Overtaking opportunities......Not What they were

[silverfoxcc]

Bimbling along in the bus yesterday along a reasonably straight road, good sight lines, 40 limit (BAH) and realised that the line of cars ahead gave me no chances ( if i was in the car) of doing staged overtakes if i wanted to 'make progress' Although it was a 40 and they were doing 35, i have noticed this more and more on NSL roads where, there is no '2 sec gap' or more to drop into safely.
When i was a lad!!!!! it seemed the gaps left were more considerate than now. Could it be a combination of BRAKE 'brain washing' and more traffic?

[interloper]

I think its a combination of more traffic and more people who seem to like traveling nose to tail with the next car. Maybe its because I was brought up on cars with crap brakes but or maybe I just like personal space but I am amazed at how close people seem to want to get.

[Jimmy No Hands]

More cars on the road, the cars that are on the road are faster than they were etc

[rossub]

Jimmy No Hands said:

the cars that are on the road are faster than they were etc

Just wish the drivers were aswell!

[petrolveins]

This is very true, the only times I've been able to do 'staged overtakes' has resulted in lots of angry flashing of head lights. I've always questioned if maybe it is an aggressive thing to do, or is it just this new behaviour of people hating overtakers.

I've done it before in light to medium traffic following an old land rover, did two overtakes past a few cars, no issues with the overtake, good visibility and lots of room to tuck back in, but both times the cars behind beeped me. Then when I saw my gap to pass the last few cars and the Land Rover the idiot in the Saabs pulls in front of me once I had already looked, indicated and pulled out into the oncoming lane. Utter dick, tried to sail past all of the cars making an oncoming car brake.

[collateral]

interloper said:

I think its a combination of more traffic and more people who seem to like traveling nose to tail with the next car. Maybe its because I was brought up on cars with crap brakes but or maybe I just like personal space but I am amazed at how close people seem to want to get.

I was going to suggest better brakes had something to do with it.

It'd be interesting to see how acceleration performance has changed compared to stopping ability over the years, but I'm not sure how you'd plot it

[VinceFox]

I rarely overtake in the car now (m3) for these reasons, also people get the proper hump about it and i dont really want to get drawn into anything. Ive said this before as well, but riding a bike sort of puts overtaking with a car into perspective.

[AlpineWhite]

More traffic
More road furniture, islands, double white lines
Shorter gaps between vehicles
Different attitude to overtaking - seen as aggressive or a display of machismo

[Martin_Hx]

If the opportunity arises and its clear and safe, ill be around any Sunday driver in a quick overtake :-)

Never had anyone beep or flash me, I do agree with the lack of a 2 second rule tho, I bet that contributes to most accidents... Idiots.

[Pasteurised]

When i did it i was charged with "Inconsiderate Overtaking" apparently i could have been rear ended when i pulled in, infront of each car. Not sure how that works considering im moving faster and not braking.

[Scuffers]

welcome to the world of Brake!

they are pushing hard to overtaking to be banned, as apparently is so dangerous, none of us should be allowed to do it.

Around here (Northamptonshire) even though the council say they have no money to repair roads, they have the money to install hundreds of 'islands' on A roads to basically prevent overtaking, to the point that there are no safe places left on major trunk roads, which when you consider HGV's are limited to 40Mph on these roads is just asking for issues as people then get desperate and go for very risky passes.

[RJP001]

While those risky passes will merely aid BRAKE's relentless campaign and hatred on the motorist.

[rodgling]

silverfoxcc said:

there is no '2 sec gap' or more to drop into safely.

If there's a two second gap then there isn't space for you to go into it. The cars you overtake shouldn't be forced to lift off / brake when you pull back in, in order to maintain a safe distance.

[silverfoxcc]

Rodgling,

I meant the gap nowadays is LESS thn the 2 sec sfe minimum. So there is no safe refuge to drop in whilst doing the overtaking, plus trhe numpties close up the gap as well. Me, i tend to 'back off ' while still proceeding, if i see i guy coming up behind, also the occasional LH indicator doesn't go amiss. I even give a 'wve; i when pasing someone who does the nice thing. god i am soooo boring

[MagicalTrevor]

It's pretty much for the above reasons that I'm thinking of buying an 'economobile' for day to day stuff and then keep something quick in the garage for trackdays. No point in having anything capable these days.

Have the Government won in that respect?

[jimmyboy85]

rodgling said:

If there's a two second gap then there isn't space for you to go into it. The cars you overtake shouldn't be forced to lift off / brake when you pull back in, in order to maintain a safe distance.

No. They should leave a bigger gap in the first place, so if any one does want to carry on at a different speed they have the chance to overtake safely when the opportunity arises, instead of creating a six car, nose to tail convoy, which no one can get round.

Just selfishness, lack of awareness and or a general "road captain" attitude. Its very prevalent around these parts and drives me mad, I'm sure it contributes to a lot of the more unsafe overtakes attempted too.

[rodgling]

jimmyboy85 said:

They should leave a bigger gap in the first place, so if any one does want to carry on at a different speed they have the chance to overtake safely when the opportunity arises, instead of creating a six car, nose to tail convoy, which no one can get round.

Absolutely true but my point stands, if the space isn't there, removing the overtakee's safe gap is selfish and dangerous.

[obob]

I did a staged overtake on the Snake Pass last week, long downhill straight with a few curves that you can see all the way as its downhill. Line of cars travelling at 35-40mph, I overtake 3 cars, spot a cat coming the other way, still a long way away, I abort overtaking the remaining 2 cars and indicate to pull in, the Focus driver closes the gap and horns at meso I am now stuck in the wrong lane with a car coming the other way. I brake and cut in behind the Focus.

So stop at some road works and this gets out 'You fking tt, you could have killed us all'

'Well not if you'd just let me back in you nob'

So as he's sticking his face in my window I get out.

Changes his mind walks off and shouts 'learn how to drive you fking prick'

I overtook the tt the next opportunity, this flashing his lights like a fking Christmas tree.

[crossy67]

I had an irate driver hammering on my window after I over took him on a quiet Sunday morning in a 60 zone. He was doing about 40, admittedly I did get up to about 65-70 during the overtake but then slowed to the speed limit. I was shocked that someone would go as far as to risk a slap (if I were the sort) for a safe overtake on a clear road.

[darren f]

A combination of things have resulted in people deciding overtaking is simply not worth it- the main thing being the fear of a speed camera or scamera van around the next corner. This, and the generic brainwashing by the media / advertising campaigns and the likes of BRAKE that 'speed kills'. The latter's main aim is to make any form of the use of speed as anti-social as DD-ing, and in some ways they have had some success.

The annoying thing for an enthusiastic driver is that the 'skill' of overtaking is being lost. So many times you see clumps of drivers happily sitting behind a slower vehicle with no intention of taking an overtaking opportunity- they simply do not know how to, or do not want to position themselves to be able see if it is safe to overtake. Add this to the the selfish attitude displayed by many people who cannot see why anyone would want to go any quicker, or get in front of them, resulting in the obvious friction when someone who is willing to make progress joins the back of the queue.