slow drivers

brat

Gilbert2 wrote: »

Of course they do!

I live rural and there is one particular road that is 10 miles long before reaching a roundabout either end.

At busy periods, one may have just a handful of opportunities to overtake, sometimes none at all.

I know, I use it daily.

And very often I have the misfortune to be stuck behind Mrs Muggins who is driving at 40 when the whole length is 60 mph.

Perfect driving conditions, no reason whatsoever to drive like that and all of us in a congo behind being dictated to by her!

I've even seen these idiots blissfully unaware of an emergency vehicle behind with lights flashing & sirens blaring.

They are a menace on the road just like a speeder and you won't admit it.

It obviously winds you up. But it's absolutely not illegal, sorry. You just have to find a little love in your heart for those with less driver skill than yourself, and set off 2 or 3 minutes earlier. You'll be one of them sooner than you think.

Gilbert2

brat wrote: »

It obviously winds you up. But it's absolutely not illegal, sorry. You just have to find a little love in your heart for those with less driver skill than yourself, and set off 2 or 3 minutes earlier. You'll be one of them sooner than you think.

The definition of inconsiderate driving is contained in section 3ZA (4) RTA, which states:

"A person is to be regarded as driving without reasonable consideration for other persons only if those persons are inconvenienced by his driving".

An emergency vehicle cannot set off 2 or 3 minutes earlier than being called.

Indeed, although in a different career, I too am regularly on call so can't always plan ahead.

You just have a completely selfish attitude.

You may need that ambulance one day too!;)

brat

Gilbert2 wrote: »

brat wrote:

Their choice of speed is their choice

But it isn't, is it?

Why do you continue to ignore this?

Because it's not correct. A motorist can choose to drive at any speed between 1 and 120+ miles per hour.

On a straight 'A' road a speed below about 35 might earn you some interest from the police in the same way as a speed over 70 might. you would be unlikely to be prosecuted for inconsiderate unless your speed was really slow, like <20/25 without moving over for some distance.

So to conclude; if a driver chooses to drive at any speed between about 30 and 60 (+10%+2) on a 60mph NSL road, they will be deemed to be driving in a manner that wouldn't ever trouble their licence, unless there was some significantly aggravating aspect of their manner of driving.

brat

Gilbert2 wrote: »

You just have a completely selfish attitude.

That's about as good as I'll get from you I think, so thanks. :beer:

Gilbert2 wrote: »

You may need that ambulance one day too!;)

I need them almost on a daily basis, and I patrol a rural county. I've yet to hear any of the paramedics complain about having difficulty passing Mrs Miggins when required.
They are actually about the easiest motorists to pass quickly and safely.

Joe_Horner

brat wrote: »

They are actually about the easiest motorists to pass quickly and safely.

C'mon, Brat, don't let reality get in the way of their prejudices

Although, I know what you mean - even my '66 Daf 32 (with 30 screaming horses under the bonnet) manages to overtake the 40mph'ers on a regular basis - it's the 50-55 brigade I have a problem getting past cos I tend to run out of road

steve-L

brat wrote: »

As I already said, you seem to be creating a whole new set of prejudices that have no part in the original concept - which was the concern over drivers who do 45 ish on an A road - nothing to do with old drivers wandering out of lane. ( although as an aside I'm sure I see many more HGVs go out of lane than elderly car drivers - especially on the motorway)

Strangely it seems to be the same drivers do both.

The real difference is that HGV drivers usually/often let cars pass when they can. Mrs Miggins however seems usually to either make no effort at all, or be aware of the cars behind or care if there are cars behind or if one is an ambulance.

I don't mind Mrs Miggins doing 45 on the 10 mile stretch IF she at least makes some effort on the places I could pass.

I had this the other day Friday evening (though on a 50 limit) ... on the same road as the two garages.... where I had been stuck behind Mrs Miggins doing perhaps 35 (and wasn't particularly in a hurry as I'd already missed putting my kid to bed*) and pulled in to let the ambulance through and Mrs. Miggins despite the blues and two's ignored it for a mile up to the next roundabout ....

*I was also trying to break the 50mpg limit on the commute!

The point is despite me wanting to get a trip average of over 50mpg so being happy enough at 700 rpm in 6th so not bothering to pass even when I could - had cars started queuing behind me I'd have speeded up to 50 so as not to inconvenience them.
Despite this I'd spotted the ambulance a mile away, Mr's Miggins either didn't see it behind her with sirens blaring or didn't think it should inconvenience her.

brat

Joe_Horner wrote: »

C'mon, Brat, don't let reality get in the way of their prejudices

Although, I know what you mean - even my '66 Daf 32 (with 30 screaming horses under the bonnet) manages to overtake the 40mph'ers on a regular basis - it's the 50-55 brigade I have a problem getting past cos I tend to run out of road

280 horses means I need almost no time or effort to pass. Even my own Touran with half the horses gets past with no drama.
Passing an HGV may take an extra second or so with some additional pre overtake prep time to ensure safety. I can envisage no scenario where the overtake of a 40mph Micra would be more difficult than a 40mph HGV in the same place.

mgdavid

brat wrote: »

Because it's not correct. A motorist can choose to drive at any speed between 1 and 120+ miles per hour.

On a straight 'A' road a speed below about 35 might earn you some interest from the police in the same way as a speed over 70 might. you would be unlikely to be prosecuted for inconsiderate unless your speed was really slow, like <20/25 without moving over for some distance.

So to conclude; if a driver chooses to drive at any speed between about 30 and 60 (+10%+2) on a 60mph NSL road, they will be deemed to be driving in a manner that wouldn't ever trouble their licence, unless there was some significantly aggravating aspect of their manner of driving.

Now you're wandering off topic and bringing in other factors. Here you are talking about the way the law is enforced currently, not the law itself.

UsernameAlreadyExists

brat wrote: »

280 horses means I need almost no time or effort to pass. Even my own Touran with half the horses gets past with no drama.
Passing an HGV may take an extra second or so with some additional pre overtake prep time to ensure safety. I can envisage no scenario where the overtake of a 40mph Micra would be more difficult than a 40mph HGV in the same place.

Not withstanding the fact that the double white lines are getting longer and longer ... and longer.
Where once was perfectly safe to overtake is now deemed inappropriate. They also seem to join sections of 30s together now between villages.
What really gets me is when you reach a point where you CAN overtake, only to be met with a convoy of traffic coming in the other direction also behind an equivalent rolling road block.
You can't get past these muppets these days. The roads and regs don't permit it.

EDIT: I love how one of my posts was removed earlier ... did I touch a nerve perhaps?

Peater

Well, i'm gobsmacked at how long this thread is between seemingly only 3 contributors.

At the end of the day, it's a 'problem' that will only get worse because we only have a finite amount of space on the road and more and more road-users every year on year.

You can either accept it and go with the flow, or you can get your panties in a twist about it for the rest of your life. Enjoy your heart-attacks!