People that drive 50 on motorways - why?
Discussion
drivin_me_nuts said:
I am indeed at times a happy dawdler. It's a good choice. Apologies (no, not really), but if you don't like it, tough titty really. The roads are shared by more than you and our choices are our choices. It's not breaking any laws, hardly slowing the traffic up and in fact it makes for a less stressful journey. Sometimes. Then again, there are times when pressing the right foot harder is a bit more fun to. It's all about context.
Try the M25 between J14 and J8 and you'll see for yourself that it's very much a case of doing 50 odd in the inside lane(s) and sit back and reflect upon life's more salient subjects as time and time again you'll catch up billy big bollix in his white A4MsportCCAMGlookielikey whose speed has varied from 90 to a crawl for the last 20 odd miles. How do I know this, well near as damnit 400,000 miles between those junctions in the last 16 years has given me the experience to say that.
But hey, you carry on leaving your 3" gaps at 90 and enjoy the cut and thrust of 'fast lane jousting' whilst I sit back and enjoy the Archers and bemoan the demise of decent R4 comedy. Come back Andy Hamilton, all is forgiven. Safe journeys one and all.
Amen to all that from this frequent unapologetic dawdler.Try the M25 between J14 and J8 and you'll see for yourself that it's very much a case of doing 50 odd in the inside lane(s) and sit back and reflect upon life's more salient subjects as time and time again you'll catch up billy big bollix in his white A4MsportCCAMGlookielikey whose speed has varied from 90 to a crawl for the last 20 odd miles. How do I know this, well near as damnit 400,000 miles between those junctions in the last 16 years has given me the experience to say that.
But hey, you carry on leaving your 3" gaps at 90 and enjoy the cut and thrust of 'fast lane jousting' whilst I sit back and enjoy the Archers and bemoan the demise of decent R4 comedy. Come back Andy Hamilton, all is forgiven. Safe journeys one and all.
I drive at a speed that suits me not others yet take due care not to intentionally obstruct others. I will never be bullied to change my driving style or speed.
I plan journeys taking into account worse case scenarios allowing due margins for delays & having nothing to prove couldn't care a toss who or what is going faster.
Think tortoise & the hare - true to this day.
Ozzie Osmond said:
All these numbers are wrong because the "2 second" gap is not a constant. The faster the cars are going the longer the time gap needs to be.
Not really. That's the whole point of a time gap instead of a distance gap. A 2 second gap at 70 is a much larger gap than a 2 second gap at 30. That's why they came up with the 2 second gap. Easy to remember and a good basic guide at all speeds. WJNB said:
Jaguar steve said:
I do this often. Position myself some 100m or so behind a Lorryist, flip the cruise on then relax and just watch all the bumper to bumper carnage, stupidity and aggression occurring in lanes 2 and 3 whilst enjoying some nice music. It's all good - sometimes even like having your own private motorway all to yourself. 
And one day a brick or stone will become dislodged from the tyres or more likely from between a double set of tyres right into your face.Or if you're daft enough to follow any truck with the sort of load that may on it's own or components of be likely to become dislodged.
Then again how many shredded HGV tyres have you seen strewn on the carriageway, for you may well be tucked up behind such a HGV when it blows a tyre.
Intentionally maintaining close formation with any vehicle is plain daft.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
All these numbers are wrong because the "2 second" gap is not a constant. The faster the cars are going the longer the time gap needs to be.
Not really. That's the whole point of a time gap instead of a distance gap. A 2 second gap at 70 is a much larger gap than a 2 second gap at 30. That's why they came up with the 2 second gap. Easy to remember and a good basic guide at all speeds. cptsideways said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
All these numbers are wrong because the "2 second" gap is not a constant. The faster the cars are going the longer the time gap needs to be.
Not really. That's the whole point of a time gap instead of a distance gap. A 2 second gap at 70 is a much larger gap than a 2 second gap at 30. That's why they came up with the 2 second gap. Easy to remember and a good basic guide at all speeds. Similarly, a good rule-of-thumb to estimate braking distances is to divide your speed by 35 and take the result in seconds, eg 35mph = 1 second, 70mph = 2 seconds, and so on. Then count out that number of seconds to get an indication of how far you would travel under hard braking. Double the number of seconds for normal braking.
I should add that the figure of 35 is for optimum braking on a good surface - it's probably safer to use a figure of 30.
cptsideways said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
All these numbers are wrong because the "2 second" gap is not a constant. The faster the cars are going the longer the time gap needs to be.
Not really. That's the whole point of a time gap instead of a distance gap. A 2 second gap at 70 is a much larger gap than a 2 second gap at 30. That's why they came up with the 2 second gap. Easy to remember and a good basic guide at all speeds. Mave said:
cptsideways said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
All these numbers are wrong because the "2 second" gap is not a constant. The faster the cars are going the longer the time gap needs to be.
Not really. That's the whole point of a time gap instead of a distance gap. A 2 second gap at 70 is a much larger gap than a 2 second gap at 30. That's why they came up with the 2 second gap. Easy to remember and a good basic guide at all speeds. A 2 second gap at 100mph leaves a distance between you and the car in front of circa 293ft. A 2 second gap 30 mph leaves a gap of 87 feet.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
It's never perfectly safe to do 80mph, even on a deserted airfield. It's not perfectly safe to do 5 mph, although 5 mph is safer than 80. Travelling at speed, even walking, comes with dangers. You have to weigh up reward and risk in order to decide what is acceptable.
Hard to argue there to be honest.bmw535i said:
He thinks it's dangerous to drive or even walk 
what a tit
what a tit I would, but because Mr Fifty (Mr f
k You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.
My speed doesn't negatively impact on anyone else. If left to my own devices, I just sail along harmlessly. If I interact with someone wanting to go faster or only slightly slower, then there's no problem. The issues start with exactly the sort of person this thread was aimed at. Those who feel they bear no responsibility under the social contact to go about their business in a manner which doesn't unduly hamper the progress of others.
These are the same people who, despite being at home all week, decide to mow the lawn at 0900 on a Sunday. Yes, sure, it's your right so to do, but if you can avoid doing something which gets on other people's tits, it might just be good for all of us for you to do that.
On occasion I will do something on the road which will inconvenience someone else, despite it not being illegal (I will, perhaps, elect to stop in a queue in a position which blocks a driveway, only for the owner of the driveway to elect to use it at that moment. Because I actually am as self-aware and intelligent as plenty of us on here claim to be on the one hand, while admirably demonstrating quite the opposite at almost every available opportunity, I will feel bad, apologise and do my best to accommodate. What I won't do is disregard the problem, taking the stance of, 'fk you, learn some patience', which seems so prevalent among the 50mph brigade.
Please folks, we all have to share the roads, do what you can to make it as easy as possible for all of us, will you?
k You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.My speed doesn't negatively impact on anyone else. If left to my own devices, I just sail along harmlessly. If I interact with someone wanting to go faster or only slightly slower, then there's no problem. The issues start with exactly the sort of person this thread was aimed at. Those who feel they bear no responsibility under the social contact to go about their business in a manner which doesn't unduly hamper the progress of others.
These are the same people who, despite being at home all week, decide to mow the lawn at 0900 on a Sunday. Yes, sure, it's your right so to do, but if you can avoid doing something which gets on other people's tits, it might just be good for all of us for you to do that.
On occasion I will do something on the road which will inconvenience someone else, despite it not being illegal (I will, perhaps, elect to stop in a queue in a position which blocks a driveway, only for the owner of the driveway to elect to use it at that moment. Because I actually am as self-aware and intelligent as plenty of us on here claim to be on the one hand, while admirably demonstrating quite the opposite at almost every available opportunity, I will feel bad, apologise and do my best to accommodate. What I won't do is disregard the problem, taking the stance of, 'f
k you, learn some patience', which seems so prevalent among the 50mph brigade.Please folks, we all have to share the roads, do what you can to make it as easy as possible for all of us, will you?
ferrariF50lover said:
I would, but because Mr Fifty (Mr fk You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.
I have never been reduced to 40mph on the motorway in general traffic in 30+ years.k You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.ferrariF50lover said:
My speed doesn't negatively impact on anyone else. If left to my own devices, I just sail along harmlessly. If I interact with someone wanting to go faster or only slightly slower, then there's no problem. The issues start with exactly the sort of person this thread was aimed at. Those who feel they bear no responsibility under the social contact to go about their business in a manner which doesn't unduly hamper the progress of others.
Like those that get really angry on the road?ferrariF50lover said:
These are the same people who, despite being at home all week, decide to mow the lawn at 0900 on a Sunday. Yes, sure, it's your right so to do, but if you can avoid doing something which gets on other people's tits, it might just be good for all of us for you to do that.
I mow the lawn quite early, sucks if you are a lazy sod who can't get up, your problem.ferrariF50lover said:
On occasion I will do something on the road which will inconvenience someone else, despite it not being illegal (I will, perhaps, elect to stop in a queue in a position which blocks a driveway, only for the owner of the driveway to elect to use it at that moment. Because I actually am as self-aware and intelligent as plenty of us on here claim to be on the one hand, while admirably demonstrating quite the opposite at almost every available opportunity, I will feel bad, apologise and do my best to accommodate. What I won't do is disregard the problem, taking the stance of, 'fk you, learn some patience', which seems so prevalent among the 50mph brigade.
And?k you, learn some patience', which seems so prevalent among the 50mph brigade.ferrariF50lover said:
Please folks, we all have to share the roads, do what you can to make it as easy as possible for all of us, will you?
Or just overtake them. Or wait for a few seconds. Some of you are so important you really should have a helicopter. Non issue.
yonex said:
Non issue.
Not for the dawdlers, no. For lots of others it is. You can't argue with facts no matter how hard you try.It's entirely up to you if you want to crawl along and you have the right to do so, but you must do so knowing you are annoying other drivers and can cause smooth running issues (and the odd blind spot accident). If you want to say "f
k off, I will do whatever speed I like", just say so. All the other comments trying to justify it are, quite frankly, utter crap.Digby said:
Not for the dawdlers, no. For lots of others it is. You can't argue with facts no matter how hard you try.
It's entirely up to you if you want to crawl along and you have the right to do so, but you must do so knowing you are annoying other drivers and can cause smooth running issues (and the odd blind spot accident). If you want to say "fk off, I will do whatever speed I like", just say so. All the other comments trying to justify it are, quite frankly, utter crap.
I don't. But I am genuinely amused by everyone getting so pissed off about it when we are talking about mere minutes out of an average journey. It's entirely up to you if you want to crawl along and you have the right to do so, but you must do so knowing you are annoying other drivers and can cause smooth running issues (and the odd blind spot accident). If you want to say "f
k off, I will do whatever speed I like", just say so. All the other comments trying to justify it are, quite frankly, utter crap.yonex said:
ferrariF50lover said:
I would, but because Mr Fifty (Mr fk You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.
I have never been reduced to 40mph on the motorway in general traffic in 30+ years.k You, more like) is exercising his right to dawdle about, we have an HGV in the middle lane. This has forced the braindead 60mph MLMs into L3. This has caused a tailback and means that, instead of wafting along seamlessly at 80 or so on the cruise, I am now forced to do the same 40 to which everyone has inevitably slowed.That would also mean your "mere minutes" suggestion has now turned in to a possible 30 minutes plus and possibly hours if people bunch up and prang as a result. That seems to happen a lot, too.
Digby said:
I have quite often and for no apparent reason. It now transpires dawdlers could set off reduced limit "smart" motorway signs, especially when HGV's overtake, so that would explain a great deal.
That would also mean your "mere minutes" suggestion has now turned in to a possible 30 minutes plus and possibly hours if people bunch up and prang as a result. That seems to happen a lot, too.
I think it's more likely to explained by the well researched phantom traffic jam phenomena, caused by people trying to go too quickly when the road is close to capacity, and which the variable speed limits are intended to reduce. It's far more common to see people tailgating on and off the brakes in L3, than people doing 40mph in L1.That would also mean your "mere minutes" suggestion has now turned in to a possible 30 minutes plus and possibly hours if people bunch up and prang as a result. That seems to happen a lot, too.
Mave said:
I think it's more likely to explained by the well researched phantom traffic jam phenomena, caused by people trying to go too quickly when the road is close to capacity, and which the variable speed limits are intended to reduce. It's far more common to see people tailgating on and off the brakes in L3, than people doing 40mph in L1.
Thing is, I drive for a living and on motorways, after rush hour (or "close to capacity" moments), all those drivers doing whatever they fancy in L3 are just dots in the distance in a very short space of time.M25, M20, M1, you name it. They get up to speed and are gone and unless there is a crash etc, I never see them again.
Compare that to a situation like today, for example, where I was in L2 on the M25 overtaking half a dozen dawdlers; I just sat in L2 until I had passed them all. I was subsequently sat there for several minutes watching traffic build up behind me as drivers waited to access L3 when they had a chance.
I'm sorry, but you can't sit at 50 mph or less on a fast road and try to convince anyone you don't cause unnecessary issues.
They were built to move traffic around quickly. Most drivers drive quickly. When people choose not to, well, the evidence I see every single day speaks for itself. Look at how bad things can get and how quickly people moan at HGV drivers for overtaking each other on DC sections of road. By forcing HGV's into L2, you create a very similar situation for many.
Do you also think it's ok to join a motorway at 50 mph or less? I see that daily, too.
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