Why do you drive everywhere at 40mph?

Jackmydad

DoaM wrote: »

You mean like Rainman?

Never seen it! Or is he a member here?

paulpud

Mercdriver wrote: »

Or the person bimbling along can pull in when safe to do so to let others pass

But these occasions are as rare as hen's teeth.

A lot of 'bimblers' are unaware of the convoy snaking out behind them and I'm sure caravanners take a perverse kind of pleasure from it.

iolanthe07

Driving at way under the speed limit for no reason is just bloody selfish. I'm retired now, but I really feel for delivery drivers and commercial vehicle operators, with a schedule to keep to, being stuck behind people like this. It is often impossible to overtake safely.

kmb500

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Driving at way under the speed limit for no reason is just bloody selfish. I'm retired now, but I really feel for delivery drivers and commercial vehicle operators, with a schedule to keep to, being stuck behind people like this. It is often impossible to overtake safely.

Isn't everyone selfish?
Sometimes you can't avoid driving slowly. A few months ago I was carrying an extremely fragile computer in my boot that came with no packaging, and had to drive it back from work in my car with rock hard tyres/suspension, on extremely bumpy / pothole-full roads. I drove at 20mph the whole way - and it's 60 all the way. I had a massive queue behind me. I felt bad, but at the end of the day, it was unavoidable and well this sort of thing happens from time to time. It was a 10 minute journey and it's one of only a handful of times I've had to drive slowly. But you never know, there may be a reason someone is driving slow.

motorguy

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

There's no obligation to drive at the maximum speed allowed. Each person has a right to drive at the speed they want and feel safe driving at so long as it doesn't cause a danger. I'd say 40mph in a 60 zone is quite acceptable but under 30 probably not. You can always overtake when safe to do so.

If someone is only capable of driving at 40mph in a 60 then i would call in to question their fitness to drive.

Whilst 60mph is a limit and not a target, theres really little excuse to be bimbling along at 40mph, often with a queue of frustrated drivers bumper to bumper behind them.

And often these incapable drivers then are off like a stabbed rat at the first sign of a straight where people could otherwise overtake them just to slow down to 40MPH again at the first sign of a corner. :mad:

motorguy

kmb500 wrote: »

Isn't everyone selfish?
Sometimes you can't avoid driving slowly. A few months ago I was carrying an extremely fragile computer in my boot that came with no packaging, and had to drive it back from work in my car with rock hard tyres/suspension, on extremely bumpy / pothole-full roads. I drove at 20mph the whole way - and it's 60 all the way. I had a massive queue behind me. I felt bad, but at the end of the day, it was unavoidable and well this sort of thing happens from time to time. It was a 10 minute journey and it's one of only a handful of times I've had to drive slowly. But you never know, there may be a reason someone is driving slow.

Yes, 9 times out of 10 you can be fairly sure of the reason.

AdrianC

kmb500 wrote: »

Isn't everyone selfish?

Indeed...

Sometimes you can't avoid driving slowly. A few months ago I was carrying an extremely fragile computer in my boot that came with no packaging, and had to drive it back from work in my car with rock hard tyres/suspension, on extremely bumpy / pothole-full roads. I drove at 20mph the whole way - and it's 60 all the way. I had a massive queue behind me.

So apart from your inability to prepare by taking - or sourcing - packaging, using a less inappropriate vehicle, or taking a different route... you completely ignored rule 169 of the Highway Code?

But you never know, there may be a reason someone is driving slow.

<looks back up to top of post>

neilmcl

kmb500 wrote: »

Isn't everyone selfish?
Sometimes you can't avoid driving slowly. A few months ago I was carrying an extremely fragile computer in my boot that came with no packaging, and had to drive it back from work in my car with rock hard tyres/suspension, on extremely bumpy / pothole-full roads. I drove at 20mph the whole way - and it's 60 all the way. I had a massive queue behind me. I felt bad, but at the end of the day, it was unavoidable and well this sort of thing happens from time to time. It was a 10 minute journey and it's one of only a handful of times I've had to drive slowly. But you never know, there may be a reason someone is driving slow.

Driving at 20mph in a 60 zone, and you don't think that is in anyway dangerous and inappropriate.

facade

40MPH? Far too fast!!

I drive everywhere at exactly 22MPH, making sure that I keep the central white lines under the centre of my car at all times.
I am very courteous to other road users, in fact if someone comes towards me I always stop to allow them to pass by, and whenever I approach an obstruction I always give way, whilst making sure that my car is completely blocking the route that the other vehicle needs to take.

At junctions I always wait, possibly as long as 15 minutes for the road to clear, yet whenever I pull out there is always a car that must be breaking the speed limit as it appears from nowhere, making a nuisance by blowing its horn and flashing its lights. :D

Norman_Castle

Its because fourth gear is the perfect gear. If you use fifth you will have change down again so changing up is a pointless faff. If you drop much below 40mph you might need third so best to avoid slowing too much.
Keeping your brain in neutral also helps.