driving slow : your views ?

almillar

Sorry about quoting old posts, just catching up...

Jamie Carter:

It's quite simple. You don't move any closer than a safe distance until you are actually making an overtaking manoeuvre, otherwise you will be endangering yourself and other road users. And you indicate your intention to overtake by signalling. If you can't overtake without moving closer first, then it isn't safe to overtake. It makes no difference if you are driving normally, or if you are driving on blues, you still have to drive in a way that doesn't endanger other road users.

I understand your opinion that everyone should follow the 2 second rule at all times, that's fair enough and a safe way to drive. But IanMSpencer has given you a very detailed description of what the police driving training book 'Roadcraft', upon which IAM driving is based, tells you to do in overtaking. Yes, briefly breaking the 2 second rule.
You may not agree with the method, but it's a fact that it's in that book and that the police and IAM teach it. Yes, I've passed the IAM test.

Plenty of people saying here that they're happy to slow down a 'speeder' (either of your speedos could be inaccurate) so that they themselves are not impeded. I do understand your logic, but this really isn't good driving. Poor lane discipline (pulling out in front of someone) is no better than speeding, and you're just driving as badly as them. Their speed is none of your business, yours is none of theirs. Changing speed, up or down, is a fact of life and if you don't like it don't get in the car. I still don't want to condone speeding of course, but if you find yourself in this situation, it's possible that you could have thought further ahead and made a more smooth change of speed.

matttye:

Overtaking multiple vehicles is a perfectly legal manoeuvre, there's nothing wrong with that. Cutting me up to perform an overtake is wrong though. They should wait until I've gone past.

If by 'cutting me up' means them moving left one lane, passing you, and moving out in front of you, then it would seem that you had plenty of time (unless they're a real stunt driver!) to move over to the left and let them through. There's no shame in changing lanes!

the highway code does say that you should not perform a manoeuvre if it will cause other traffic to alter speed or direction.

Correct. This includes hanging around in the overtaking lane when you don't need to be. If there's someone behind you that has been going faster, they've had to slow down, and you may have been able to let them through.

Cornucopia

Nick_C wrote: »

You get people setting their CC to slightly different speeds, and cars in adjacent lanes travelling at similar speeds make overtaking a nightmare.

When I was fairly early into the CC experience, I was driving in France, on a N-road dual carriageway. As usual, not much traffic. I noticed another C4 in the distance and caught up, then managed to set the cruise control to the exact speed of theirs.

It was quite a surreal experience to be cruising through the French countryside for several miles, with the two cars running at exactly the same speed, and keeping a constant distance apart.

UsernameAlreadyExists

Cornucopia wrote: »

It was quite a surreal experience to be cruising through the French countryside for several miles, with the two cars running at exactly the same speed, and keeping a constant distance apart.

I see that happen all the time, on the outside lane of the motorways It's even better because more often than not, they're matching the speed of the people in lane 2 as well!! It's just like a steady stream of traffic with huge great big gaps in the left hand and teeny weeny little gaps in the right lane! Awesome

Iceweasel

Cornucopia wrote: »

It was quite a surreal experience to be cruising through the French countryside for several miles, with the two cars running at exactly the same speed, and keeping a constant distance apart.

That sound exactly like almost any Freeway in the US of A.

Except you can have cars and trucks all around you and as far as you can see into the distance too - all at exactly the same speed.

So so boring.

Cornucopia

Yes, yes...

It was just the two of us - that was the difference.

matttye

almillar wrote: »

If by 'cutting me up' means them moving left one lane, passing you, and moving out in front of you, then it would seem that you had plenty of time (unless they're a real stunt driver!) to move over to the left and let them through. There's no shame in changing lanes!



Correct. This includes hanging around in the overtaking lane when you don't need to be. If there's someone behind you that has been going faster, they've had to slow down, and you may have been able to let them through.

I don't mean that at all. I'm talking about when I'm overtaking multiple vehicles, usually trucks, and one of those trucks then proceedings to overtake themselves, cutting me up in the process and making me brake harshly.

Nothing to do with me hanging around in an overtaking lane. If I'm in an overtaking lane it's because I am about to overtake someone imminently.

Iceweasel

matttye wrote: »

I don't mean that at all. I'm talking about when I'm overtaking multiple vehicles, usually trucks, and one of those trucks then proceedings to overtake themselves, cutting me up in the process and making me brake harshly.

Nothing to do with me hanging around in an overtaking lane. If I'm in an overtaking lane it's because I am about to overtake someone imminently.

If this is on a 2-lane motorway or dual carriageway then you need to anticipate this, and be prepared for that - trucks need to move out and overtake other trucks - they are trucks after all - not a train.

If it's on a 3-lane motorway then you simply move over into lane 3.

If lane 3 is already occupied by vehicles overtaking you, then your problem is with those vehicles needing to allow you into lane 3.

matttye

Iceweasel wrote: »

If this is on a 2-lane motorway or dual carriageway then you need to anticipate this, and be prepared for that - trucks need to move out and overtake other trucks - they are trucks after all - not a train.

If it's on a 3-lane motorway then you simply move over into lane 3.

If lane 3 is already occupied by vehicles overtaking you, then your problem is with those vehicles needing to allow you into lane 3.

Yes, but the truck can't just move out whenever it feels like it. The driver must make sure it's safe to do so.

Also, let me make it clear that the vast majority of my motorway and dual carriageway driving is done on the A1 and A1(M), and at times when it's not very busy. In other words, it's not like the truck doesn't have any option but to pull out in front of me otherwise they'd never have a chance to get out... it's really quiet and they'd have ample time to overtake once I've passed.

bod1467

Except that they'd have to slow down to let you pass and so would take another 20 minutes to get up to overtaking speed again.

Iceweasel

bod1467 wrote: »

Except that they'd have to slow down to let you pass and so would take another 20 minutes to get up to overtaking speed again.

And probably have to make about 10 gear-changes.