Have I become old and impatient....

[TW]Fox · 16 Jun 2012 at 21:39

Deathwish said:
Don't get me started on people driving in the middle lane, but worst still has anyone tried using cruise control for more than a few miles? I was constantly overtaking cars going up an incline but then they'd pass me going down. Madness!! Learn how to drive at a constant speed idiots.

THIS!

I have cruise engaged for 90% of the time I am driving on Motorways and dual carriageways and its always the same cars that pull alongside, drop back, go storming past at 20mph faster than you, get caught up, you pull alongside, they overtake again, just... arghghg? all this and my speed hasn't varied at all..

Phemo · 16 Jun 2012 at 21:50

Deathwish said:
Mandatory minimum speed on the motorway, HGVs should NEVER have to overtake a car.

For the most part I agree, but there are of course always exceptions. For example, if you have a flat tyre and you fit your spare you could be restricted to 50mph (as is the case with most spares) until you get a new tyre on your other wheel.

Ephemera · 16 Jun 2012 at 21:50

Most of the 40 speed limits in and around my area have dropped to 30, espescially in the New Forest. I don't mind most of the changes but cannot understand why some of the roads which are only a cars width wide have stayed 60 (they aren't one way roads) while the more open roads have dropped to 30.

Down south we also seem to get an abundance of elderly people* driving 15/20 mph in 60 limits, making most journeys incredibly frustrating. In fact the standard of driving seems to have nose dived recently with far too many careless and rude drivers on the road.

* I'm aware that it's not just the elderly that drive slow/incompetently, but they take up about 80% of the poor drivers I see on a daily basis.

Trifid · 16 Jun 2012 at 21:56

Today I was in a long stream of cars that were doing 50-60mph on a dead straight wide single carriageway NSL and there hadn't been a car coming the otherway for a couple of minutes. I noticed cars in the distance were all jumping across to the other side of the road. I was thinking WTF has the road turned into a dual carrigeway without realising? Turns out there was a micra doing 20mph...

Deathwish · 16 Jun 2012 at 21:58

[TW]Fox;22154847 said:
THIS!

I have cruise engaged for 90% of the time I am driving on Motorways and dual carriageways and its always the same cars that pull alongside, drop back, go storming past at 20mph faster than you, get caught up, you pull alongside, they overtake again, just... arghghg? all this and my speed hasn't varied at all..

I'm glad its not just be that gets all RAGE about this. I have no idea how to fix this but I wish someone could as it drives me bonkers.

Phemo said:
For the most part I agree, but there are of course always exceptions. For example, if you have a flat tyre and you fit your spare you could be restricted to 50mph (as is the case with most spares) until you get a new tyre on your other wheel.

Well, yes, that would be a valid exception to the rule but the fact remains that on my relatively short journey up the M6 yesterday from Liverpool to Carlisle there were many times a HGV needed to pull out and overtake a car. It slows down the flow of traffic quite badly and is just dangerous in my opinion, as the quicker traffic needs to potentially move over from the left land all the way to the right lane.

Other than Education I'm not sure what can be done about it.

Dogbreath · 17 Jun 2012 at 10:26

[TW]Fox;22154797 said:
So you've driven along Gydnia Way lately too

I try not to

Typical council project; a huge investment in time, money and frustration on a scheme to inconvenience car drivers in favour of our dilapidated bus service.

They also simply removed the 40mph repeater signs across Laira bridge and toward the Morrison roundabout but with no signs (that I saw) about speed limits being changed. I wonder if a traffic order was ever actually put through?

poker_999 · 17 Jun 2012 at 10:32

[TW]Fox;22154847 said:
THIS!

I have cruise engaged for 90% of the time I am driving on Motorways and dual carriageways and its always the same cars that pull alongside, drop back, go storming past at 20mph faster than you, get caught up, you pull alongside, they overtake again, just... arghghg? all this and my speed hasn't varied at all..

Not every car has cruise control.

But I admit most of my motorway driving is off the sliproad up to 90 and cruise on.

Kenai · 17 Jun 2012 at 10:38

poker_999 said:
Not every car has cruise control.

Every car has a driver who ought to be competent to maintain a relatively steady speed though.

[TW]Fox · 17 Jun 2012 at 10:45

poker_999 said:
Not every car has cruise control.

I'm so glad you are around to point out the blindingly obvious lately.

lordrobs · 17 Jun 2012 at 12:24

I'm sure the increase in dawdling drivers is directly related to people living longer

I try to drive in a calm way these days and just go with the flow but when I come up on a car doing 20 mph under the speed limit I do try and get past and on my way as soon as I can... probably to mutterings of "maniac" and "he won't get there any faster"

Raymond Lin · 17 Jun 2012 at 13:12

lordrobs said:
I'm sure the increase in dawdling drivers is directly related to people living longer

I try to drive in a calm way these days and just go with the flow but when I come up on a car doing 20 mph under the speed limit I do try and get past and on my way as soon as I can... probably to mutterings of "maniac" and "he won't get there any faster"

I am often tempted to take a sideway glance and give them the evils, but i rather concentrate on the road ahead and do the overtaking manoeuvre over with as quickly and safely as possible.

When i had a Renault Twingo 1.2 (breathless little thing, I now know why James May said the fun in petrol engines you need to rev it until it pops). On day driving back on the Worcester-Hereford road, there are 2 little hills where the road turn to 2 lanes for about 100m. I recall being like the 3rd or 4th car in a queue of traffic, yet I still some how managed to be the first one pulling on the outside, drop a couple of gears and floor it up that hill and overtake them all. These people don't seem to appreciate how slow they were going, nor realise uphill = slower and you need to put some gas on it !

Dr Who · 17 Jun 2012 at 13:18

[TW]Fox;22154847 said:
THIS!

I have cruise engaged for 90% of the time I am driving on Motorways and dual carriageways and its always the same cars that pull alongside, drop back, go storming past at 20mph faster than you, get caught up, you pull alongside, they overtake again, just... arghghg? all this and my speed hasn't varied at all..

Ugh so true and incredibly annoying.

blueboy2001 · 17 Jun 2012 at 22:24

The dawdlers were out in force again today. 8 overtakes in a 25 mile round trip on A roads. The highlight was I came upon a Fiesta doing 40 in a 50 on a wide A Road, speed limit well signed with lots of repeaters. Not a major issue, I'd spotted a speed camera 100 yards up the road so decided not to overtake at that point and I followed at a sensible distance. Road is completely straight, no oncoming traffic for at least 300 yards where there was a bend.

10 yards in front of the camera, driver throws the anchors on hard. I was another 10 yards or so behind. I dropped a cog and sailed past him, through the camera at just under 50mph. Cue light flashing and gestures out of the window from the driver.