Being overtaken...
Discussion
Escy said:
This doesn't happen when you have something fast.
Yes it does.I've experienced this twice in the last week in two different but very fast vehicles - a new M5 and an MV Agusta F4. I don't think these vehicles are slow. Perfectly safe overtakes in both cases.
However I sort of see your point - the worst cases of people going ape at being overtaken I have ever experienced were last year when I was driving a Citroen C1 down a very twisty road in North Yorks - it was a fantastic drive, even in a C1 and I was belting along. Almost every driver I passed (which was every car I came up behind) went nuts. It was really bizarre, as I'd not have had the same reaction in my normal car and I wasn't doing "do or doe" passes, cutting people up etc. I can only surmise that they took great exception to being passed by a bright red boiled sweet on wheels.
Had someone close the gap on me a few weeks back when splitting a line of traffic that seemed happy to sit at 40 behind a wagon for the last X miles. Long straight, then a bend then another long straight ahead, dropped a cog or two and went for the first 4 or 5 where there was a nice big gap to slop into with good time to before the corner (always assume that I am driving in the opposite direction se quite conservative on getting back on the correct side of the road!) Anyway your man thinks that he'd like to close the gap behind him by breaking into it. Spotted this so replant right foot thinking I'll slip in front then. They floor it. Anyway I ended up slotting in behind them and then followed them for the next 15 miles of so once we had both cleared the waggon. Watching their speed, lines and general road craft suggested to me that actually the driver might not have been being a C**ksocket but might have been trying to help out by making the gap her thought I was after bigger... Will never know but wasn't pleasant.
I don't find it happens much these days as a rule though, perhaps aided by the opinion that the less time I am on the wrong side of the road the safer it is, I try to make sure that the cars I own have a good 40-80 acceleration time through the gears.
I don't find it happens much these days as a rule though, perhaps aided by the opinion that the less time I am on the wrong side of the road the safer it is, I try to make sure that the cars I own have a good 40-80 acceleration time through the gears.
jc84 said:
Raize said:
Yep. I use my indicators more like a precision tool than a blanket broadcast.
If I want to overtake someone and I think they'll be receptive to it, I just put on the right indicator while waiting behind them. It gives them an idea that I want to overtake and they will move over and let me do it.
If I want to overtake someone who appears to be "less receptive" - I'll take them by surprise and only indicate once alongside for the benefit of anyone else who may be around.
If I am turning left and there are cars on the opposite side of the road waiting to turn right, I will not indicate. This avoids putting other traffic in the unfortunate position of holding me up (due to assuming that I will be braking for the junction and turning in in front of me).
I just don't get this. Your post makes complete sense up until the last paragraph whereupon you suddenly become "one of those people" who does not indicate for a turn. God forbid anyone should want to turn right and ends up in front of you? How can you say you use your indicators like a precision tool and then in the next breath say you don't indicate for other road users?If I want to overtake someone and I think they'll be receptive to it, I just put on the right indicator while waiting behind them. It gives them an idea that I want to overtake and they will move over and let me do it.
If I want to overtake someone who appears to be "less receptive" - I'll take them by surprise and only indicate once alongside for the benefit of anyone else who may be around.
If I am turning left and there are cars on the opposite side of the road waiting to turn right, I will not indicate. This avoids putting other traffic in the unfortunate position of holding me up (due to assuming that I will be braking for the junction and turning in in front of me).
Raize said:
I don't indicate for the turn because if I did, there is a high probability that someone will turn in in front of me, then trundle at 40mph in an NSL causing me to have to overtake them. If I know that there are no decent opportunities to overtake on the road then it would be insane to take that risk.
I quite like that idea. I remember a good few years back when I was around 20, driving my old Clio Williams. On a 40 limit road, single carriageway (but more than wide enough to be a duel carriageway) when I came around a corner to find a blatantly nervous driver doing around 25mph sticking to the left. After around 30 seconds of following, I safely overtake and that was that; I thought nothing more of it.
About 5 minutes later on the same road I pull into my friends block of flats car park and stop the car. I was sat in my car rummaging through the glove-box trying to find something when I heard the drivers door handle go, cue brown hammock! I turned and saw this pregnant woman in a fit of rage trying to open my door screaming at me to get out. I nervously opened my window just enough to speak to her and she starts going crazy trying to get her hands in the car to grab me. After a minute or so of this and me asking what the hell was wrong with her, all I deciphered between the curses was that I nearly killed her and boy racers like me should wrap themselves around a tree and die. At which point she stormed off, got in her car and sped off with wheel spin to boot.
When it comes to road rage I have never been more terrified in my life. If only for the fact she was a heavily pregnant. Women eh?
About 5 minutes later on the same road I pull into my friends block of flats car park and stop the car. I was sat in my car rummaging through the glove-box trying to find something when I heard the drivers door handle go, cue brown hammock! I turned and saw this pregnant woman in a fit of rage trying to open my door screaming at me to get out. I nervously opened my window just enough to speak to her and she starts going crazy trying to get her hands in the car to grab me. After a minute or so of this and me asking what the hell was wrong with her, all I deciphered between the curses was that I nearly killed her and boy racers like me should wrap themselves around a tree and die. At which point she stormed off, got in her car and sped off with wheel spin to boot.
When it comes to road rage I have never been more terrified in my life. If only for the fact she was a heavily pregnant. Women eh?
Edited by EnthusiastOwned on Monday 22 September 16:47
EnthusiastOwned said:
I remember a good few years back when I was around 20, driving my old Clio Williams. On a 40 limit road, single carriageway (but more than wide enough to be a duel carriageway) when I came around a corner to find a blatantly nervous driver doing around 25mph sticking to the left. After around 30 seconds of following, I safely overtake and that was that; I thought nothing more of it.
About 5 minutes later on the same road I pull into my friends block of flats car park and stop the car. I was sat in my car rummaging through the glove-box trying to find something when I heard the drivers door handle go, cue brown hammock! I turned and saw this pregnant woman in a fit of rage trying to open my door screaming at me to get out. I nervously opened my window just enough to speak to her and she starts going crazy trying to get her hands in the car to grab me. After a minute or so of this and me asking what the hell was wrong with her, all I deciphered between the curses was that I nearly killed her and boy racers like me should wrap themselves around a tree and die. At which point she stormed off, got in her car and sped off with wheel spin to boot.
When it comes to road rage I have never been more terrified in my life. If only for the fact she was a heavily pregnant. Women eh?
You'd be surprised at some of the mental cases out there.About 5 minutes later on the same road I pull into my friends block of flats car park and stop the car. I was sat in my car rummaging through the glove-box trying to find something when I heard the drivers door handle go, cue brown hammock! I turned and saw this pregnant woman in a fit of rage trying to open my door screaming at me to get out. I nervously opened my window just enough to speak to her and she starts going crazy trying to get her hands in the car to grab me. After a minute or so of this and me asking what the hell was wrong with her, all I deciphered between the curses was that I nearly killed her and boy racers like me should wrap themselves around a tree and die. At which point she stormed off, got in her car and sped off with wheel spin to boot.
When it comes to road rage I have never been more terrified in my life. If only for the fact she was a heavily pregnant. Women eh?
Edited by EnthusiastOwned on Monday 22 September 16:47
Not overtaking related, but for me, I was coming out of a shopping centre, sat at a small roundabout behind a van. Not moving so very lightly tap the horn (not aggressively or anything like that) just to make sure he was looking and not distracted. Gets out the car immediately with a hammer. Fortunately, he was quite fat and I managed to drive around him quick enough out of his reach. He then jumped back in his van and tried to follow me. Luckily managed to just get on the motorway which wasn't too far away and just go for it.
My heart was fully racing once I slowed back down and got off the motorway. Just crazy.
Dog Star said:
I can only surmise that they took great exception to being passed by a bright red boiled sweet on wheels.
On a long straight A road I was flashed by an oncoming car having been back on my side of the road for some time (I was on a motorbike). I'd completed my overtake so long ago that I had time to have a good look in my mirror to see if anyone behind me had caused this driver any issues before said car even passed me! Nothing. He/she was just being a bellend.
Zod said:
GregK2 said:
But X5's are not exactly quick are they?
I'm used to a faster car, but I can overtake effectively in our X5 on B roads and motorways. It's not exactly slow.It's German, has the badge, therefore must be quick. Stands to reason. Hence "Well known fact". That was the main thrust of my post.
Here's another well known fact. Evidence of that even within certain PH mindsets' postings.
All Rovers are slow and driven by the extremely aged. ...
LukeR94 said:
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. f
king morons
(Ok now its over)
I'll tell you what pisses me off more. (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. f
king morons(Ok now its over)
There's someone on your back bumper who starts to make an overtake just as you also accelerate into an NSL. Now for you to continue to accelerate would result in the sort of situation being discussed.
So you don't continue to accelerate but hold your speed and let them past. Fair enough no problem frankly.
Only to find that they don't then get on with it and effectively hold you up in the NSL.
No doubt they then complain on some forum about somebody who didn't like being overtaken.
Nothing further from the truth, it is just that they are blatantly incompetent counts. May have had a bit of trouble spelling that last word.
I had this recently with me, worse thing was I was on my motorbike on a open road overtaking a van. Que the driver coming the other way flashing and swearing at me. Wouldnt mind so much, but on R1 it took me literally 2 seconds to get past. The driver who was flashing me took at least 15 seconds to come past me. So couldn't understand his problem.
The sad thing is, "overtaking" is a lost art and the state of driving is only getting worse.
The sad thing is, "overtaking" is a lost art and the state of driving is only getting worse.
wombleh said:
Driving around the Highlands was like a breath of fresh air, other drivers did all they could do accommodate you making progress including indicating and pulling over for you. Was the same on main roads and single-track with passing places. Very jealous of those who live up there!
Very true.Just returned from Skye.....epic driving roads both on the island and en route to Glasgow...the Invergary to Kyle of Lochalsh road takes some beating. No plod sighted, no scameras and other drivers accommodating your overtakes with courtesy....a rare thing nowadays. Accurate to say the further south one drives in the UK the more aggresive attitudes are againstmany overtaking manouvre........
My finest moment, was, having been stuck for several miles behind an ancient chugging Horsebox lorry, I overtook, safely and quickly in my 944 S2 Convertible but the horsebox driver beeped anyway, not sure why but didnt want to sit behind the dawding, coal burning heap of 80s nag lugging turdiness, it was possibly as a roundabout was coming but, but I knew that, the road was damp so I allowed myself a little dab, which turned into a bigger dab than anticipated, but all good, the back went left and then pendulumed back the other way as I came off the exit, must have looked rather impressive but it was more luck than judgement
Poopipe said:
ManiacGT said:
It's a territory or I know best thing. I've been subject to the OPs experience many times. Even once had someone try and run me off the road after I'd overtaken them. Nutters. I keep well clear of most drivers and when I do overtake I do it at light speed.
This.. ive had people try to shove me into a ditch a couple of times so now I dont take chances being gentle and polite. If im going to to do it, it gets done loudly and decisively with no regard to anything but getting past cleanly and quickly. My house is in 30 mph limit which until 3 or 4 years ago was an NSL. It should really have been reduced to a 40 but the council person knows best of course. I pull out of my drive regularly speed up quickly (M3 V8 does the trick) to the limit or sometimes just above if someone is bearing down on me at 40 or 50 as they regularly do, then they overtake me in the 30 limit (dangerously nearly always) only to hold me up in the NSL 300 yards later when they seem to drive like a big girl's blouse. Really winds me up. Coming home I regularly get flashed for overtaking on a road I know better than most, they then catch me up as I'm doing 30 again in the 30 limit and they just stay at 45 that they'd been doing all the way along the NSL. F****wits. Well not all the other drivers obviously
I have noticed a lot of abuse if I dare overtake someone in my 15yr old Golf Mk4
Car is st never washed and appears standard but with 230hp is quite nippy and quicker than people expect it to be however it does mean I get lots of reps in 1/2 yr old Audis/BMW getting very aggressive if I overtake them...
Also on way to Chester Friday night I had a C Class coupe up my arse so I let him past and then when he was in front he drove slower than I had been going anyway wtf!
Car is s
t never washed and appears standard but with 230hp is quite nippy and quicker than people expect it to be however it does mean I get lots of reps in 1/2 yr old Audis/BMW getting very aggressive if I overtake them...Also on way to Chester Friday night I had a C Class coupe up my arse so I let him past and then when he was in front he drove slower than I had been going anyway wtf!
Edited by greggy50 on Monday 22 September 22:24
SnailTrail said:
...a queue of 4 cars stuck behind a Land Rover on L plates doing about 40 in a 60, on a mile long straight which I could see was clear the whole way down...
I often wonder what proportion of the drivers notice this kind of thing. A small one, I suspect.As for cross-views and the like, I suspect a tiny proportion use them.
DrDoofenshmirtz said:
OP was in the wrong for having a slow car.
I learnt to overtake in a fiat 126. I never had anyone attempt to stop me overtaking, as they were too busy laughing. Especially the 911 owner that I out braked (I didn't bother) on a dual carriage way, heading towards a round about, but who almost drove into the back of me, when one plug lead fell off and I was reduced to 1 cylinder. The most hassle I got was in a mk3 astra 1.4.
Is there any greater, simple driving pleasure than making good use of cross-views and elevation changes to facilitate a safe, but effective overtake of a column of 'nose-tail-sheep drivers' through a series of downhill bends on a steady/trailing throttle or on the brakes?
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 22 September 22:55
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff