I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I was going to reply but Greenie said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. If there's room for me to undertake you then you're in the wrong lane.
Thats true but it doent make it right, the problem is people rarely check the nearside mirror before switching lanes, and this makes it risky, plus you piss off all those who are driving correctly.
Being in lanes 2 or 3 or 4 when inside lanes are free is not driving correctly
Because there are loads of patient drivers behaving themselves but quietly seething because they are stuck behind someone in the wrong lane, and then someone undertakes them and pisses them off again!.
I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I was going to reply but Greenie said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. If there's room for me to undertake you then you're in the wrong lane.
Thats true but it doent make it right, the problem is people rarely check the nearside mirror before switching lanes, and this makes it risky, plus you piss off all those who are driving correctly.
Being in lanes 2 or 3 or 4 when inside lanes are free is not driving correctly
Both are equally wrong, I just feel that undertaking is potentially very dangerous. I hate those who hog lanes and if people maintain correct lane discipline there would be no need to undertake but that doesnt make it safe when you do, and thats why I dont approve. I also dont approve of following close behind a lanehog because that is also dangerous. Im not saying that at some time I have never done these things but I realise its not best practise and shouldnt be considered the norm in a polite society like what we have. Otherwise where would we be without such rules?
Because there are loads of patient drivers behaving themselves but quietly seething because they are stuck behind someone in the wrong lane, and then someone undertakes them and pisses them off again!.
Again though, if they're behind someone in the wrong lane and are not overtaking then they too are in the wrong lane. They either need to overtake or get back in the inside lane. And if they did so, then I would not be able to undertake them. They're in the right lane and I don't have to undertake. It's a win-win!
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
3 or 4 years ago, I was caught speeding at 77 mph on an empty motorway. I decided that it was time to adhere rigorously to speed limits. Since that decision, I have arguably found driving more dangerous. One thing that I have come up against a number of times is 'getting stuck' in an outer lane. Let's say the speed limit is 50, it is heavyish traffic and you have just overtaken a slow vehicle on the inside lane. It can be very hard to get back to the inside lane. The result is that you get someone wanting to do 70 up your backside or, worse still, chancers carving into the inside lane dangerously and overtaking you on the inside. Then, another car does it and you become marooned in the outer lane.
I put this scenario to the speed awareness course lecturer and he just replied 'the outer lanes are for overtaking only', so I repeated my question but he brushed me off with 'I keep to the inside lane unless I am overtaking'. Hmm.
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
If it was relying on GPS the I would suggest that the car's speedo is more accurate. GPS has to play catch up.
Can anyone tell me the point of the 'National speed limit applies' signs?
If they need to put a sign up anyway....why not just put the applicable speed limit on it to avoid any confusion?!?
If they tell people who may have genuinely temporarily forgotten what the limit is there is less money to be made from fines.
They would argue that drivers should know. All about money not safety in reality.
Bang on, they want you to speed, its a stealth tax. If the government were concerned about safety they would limit all cars to 30 mph in urban areas or 70 on Mways via some sort of GPS system, I understand they have the technology to do this but the cost incurred to put limiters on all the cars would cost a fortune.
In then you've got the human rights issue too.
Bad driving is the main cause of accidents, but speed cameras cannot register bad driving.
Can anyone tell me the point of the 'National speed limit applies' signs?
If they need to put a sign up anyway....why not just put the applicable speed limit on it to avoid any confusion?!?
On an unlit road with no repeater signs the National Speed Limit always applies - so why the need for any sign? Most stretches of National Speed Limit roads are unsigned.
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
Glad to be of service.
If you can get yourself on to a motorway you can also double check your speedo accuracy against the motorway marker posts. These things:
They are (supposed) to be positioned accurately every 100 metres. So if you are travelling at a steady 60 mph you should go past 10 of them in a little over 37 seconds. (Probably best if your co-driver does the counting and time keeping!)
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
Glad to be of service.
If you can get yourself on to a motorway you can also double check your speedo accuracy against the motorway marker posts. These things:
They are (supposed) to be positioned accurately every 100 metres. So if you are travelling at a steady 60 mph you should go past 10 of them in a little over 37 seconds. (Probably best if your co-driver does the counting and time keeping!)
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
Glad to be of service.
If you can get yourself on to a motorway you can also double check your speedo accuracy against the motorway marker posts. These things:
They are (supposed) to be positioned accurately every 100 metres. So if you are travelling at a steady 60 mph you should go past 10 of them in a little over 37 seconds. (Probably best if your co-driver does the counting and time keeping!)
Ha, nice and easy to remember then!
In any event - probably best to try and avoid this guy!
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
Glad to be of service.
If you can get yourself on to a motorway you can also double check your speedo accuracy against the motorway marker posts. These things:
They are (supposed) to be positioned accurately every 100 metres. So if you are travelling at a steady 60 mph you should go past 10 of them in a little over 37 seconds. (Probably best if your co-driver does the counting and time keeping!)
Ha, nice and easy to remember then!
In any event - probably best to try and avoid this guy!
Tweeting at the time of the incident, Special Constable Alex Frost said: "1L Micra stopped for travelling at 100mph by a 84yr old grandad! I thought I'd seen it all!"
How did an 84 year old stop a car that was travelling at 100mph?
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
(though I'm sure no one really needs constant updates on my driving experiences) Drove past one of those electronic signs that gives you a smiley face and tells you your speed the other day - my car said 31, the sign said 28 then 27
I've been driving for more years than I care to think about. IMO, drivers these days are much more likely to stick to the speed limit than they ever used to - certainly around where I live.
There are exceptions however. People know that there are precious few black rats around now. So, if the roads are clear and there are no scameras, drivers will take the risk. In a similar way, on major roads people know that (except in variable speed/average speed sections of motorways and where there are road works) the scameras are set for a speed a little over the limit. What with that and many speedometers reading over optimistically, travelling at an indicated 76mph on a motorway is not going to get you into trouble.
One thing though - are you driving an older car - which is likely to have a less accurate speedo or has your vehicle got non-OEM wheel and tyre sizes which can lead to a speedo misread? Even worn but still legal or under-inflated tyres have a small effect.
Can you check your speedo accuracy against a sat nav or a mobile 'phone GPS app? You might think you are travelling at 30mph but in reality its maybe only, say, 27mph.
Unusually my car is slightly pessimistic it thinks 72mph is 70mph. Most tend to read the other way.
As for tailgaters. It's boring and however tempting it might be to brake-test them, if you feel uncomfortable the best thing to do is pull over and let them pass.
Finally keep doing the daily trips - practise makes perfect as they say!
Spot on - took a journey today and had my wife looking at my phone's driving app - consistently, the phone was giving an mph 2-3 miles lower than the car. I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
If it was relying on GPS the I would suggest that the car's speedo is more accurate. GPS has to play catch up.
The GPS is more accurate. Speedos always overestimate.
If you think your speedo is more accurate than the GPS, prop your car up so the tyres are off the ground then accelerate in gear. Your GPS will correctly state your car is going at 0MPH whereas your speedo will be incorrect.
Your actual speed will usually be slightly less than the speedometer due to calibration, tyre pressure, tread wear and road conditions.
Congratulations on passing your test Powell is Pleasant - never drive faster than you are comfortable with and always take road conditions into account. In heavy rain you may need to drive a lot lower than the speed limit and must leave a greater distance between you and the vehicle in front.
I hope you have been taught to drive properly on a motorway or 3/4 lane road; so many these days don't appear to have a clue how to drive on these roads. Always drive in the left hand lane and only move into other lanes if overtaking. When you have overtaken, move back to the left.
People don't seem to realise that if they are being undertaken, they THEY are in the wrong lane. The driving on the 4 lane A2 drives me crazy. Why do people feel the need to drive in lanes 3 and 4 when the lanes to their left are clear? The Police could have a field day in fining lane hoggers if there were enough of them about.
Are we the same person under separate log ins?
You have described the A2 perfectly!
Yep, frustrates the shit out of me too. The police made a big song and dance about prosecuting people for this but where are all these prosecutions? This driving behavior is a million times more dangerous than speeding on a motorway. If I've said it once I've said it a million times, the continentals do it properly. Stay in inside lane (right hand lane in europe) unless overtaking. Do your overtake and then move back over. Some drivers leave their indicator going to show they are overtaking and will get the fuck over (so for us this would be leaving our right hand indicator going) and this stops tailgating.
They are still weird for eating cheese and ham sandwiches for breakfast but they've got motorway driving sussed
I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I was going to reply but Greenie said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. If there's room for me to undertake you then you're in the wrong lane.
Thats true but it doent make it right, the problem is people rarely check the nearside mirror before switching lanes, and this makes it risky, plus you piss off all those who are driving correctly.
So what do we do? Sit in the outside lane making ourselves hoggers to overtake all the dickheads sat in the middle lane like fucking zombies? He's doing the correct thing. If the idiots in the middle lane had any sort of awareness and drove correctly then 'undertaking' would not be happening.
I hope the police jump on this and have a huge purge of people lane hogging. It's incredibly dangerous
Saw a mad speed limit in Reading today. Cones (no works, mind) along the M4 so limit reduced to 50mph. Take the exit slip off to a F.O. big roundabout and it goes up to 70mph. Almost a genuine w.t.f. moment except that there are so many stupid anomalies like this.
I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I find that the inside lane is often the 'fast lane' these days cos no bugger seems to want to use it! I happily zip along there and undertake pretty much everyone in the outside lane.
Well thats all right for you then, the fact that its dangerous isnt a worry, or the consideration of everyone else isnt an issue?
I was going to reply but Greenie said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. If there's room for me to undertake you then you're in the wrong lane.
Thats true but it doent make it right, the problem is people rarely check the nearside mirror before switching lanes, and this makes it risky, plus you piss off all those who are driving correctly.
So what do we do? Sit in the outside lane making ourselves hoggers to overtake all the dickheads sat in the middle lane like fucking zombies? He's doing the correct thing. If the idiots in the middle lane had any sort of awareness and drove correctly then 'undertaking' would not be happening.
I hope the police jump on this and have a huge purge of people lane hogging. It's incredibly dangerous
And it's only dangerous because the zombies in the middle lane don't check their mirrors and shoulder properly before changing lanes. It does however, make it harder for them to move back to the left and probably encourages them to stay in the middle lane because they are likely not particularly confident motorway drivers and people steaming up their inside probably intimidates them a bit.
The problem with middle land drivers is I think they are largely oblivious to the problems it causes - they are adamant that they are poodling along at the speed limit and therefore causing no harm, but they don't see the rolling traffic jam in the outside lane that can form behind them and sometimes prompts (rightly or wrongly) impatient drivers to do slightly reckless things to try and skip part of the queue.
Also, I would add a caveat to the eelier piece of advice to never drive faster than you are comfortable with. This is reasonable advice but you do need to drive at speeds appropriate to the road and situation - for example if you're only comfortable driving at a max of 65 stay out of the outside lane on a busy motorway even if you're stuck behind someone doing 55 - if you want to overtake, get yourself up to a sensible speed for the lane you are about join and then move over and once you're past you can move left and slow down again. That way you get past quickly don't become a rolling road block. People need to be more aware of other driver's blind spots too (particularly lorries) and it's a good idea to try and avoid cruising next to another vehicle, it you're not overtaking or being overtaken, try and keep a bit of clear road either side of you and never sit next to a lorry - I have seen a couple of accidents where a car has gotten sideswiped by a lorry and it isn't pretty.
Generally speaking though, a lot of drivers could do with a few lessons in consideration for their fellow man. Too many times you see overly aggressive drivers trying to bully other drivers out of the way and likewise you see lots of other drivers stubbornly holding up someone they think is driving irresponsibly. If you're holding someone up, do what you can to get out of their way because by frustrating them you're probably making it more likely they 'll do something reckless and cause an accident and likewise if you come across someone more cautious on the road, give them space and be more patient. If both those things always happened most drivers would have a lot less to complain about.
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
A situation some try to avoid on roads like the A 2 by driving in the middle lanes!
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
Stick to the speed limit if that's what you want to do. Nobody has a right to make you go faster, and if they get aggressive, enjoy the view of watching them get more wound up. And blow them a kiss.
I tend to go slightly over the limit, but if I'm behind someone who is spot on, I take a breath and sit back. If I'm in a mad rush and getting annoyed, I tell myself "maybe this is some crazy way someone from the future came back to save my life by slowing me down!"
But if you're on the motorway and someone wants to go faster, get out of their way. Don't sit in the middle or outside lane doing the speed limit. That's not how it works. You go up to 70mph in the inside lane until you have to overtake someone, then move back again. The only people who genuinely piss me off are the guys sitting in the other lanes under a blanket of "I'm doing the speed limit so I am staying here" - which is not even close to how it's supposed to work.
Edit: Didn't notice there were 3 pages of discussion already!
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
A situation some try to avoid on roads like the A 2 by driving in the middle lanes!
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
Ah that's fine if they plan to go straight back again! I had a huge lorry refusing to move over the other day and had to slam the brakes on as I joined the M25. That was scary.
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
A situation some try to avoid on roads like the A 2 by driving in the middle lanes!
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
You don't need to drive in the middle lane the whole time though Len - you get plenty of warning that a junction is approaching and when you can see the slip road you can watch for merging cars. You can either slow your speed to make room for them, speed up to get ahead of them or temporarily move over to leave the inside lane clear for them.
You don't need to be in the middle lane between junctions in case someone merges from the adjacent field full of cows.
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
A situation some try to avoid on roads like the A 2 by driving in the middle lanes!
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
You don't need to drive in the middle lane the whole time though Len - you get plenty of warning that a junction is approaching and when you can see the slip road you can watch for merging cars. You can either slow your speed to make room for them, speed up to get ahead of them or temporarily move over to leave the inside lane clear for them.
You don't need to be in the middle lane between junctions in case someone merges from the adjacent field full of cows.
And consideration for people entering the motorway that cars may not be able to move over due to the middle lane being used and/or some courtesy to lorry drivers who find it a real balls ache to slow down because they then have to go all the way back up the gears.
Drivers who merge onto a motorway at 55mph when the cars already on the motorway are doing 70mph causing the cars to all slow down coming up behind them, bloody accidents waiting to happen. Why don't the morons understand the problems this causes.
A situation some try to avoid on roads like the A 2 by driving in the middle lanes!
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
You don't need to drive in the middle lane the whole time though Len - you get plenty of warning that a junction is approaching and when you can see the slip road you can watch for merging cars. You can either slow your speed to make room for them, speed up to get ahead of them or temporarily move over to leave the inside lane clear for them.
You don't need to be in the middle lane between junctions in case someone merges from the adjacent field full of cows.
And consideration for people entering the motorway that cars may not be able to move over due to the middle lane being used and/or some courtesy to lorry drivers who find it a real balls ache to slow down because they then have to go all the way back up the gears.
Absolutely, people joining the motorway should be doing the same speed as the cars on the motorway by the time they get to the end of the slip road so they can just dovetail in - that's basic good driving.
My point was, people being shit on slip roads isn't an excuse for driving the entire length of the M1 in the middle lane.
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Italy!
I thought I was driving at 28, fairly reasonable on a 30 road, my phone says I'm only doing 25.
Thank you for the advice.
(this is assuming my phone is the more correct - if only I had some way of verifying that...)
If they need to put a sign up anyway....why not just put the applicable speed limit on it to avoid any confusion?!?
They would argue that drivers should know. All about money not safety in reality.
I put this scenario to the speed awareness course lecturer and he just replied 'the outer lanes are for overtaking only', so I repeated my question but he brushed me off with 'I keep to the inside lane unless I am overtaking'. Hmm.
GPS has to play catch up.
If the government were concerned about safety they would limit all cars to 30 mph in urban areas or 70 on Mways via some sort of GPS system, I understand they have the technology to do this but the cost incurred to put limiters on all the cars would cost a fortune.
In then you've got the human rights issue too.
Bad driving is the main cause of accidents, but speed cameras cannot register bad driving.
Also the national speed limit could theoretically be altered in part or in full so it is to avoid having to replace thousands of signs.
If you can get yourself on to a motorway you can also double check your speedo accuracy against the motorway marker posts. These things:
They are (supposed) to be positioned accurately every 100 metres. So if you are travelling at a steady 60 mph you should go past 10 of them in a little over 37 seconds. (Probably best if your co-driver does the counting and time keeping!)
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-33929339
How did an 84 year old stop a car that was travelling at 100mph?
Your actual speed will usually be slightly less than the speedometer due to calibration, tyre pressure, tread wear and road conditions.
They are still weird for eating cheese and ham sandwiches for breakfast but they've got motorway driving sussed
I hope the police jump on this and have a huge purge of people lane hogging. It's incredibly dangerous
The problem with middle land drivers is I think they are largely oblivious to the problems it causes - they are adamant that they are poodling along at the speed limit and therefore causing no harm, but they don't see the rolling traffic jam in the outside lane that can form behind them and sometimes prompts (rightly or wrongly) impatient drivers to do slightly reckless things to try and skip part of the queue.
Also, I would add a caveat to the eelier piece of advice to never drive faster than you are comfortable with. This is reasonable advice but you do need to drive at speeds appropriate to the road and situation - for example if you're only comfortable driving at a max of 65 stay out of the outside lane on a busy motorway even if you're stuck behind someone doing 55 - if you want to overtake, get yourself up to a sensible speed for the lane you are about join and then move over and once you're past you can move left and slow down again. That way you get past quickly don't become a rolling road block. People need to be more aware of other driver's blind spots too (particularly lorries) and it's a good idea to try and avoid cruising next to another vehicle, it you're not overtaking or being overtaken, try and keep a bit of clear road either side of you and never sit next to a lorry - I have seen a couple of accidents where a car has gotten sideswiped by a lorry and it isn't pretty.
Generally speaking though, a lot of drivers could do with a few lessons in consideration for their fellow man. Too many times you see overly aggressive drivers trying to bully other drivers out of the way and likewise you see lots of other drivers stubbornly holding up someone they think is driving irresponsibly. If you're holding someone up, do what you can to get out of their way because by frustrating them you're probably making it more likely they 'll do something reckless and cause an accident and likewise if you come across someone more cautious on the road, give them space and be more patient. If both those things always happened most drivers would have a lot less to complain about.
This thread, rather like the M25 on the rare occasions it works properly, has gone in a circle.
I tend to go slightly over the limit, but if I'm behind someone who is spot on, I take a breath and sit back. If I'm in a mad rush and getting annoyed, I tell myself "maybe this is some crazy way someone from the future came back to save my life by slowing me down!"
But if you're on the motorway and someone wants to go faster, get out of their way. Don't sit in the middle or outside lane doing the speed limit. That's not how it works. You go up to 70mph in the inside lane until you have to overtake someone, then move back again. The only people who genuinely piss me off are the guys sitting in the other lanes under a blanket of "I'm doing the speed limit so I am staying here" - which is not even close to how it's supposed to work.
Edit: Didn't notice there were 3 pages of discussion already!
You don't need to be in the middle lane between junctions in case someone merges from the adjacent field full of cows.
My point was, people being shit on slip roads isn't an excuse for driving the entire length of the M1 in the middle lane.