Slow drivers on country lanes
Discussion
Blakewater said:
the link to the 2002 study that's often quoted but rarely foundhttp://apivir.org/acrobatpdf/taylorvoiesetrisques....
saaby93 said:
he link to the 2002 study that's often quoted but rarely found
http://apivir.org/acrobatpdf/taylorvoiesetrisques....
My brain!http://apivir.org/acrobatpdf/taylorvoiesetrisques....
MuZiZZle said:
Sometimes I drive at 55 on the motorway!!!!
For all those of you that non-stop complain about trucks being in your way on d/cs and motorways, that chap right there is one of the major causes ^.Anyway, back to the topic, yes the dawdlers do my nut in too. I often come up behind them in my truck on the A65 in the early hours and they barely get above 30mph on any stretch which has a bend (which is 99% of that road) and constantly on the brakes. I usually overtake them and strangely enough they soon manage to find the loud pedal after that, sitting 2" off my back doors at 56 and flashing their high beam.
All that jazz said:
For all those of you that non-stop complain about trucks being in your way on d/cs and motorways, that chap right there is one of the major causes ^.
Beacuse I'm doing the same speed as the trucks?How fast should I be driving? sometimes I like to sit in the inside lane and avoid the wacky races
Bebee said:
Snollygoster said:
Aren't the speed limits on national speed limit country lanes 30mph?
I'm on a country lane and it's 70, you couldn't do that speed if you tried, not without impact on a hedge or tree.MuZiZZle said:
All that jazz said:
For all those of you that non-stop complain about trucks being in your way on d/cs and motorways, that chap right there is one of the major causes ^.
Beacuse I'm doing the same speed as the trucks?How fast should I be driving? sometimes I like to sit in the inside lane and avoid the wacky races
It's perfectly possible to keep pace with an HGV in the inside lane and not cause any issues at all.
WRT the OP, I've had the opposite problem. Driving round Cornwall and Devon on narrow country roads with high hedges so plenty of blind corners. Add to this a lack of familiarity with the roads and I understandably wasn't driving very fast. The locals however treated the roads like a race track. Very disconcerting at times.
saaby93 said:
Country lanes have horses, bikes, bobble hats, tractors and
The problem is that the 30-40 everywhere drivers keep doing the same speed even past horses on narrow stretches when 10MPH would be too fast, and round blind corners oblivious to the possibility of a tractor parked out of sight.They are just as oblivious to these hazards as to the queue behind them on clear safe stretches. Then of course when they cause an accident through doing 40 when they should be doing 10, the cry goes up to reduce the limit. Which has no effect on them but hits the sensible drivers who slow down for hazards then get cracking when clear.
Who do you think is most likely to do 60 (or more) on a country lane, Motorcyclists or car drivers? Then ask horse riders which group most often slows down to a sensible speed to pass them on country lanes.
I live on a country lane and by far the worst problem are people in denial that the road, like many in the sticks , is 1.75 cars wide which means passing oncoming traffic is consensual or involves banging your car up the verge.Worst offenders- not MX 5s but idiots(often local farm lads) in F** You Pickups and 30 something women in designer shades(regardless of weather)in Audi S3s who are often appallingly inconsiderate .Being slow in the right places is essential - I see several prangs a year caused by people blindly (literally ) assuming there will be nothing around the corner. One wan**er I worked with drove straight into a tractor around a blind bend and blamed the tractor driver.....
MuZiZZle said:
All that jazz said:
For all those of you that non-stop complain about trucks being in your way on d/cs and motorways, that chap right there is one of the major causes ^.
Beacuse I'm doing the same speed as the trucks?How fast should I be driving? sometimes I like to sit in the inside lane and avoid the wacky races
Dr Jekyll said:
They are just as oblivious to these hazards as to the queue behind them on clear safe stretches. Then of course when they cause an accident through doing 40 when they should be doing 10, the cry goes up to reduce the limit. Which has no effect on them but hits the sensible drivers who slow down for hazards then get cracking when clear.
As discussed in the other thread nad highlighted by the scooter, it's the devolving of responsibility that can be the problem.The previously quoted info doesnt help. To some people rural roads are narrow twisty things barely wide enough for a car and horse. To the statisticians rural roads are anything outside towns and cities so include busy A and B roads, ex but still good A and B roads, villages that have built up around roads, as well as the quieter narrow lanes, all with any value of speed limit from 20-70
(yes you can get a safe NSL rural road with a bit of central reservation that has a 70 limit) as well as some good bends some bad bends some good junctions, some bad ones.
Now add to that mix where the accidents occur.
I like to enjoy a twisty country lane in a sports car at a brisk pace but have no issue at all with those who are driving a lot slower. Sure, I curse my luck when I'm held up but not the person doing the slow driving - they have every right to do so for whatever reason they choose; taking in the scenery, saving fuel, being very careful, problem with their car and they are limping home etc.
The roads are for everyone so we must accept that there will inevitably be a wide range of priorities.
What I would not agree with though, is dawdling unnecessarily during rush hours on busy roads. That is a nonsense and selfish. I'm not talking about doing the limit either, just keeping to a reasonable pace and not doing 20 in a 30 or 30 in a 50 etc.
The roads are for everyone so we must accept that there will inevitably be a wide range of priorities.
What I would not agree with though, is dawdling unnecessarily during rush hours on busy roads. That is a nonsense and selfish. I'm not talking about doing the limit either, just keeping to a reasonable pace and not doing 20 in a 30 or 30 in a 50 etc.
jmorgan said:
Whilst there can be the too slow, the limit is not a target. When I used to drive an elderly relative, slow was always best.
Slow can also be inconsiderate to other road users which can cause frustration and dangerous overtakes. I guess you could pull over occasionally to let them pass. When I was taught to drive the speed limit was a target. I was taught to accellerate up to it.vikingaero said:
Snollygoster said:
Aren't the speed limits on national speed limit country lanes 30mph?
Seriously? You think the NSL on a country lane is 30mph?! Just. Wow!
RichB said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
If it is a dual carriageway, NSL is 70. NSL B roads can be be dual carriageways, even with just one lane in each direction.
You've been on your speed awareness course 
My guy taking mine actually said a dual carriage can be as much as traffic cones down the middle; it does ot even need to be a solid barrier. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff