People that drive 50 on motorways - why?

People that drive 50 on motorways - why?

Author
Discussion

Davey S2

13,097 posts

255 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Anything under 55 is too slow on a UK motorway.

There is an Asian chap in a burgundy 520d that I see regularly on my daily commute who does around 50 on the M4 and it does cause problems. Bunched up traffic behind him, lorries having to overtake which forces more traffic into the fast lane etc.

On the other hand there is a woman in her 50s who drives a Merc C Class Estate. She looks tiny as she's about 2 inches from the steering wheel and drives everywhere like her skirt's on fire.

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

256 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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mwstewart said:
It forces everyone behind to overtake and block L2 and L3, rather than keeping most traffic moving at a reasonable pace.
In exactly the same way that people already have to overtake HGVs. Moronic argument.

mwstewart said:
It adds another slow moving vehicle to the gaps between HGVS that prevents other drivers pulling in to keep traffic moving in the outside lane.
If you can't deal with the speed in L1 being lower than the other two lanes, hang up your keys.

Mave

8,209 posts

216 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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mwstewart said:
Mr2Mike said:
Provided these people are sticking primarily to L1 and not causing HGVs to overtake them, could you explain how this is selfish as I don't see it?
It forces everyone behind to overtake and block L2 and L3, rather than keeping most traffic moving at a reasonable pace.
.
How does that work then? If they're in L1 and not causing HGVs to overtake them then how does it make a difference to someone doing 70mph? If the HGVs are doing 55 then you're going to be in L2 or L3 anyway.

veccy208

1,324 posts

102 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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Good Grief! I'm glad some people on here aren't running this country!
- Thou shalt not go slower than the speed LIMIT.
There's a reason that motorways have more than one lane. Guess what that reason is.... Yes that's right for overtaking slower vehicles.
The problem is not the slow drivers but the fast, pushy, I won't give way to anyone type who block people from merging into next lane or cause a concertina effect by driving up peoples boots and breaking at every change in speed that cause bad traffic/accidents etc.
Everyone is entitled to drive within a reasonable range of speed for whatever reason they think reasonable.
slow down show consideration and you might just find that you get there as quick and a lot less stressed out.

Mave

8,209 posts

216 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
mwstewart said:
It adds another slow moving vehicle to the gaps between HGVS that prevents other drivers pulling in to keep traffic moving in the outside lane.
The other drivers that you refer to - is that you trying to get out of the way of traffic in the outside lane, or the drivers you want to get out of your way when you are in the outside lane?

AH33

2,066 posts

136 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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If you're driving a thirsty car at 50-60 to save a few mpg, sell it and get a diesel, skintflints.

If you're driving an ecobox at 50-60 to save a few mpg, get the train, weirdo.

If you're driving at 50-60 because you're scared, hand in your license, old man.

If you're driving at 56 because you're in a lorry - you're ok. This is the only acceptable reason to do so.

If you're on a busy motorway stuck in traffic clearly this does not apply.


Slidingpillar

761 posts

137 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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caelite said:
Car is a big slow 4x4, and is very short geared. 70 just kills the thing MPG wise. I tend to pick a lorry and tailgait it, normally between 50-56.
and
Davey S2 said:
Anything under 55 is too slow on a UK motorway.
Some supermarket lorries are limited to 50, not 56. I will follow these, or another lorry in my vintage car. But I do not drive in a manner that would cause somebody to be held up any more than they would if I wasn't there.

But if there is a perfectly good A road route, I'll be on that anyway.

tarnished

13,716 posts

97 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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Meridius said:
Same reason some people drive 90 on the motorways, because they are a bit of a prat.
Yeah, I can't stand slow drivers either. Some of us have lives to live, get on with it.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,442 posts

151 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
veccy208 said:
Good Grief! I'm glad some people on here aren't running this country!
- Thou shalt not go slower than the speed LIMIT.
There's a reason that motorways have more than one lane. Guess what that reason is.... Yes that's right for overtaking slower vehicles.
The problem is not the slow drivers but the fast, pushy, I won't give way to anyone type who block people from merging into next lane or cause a concertina effect by driving up peoples boots and breaking at every change in speed that cause bad traffic/accidents etc.
Everyone is entitled to drive within a reasonable range of speed for whatever reason they think reasonable.
slow down show consideration and you might just find that you get there as quick and a lot less stressed out.
This is the correct answer.

Illforever

49 posts

127 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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I got a flat the other day after driving to an appointment 30 mins away on the motorway, I noticed when I parked up it looked a little flat, ended up driving home on the spare, wasn't 100% sure it was ok to do 70 on, so I just stuck behind a lorry who seemed to be going the same way as me, it was around mid day and there were no overtaking at +1mph wars, it was actually a very relaxing drive home.

anonymous-user

55 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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TwigtheWonderkid said:
veccy208 said:
Good Grief! I'm glad some people on here aren't running this country!
- Thou shalt not go slower than the speed LIMIT.
There's a reason that motorways have more than one lane. Guess what that reason is.... Yes that's right for overtaking slower vehicles.
The problem is not the slow drivers but the fast, pushy, I won't give way to anyone type who block people from merging into next lane or cause a concertina effect by driving up peoples boots and breaking at every change in speed that cause bad traffic/accidents etc.
Everyone is entitled to drive within a reasonable range of speed for whatever reason they think reasonable.
slow down show consideration and you might just find that you get there as quick and a lot less stressed out.
This is the correct answer.
So is 30mph reasonable?

maccas99

1,712 posts

189 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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I'm very surprised that there isn't a minimum speed limit for motorways, common misconception I guess.

Evolved

3,571 posts

188 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
The world is full of morons, a lot drive in the middle lane at below NSL.

donkmeister

8,228 posts

101 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
I drove on a motorway at 50mph recently. My OH picked up a puncture, so with the doughnut wheel on the car is limited to 50mph.
I am a firm advocate of "motorways were built for much higher speeds so we should do higher speeds if conditions allow and we want to", but if it's clear enough to do higher speeds then a 50-bimbler will not prevent the necessary lane changes for a competent, alert driver to maintain their higher speed. The weak link is usually the numpties who refuse to move over after an overtake or don't consider an overtake until the 50 bimbler triggers their parking sensors smile

Mave

8,209 posts

216 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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Evolved said:
The world is full of morons, a lot drive in the middle lane at below NSL.
And if they're overtaking someone, why is that wrong?

MKnight702

3,112 posts

215 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
SEE YA said:
Not a problem just overtake.
There a lot worse, things people do on the road.

Why do people use the phone while driving?

Because they do not care.
Just overtaking can work if the road is empty or the moron restricts himself to the inside lane. It gets to be a problem of biblical proportions on say the A14 at rush day (hour doesn't cut it), the whole road comes to a grinding halt behind the completely oblivious moron. (see my thread on the Audi R8 driver).

It gets even more fun when the moron, like the idiot in the Citroen Berlingo decides that he cannot possibly use the inside lane and sits in the outside lane, eventually got close enough to him when there was a quarter mile gap on the inside (and half a mile in front of him) to get by, as did the BMW in front of me. Cue lots of flashing lights and coffee beans rapidly vanishing in my rear view mirror.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,442 posts

151 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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MKnight702 said:
It gets to be a problem of biblical proportions
rofl

Yes, it's definitely on a par with a worldwide flood and the slaying of the first born!

Timberwolf

5,347 posts

219 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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I could live with people doing 50 if they'd just stick to the inside lane. What gets to me is that for this sort of driver, it's not just, "I'm only going to do 50 mph". It's, "I'm only going to do 50 mph, but if someone in front of me is doing 49.9 mph then I'm going to overtake them while still not exceeding 50 mph". And then when those two are locked in an interminable overtaking manoeuvre you get the driver who comes up behind doing 50.1 mph, who of course absolutely must overtake the two cars which are ever so slightly slower...

...well done everyone, now we have a motorway which is three abreast at 50 mph and no-one's going anywhere fast.

Same thing goes for the drivers (usually the same crew) who see a truck ahead of them and habitually pull out into the next lane, regardless of the speed differential. I've even seen people do this when the truck is accelerating away from them - at what point do you become so inept at driving that you can't even notice the distance to the thing in front is getting larger rather than smaller?

The sad thing is, all of this has turned me into a 55-60mph driver myself, at least whenever the motorway's busy. I aim to find a decent gap between the clumps of three-abreast idiots, then set my speed so I can maximise the time before I catch the next group and have to find a way past, while not being so slow as to hold up trucks and coaches.

All in all, I can't wait for the day when people who have no interest whatsoever in driving or maintaining an acceptable minimum skill level thereof just buy a self-driving car and have done with it.

AH33

2,066 posts

136 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Timberwolf said:
All in all, I can't wait for the day when people who have no interest whatsoever in driving or maintaining an acceptable minimum skill level thereof just buy a self-driving car and have done with it.
This is the only thing that gives me hope in the self driving future. I'll still be able to drive, but those with no interest in driving will automatically get out of my way.

del mar

2,838 posts

200 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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Would you be marked down if doing 50mph on a 70mph dual carriageway if it was safe to to 70mph ?