Your overtaking experiences - any negative responses?

[TheArchitect]

I used to get a lot of abuse for overtaking and have had a large amount of people attempt to speed up but never swerve, even when overtaking on long straights which are well sighted etc. now im in a less powerful car i overtake a lot less due to if people start accelerating its not easy to continue the pass safely.

People feel its an insult or your a hooligan if you overtake them so when i do overtake ill carry on at a slightly faster pace "safely" to give myself space so they are not tailgating me afterwards.

[monthefish]

TheArchitect said:

People feel its an insult or your a hooligan if you overtake them so when i do overtake ill carry on at a slightly faster pace "safely" to give myself space so they are not tailgating me afterwards.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people speed up after they've just been overtaken, and I don't think it's purely down to annoyance at being overtaken; there are probably elements of
- didn't realise they were driving so slowly
- don't know the road
- subconsiously 'latching' onto the back of your car.

behavious going on also.

[monthefish]

doodles19 said:

This is why I try, when possible, to build up a bit of a run up, so A) numpties have less of an impact on the manouver when they try and boot it B) When overtaking in a 1.2, this seems like the safest option, minimising the time you are on the other side of the road.

This is a good idea (and a technique I used to emply regularly when I had a summer job as delivery driver in my youth) but you have to always ensure that you can 'abort' the manoeuvre at any time prior to the actual overtake.

I was nearly caught out once when the car I was about to overtake suddenly slammed on his brakes and decide to pull onto the verge on the other side of the road without indicating. (I guess he hadn't checked his mirrors for a while, and as a result hadn't realised how quickly I had come upon him). The abort was very last minute in this case, and closer than I would have liked. I guess that, as the 'overtaker', the book probably would have been thrown at me had there been an incident.

[Alfa numeric]

I had it a lot in my student Allegro and Rover Mini, especially on motorways. Both had a comfortable maximum of 75-80 so often I’d sit behind people rather then overtake, but occasionally you’d come across someone doing 65. Halfway through the pass they’d look across and see what was alongside them, possibly realise how slow they were going and speed up to match my speed. I’m now hung out to dry in the outside lane, unable to accelerate with a steadily growing line of faster traffic behind me. I’d then have to slow down and pull in behind them- and of course they’d slow down, leaving me with the same problem I’d had minutes before.

Someone tried it earlier this year on the M1 when I was in my current car. I’m guessing they saw a Megane and thought it was an oil burner- they got a bit of a shock when I dropped two gears and left them for dead!

[HereBeMonsters]

After a drive of around 50 miles down B roads I got so pissed off with people flashing me for overtaking that I stopped them and asked why.
It was a van advertising a mobile dog valet service or some st like that, who were doing between 30-40mph on an NSL road. I executed a perfect overtake on a clear stretch of road, indicating at all the right points, never going above the speed limit and not even taking the car near the rev limit.

The van sped up as I was passing, and the driver (55-60 year old male) and his passenger (similar age female) went absolutely batst. There was horn, lights flashing, windscreen washing and many hand signals. I kept at a steady 60 while the van sped up and dropped back a couple of times, feigning as if they were going to ram me. We came to a narrow junction, and I thought to myself "I've had enough of this." There was no-one else around who I was inconveniencing I so got out of the car, and walked calmly up to the van with a look of confusion on my face.

The driver pretended to ignore me until I tapped on the window. He shouted "don't touch my car". I pointed out that it was a van, then asked "what was all that about then? All the flashing, beeping, and swearing?" Again, he ignored me.
"It's just I was wondering what caused you to lose your temper so badly? What did I do?"
No answer. He's looking sheepish now.
"Look," I said, "I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, I just genuinely want to know what it is you thought I did wrong."
At this point the wife gets out her phone and dials a very short number. I guess it's 999.
"No need to call the Police, if anything I should be calling them about you."
She put the phone down and screamed at me "You almost killed us! Driving that fast! You're going to kill someone soon!"
"In what way did I almost kill you? I was on the other side of the road, indicated my intentions, overtook safely and pulled back in far ahead of you."
"We didn't see you!" She shouted. "You were driving too fast".
"I was well within the speed limit. Do you know what the speed limit is for this stretch of road?"
The blokes pipes up now: "30".
"Nope, it's a National Speed Limit road, which means it's a 60. That's what the white sign with the black diagonal line through it means."
"No it doesn't. If it was a 60 limit, it would say 60."
Realising I'm on to a loser who was blaming his poor observational skills and lack of highway code knowledge on me, I start to walk back to the car, but not before I'm afraid I sank to their level, and shouted "you're a fking idiot, read the fking highway code and don't try to fking ram me off the road, or I'll call the fking Police."

I'm not saying everyone has the same affliction as this bloke, but it does explain why some people completely fail to speed up upon leaving a lower limit, then go mental when I overtake. Either they haven't seen me or the NSL sign, or have no idea what it means.

[S18DMW]

I've found it seems to be a lot of the 'older generation' of drivers who are of the belief that everything they do behind the wheel is right and everyone else is wrong (not exclusive to this age group, granted) and also people in cars such as A4's, Passats and 3 series BM's. I've overtaken people on b-roads (where appropriate) and then when I slow down a bit to a more steady speed they then come flying up behind me and feel the need to sit 2 inches off my back bumper.

They never seem to like when a younger guy overtakes them in a bright blue Astra....

[dabofoppo]

I almost always get abuse for overtaking coming up to a bend which is on a flat road which has a field on the right and because of that you can see well ahead for about 1K up till a bridge. But everytime i overtake a new driver or an old person doing about 20 i get the whole flashing lights etc. Can never really understand why they do it i personally believe that they feel that im putting them in danger. Road is the A759 Towards kilmarnock leaving Troon for anyone that knows it.

[ShiggyBiggs]

I get 'tards on a local long straight stretch of road(2miles at a guess) thats a 40, sitting at about 35. Then when you overtake they flash and give you the finger haha. I just flash the hazards. I imagine they think im saying thanks for letting me past.

[monthefish]

HereBeMonsters said:

.....lights flashing....

......I asked what was all that about then? All the flashing.....


....he ignored me.....

.....he's looking sheepish now.....

Seems to be the common theme.

[citizen_smith]

surely if people thought you were driving dangerously by overtaking, they would do the same thing on dual carriageways/motorways? never heard of it happening on them.

also just found this story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1281590/Re...

Second sentence sums it up.

Edited by citizen_smith on Wednesday 26th May 19:18

[John D.]

Its very rare someone speeds up to attempt to block an overtake IME. Or maybe I just don't notice? Headlight flashing by on coming traffic 1/4 mile away is more common. Guess some may judge a safe gap based on their own cars feeble performance.

[shost]

HereBeMonsters said:

After a drive of around 50 miles down B roads I got so pissed off with people flashing me for overtaking that I stopped them and asked why.
It was a van advertising a mobile dog valet service or some st like that, who were doing between 30-40mph on an NSL road. I executed a perfect overtake on a clear stretch of road, indicating at all the right points, never going above the speed limit and not even taking the car near the rev limit.

The van sped up as I was passing, and the driver (55-60 year old male) and his passenger (similar age female) went absolutely batst. There was horn, lights flashing, windscreen washing and many hand signals. I kept at a steady 60 while the van sped up and dropped back a couple of times, feigning as if they were going to ram me. We came to a narrow junction, and I thought to myself "I've had enough of this." There was no-one else around who I was inconveniencing I so got out of the car, and walked calmly up to the van with a look of confusion on my face.

The driver pretended to ignore me until I tapped on the window. He shouted "don't touch my car". I pointed out that it was a van, then asked "what was all that about then? All the flashing, beeping, and swearing?" Again, he ignored me.
"It's just I was wondering what caused you to lose your temper so badly? What did I do?"
No answer. He's looking sheepish now.
"Look," I said, "I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, I just genuinely want to know what it is you thought I did wrong."
At this point the wife gets out her phone and dials a very short number. I guess it's 999.
"No need to call the Police, if anything I should be calling them about you."
She put the phone down and screamed at me "You almost killed us! Driving that fast! You're going to kill someone soon!"
"In what way did I almost kill you? I was on the other side of the road, indicated my intentions, overtook safely and pulled back in far ahead of you."
"We didn't see you!" She shouted. "You were driving too fast".
"I was well within the speed limit. Do you know what the speed limit is for this stretch of road?"
The blokes pipes up now: "30".
"Nope, it's a National Speed Limit road, which means it's a 60. That's what the white sign with the black diagonal line through it means."
"No it doesn't. If it was a 60 limit, it would say 60."
Realising I'm on to a loser who was blaming his poor observational skills and lack of highway code knowledge on me, I start to walk back to the car, but not before I'm afraid I sank to their level, and shouted "you're a fking idiot, read the fking highway code and don't try to fking ram me off the road, or I'll call the fking Police."

I'm not saying everyone has the same affliction as this bloke, but it does explain why some people completely fail to speed up upon leaving a lower limit, then go mental when I overtake. Either they haven't seen me or the NSL sign, or have no idea what it means.

Glad you did that. Holy Thread Resurrection here but my post doesn't warrant a new thread.

Have a BMW i3 loan car at the mo. First time driving electric car and first electric overtake on... a marked Ford Focus Police car doing 45 in NSL (I took my time deciding if that was a 'good idea' but big gap ahead and lots of HGVs ahead going slow). Anyway, all very silent and well indicated. Knew it had to be textbook and it was. Fine. No response. Continued overtaking the HGVs in their view. Fine. Kept all within 10% of limit - hard to do in a silent and unfamiliar car with only digital readout. But fine.

Much further up road overtook a Volvo going so slowly must have been sub 40mph. Like your example overtaking God's aligned clear well sighted and didn't even have to wait behind. Like LMP1 on a Pro Am down Mulsanne. Pulled back in so far up road could not be accused of cutting in or throwing up stones. Full beams plus plus!!

So afraid to say i just anchored up the i3. Which would have treated them to flashing brake lights and the hazards came on... oops. Thing is they were so slow and far behind me they stopped before I did. You couldn't even call it a brake check as I was about 50m ahead.

So far behind that i couldn't be asked to walk back to their car to ask them politely what they thought I did wrong. Alas I'll never know.

Edited by shost on Tuesday 28th November 08:01