into dropping their speed further and further. Thing was he'd do it when he knew there was a small overtaking opportunity coming up soon, one he'd have no hope of actually using if the person were still doing 50. Then he'd just hoof it past them.

Dangerous: yes, Agressive: yes, Annoying: yes. But much as it pains me to admit it. It worked more often than not.

It's part of the reason why I just don't adjust my speed for a tailgater, at least not until the point where I just let them overtake.

Can't see the problem, doesn't bother me if they overtake and clear off until they reach the next person to intimidate. At least they are then out of my mirrors and I can resume my good progress at 58mph or whatever.

Strider590

I'm thinking of having one of these made up out of LEDs, mounted in my rear window

Lum

^^ you must not brake? You must not accelerate? You must not use your clutch? You must only use a car adapted to hand controls? What does that sign mean?

bazster wrote: »

Can't see the problem, doesn't bother me if they overtake and clear off until they reach the next person to intimidate. At least they are then out of my mirrors and I can resume my good progress at 58mph or whatever.

Trust me it bothers some people. I've been a passenger in this person's car enough times.

But I do agree with your sentiment. It's the same reason I'll just let them past rather than get into a needless conflict.

Strider is actually on the mark when he rants about people who get some daft idea about the law (e.g. NSL for a single carraigeway is 50) and then feel obliged to enforce their view of the law upon everyone else, e.g. by speeding up when someone attempts to overtake them, or by sitting in the outside lane of a DC at 58 mph. These people do exist, congrats on not being one of them

mikey72

Lum wrote: »

The funny thing about the idiot detector, as described above. I used to have a mate who was a really aggressive driver and he actually came up with a technique to exploit that.

When he was stuck behind a 50 in a 60 person who employed that tactic, he'd tailgate them ever closer and annoy them into dropping their speed further and further. Thing was he'd do it when he knew there was a small overtaking opportunity coming up soon, one he'd have no hope of actually using if the person were still doing 50. Then he'd just hoof it past them.

Dangerous: yes, Agressive: yes, Annoying: yes. But much as it pains me to admit it. It worked more often than not.

It's part of the reason why I just don't adjust my speed for a tailgater, at least not until the point where I just let them overtake.

Best place for them, in front where I can see them. Mind you I just had a funny one coming back. Row of a 4x4 with a horse box, PO van, little C1, car and caravan, BT transit, mpv, then me. Somedays you know you're going slowly. Still, it was about 2 miles at 40mph, not 60. So it added 1m onto my time. The porsche behind me was chomping at the bit though. He finally passed me after a t junction where most went left, the horse box, the transit, and me went right, he floored it and passed me into the village, and just made it through the build outs (without the right of way) nearly under another horse box coming the other way. I waited then caught him up behind the BT van. The horse box and the van turned off, he shot off, I caught him at the raised zebra, about 100m away. He shot off again, I caught him at the next traffic build out. Sadly, I had to turn off just after, as no doubt he caught another horse box leaving the village.

Strider590

Lum wrote: »

Strider is actually on the mark when he rants about people who get some daft idea about the law (e.g. NSL for a single carraigeway is 50) and then feel obliged to enforce their view of the law upon everyone else, e.g. by speeding up when someone attempts to overtake them, or by sitting in the outside lane of a DC at 58 mph.

Oh that old chestnut haven't had that rant for a while!! *takes deep breath"