How to drive slowly?
- Thread starter Five_Star
- Start date
I always drive slower/more sensibly when i have a car with lots of power that will punish my wallet if i lean on the throttle too much. Watching the onboard fuel monitor on one of my cars was like watching £20 notes disappear. Working hard to keep my mpg in the low 20's has seen the most sensible and smooth driving out of me.
There are some good points here, yes I absolutely rely on my license to work at different client sites and would be stuffed without it.
I’m pretty good on the motorways and in town, I religiously stick to 30. It’s the slightly more interesting and open A roads here in the North East that I find myself abusing, especially dual carriageways posted at 40 or 50. It’s the situation where the inside lane is trucks and slow cars so you find yourself nipping past, but then it’s a feeling of always on to pass the next one and suddenly your into license loosing territory.
I think a track day might be the best idea, I worked hard to get the car I wanted and really like to drive it but to do that isn’t compatible with other road users. It possibly doesn’t help that it is a lease so I treat it as disposable mechanically and it gets some hard use. If I knew like my other cars I’d have them for a few years and have to service them I’d almost certainly take it easier. I put 70K on a mk2 Focus ST in 4 years and never had had a problem driving that irresponsibly.
Perhaps it will take a ticket to slow me down as I’m upset with myself for falling back into the same pattern of driving and knowing I should behave better but until I’m punished I just know I won’t.
I’ve stopped listening to music, instead I listen to podcasts to try and keep things sane. I might give cruise control a go too seeing as it’s fitted, never used it yet.
I’m pretty good on the motorways and in town, I religiously stick to 30. It’s the slightly more interesting and open A roads here in the North East that I find myself abusing, especially dual carriageways posted at 40 or 50. It’s the situation where the inside lane is trucks and slow cars so you find yourself nipping past, but then it’s a feeling of always on to pass the next one and suddenly your into license loosing territory.
I think a track day might be the best idea, I worked hard to get the car I wanted and really like to drive it but to do that isn’t compatible with other road users. It possibly doesn’t help that it is a lease so I treat it as disposable mechanically and it gets some hard use. If I knew like my other cars I’d have them for a few years and have to service them I’d almost certainly take it easier. I put 70K on a mk2 Focus ST in 4 years and never had had a problem driving that irresponsibly.
Perhaps it will take a ticket to slow me down as I’m upset with myself for falling back into the same pattern of driving and knowing I should behave better but until I’m punished I just know I won’t.
I’ve stopped listening to music, instead I listen to podcasts to try and keep things sane. I might give cruise control a go too seeing as it’s fitted, never used it yet.
Mum has a Fusion, when I'm behind the wheel, that thing is the fastest car ever on the country lanes near her house. It actually handles well and has some poke despite it being an old person's car.
That's because you didn't buy it. You're immune to its disease!
It seems impossible to just cruise about at a slowish speed nowdays without an idiot every few seconds literally riding on your bumper getting all irate that your holding them up.
I cant even do 60 in the inside lane of the motorway in the morning's without it happening.
Also hate how 90% of people treat traffic lights like some kind of drag race and they just have to take off faster than anyone else to prove there peeeenasss is bigger than all the other driver's.
It makes me drive faster like a knob as they wind me up that much
I cant even do 60 in the inside lane of the motorway in the morning's without it happening.
Also hate how 90% of people treat traffic lights like some kind of drag race and they just have to take off faster than anyone else to prove there peeeenasss is bigger than all the other driver's.
It makes me drive faster like a knob as they wind me up that much
It seems impossible to just cruise about at a slowish speed nowdays without an idiot every few seconds literally riding on your bumper getting all irate that your holding them up.
I cant even do 60 in the inside lane of the motorway in the morning's without it happening.
Also hate how 90% of people treat traffic lights like some kind of drag race and they just have to take off faster than anyone else to prove there peeeenasss is bigger than all the other driver's.
It makes me drive faster like a knob as they wind me up that much
I find it hilarious how probably 50%+ of people on the roads don't abide by the speed limit at all...not even a bit.
The most infuriating though is people that go 60mph in a 70mph dual carriageway and then it drops to 50mph and they breeze past you...still at 60mph : /. I have a stretch like this on my way to work. about 2 miles of 70mp dual carriageway, then about 4 miles of 50mph dual carriageway (for good reason, lots of connecting roads,houses,businesses etc)
All the people i go past in the 70 bit go flying past me in the 50 bit.
What mindset are these people in? Deciding to go 60 when it is safe to go 70 but still 60 when it is clearly not safe to go 60.
I just laugh to be honest.
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2009
- Posts
- 7,292
If I want to drive slowly/abide by the speed limit.. Cruise Control.
OP - How old are you?
As you get older sometimes it's nice to just slow it down. I certainly found that when younger it was an always FAST AS I CAN FROM A TO B AT ALL TIMES!!!111oneoen situation with driving.
Not so much now. Certainly as your priorities change you weigh up the risks and rewards and make different decisions. Arriving 2 minutes earlier at the risk of your/someone else's life, your licence etc.
That or you will have a pant filling moment which makes your realise you are not the driving god at speed you think you are
As you get older sometimes it's nice to just slow it down. I certainly found that when younger it was an always FAST AS I CAN FROM A TO B AT ALL TIMES!!!111oneoen situation with driving.
Not so much now. Certainly as your priorities change you weigh up the risks and rewards and make different decisions. Arriving 2 minutes earlier at the risk of your/someone else's life, your licence etc.
That or you will have a pant filling moment which makes your realise you are not the driving god at speed you think you are
I long since gave up trying to get from a to b quickly as most of my driving is single lane a and b roads, unless it's midnight then no matter how many cars you overtake and whiz away from, you soon end up behind a lorry train or something and everyone else catches you up, meaning all you've achieved is wasting a load of petrol catching up to the next jam a bit quicker than the car behind.
Might sound odd but since owning a fast car I don't really drive fast. If you value your license it doesn't really become fun any more when you're hitting the speed limits without really pushing the car at all. Explains why a car like the MX-5 is so much fun.
As for driving fast without breaking the speed limit, that really depends on the road/conditions/time of day.
Cruise control helps, if you can't help yourself!
As for driving fast without breaking the speed limit, that really depends on the road/conditions/time of day.
Cruise control helps, if you can't help yourself!
Associate
- Joined
- 20 Dec 2010
- Posts
- 1,202
- Location
- Greater London
I drove like a maniac in my Fiat Panda 100hp and when someone tried following me and couldn't stop when I did they ploughed into the back of me and wrote it off. That put me off from that kind of lively driving probably for life.
I do speed but not much over the speed limit and only if the roads are completely clear but really I'm a changed man. After that I bought a 1.2 Suzuki Splash and generally take it easy.
I do speed but not much over the speed limit and only if the roads are completely clear but really I'm a changed man. After that I bought a 1.2 Suzuki Splash and generally take it easy.
Associate
- Joined
- 17 Jan 2015
- Posts
- 1,547
I guess you don't live on Tyneside then if you think the roads aren't busy?
Saying that though, you're never far away from good hooning roads.
I will say this though, I get frustrated with "dawdlers", the blanket lowering of all speed limits and the proliferation of speed humps (when I had my BMW they didn't bother me as much, in the recently acquired CTR, I notice a lot more).
One thing I suppose about the NE being slightly "behind the times" is we still have some freedoms and decent roads up here.
As for the speed of my driving, I trundle around town now. No point in getting a £100 fine when you can't even go fast anyway. If I want to drive fast, I get it out of my system in the wilds of Northumberland, Cumbria or Durham, where there are few traps to be seen, and fantastic roads and scenery.
I do like to drive fast, but I prefer the acceleration to the speed itself, I quite enjoy getting up to speed very briskly, but happy to stick cruise control on if the road allows.
I do often find myself pushing it on back roads that I know well though. It's hard to resist with the noise from a 3" turbo back exhaust, and 354BHP under my right foot!
Last year I did a track day, which I found helped somewhat. I need to do another couple this year I think!
I do often find myself pushing it on back roads that I know well though. It's hard to resist with the noise from a 3" turbo back exhaust, and 354BHP under my right foot!
Last year I did a track day, which I found helped somewhat. I need to do another couple this year I think!
I’m 34 this summer for those interested. Passed my test at 18 and driving regularly since leaving Uni.
I’ve got a Fiesta ST now since the Focus ST went. While the Fiesta has slightly less power, I feel you can drive it closer to the limit than the ST. This makes it more fun, but also seems to encourage bad behaviour more often. In some ways if you had more power would you be less inclined to use all of it less often?
I did actually take it easier going home yesterday evening. Leaving the town to get to the main A road takes about 10 - 15 minutes. A lad in a 182 Clio who was all over the place when he came past (lots of dual carriageway) and yet when we got to the main roundabout 10 minutes later in moderate traffic I was only two cars behind him having relaxed driving along.
Witnessing this and thinking about this thread I could certainly see myself in the way he drove.
With early finish Friday and the quiet half term roads going home safely is going to require some willpower. I’m going to really try and stick with cruise control, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up traffic light drag racing starts up to the limit.
I’ve got a Fiesta ST now since the Focus ST went. While the Fiesta has slightly less power, I feel you can drive it closer to the limit than the ST. This makes it more fun, but also seems to encourage bad behaviour more often. In some ways if you had more power would you be less inclined to use all of it less often?
I did actually take it easier going home yesterday evening. Leaving the town to get to the main A road takes about 10 - 15 minutes. A lad in a 182 Clio who was all over the place when he came past (lots of dual carriageway) and yet when we got to the main roundabout 10 minutes later in moderate traffic I was only two cars behind him having relaxed driving along.
Witnessing this and thinking about this thread I could certainly see myself in the way he drove.
With early finish Friday and the quiet half term roads going home safely is going to require some willpower. I’m going to really try and stick with cruise control, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up traffic light drag racing starts up to the limit.
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Oct 2009
- Posts
- 9,281
- Location
- United Kingdom
I've really slowed down nowadays after getting a ticket. Tend to keep and eye on the mpg guage and average as high as possible. For motorway/dual carriageways I'll happily sit at 65mph with cruise control on.
Personally I use cruise a lot of the time and have very much got into the habit of keeping to the speed limits.
Have to admit, that it drives me nuts when I see so many other drivers sitting at 35mph+ in 30 limits, and it's not even because of road safety.
The key point being that the number of speed cameras we have primarily exist only BECAUSE they are funded by the lemmings on our roads. If the majority of road users could keep to the limits for the majority of the time, then cameras would soon become financially unviable and we'd have the opportunity for the "odd" bit of genuine fun now and again.
Have to admit, that it drives me nuts when I see so many other drivers sitting at 35mph+ in 30 limits, and it's not even because of road safety.
The key point being that the number of speed cameras we have primarily exist only BECAUSE they are funded by the lemmings on our roads. If the majority of road users could keep to the limits for the majority of the time, then cameras would soon become financially unviable and we'd have the opportunity for the "odd" bit of genuine fun now and again.
It's easy to get into a habit of permanently driving in a stressed manner; always pushing to make what feels like 'progress'. It's very possible to drive only a couple of MPH over the limit with constant throttle input, slightly too quick for the conditions and your whole drive suffers because you're rushing into hazards, constantly braking lightly (nose to tail traffic on the motorway, anyone?), and then pushing forwards again. You don't realise it because it becomes normal, and it's how most people actually drive, but you are stressing yourself out and your driving suffers.
I found a course of advanced driving worked wonders. My instructor is a police class 1 driver and also a retired police driving examiner and instructor. The things you learn!! I now find that I make way more progress. To a passenger, you seem to be driving slowly and calmly but in fact because you're throwing your awareness far down the road and constantly planning your drive you end up making much more real-world progress. You barely need to use brakes, tend to use lower gears for flexibility, and you become much more harmonised with the forces, weight distribution and physics of the car and road. Also, you're aware of hazards developing before everyone else has even noticed the hazard you processed five hazards ago while formulating your driving plan, so you are always getting ahead of the pack.
Before I took AD I was driving about 5mph to 10mph over most speed limits, subconsciously engaging in the traffic light GP, and always arrived subconsciously on edge after a tiring drive. Post AD course I find I never break red-ring limits and make full advantage of de-restricted roads, and it's so smooth and calm I can drive for eight hours without feeling tired. I get to places faster, am getting around 5mpg better fuel economy, and everyone seems to enjoy the drive more.
Everyone thinks they're an above average driver, and statistically around half of them are wrong! You'd be amazed how much 99% of the population need to learn but don't. You can spend weeks just learning to change gear properly (seriously!), or how to brake really smoothly, or positioning for maximum safety, view and progress. It's massively engaging, really enjoyable and you'll naturally slow down.
When you realise just how much there is to take on board when you're genuinely paying attention and analysing hazards (especially around urban environments), you genuinely can't help but slow down. It's automatic, because your brain works so hard processing all the developing hazards and formulating your ever-changing driving plan that the speed just melts off until you consciously decide you need it (change of limit, overtaking, pressing on where suitable etc).
"Thirty MPH limit and I'm doing 30. Pedestrians ahead, mirror, position of safety straddling the central white lines. Off the gas, junction ahead, road markings indicate hazard ahead. Road sign confirms the hazard, mirror, taking a nearside position to negotiate the upcoming offside bend, back on the gas hard now..."
It's impossible to process hazards properly like this and speed around like a loon in a daydream. The latter is exactly how 99% of drivers carry out their journeys. They pass their test, then slowly relax into a zombie-like state of only analysing the major hazards (the car in front, someone stepping out) and their safety bubble only extends six feet in front of the car. In AD you should be analysing hazards right to the horizon and back again, and trust me it's very mentally engaging.
With a few week's practice under qualified tuition you'll find your speed melts away, you're much more relaxed and soon lose the 'traffic light Grand Prix' mentality because you come to understand that letting other motorists get out of your way to have their accidents elsewhere (far away from you) is the best way to keep yourself moving and away from things that will impact your drive and your passengers.
Buy a copy of Roadcraft, and I also very highly recommend this book by an ex-police instructor. You don't need a Kindle for the latter, you can read it in your browser. Then sign up with the IAM, RoADA or a suitable ex-police instructor in your area and have an assessment drive. You'll be amazed at the things you didn't know you didn't know!
I found a course of advanced driving worked wonders. My instructor is a police class 1 driver and also a retired police driving examiner and instructor. The things you learn!! I now find that I make way more progress. To a passenger, you seem to be driving slowly and calmly but in fact because you're throwing your awareness far down the road and constantly planning your drive you end up making much more real-world progress. You barely need to use brakes, tend to use lower gears for flexibility, and you become much more harmonised with the forces, weight distribution and physics of the car and road. Also, you're aware of hazards developing before everyone else has even noticed the hazard you processed five hazards ago while formulating your driving plan, so you are always getting ahead of the pack.
Before I took AD I was driving about 5mph to 10mph over most speed limits, subconsciously engaging in the traffic light GP, and always arrived subconsciously on edge after a tiring drive. Post AD course I find I never break red-ring limits and make full advantage of de-restricted roads, and it's so smooth and calm I can drive for eight hours without feeling tired. I get to places faster, am getting around 5mpg better fuel economy, and everyone seems to enjoy the drive more.
Everyone thinks they're an above average driver, and statistically around half of them are wrong!
You'd be amazed how much 99% of the population need to learn but don't. You can spend weeks just learning to change gear properly (seriously!), or how to brake really smoothly, or positioning for maximum safety, view and progress. It's massively engaging, really enjoyable and you'll naturally slow down. When you realise just how much there is to take on board when you're genuinely paying attention and analysing hazards (especially around urban environments), you genuinely can't help but slow down. It's automatic, because your brain works so hard processing all the developing hazards and formulating your ever-changing driving plan that the speed just melts off until you consciously decide you need it (change of limit, overtaking, pressing on where suitable etc).
"Thirty MPH limit and I'm doing 30. Pedestrians ahead, mirror, position of safety straddling the central white lines. Off the gas, junction ahead, road markings indicate hazard ahead. Road sign confirms the hazard, mirror, taking a nearside position to negotiate the upcoming offside bend, back on the gas hard now..."
It's impossible to process hazards properly like this and speed around like a loon in a daydream. The latter is exactly how 99% of drivers carry out their journeys. They pass their test, then slowly relax into a zombie-like state of only analysing the major hazards (the car in front, someone stepping out) and their safety bubble only extends six feet in front of the car. In AD you should be analysing hazards right to the horizon and back again, and trust me it's very mentally engaging.
With a few week's practice under qualified tuition you'll find your speed melts away, you're much more relaxed and soon lose the 'traffic light Grand Prix' mentality because you come to understand that letting other motorists get out of your way to have their accidents elsewhere (far away from you) is the best way to keep yourself moving and away from things that will impact your drive and your passengers.
Buy a copy of Roadcraft, and I also very highly recommend this book by an ex-police instructor. You don't need a Kindle for the latter, you can read it in your browser. Then sign up with the IAM, RoADA or a suitable ex-police instructor in your area and have an assessment drive. You'll be amazed at the things you didn't know you didn't know!
Not going to pretend I drive anywhere near perfect, but on my current commute I notice other people doing this constantly - always fighting desperately for those extra few feet of road!
Once you start noticing it, it's obvious to the point it's almost amusing how oblivious people are to how they're actually impeding everyone's (including their own) progress in their blind rush to get to their destination 30 seconds faster.
A perfect example is the M6, just here where it narrows from 4 lanes to 3.
Everyone in lanes 1-3 is so desperate to keep their position in the "queue" that they bunch up, leaving no space, and everyone in lane 4 is so desperate to get as far up the "queue" as possible that they drive right to the end of the lane and then force their way in, meaning they have to slow right down/stop, until they can force their way in and the people in lane 3 have to slow right down/stop to make room for the people in lane 4 forcing their way in, the people in lane 2 have to slow right down/stop to make room for the people in lane 3 forcing their way in, and the people in lane 1 have to slow right down/stop to make room for the people in lane 2 forcing their way in.
If everyone in lanes 1-3 left a bit more space, and people in lane 4 matched their speed to lane 3 and merged into one of those spaces, everything would keep flowing, but no, you MUST stay in front of that car!
It's the same in slow traffic as well - everyone changes lane to the one which is moving fastest. Newsflash - that lane is moving faster because everyone's just changed lane to the lane that was previously moving faster and is now stationary, and now they're all going to change back to the lane which is moving faster, meaning that one will slow down/stop. If everyone stopped constantly changing lane (forcing traffic behind them to brake), everything would keep flowing much better!
Last edited: