Being overtaken...
Discussion
What is peoples gripe with this? Does it automatically mean you lose man points?
Last night I was travelling down the A12 which is a nice wide road. Doing 60mph. 11pm at night. I know the road really well. Its drizzling but not raining so the roads are damp but not soaking wet so I felt 60mph was fine. Noticed in the distance that a car was following another car with a big gap (over 200m) between them. Came round a bend onto a nice mile long section of straight to find the car doing around 35mph with the other car the same distance in front.
Thought great I can get past the first and naturally slow down behind the second for the next straight section. Checked my mirror, made sure I wasn't gaining too fast, car in front still going the same speed, checked again, signalled and moved out to overtake. Nice, smooth and safe. Until that is the car I was overtaking started accelerating. To the point that I was nearly past him but only inching past. I was faced with the option of flooring it and nipping in front or abandoning and pulling in behind him.
Because he had accelerated he had left me on the other side of the road when in theory I should have been past quickly, and if I floored it I would be on top of the car I was overtaking and would then be forced to brake heavily in front of him, reducing my braking distance and his. I opted to abandon and braked and pulled in behind him. He then slowed back down to 35-40mph.
Ironic however considering at the next 30mph village, I slowed down, he didn't. Next section of dual carriageway and I was gone.
Just amazes me that someone that was clearly doing 35mph because he didnt think 60mph was safe, because he would have been following the first car more closely, is prepared to put other road users at risk purely because he didnt want to be overtaken!
A***hole.
Last night I was travelling down the A12 which is a nice wide road. Doing 60mph. 11pm at night. I know the road really well. Its drizzling but not raining so the roads are damp but not soaking wet so I felt 60mph was fine. Noticed in the distance that a car was following another car with a big gap (over 200m) between them. Came round a bend onto a nice mile long section of straight to find the car doing around 35mph with the other car the same distance in front.
Thought great I can get past the first and naturally slow down behind the second for the next straight section. Checked my mirror, made sure I wasn't gaining too fast, car in front still going the same speed, checked again, signalled and moved out to overtake. Nice, smooth and safe. Until that is the car I was overtaking started accelerating. To the point that I was nearly past him but only inching past. I was faced with the option of flooring it and nipping in front or abandoning and pulling in behind him.
Because he had accelerated he had left me on the other side of the road when in theory I should have been past quickly, and if I floored it I would be on top of the car I was overtaking and would then be forced to brake heavily in front of him, reducing my braking distance and his. I opted to abandon and braked and pulled in behind him. He then slowed back down to 35-40mph.
Ironic however considering at the next 30mph village, I slowed down, he didn't. Next section of dual carriageway and I was gone.
Just amazes me that someone that was clearly doing 35mph because he didnt think 60mph was safe, because he would have been following the first car more closely, is prepared to put other road users at risk purely because he didnt want to be overtaken!
A***hole.
Nothing pisses me off more than this (someone speeding up, or being flashed, beeped, take your pick)
IT WAS LEGAL YOU DIV, IF YOU DIDNT DRIVE SO EFFING SLOW AND SPED UP TO A REASONABLE AND SAFE PACE I WOULDNT HAVE TO OVERTAKE YOU, AND WHEN I DO OVERTAKE YOU DONT GO MENTAL!!
(rant over)
I Imagine the sort of people who go mental at you for overtaking have never actually had the balls to do it themselves and think its the most dangerous thing since shots of arsenic. fking morons
(Ok now its over)
IT WAS LEGAL YOU DIV, IF YOU DIDNT DRIVE SO EFFING SLOW AND SPED UP TO A REASONABLE AND SAFE PACE I WOULDNT HAVE TO OVERTAKE YOU, AND WHEN I DO OVERTAKE YOU DONT GO MENTAL!!
(rant over)
I Imagine the sort of people who go mental at you for overtaking have never actually had the balls to do it themselves and think its the most dangerous thing since shots of arsenic. fking morons
(Ok now its over)
Similar thing happened to me, came up behind a car doing 40mph in a NSL during the day, on a road that I could see for about a mile in front of me... just as I over took him, he accelerated and tried to block me from carrying out my overtake, then when I past him and moved back into the lane he was flashing his lights and waving his arms around.
Edited by TLandCruiser on Sunday 21st September 16:00
People seem to really dislike being passed, I've no idea why.
Generally unless the car in front is taking the mick I'll just drive behind them, it's the clear road, a-road 40mph drivers who seem worst for it though.
A lot of stretches of A road around here have gone from long NSL sections to NSL>50>40>30>NSL>30>40>NSL>50 etc.
What I don't understand is those that sit at 40mph, through the NSL, 50, 40 & 30 limits, until an opportunity to safely pass them presents itself, usually in an NSL or 50MPH area.
They'll wait until you're half way past them, then start to accelerate as quickly as they can, normally just in time that you either have to boot it past or drop back (as the OP describes.)
They'll then normally return to their chosen speed (typically around 40mph but does vary!)
I really don't get it.
Generally unless the car in front is taking the mick I'll just drive behind them, it's the clear road, a-road 40mph drivers who seem worst for it though.
A lot of stretches of A road around here have gone from long NSL sections to NSL>50>40>30>NSL>30>40>NSL>50 etc.
What I don't understand is those that sit at 40mph, through the NSL, 50, 40 & 30 limits, until an opportunity to safely pass them presents itself, usually in an NSL or 50MPH area.
They'll wait until you're half way past them, then start to accelerate as quickly as they can, normally just in time that you either have to boot it past or drop back (as the OP describes.)
They'll then normally return to their chosen speed (typically around 40mph but does vary!)
I really don't get it.
Edited by Timfy on Sunday 21st September 16:23
If someone wishes to overtake me, I try to help where possible (pull in a bit and slow down slightly as they are overtaking where applicable).
I don't understand at all why people try to block others when overtaking. Even if someone is being aggressive, I would rather they be in front of me than behind frankly...
I don't understand at all why people try to block others when overtaking. Even if someone is being aggressive, I would rather they be in front of me than behind frankly...
SV8Predator said:
So DrDoofenshmirtz is correct and that's why the OP decided to pull back rather than boot it.
I could have outpaced him had I decided to accelerate - however choosing to do so would have put me at further risk, him at more risk, and the car driver that we were then both rapidly gaining on at more risk. If someone is going to be a complete douche on the roads I'd rather they were in front of me than behind me.
But yes my car is slow
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