Overtaking courtesy

[MattC]

[Stole this from another forum! The poster had a go at the Theory Test for fun - this is the only question he got wrong:]

quote:
You are driving along at the speed limit. A car approaches from behind going faster than you are with his lights on. What should you do?

a. maintain your current speed
b. increase your speed
c. slow down / pull over and let them past
d. (can't remember what it was!)

I put a. I was wrong, the correct answer, according to the highway code / DSA is c.

How many REAL people would do this?!? Given the rabid negative reactions normally produced by overtaking on single carriageways, I suspect nearly none.
And yet even the flippin DSA support this view!?!

It's getting repetitious isn't it - DRIVER TRAINING is what we need...

[MattC]

quote:
Very good idea for heavy traffic, but a not appropriate for 2am and empty road. I wonder if there's a way it could be put into action only when the traffic was likely to be very heavy.

Hmmm, this MUST be possible, how could we implement it...

Ah, I know, gantry matrix signs showing the speed limits. Could call it something snappy like "Variable Limit Speed". Hmmm...
Could be expensive - I know, let's put cameras on each gantry! With a bit of luck, we'll make some cash out of people who normally drive through at the higher limit, AND we'll be really popular for easing congestion!

(p.s. Another vote here for "Merge in Turn" - far less stressful if everyone plays the same game!)

[MattC]

Howardo has dragged us back to my original post, so I feel compelled to respond.

Obviously the behaviour HurtBiker encountered was just daft:

quote:
ha ha! we were out on the bike, zoomed up behind Volvo, already on my way into an overtake, and the stupid idiot SLAMMED on the brakes.

This spoilt the graceful line I was taking past, and I had to go even wider.
His "thoughtful" DSA approved gesture nearly had me off !! good one DSA.

And I agree that, as in the Highway Code, it IS ultimately the overtaker's responsibility to make a safe manouevre.

But I think we should learn from M-Way behaviour, as with :

quote: by M-Five
You also have people who are faster than you come up behind and flash you - not out of impatience, but to let you know they are coming. You just move over, let them past, and carry on - you don't get pissed off becuase they are going faster than you.

Why should overtaking on single C-ways be so reprehensible, yet we agree it should be made easy and stress-free on M-ways?

I'm sure most drivers are intelligent enough to facilitate being safely overtaken by a fast moving vehicle, in exactly the same way you might get out of the way of an ambulance/jam-sandwich.
Sure, don't put yourself out to a stupid extent. But maybe back off a bit to make the overtake safer, pull over a couple of feet, or just don't accelerate so hard out of a tight corner, while flipping your left indicator. (I think this is what Nightmare was saying.)

Also, remember the "lunatic" behind could have a damn good reason for tearing down the dotted line. Might be plain clothes plod. Or a Tiv driver about to part-ex. Or worse, some complete maniac who might shove you off the road then take a crow-bar to your nose if you hold him up. Or a lesser fool who will attempt to overtake dangerously out of frustration later. Or just someone having a bad day, who might be less pissed off at the end of their journey if people are courteous to them.

Hey man, let's all just chill out and be cool to the other dude behind the wheel.


OK, we can get back to ranting about queue jumpers now...