Being overtaken...

[Cliftonite]

ORD said:

I think I have had police try to goad me into doing exactly this, and if I wasn't such a cynical and suspicious bugger, I might have ended up in the same position. It is outrageous behaviour to try to create an offence rather than detect one.

Goading, of one sort or another, is a fairly common occurrence, even with marked Police cars. Another reason for having cameras fitted to your own cars, front and rear.

Examples I have suffered are :

1. Marked car I was following slowing and pulling to left on approach to a Zebra crossing (Bristol)
2. Marked car following me at a fair distance suddenly accelerating up to the rear of my car when I was doing a steady real 50mph on a long straight road in a 50mph limit (Lincs - I have this on video)
3. Unmarked car matching my speed (up and down) as I was attempting (and continuously signalling) to change lanes in a 30mph limit so that I could turn left at bifurcation of the ways ahead . . .

. . . although on this occasion I had the satisfaction of being able to offer "words of advice" to the Police driver when he stopped me after I had cut sharply across his bows to turn left from the right-hand lane. (Northampton).

[moffat]

gavsdavs said:

That's very naughty - if you had felt bloody minded you could have contended that one - demanding to see any car video and telemetry plod may have had. It would have backed you up - his hard acceleration made it necessary.
Was it a sole plod in a car ?

Yes sole plod and sole me.

Not even sure his video equipment was on, he just showed me my average speed over a very short distance and clocked me at 86mph - which is the speed I needed to do to overtake.

To be honest I was about to hit a dual carriageway and properly gun it, so although I feel hard done by, if he hadn't got me there he really would have got me after the next roundabout.

[moffat]

Lincs Police do have a habit of goading.

I know they drive S3's cross country and a couple of people I know have come across them as they've approached their rear bumpers quite quickly and then tail to see if they get a reaction

[monthefish]

moffat said:

Lincs Police do have a habit of goading.

I know they drive S3's cross country and a couple of people I know have come across them as they've approached their rear bumpers quite quickly and then tail to see if they get a reaction

Plod, and defenders of Plod, will tell you this just doesn't happen. I know it does, as it happened to me.

[zeppelin101]

monthefish said:

Plod, and defenders of Plod, will tell you this just doesn't happen. I know it does, as it happened to me.

And yet it's only the internet where all these concerns are voiced.

[Cliftonite]

moffat said:

Lincs Police do have a habit of goading.

I know they drive S3's cross country and a couple of people I know have come across them as they've approached their rear bumpers quite quickly and then tail to see if they get a reaction

They got a reaction from me, but it was not one they were expecting, I guess. I reckon I got away with the unconventional hand (finger?) signal I gave them because they had already spotted the rear camera aimed at them!

[monthefish]

zeppelin101 said:

monthefish said:

Plod, and defenders of Plod, will tell you this just doesn't happen. I know it does, as it happened to me.

And yet it's only the internet where all these concerns are voiced.

Do you have anything to back up this statement?

[Paul Dishman]

9mm said:

zeppelin101 said:

9mm said:

Angry Dads. Possibly the worst drivers on the roads.

No, arrogant tossers who think their time is more valuable than anyone elses are the worst drivers on the roads.

Whether they are a dad or not is neither here nor there.

It's a general term to describe bad male drivers with kids in (typically) something crap like a people carrier.

They may also be arrogant tossers. The same is true of people driving light commercials badly. We call them white van man, even if they or the vehicle are any shade of the rainbow.

Angry Dads are those who are emasculated by the wife and children and bitter about having to drive a Vauxhall Zafira

[smithyithy]

9mm said:

zeppelin101 said:

9mm said:

Angry Dads. Possibly the worst drivers on the roads.

No, arrogant tossers who think their time is more valuable than anyone elses are the worst drivers on the roads.

Whether they are a dad or not is neither here nor there.

It's a general term to describe bad male drivers with kids in (typically) something crap like a people carrier.

They may also be arrogant tossers. The same is true of people driving light commercials badly. We call them white van man, even if they or the vehicle are any shade of the rainbow.

It's the fact that they're so at ease with putting the lives of their family at risk for the sake of their own ego..

To a lesser degree but still infuriating is the 'soccer moms' I see most mornings, 1, 2, 3 kids in the car, ususally not even belted in or sitting down properly, while the mom plods around 30 zones at 40, dodging morning traffic while texting her BFF about last nights X-Factor.

Just, stop. Don't have kids.

Edited by smithyithy on Monday 29th September 12:58

[matchmaker]

moffat said:

In 2007 an undercover traffic policeman did this to me at 10.30pm on a dry summers evening (him in a dark metallic green Skoda Octavia VRS me in a bright yellow Honda S2000).

I followed him at 45-50mph in a single carriageway NSL, came to a roundabout which had 2 straight-on lanes, I went to the outside took it steady until I got to the exit and drilled it in 2nd to get past safely, he had the slightly easier line and to my surprise nailed it. Obviously I didn't think it was a cop so used 3rd to get past and probably hit 85ish getting past before steadily slowing back down to 60-65mph.

After a mile or so the blue lights in the radiator came on and I pulled over.

Him - Why were you speeding?
Me - Why did you accelerate so hard when I went to overtake you after driving at 45mph? If I thought you were going to do 60mph I would have just stayed behind you (genuinely as I wasn't in a rush).
Him - The point is you must have been going at 85mph to get past me.
Me - Now getting a little annoyed, ask the same question again and he blanks me.
Me - I do apologise for breaking the speed limit which I acknowledge was wrong but I was trying to overtake you safely and as quickly as possible. Did you notice that I came back down to the NSL?
Him - Yes, but you still did 85mph to get past me.
Me - I can't win this and I think what you did was pretty dangerous so just give me the ticket please and I can get on with my journey.

He even had the cheek to say that he was surprised how quick my 'little' Japanese car was!! I did answer with "much quicker than your Skoda it seems"... probably didn't help

I lost a lot of faith with traffic plod that day and received 3 points and £60 fine.

As the Octavia VRs was never available in that colour, you probably managed to outdrag a 1.9SDI

[FiF]

monthefish said:

Plod, and defenders of Plod, will tell you this just doesn't happen. I know it does, as it happened to me.

I have to say this was me. I always thought it was complete twaddle. Why do it. Motoring offences are like shooting salmon jumping over a weir.

Until it happened to me. Not a particularly bad case and to be fair it could have simply been a case that she wanted a closer look as to who was driving. But catching up rapidly four times? Not biting love so slowed down from dot on limit to PL-5. Be on your way.

I'm not at all good looking but maybe she has a Daddy thing.

[smithyithy]

Oh and on topic..

I have no problem whatsoever with being overtaken, if people do it safely I'll make no issue with them passing me by.

What does irritate me is people that have to make a 'point' of overtaking - as if they're saying 'LOOK! I'm passing you!!! Haha, I can pass the world!!!!11.' Also..

Accelerating towards the back of my car before moving over at the last second, barely missing my rear quarter.

Passing me on a wide enough road, inches from my wing mirrors.

Overtaking then cutting back across and nearly hitting my front quarter.

Overtaking at 40 in a 30, then getting annoyed when I catch them a short while later still doing 40, but in a 50..

As mentioned above, charging past a queue of traffic and expecting to just bully their way back in.

These, among other things. Basically, like many parts of driving, overtaking can be perfectly safe, the problem is that idiots also drive, so more often than not, it's not at all safe.

Oh, one last one that has caused me to have words with somebody in the past.. NSL single cariageway, me on my bike, doing a safe ~55, in the middle of the lane because of a sub-par road surface.

Car behind drops a cog and makes the move to pass, half his car in my lane, half his car in the opposite lane.. Unbelievable to be honest, I felt the air as he passed, he was that close.. and the lanes were plenty wide and clear enough too, he just thought because I was on a bike he could share my lane!

Edited by smithyithy on Monday 29th September 13:01

[mph1977]

matchmaker said:

moffat said:

In 2007 an undercover traffic policeman did this to me at 10.30pm on a dry summers evening (him in a dark metallic green Skoda Octavia VRS me in a bright yellow Honda S2000).

I followed him at 45-50mph in a single carriageway NSL, came to a roundabout which had 2 straight-on lanes, I went to the outside took it steady until I got to the exit and drilled it in 2nd to get past safely, he had the slightly easier line and to my surprise nailed it. Obviously I didn't think it was a cop so used 3rd to get past and probably hit 85ish getting past before steadily slowing back down to 60-65mph.

After a mile or so the blue lights in the radiator came on and I pulled over.

Him - Why were you speeding?
Me - Why did you accelerate so hard when I went to overtake you after driving at 45mph? If I thought you were going to do 60mph I would have just stayed behind you (genuinely as I wasn't in a rush).
Him - The point is you must have been going at 85mph to get past me.
Me - Now getting a little annoyed, ask the same question again and he blanks me.
Me - I do apologise for breaking the speed limit which I acknowledge was wrong but I was trying to overtake you safely and as quickly as possible. Did you notice that I came back down to the NSL?
Him - Yes, but you still did 85mph to get past me.
Me - I can't win this and I think what you did was pretty dangerous so just give me the ticket please and I can get on with my journey.

He even had the cheek to say that he was surprised how quick my 'little' Japanese car was!! I did answer with "much quicker than your Skoda it seems"... probably didn't help

I lost a lot of faith with traffic plod that day and received 3 points and £60 fine.

As the Octavia VRs was never available in that colour, you probably managed to outdrag a 1.9SDI

the police/ ES / big fleetsdon't buy retail - 'wrong colours' is easy especialliy if it;s a factory colour for another model / variant ... how many makers sell a vehicle in RAL1016 or BT grey as a retail option ...

SRi/ lower sporty or cooking interior in a VXR / VRS/ R model again not a problem

although leather seats in a plod vehicle do make sense from a wipe clean perspective

[moffat]

matchmaker said:

As the Octavia VRs was never available in that colour, you probably managed to outdrag a 1.9SDI

To be fair it was 1) 7 years ago, 2) 10.30pm at night and 3) I really didn't give a st about his car.

It was a VRs as he seemed to be a bit of a 'fanboy' (and a complete t1t).

[CapnSlow]

bulldong said:

I have no problem with being overtaken and I overtake regularly. What really fks me off though is that the road in front of our house is a village road but it's uphill and 80% of people are doing more than 50mph in a fking 30mph where it's highly likely that kids are running around.

I always go at 30mph and regularly get s up my arse 1ft off my bumper. I slow right down to turn into my drive.

fking bellends. It brings out the worst bits of my human nature and makes me into a neighbourhood watch wker. So much so that I am busy compiling a bunch of pictures of speeding cars with a speed camera software I have bought for my webcam so that I can go to the council and tell them that despite what they say, there is a problem with speeding in my village.

I have no problem with speeding, overtaking, even driving like a . I do have a problem with wkers who do it where it is inappropriate. Don't even get me started on the fktards who drive 40-50mph in a nsl and then 40-50 in a village.

I think we must live in the same village

[wc98]

stedale said:

The right car for overtaking is essential, nothing says "I don't give a fk" like shooting 2 foot flames from the exhaust as you change up on the way passed.

no,nothing says i do not give a fk more than staring at them,smiling,whilst approaching a blind bend. they will brake first every time.

[theboss]

FiF said:

Impasse said:

Thing is, he got away with it. All of it. Including the bits you didn't see beforehand and afterwards. So no matter how excruciatingly toe curling it must have been to witness, in his mind it was all good. Because his driving technique provided tarmac space dividends to him he'll never stop doing it, maybe even take more extensive risks in future. And all will continue to be good - until it suddenly becomes bad.

No, I don't know what the solution is either.

Must admit that's one of the things that causes me to have a tut tut.

Let's face it, all of us from time to time end up in a camel train with any opportunity to overtake removed by the inability to get all the way to the front legally and safely. Plus there aren't any spaces which allow a return in a "queue hop" situation.

The ones that grit my dinner are those who come piling down with the expectation that they will shoulder their way in.

Locally on a dual carriageway, previously nsl now 50 and 40, with acres of white paint and solid white lines reducing it to one lane every few hundred metres with regular camera vans/bikes and unmarked patrols, the ones which cause my ire are;

firstly the knobs in positions 2 and 3 who could overtake but don't.
secondly the idiots piling down and then barging in.

Particular contempt is reserved for the ones where I have seen them coming, eased off slightly to make a bit more space as I can see the single lane bit immediately ahead. But they ignore that space and elbow in front of the geezer in front who has closed up on the person in front to try and keep them out. In the end they both end up slowing right down and the ripple effect goes back. tts.

But they continue to find space and don't make contact so they go on doing it. No I don't know the answer either.

I don't seek to excuse the 'Zafira Dad' as I generally agree with the stereotype and dislike them immensely however... I think that *anyone* at any point in a queue should help to facilitate an overtake by maintaining gaps, backing off if need be etc. and letting people in. This whole contempt for anyone 'attempting to pile down and then barge in' smacks just ever so slightly of the anti-overtake sentiment the thread was based on... IMHO... I will often attempt to clear a queue from quite far back because quite simply, on most occasions, no other bugger will. Most of the times I've ever 'barged in' and received the obligatory beans are when somebody has aggressively floored it, solely to narrow a previously safe intra-queue gap and give me a hard time about my 'queue jumping'. Maybe I need a Touran

[ORD]

theboss said:

FiF said:

Impasse said:

Thing is, he got away with it. All of it. Including the bits you didn't see beforehand and afterwards. So no matter how excruciatingly toe curling it must have been to witness, in his mind it was all good. Because his driving technique provided tarmac space dividends to him he'll never stop doing it, maybe even take more extensive risks in future. And all will continue to be good - until it suddenly becomes bad.

No, I don't know what the solution is either.

Must admit that's one of the things that causes me to have a tut tut.

Let's face it, all of us from time to time end up in a camel train with any opportunity to overtake removed by the inability to get all the way to the front legally and safely. Plus there aren't any spaces which allow a return in a "queue hop" situation.

The ones that grit my dinner are those who come piling down with the expectation that they will shoulder their way in.

Locally on a dual carriageway, previously nsl now 50 and 40, with acres of white paint and solid white lines reducing it to one lane every few hundred metres with regular camera vans/bikes and unmarked patrols, the ones which cause my ire are;

firstly the knobs in positions 2 and 3 who could overtake but don't.
secondly the idiots piling down and then barging in.

Particular contempt is reserved for the ones where I have seen them coming, eased off slightly to make a bit more space as I can see the single lane bit immediately ahead. But they ignore that space and elbow in front of the geezer in front who has closed up on the person in front to try and keep them out. In the end they both end up slowing right down and the ripple effect goes back. tts.

But they continue to find space and don't make contact so they go on doing it. No I don't know the answer either.

I don't seek to excuse the 'Zafira Dad' as I generally agree with the stereotype and dislike them immensely however... I think that *anyone* at any point in a queue should help to facilitate an overtake by maintaining gaps, backing off if need be etc. and letting people in. This whole contempt for anyone 'attempting to pile down and then barge in' smacks just ever so slightly of the anti-overtake sentiment the thread was based on... IMHO... I will often attempt to clear a queue from quite far back because quite simply, on most occasions, no other bugger will. Most of the times I've ever 'barged in' and received the obligatory beans are when somebody has aggressively floored it, solely to narrow a previously safe intra-queue gap and give me a hard time about my 'queue jumping'. Maybe I need a Touran

+1

The people who line up bumper to bumper behind a dawdler are the scourge of slow A roads and B roads in this country. It is intensely selfish not to leave a gap when you can't be bothered to overtake, forcing the people who are prepared to overtake to pass 2,3,4,5 cars!

[FiF]

theboss said:

FiF said:

Impasse said:

Thing is, he got away with it. All of it. Including the bits you didn't see beforehand and afterwards. So no matter how excruciatingly toe curling it must have been to witness, in his mind it was all good. Because his driving technique provided tarmac space dividends to him he'll never stop doing it, maybe even take more extensive risks in future. And all will continue to be good - until it suddenly becomes bad.

No, I don't know what the solution is either.

Must admit that's one of the things that causes me to have a tut tut.

Let's face it, all of us from time to time end up in a camel train with any opportunity to overtake removed by the inability to get all the way to the front legally and safely. Plus there aren't any spaces which allow a return in a "queue hop" situation.

The ones that grit my dinner are those who come piling down with the expectation that they will shoulder their way in.

Locally on a dual carriageway, previously nsl now 50 and 40, with acres of white paint and solid white lines reducing it to one lane every few hundred metres with regular camera vans/bikes and unmarked patrols, the ones which cause my ire are;

firstly the knobs in positions 2 and 3 who could overtake but don't.
secondly the idiots piling down and then barging in.

Particular contempt is reserved for the ones where I have seen them coming, eased off slightly to make a bit more space as I can see the single lane bit immediately ahead. But they ignore that space and elbow in front of the geezer in front who has closed up on the person in front to try and keep them out. In the end they both end up slowing right down and the ripple effect goes back. tts.

But they continue to find space and don't make contact so they go on doing it. No I don't know the answer either.

I don't seek to excuse the 'Zafira Dad' as I generally agree with the stereotype and dislike them immensely however... I think that *anyone* at any point in a queue should help to facilitate an overtake by maintaining gaps, backing off if need be etc. and letting people in. This whole contempt for anyone 'attempting to pile down and then barge in' smacks just ever so slightly of the anti-overtake sentiment the thread was based on... IMHO... I will often attempt to clear a queue from quite far back because quite simply, on most occasions, no other bugger will. Most of the times I've ever 'barged in' and received the obligatory beans are when somebody has aggressively floored it, solely to narrow a previously safe intra-queue gap and give me a hard time about my 'queue jumping'. Maybe I need a Touran

You can think what you like, as can I.

In my case it's contempt for people who can't plan and execute an overtake safely. Those who won't overtake when they could, and those who do so without any consideration, without any identifiable space to which they can return. Clearly, as written above, once they are out there, then their progress will be facilitated without any comment. Doesn't stop me thinking they are poor drivers though.

[theboss]

FiF said:

theboss said:

FiF said:

Impasse said:

Thing is, he got away with it. All of it. Including the bits you didn't see beforehand and afterwards. So no matter how excruciatingly toe curling it must have been to witness, in his mind it was all good. Because his driving technique provided tarmac space dividends to him he'll never stop doing it, maybe even take more extensive risks in future. And all will continue to be good - until it suddenly becomes bad.

No, I don't know what the solution is either.

Must admit that's one of the things that causes me to have a tut tut.

Let's face it, all of us from time to time end up in a camel train with any opportunity to overtake removed by the inability to get all the way to the front legally and safely. Plus there aren't any spaces which allow a return in a "queue hop" situation.

The ones that grit my dinner are those who come piling down with the expectation that they will shoulder their way in.

Locally on a dual carriageway, previously nsl now 50 and 40, with acres of white paint and solid white lines reducing it to one lane every few hundred metres with regular camera vans/bikes and unmarked patrols, the ones which cause my ire are;

firstly the knobs in positions 2 and 3 who could overtake but don't.
secondly the idiots piling down and then barging in.

Particular contempt is reserved for the ones where I have seen them coming, eased off slightly to make a bit more space as I can see the single lane bit immediately ahead. But they ignore that space and elbow in front of the geezer in front who has closed up on the person in front to try and keep them out. In the end they both end up slowing right down and the ripple effect goes back. tts.

But they continue to find space and don't make contact so they go on doing it. No I don't know the answer either.

I don't seek to excuse the 'Zafira Dad' as I generally agree with the stereotype and dislike them immensely however... I think that *anyone* at any point in a queue should help to facilitate an overtake by maintaining gaps, backing off if need be etc. and letting people in. This whole contempt for anyone 'attempting to pile down and then barge in' smacks just ever so slightly of the anti-overtake sentiment the thread was based on... IMHO... I will often attempt to clear a queue from quite far back because quite simply, on most occasions, no other bugger will. Most of the times I've ever 'barged in' and received the obligatory beans are when somebody has aggressively floored it, solely to narrow a previously safe intra-queue gap and give me a hard time about my 'queue jumping'. Maybe I need a Touran

You can think what you like, as can I.

In my case it's contempt for people who can't plan and execute an overtake safely. Those who won't overtake when they could, and those who do so without any consideration, without any identifiable space to which they can return. Clearly, as written above, once they are out there, then their progress will be facilitated without any comment. Doesn't stop me thinking they are poor drivers though.

I agree with you for the most part, especially about lack of any consideration and forward planning, however the lack of identifiable spaces is (IMHO) a part of the problem and one that we can all influence positively if we're ever 'in' the queue and being overtaken.