An epidemic of insanely slow drivers

[Glenn63]

It’s certainly getting worse, people just crawling everywhere. Accelerating with what must be 1% throttle to half the speed limit. Driving to my parents yesterday arrow straight wide section of 40mph and stuck in a 3 car queue doing 25mph…
I drive hgv’s for a living, the slowest accelerating vehicle on the roads almost and coming down slip roads find myself having to get on the brakes as some one is creeping down like their using gravity to build speed.
Spend most my day overtaking cars doing <50 on clear motorways.
I had the joy of a ‘smart motorway awareness’ course a couple weeks back and realised some people are just straight up thick and clueless when it comes to driving. The instructor was asking the simplest of questions and the answers were ridiculous. A picture of a duel carriageway with an NSL sign asked us what the speed limit is for cars and people are coming with everything, 30-40-50, no wonder the roads are so congested and slow.

[otolith]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Anyone else get this new trend of stopping halfway around a roundabout in slow moving traffic to let someone out from the left?

Completely clogs the flow

I nearly went into the back of someone a couple of weeks ago - waited for them to go, checked right, started to accelerate, had to slam on because they just stopped on the roundabout. Not sure whether it was misplaced courtesy or not understanding how roundabouts work.

[POIDH]

TheVole said:

Fellow Oxfordshire dweller here - I'm glad it's not just me that has noticed this over the last couple of years in particular. 40mph everywhere, unless there's a drop of water on the road; then it's 25-30, even in a NSL area.

I've found that when you eventually have an opportunity to overtake, they take offence to it and either sit on your bumper (proving they can in fact drive at the speed limit, and that sitting at 40 was pointless) or flash their lights as you drive off into the distance.

Welcome to most of the Highlands and rural Scotland in the holiday season.

[coppice]

Retro.74 said:

I on duel carriageways etc etc.
.

As some seem to treat them ...

[DonkeyApple]

VeeReihenmotor6 said:

I blame the state of the roads.

I find myself driving slower as I can't be sure a puddle isn't hiding a massive pot hole ready to write my tyre or car off.

Maybe, in certain conditions or places where the roads are poor. What does help in that regard is driving a car that isn't overly wide or with rubber bands for tyres. Something which is becoming increasingly more difficult if you also want something with a nice cabin.

I suspect some older drivers may not have noticed the reason why they're having to drive in the gutters and where the road surfaces tend to be worse is because they've kept buying the same model and not noticed it's now a foot wider than it was in 1970.

I've found myself opting for smaller model designations so as to not end up with something too wide for local roads.

[biggbn]

I'm not a quick driver anymore. I enjoy a twisty road but dual carriageways usually see me at around 60mph, sometimes a bit faster if I'm in a hurry, which is rarely, sometimes a bit slower...but A or B road, dual carriageway, whatever, I don't hold drivers up. I'm in the right lane and if I'm on a single carriageway road I let anyone needing to pass past at the first opportunity. I think what you are (rightly) moaning about is not so much slow drivers as innatentive and inconsiderate ones, and there are certainly many of them.

[CLK-GTR]

otolith said:

I nearly went into the back of someone a couple of weeks ago - waited for them to go, checked right, started to accelerate, had to slam on because they just stopped on the roundabout. Not sure whether it was misplaced courtesy or not understanding how roundabouts work.

There is a roundabout in Guildford that has a stop line half way round it. It's worn down so most dont see it but every now and then somebody will slam their brakes on in the middle. I know its there but ive never had the balls to stop with all the traffic flying around behind me.

[thecremeegg]

It'll sound racist but sometimes you have to say it how it is, but next time you are on the motorway, pay careful attention to the ethnicity of the people driving in the middle lane. It seems that bad driving culture from other countries has worked its way into the driving of people here in the UK. I'll probably get banned now but it's no different from saying more men like football, it's just how it is.

[8IKERDAVE]

thecremeegg said:

It'll sound racist but sometimes you have to say it how it is, but next time you are on the motorway, pay careful attention to the ethnicity of the people driving in the middle lane. It seems that bad driving culture from other countries has worked its way into the driving of people here in the UK. I'll probably get banned now but it's no different from saying more men like football, it's just how it is.

I agree, a large proportion of the problem is this....I'll see you in the banned lounge

[DonkeyApple]

thecremeegg said:

It'll sound racist but sometimes you have to say it how it is, but next time you are on the motorway, pay careful attention to the ethnicity of the people driving in the middle lane. It seems that bad driving culture from other countries has worked its way into the driving of people here in the UK. I'll probably get banned now but it's no different from saying more men like football, it's just how it is.

Playing with fire there.

I wouldn't think it racist to make the observation as obviously the reason isn't because of someone's race.

The bottom end of the M1 on a Sunday afternoon always has a fair number of West Africans cruising in the middle lane back into Town after church and lunch with family. 20 years ago it used to be Indian families doing the same. And the quality of driving by the grand fathers of various mates' has always been a source of amusement whether Greek, Iranian, Jewish, Indian, African etc. I think it's just a natural step in the assimilation process as my mates all drive correctly. It's the indigenous folk who chose to deliberately drive in a passive aggressive manner that are infuriating.

[Calite]

Yup it’s bad, I’ve also noted a close correlation between excessively slow/poor driving standards and seeing a dashcam smack bang in the middle of their windscreen.

With many forces bringing out taddle on your neighbour cam submission portals it’s just another fk you to anyone trying to make progress past these clowns.

[trickywoo]

thecremeegg said:

It'll sound racist but sometimes you have to say it how it is, but next time you are on the motorway, pay careful attention to the ethnicity of the people driving in the middle lane. It seems that bad driving culture from other countries has worked its way into the driving of people here in the UK. I'll probably get banned now but it's no different from saying more men like football, it's just how it is.

Use to be anyone wearing a hat whilst driving but now if I spot dodgy driving on the motorway and get the opportunity to see the driver 9 times out of 10 I’d agree with you.

[T_S_M]

Calite said:

Yup it’s bad, I’ve also noted a close correlation between excessively slow/poor driving standards and seeing a dashcam smack bang in the middle of their windscreen.

With many forces bringing out taddle on your neighbour cam submission portals it’s just another fk you to anyone trying to make progress past these clowns.

99% this is the case. Any lack lustre driving on the road is usually accompanied by a dashcam.

[Hoofy]

Re saving money, if that's the reason, then from observation they're st at hypermiling. I like to hypermile and they're using their brakes far too much to be doing it properly. I've also seen them brake going down hill (40 down to low 30s) and accelerate hard up hill (back up to 40) when I've followed them in a 50 zone.

[Networkgeek]

Hoofy said:

Re saving money, if that's the reason, then from observation they're st at hypermiling. I like to hypermile and they're using their brakes far too much to be doing it properly. I've also seen them brake going down hill (40 down to low 30s) and accelerate hard up hill (back up to 40) when I've followed them in a 50 zone.

There is one fairly steep NSL road near me where I regularly overtake people who brake for no good reason. I've often wished cars had intercom, as I would love to find out why the heck they're braking on this stretch of road. They're typically doing 30-40mph in either direction, and it drives me (pun intended) potty. The worst are the people who brake while going up the hill, not lifting off, actually braking in a straight line while driving uphill.... The mind boggles.

This stretch of road is straight, has good visibility in either direction and surprisingly no potholes.

[laroche]

CLK-GTR said:

There is a roundabout in Guildford that has a stop line half way round it. It's worn down so most dont see it but every now and then somebody will slam their brakes on in the middle. I know its there but ive never had the balls to stop with all the traffic flying around behind me.

Crikey. Where is that in Guildford?

I’ve lived there for 20 years and never spotted it (which is kind of the point you were making!)

Edited by laroche on Friday 15th March 16:15

[Hoofy]

Networkgeek said:

Hoofy said:

Re saving money, if that's the reason, then from observation they're st at hypermiling. I like to hypermile and they're using their brakes far too much to be doing it properly. I've also seen them brake going down hill (40 down to low 30s) and accelerate hard up hill (back up to 40) when I've followed them in a 50 zone.

There is one fairly steep NSL road near me where I regularly overtake people who brake for no good reason. I've often wished cars had intercom, as I would love to find out why the heck they're braking on this stretch of road. They're typically doing 30-40mph in either direction, and it drives me (pun intended) potty. The worst are the people who brake while going up the hill, not lifting off, actually braking in a straight line while driving uphill.... The mind boggles.

This stretch of road is straight, has good visibility in either direction and surprisingly no potholes.

Bizarre. They must enjoy giving more money to the government!

[Alex_225]

I've certainly notice this being the case with some drivers, people just making no progress at all. My mrs is a little frustrating with it and always goes, 'There's no rush' but she never just gets on with it. Admittedly she's not dangerously slow, just times when you just want to get going she fannies around.

Her dad on the other hand though, his driving has changed significantly. He was actually an excellent and very relaxed driver. Spent 10+ years as a courier driver so would be in his little Peugeot van up and down the country. He made decent progress but was extremely laid back, the clutch in his van lasted 285k. Which I think is an indicator of how he drove.

But of late he's been using an app which scores your driving and the last time he visited he went on about it quite a bit. Clearly he's out to set some high score on it, but the problem is his driving is now painfully slow.

We live set back from a main road, so get to the end of our drive and you're pulling out onto a 40. He pulled out so gently, so as to not upset the app, where I'd be up to speed, he was still at 20. I'm keeping an eye in the rear view mirror as I had a feeling people would be bearing down on us as often people aren't doing 40 let's be honest. Felt so precarious.

He doesn't seem to correlate that driving super gently is one thing, but it's not by default good driving when you're a hazard!

Calite said:

Yup it’s bad, I’ve also noted a close correlation between excessively slow/poor driving standards and seeing a dashcam smack bang in the middle of their windscreen.

Always the way. To be so confident in your driving that you'll have a dashcam, whilst simultaneously being so dense you put the camera in your direct line of sight hindering your driving.

The same can be said for people with sat navs in the same place, just less ironic.

[Nomme de Plum]

otolith said:

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Anyone else get this new trend of stopping halfway around a roundabout in slow moving traffic to let someone out from the left?

Completely clogs the flow

I nearly went into the back of someone a couple of weeks ago - waited for them to go, checked right, started to accelerate, had to slam on because they just stopped on the roundabout. Not sure whether it was misplaced courtesy or not understanding how roundabouts work.

If it is slow moving then letting someone in isn't going to cause a problem especially if they are indicating correctly and leaving at a later exit.

It is those drivers that block a multi lane roundabout and stop others for moving cross that are the problem. Just like blocking people from exiting side roads.

It's pretty hard to hit someone up the back if one is paying attention and driving according to the conditions.

[otolith]

Nomme de Plum said:

otolith said:

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Anyone else get this new trend of stopping halfway around a roundabout in slow moving traffic to let someone out from the left?

Completely clogs the flow

I nearly went into the back of someone a couple of weeks ago - waited for them to go, checked right, started to accelerate, had to slam on because they just stopped on the roundabout. Not sure whether it was misplaced courtesy or not understanding how roundabouts work.

If it is slow moving then letting someone in isn't going to cause a problem especially if they are indicating correctly and leaving at a later exit.

It is those drivers that block a multi lane roundabout and stop others for moving cross that are the problem. Just like blocking people from exiting side roads.

It's pretty hard to hit someone up the back if one is paying attention and driving according to the conditions.

This wasn't slow moving. The exit was clear. All the exits were clear. I'm wary of going without the car in front moving, but they had moved onto the roundabout and decided for whatever reason to stop dead. I will however be more aware of the possibility of morons in that situation in future.