Being overtaken...
Discussion
What is peoples gripe with this? Does it automatically mean you lose man points?
Last night I was travelling down the A12 which is a nice wide road. Doing 60mph. 11pm at night. I know the road really well. Its drizzling but not raining so the roads are damp but not soaking wet so I felt 60mph was fine. Noticed in the distance that a car was following another car with a big gap (over 200m) between them. Came round a bend onto a nice mile long section of straight to find the car doing around 35mph with the other car the same distance in front.
Thought great I can get past the first and naturally slow down behind the second for the next straight section. Checked my mirror, made sure I wasn't gaining too fast, car in front still going the same speed, checked again, signalled and moved out to overtake. Nice, smooth and safe. Until that is the car I was overtaking started accelerating. To the point that I was nearly past him but only inching past. I was faced with the option of flooring it and nipping in front or abandoning and pulling in behind him.
Because he had accelerated he had left me on the other side of the road when in theory I should have been past quickly, and if I floored it I would be on top of the car I was overtaking and would then be forced to brake heavily in front of him, reducing my braking distance and his. I opted to abandon and braked and pulled in behind him. He then slowed back down to 35-40mph.
Ironic however considering at the next 30mph village, I slowed down, he didn't. Next section of dual carriageway and I was gone.
Just amazes me that someone that was clearly doing 35mph because he didnt think 60mph was safe, because he would have been following the first car more closely, is prepared to put other road users at risk purely because he didnt want to be overtaken!
A***hole.
Last night I was travelling down the A12 which is a nice wide road. Doing 60mph. 11pm at night. I know the road really well. Its drizzling but not raining so the roads are damp but not soaking wet so I felt 60mph was fine. Noticed in the distance that a car was following another car with a big gap (over 200m) between them. Came round a bend onto a nice mile long section of straight to find the car doing around 35mph with the other car the same distance in front.
Thought great I can get past the first and naturally slow down behind the second for the next straight section. Checked my mirror, made sure I wasn't gaining too fast, car in front still going the same speed, checked again, signalled and moved out to overtake. Nice, smooth and safe. Until that is the car I was overtaking started accelerating. To the point that I was nearly past him but only inching past. I was faced with the option of flooring it and nipping in front or abandoning and pulling in behind him.
Because he had accelerated he had left me on the other side of the road when in theory I should have been past quickly, and if I floored it I would be on top of the car I was overtaking and would then be forced to brake heavily in front of him, reducing my braking distance and his. I opted to abandon and braked and pulled in behind him. He then slowed back down to 35-40mph.
Ironic however considering at the next 30mph village, I slowed down, he didn't. Next section of dual carriageway and I was gone.
Just amazes me that someone that was clearly doing 35mph because he didnt think 60mph was safe, because he would have been following the first car more closely, is prepared to put other road users at risk purely because he didnt want to be overtaken!
A***hole.
SV8Predator said:
So DrDoofenshmirtz is correct and that's why the OP decided to pull back rather than boot it.
I could have outpaced him had I decided to accelerate - however choosing to do so would have put me at further risk, him at more risk, and the car driver that we were then both rapidly gaining on at more risk. If someone is going to be a complete douche on the roads I'd rather they were in front of me than behind me.
But yes my car is slow
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This part of the A12 is between Lowestoft and Ipswich. Theres four (IIRC) sections of 30mph, one at Wrentham, one at Blythborough, one at Yoxford and the over I cannot for the life remember but its just as you get to the Framlingham bypass. Yes the 35mph driver hung me out to dry, as I say I could have outpaced him I think, however this would have involved probably overtaking both vehicles at once and leaving myself on the wrong side of the road for longer than I would have liked. Not that there was oncoming traffic at the time but hey.
Jakg said:
It's dual from the M25 to Ipswich, but after Ipswich it goes into single carraigeway.
Blythburgh (Suffolk) is a 30 and often has a camera van present.
The Ipswich bit is confusing as it disappears until you go from Copdock to Seven Hills then reappears. Blythburgh (Suffolk) is a 30 and often has a camera van present.
I live in Ipswich but used to work in Lowestoft so sadly very familiar with the road and its failings.
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