Tailgate and speed

Dimey

Lum wrote: »

If you're in a queue then things are a bit different. If you are joining or leaving at a speed lower than what lane 1 is doing then your motorway entry/exit technique is wrong. Sliproads are for acceleration and deceleration and then you merge at a speed that at least matches the lane you're moving into.

Admittedly there are a handful of sliproads on our motorways where this is not possible (M50, I'm looking at you, also that one on the M6 by Stoke before they lengthened it) but for the vast majority of them this is what you should be doing.

When you enter and exit a motorway you have to use lane 1 and of course you join lane 1 at the speed of the traffic flow. How could you not, you'd cause accidents if you didn't.

But lane 1 is normally travelling at a slower speed than lane 2 so you have to accelerate from the slip road to join lane 1 or decelerate to join lane 1 from lane 2.

Decent motorists will do these manoeuvres smoothly and not jerkily, slamming the accelerator on or off like a switch to try to instantly drive above an arbitrary 56mph or at 70mph.

Motorists who have this "must drive above 56mph or at 70mph" fixed in their minds are not reading the road conditions and adapting. They are focussing on the wrong thing.

Jamie_Carter

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

You are pushing against an open door with me.

I take more risks. Overtaking is a risk, moving lane on the motorway is a risk.

But consider this. Straight road, slow car in front doing 20 mph less than speed limit, no traffic coming the other way, mirrors checked, indicators put on, correct gear selected, foot to floor, overtake completed, move back to lane, select cruising speed and gear, carry on at speed limit. Watch the person overtaken Flash you in anger, becuase he/she thinks you are a dangerous moron, because a) They had no idea of your presence, b) they have no idea of the speed limit, c) the speed you passed them at and the noise from your exhaust woke them up, d) they think overtaking is worse than ...... think of a bad crime and insert ....... e) they have been brain washed f) they need their eyes testing, and g) there was a fatal accident on this stretch of road 4 years ago ... although that was in the dark, the driver was on drugs, and it was icy.. and h) they think we'll all die if we go over 45 mph:rotfl:

What you have just described is more like progressive driving. But you admitted to being an aggressive driver. Aggressive driving is what can lead to RTCs.

Iceweasel

Lum wrote: »

The opposite end of the scale is "Right, I'm at the national speed limit, which is 60mph, cruise control on, all I need to do now is sit in the middle lane for the next 270 miles, not drive into the back of anyone and I'll be totally fine, now where did I put my newspaper?"

I see this on the M6 with caravans - (Note -I'm not having a pop at caravans - I have one.)

I see many thoughtless folks with this attitude - they get up to 60 on their speedo, which is usually around 2mph more than the 56mph speed-limited trucks - they switch on the cruise-control - and then stay in lane 2.

Then the next caravan or trailer combo comes up doing a genuine 60mph (probably using a Sat-Nav to get it right) and is stuffed.

Can't use the 3rd lane, or undertake, mile after mile alongside trucks - a convoy of caravans, none of which want to pull in at all as the front one thinks he's on the max legal speed. I'm sure it never enters their heads that they are not actually doing 60mph.

But it all comes down to moving to lane 1 whenever it's clear for a bit.

Prothet_of_Doom

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

What you have just described is more like progressive driving. But you admitted to being an aggressive driver. Aggressive driving is what can lead to RTCs.

I may have used the wrong word.

More Assertive, and Aware.

Ultrasonic

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

That is why the limiters are set at 56mph, to allow for momentum. The speed limit for large goods vehicles on motorways is 60mph, and not 56mph as some people seem to think.

On many modern HGVs the limiter won't even allow momentum to take them over 60mph.

Out of interest, are you certain the the 56 mph limit comes from allowing for momentum? I don't know for sure at all, but I thought it came from being equivalent to a 90 kph EU limit?

Jamie_Carter

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

I may have used the wrong word.

More Assertive, and Aware.

Then that is fine. Just keep your driving progressive rather than aggressive.

Jamie_Carter

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Out of interest, are you certain the the 56 mph limit comes from allowing for momentum? I don't know for sure at all, but I thought it came from being equivalent to a 90 kph EU limit?

I was going by what a HGV instructor told me. So it could be a combination of the two. Or it could be that you are correct, and the instructor just added the comment as his own observation. Who knows, it works anyway.

Strider590

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Out of interest, are you certain the the 56 mph limit comes from allowing for momentum? I don't know for sure at all, but I thought it came from being equivalent to a 90 kph EU limit?

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

I was going by what a HGV instructor told me. So it could be a combination of the two. Or it could be that you are correct, and the instructor just added the comment as his own observation. Who knows, it works anyway.

There is an EU directive that says all HGVs used within the EU must be fitted with a limiter set at 90kph.
The momentum thing makes a lot of sense, but we all know that EU rule makers are sorely lacking in real world common sense.

Jamie_Carter

Strider590 wrote: »

There is an EU directive that says all HGVs used within the EU must be fitted with a limiter set at 90kph.
The momentum thing makes a lot of sense, but we all know that EU rule makers are sorely lacking in real world common sense.

I have to say that does make sense, especially as tachographs follow EEC laws.

So the momentum thing is just a bonus in the UK then.

smashingyour...

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

I have to say that does make sense, especially as tachographs follow EEC laws.

So the momentum thing is just a bonus in the UK then.

It's more likely something you're made up.;)

And no and before you start I can't be bothered to google it.