Accelerating whilst being overtaken

[TWR]

It does not happen to me as I have a rear OBC, but on the other hand, let the clown pass.

[supermono]

You're missing the option you should choose:
"Don't drive at 30.0000mph instead (provided it's safe) go a little bit over and stop being an arrogant control freak trying to make a point"

This way you won't stand out as a dick and those susceptible to being frustrated by people like you won't get on your bumper or attempt to overtake you at the earliest opportunity.

Then at the end of the limit you can happily floor it and get on with your fun drive (not that you sound like the type who has much fun in her life)

It's all about rubbing along and being pragmatic in life instead of always trying to be smart.

[V8 Fettler]

supermono said:

You're missing the option you should choose:
"Don't drive at 30.0000mph instead (provided it's safe) go a little bit over and stop being an arrogant control freak trying to make a point"

This way you won't stand out as a dick and those susceptible to being frustrated by people like you won't get on your bumper or attempt to overtake you at the earliest opportunity.

Then at the end of the limit you can happily floor it and get on with your fun drive (not that you sound like the type who has much fun in her life)

It's all about rubbing along and being pragmatic in life instead of always trying to be smart.

In ye olden days, a following unmarked plod car would delight in provoking "slightly over".

[simoid]

Ah yes, the OP could've avoided all of this if he had just exceeded the speed limit through a village like a good driver.

[alangla]

I voted for let them pass & stay behind - always better to keep the idiots where you can see them and where you control the distance between you & them. It does mean you might be the one that needs to phone them an ambulance when the inevitable eventually happens though.

[rev-erend]

alangla said:

I voted for let them pass & stay behind - always better to keep the idiots where you can see them and where you control the distance between you & them. It does mean you might be the one that needs to phone them an ambulance when the inevitable eventually happens though.

Good point ..

An accident looking for a place to happen.

[Zod]

rev-erend said:

alangla said:

I voted for let them pass & stay behind - always better to keep the idiots where you can see them and where you control the distance between you & them. It does mean you might be the one that needs to phone them an ambulance when the inevitable eventually happens though.

Good point ..

An accident looking for a place to happen.

I'd rather not have to deal with it in any way.

If I am exiting a village, just coming up to the NSL sign, the road is clear in front as far as I can see and that distance is more than adequate to make a judgement as to safety and WVM starts to pull out to overtake me, I would have no compunction in changing down and accelerating away from him. Doing so involves no elevation of risk for either party and I woudl not have to deal with WVM again.

[MKnight702]

cmaguire said:

Rubber-Ducky said:

NSL. It's a C road with some nice twisty bits that can be enjoyed at speeds which won't land you in court.

That's highly unlikely. I'm not sure I can think of any road that is enjoyable at anywhere near the speed limit.

And this is precisely the problem I have with modern performance cars, they are too capable to enjoy at regular speeds. My Ultima is far too capable for regular use, the Westfield XI with it's 100bhp A Series and hard skinny tyres was a blast to drive full stop.

[ant leigh]

Reminds me of a similar experience last year. Driving through a 30 zone at, well 30, with a young lad in an AX GT sat behind. To be fair he wasn't tailgating but the NSL sign was just after a bend and I guess he knew the road (which I didn't) and he got his overtake started before I realised we had reached the end of the 30 zone.
Just took the option to let him past, dropped in behind and followed him through the first six or seven bends. When he almost crashed out on the final bend and my heart started thumping for him I put the brakes on and let him go. You can never be sure how big an idiot someone is. Better in front than behind.
Finally most of us would expect a vehicle we were overtaking not to accelerate and make an overtake more difficult so we should behave in the same way ourselves.

[julian64]

Why, just why.

Someone is driving feet off your rear bumper through a 30 zone and you like to drive to the limit.

If left to an open road this chap would certainly exceed 30 in a 30 limit.

No matter what people say on this thread and how macho your car is, and how powerfully built you are as a company director then let him pass you, and make it easy for him.

There isn't a crappy white van made that can't easily exceed every speed limit in this country. And there isn't a single determined guy in a white crappy van that won't still to your tail on country lanes to the point where you will be taking risks to try and lose him.

Ignore all the advice from the idiots on here and from the poll for that matter. Just let him be part of some other persons life.

He won't be holding you up because he will continue to exceed the speed limit and you won't. That distinction is far more important than how much power you have under the bonnet

[InitialDave]

julian64 said:

He won't be holding you up because he will continue to exceed the speed limit and you won't. That distinction is far more important than how much power you have under the bonnet

I expect many, many posters will share my experience, that this is often not true. Someone being a knob who has painted themselves onto your bumper in a 30 because they want to do 40 does not in any way mean they will then travel at a reasonable speed once in an NSL, and there is a strong possibility that you'll be stuck behind them doing more like 50.

[RogueTrooper]

InitialDave said:

I expect many, many posters will share my experience, that this is often not true. Someone being a knob who has painted themselves onto your bumper in a 30 because they want to do 40 does not in any way mean they will then travel at a reasonable speed once in an NSL, and there is a strong possibility that you'll be stuck behind them doing more like 50.

"Forty everywhere" isn't it?

[Sylvaforever]

Zod said:

rev-erend said:

alangla said:

I voted for let them pass & stay behind - always better to keep the idiots where you can see them and where you control the distance between you & them. It does mean you might be the one that needs to phone them an ambulance when the inevitable eventually happens though.

Good point ..

An accident looking for a place to happen.

I'd rather not have to deal with it in any way.

If I am exiting a village, just coming up to the NSL sign, the road is clear in front as far as I can see and that distance is more than adequate to make a judgement as to safety and WVM starts to pull out to overtake me, I would have no compunction in changing down and accelerating away from him. Doing so involves no elevation of risk for either party and I woudl not have to deal with WVM again.

Except.

Your [sic] driving behavior will be noted by all and sundry these days, especially those righteous drivers with a chip on their shoulders...
There was a sticky many years ago, possibly on the advanced driving forum, about the dangers of alienating your fellow road travellers along your journey in the event of a no fault incident/accident and their perceived opinion on your driving when they eventually arrive at your incident/accident some minutes later......

[Skyrat]

If he's already pulled out and you're aware of it then the sensible thing to do is let him past. Of course, you could be a dick and floor it.

Chances are he's going to tailgate you again once you both reach the limit, so let the ahole past and get on with your day

[Rubber-Ducky]

Skyrat said:

If he's already pulled out and you're aware of it then the sensible thing to do is let him past. Of course, you could be a dick and floor it.

Chances are he's going to tailgate you again once you both reach the limit, so let the ahole past and get on with your day

Maybe I was insufficiently clear in my original post - apologies if so. I had already started accelerating (as you do when leaving a 30 limit to NSL) when WVM pulled out. This is a situation where I'm not convinced that he Highway Code provides an obvious, safe answer as to what you should do. It says that, "Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous." However, if you're already speeding up when someone pulls out to overtake you (as was the case with me) then you're kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't: to suddenly stop accelerating when to do so is the normal course of action could be viewed as unpredictable.

If the overtaker is already overlapping with the overtakee then, yes, it's I'd agree that the overtakee should stop accelerating in order to expedite the completion of the overtake. However, that was not the case for me. If I had stopped accelerating and WVM had aborted his overtake and pulled back in at the same time then we would likely have collided.

The satisfaction of having complied with the Highway Code is unlikely to last long when you're eating hospital food...

[Toltec]

Rubber-Ducky said:

Maybe I was insufficiently clear in my original post - apologies if so. I had already started accelerating (as you do when leaving a 30 limit to NSL) when WVM pulled out. This is a situation where I'm not convinced that he Highway Code provides an obvious, safe answer as to what you should do. It says that, "Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous." However, if you're already speeding up when someone pulls out to overtake you (as was the case with me) then you're kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't: to suddenly stop accelerating when to do so is the normal course of action could be viewed as unpredictable.

If the overtaker is already overlapping with the overtakee then, yes, it's I'd agree that the overtakee should stop accelerating in order to expedite the completion of the overtake. However, that was not the case for me. If I had stopped accelerating and WVM had aborted his overtake and pulled back in at the same time then we would likely have collided.

The satisfaction of having complied with the Highway Code is unlikely to last long when you're eating hospital food...

To put it simply the WVM was trying to overtake an accelerating vehicle at a limit change, most people would think that was poor driving. You can get away with this if you are driving something that can easily out accelerate the vehicle in front, an RX7 R vs a van for example, but it is still rather rude.

[mko9]

simoid said:

REALIST123 said:

paintman said:

Ekona said:

Common sense says to let him past. Rather an idiot in front of you than behind you.

+1

This. Always best to have the idiot in front.

Really? I'd say miles behind is optimal.

I've never understood that "better to have the idiot in front of you" mentality. When you have an idiot in front of you, you have to be prepared and react to every inconceivable stupid action they could take. Even then, it is possible that they could cause an accident that you will be caught up in. Even if you pull to the side and let them go, they could still cause an accident up ahead that will delay you. Regardless, you are already delayed because you had to stop unnecessarily. Conversely, if you get by them quickly and safely, the VAST majority of the time you will never see them again - because they are driving like an idiot. At the next set of lights, they will be too busy checking their phone to notice the lights turn green. At the next transition to NSL, they will continue to bumble along at 40mph. They will be stopping to let people pull out of side junctions. They will be slamming on the brakes because they are in the wrong lane at the next interchange. Etc, etc.

No, in my opinion it is far better to have the idiot in the rear view mirror, where their dumbassery can't really affect me.

[Vaud]

mko9 said:

No, in my opinion it is far better to have the idiot in the rear view mirror, where their dumbassery can't really affect me.

Until they rear end you.

If they are in front you can drive defensively and control the gap. If they are behind, you can't.

[mko9]

Rear ending you is about the only thing they can do that can affect you, in which case they are at fault. But as I said, the vast majority of the time once you are past them you never see them again.

[Vaud]

mko9 said:

Rear ending you is about the only thing they can do that can affect you, in which case they are at fault. But as I said, the vast majority of the time once you are past them you never see them again.

They might be at fault, but it is still hassle.

If I want a spirited drive and find an idiot in front, I'd rather pull over and check my phone, map, Pistonheads for 5 mins, after which the idiot is at least 2-3 miles away.