Overtaking

[Chrisw666]

andy-xr said:

With you now

Being more serious the kind of cars I'm talking about as 'more powerful' are the ones driven by the kind of person who tailgates in town and on dual carriageways or major A roads but goes to pieces on a B road. I do realise this is a massive assumption unless you've been tailgates by said car.

[storminnorman]

what winds me up is having to overtake people driving cars that are so much more capable than mine.
I'm not saying that because you have a big engined car or something you have to drive the nuts off it all the time but really, put the boot in a bit on the straight parts at least for the love of god!

I've never had a problem with people speeding up when you try a maneuver, but one thing that seems to be common is people getting right on your backside after you've completed an overtake - not in an angry manner, just as though they've woken up and realised they're actually driving on a busy, fast A road and not the fking high street.

I don't care if someone gets pissy at me for overtaking them in a little pug diesel, the chance is I'm already much more angry than they will ever be because I've had to overtake them in the first place. I don't like having to overtake - while the car can shift if it needs to - it just makes me uncomfortable even though I'm usually doing it on spots that I know very well.

argh.
ETA: If I think about it, I have to overtake 2-3 times a day on my 40mi round trip. I keep to the speed limits. It's bonkers

[MarkRSi]

pilchardthecat said:

Fozziebear said:

4key said:

I am rarely in a rush so dont need to overtake, i normally only do it because i can and following a slow car is boring.

Add to this the fact that i am quite a childish, easily amused wind up bd and the outcome is that when i am flashed for no reason i wait until i am just out of sight and then pull over off of the road. When they pass me i follow and then overtake again.

My record is with an old bloke in a fiesta that i managed to pass numerous times between harlow and brentwood

Class!

Genius. I get flashed from time to time for no reason so i shall endeavour to start doing this

This and doing 'laps' on a 3 lane motorway...

[Dalto123]

Fozziebear said:

It's extremely dangerous, think of the children for god sake!

Sorry but you reminded me of this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2sWSVRrmo












I've nothing constructive or helpful to add to this thread, sorry!

[twink]

MarkRSi said:

This and doing 'laps' on a 3 lane motorway...

Sounds a bit like playing orbit the middle lane moron. Can be quite good fun as they get more and more confused and the face wears an even bigger WTF expression each time round.

[Birdster]

Had a driver attempt to block my overtake today.

They were doing 30 in 40. I was two cars behind. Once we got to the 60 they were doing 40. I over took the first car. Couldn't overtake the slow mover, well I could have done, but I don't like to push the risk. So stuck behind them into the next 40. Goes back to 60 again and a few yards in I realise they are doing 40 again. As soon as I accelerate and pull out they all of a sudden do the same speed. I had an option to drop back in, or floor it. I deemed it safer to get past this idiot.

This time I ended up getting held up again, so this driver pulled up next to me. I looked over expecting a dirty look, as obviously they had a problem. But nothing, so either they are non confrontational, not that I'm looking for a confrontation. Or they are one of those inconsistent drivers. Like the ones who do 60 on the motorway, you overtake and then about five mins later they fly past and then you overtake again once they slow down. I genuinely think that there was no malice in this today, but that they don't pay attention to those around them and this is one stretch where they feel safe to do the speed limit. As I had no headlight flashes, or driving close behind afterwards etc.

[vsonix]

john2443 said:

Cliftonite said:

john2443 said:

It's not very common, most people do 99% of mileage on dual carriageways and if they get on an A road don't know how to do it.

I go up to Norfolk now and then to see my mum and they don't really do dual carriageways there so it's nice to have the opportunity to overtake, just because you can...hold back, drop a cog, accelerate, pull out, floor it

Shirley, it is better, safer and smoother to (mirror) pull out and look (carefully) before dropping a cog and accelerating / flooring it?

If there's not loads of distance then by the time you've done that you've missed your chance, particularly if you don't have lots of power.

^ this - if you're pootling in 4th or 5th to save petrol and you're driving something less torque-oriented it's usually a better idea to 'pre-load' and get into the beginning of the power-band so as soon as you start the manoeuvre your car is giving you maximum thrust. It's not as if you're committed to move once you've dropped a gear, in fact if something does pop into view unexpectedly it's a lot easier to revert back to the original gear rather than to move back in half-way through an overtake your car wasn't fully prepared for. If you get your rev-matching down it shouldn't cause any undue alarm/discomfort to passengers.

[kiteless]

storminnorman said:

I keep to the speed limits. It's bonkers

Isn't it just?

This morning's manoeuvre involved a pass on a car and a 40t wagon, both doing 40; car in front of me following said lorry. I gave the car in front about 5 seconds to pass the wagon, but no. So off I go, and by the time I got past the lorry's cab I was still just under 60.

It's not difficult, for god's sake.

[nails1979]

I find overtaking in a slower car people are less likely to be angry but you but you run the risk of them putting their foot down and blocking you.
However when I overtake in a fast ish car with a pop and tish I get Mr or Mrs angry behind flashing etc.
Hardly ever see people overtaking now.

[oldcynic]

Sadly there are the occasional tts out there who give overtakers a bad name.

Last week I was sat in a line of cars behind a bus, 1/4 mile to go to the next T-junction when the double white lines finally cease, so the guy behind floors it and passes me before diving into the moderate gap between myself and the car in front to avoid a head-on with an innocent oncoming vehicle. He feigned deafness when I pulled alongside him at the T-junction to ask what exactly he thought he had achieved.

[Art0ir]

twink said:

Sounds a bit like playing orbit the middle lane moron. Can be quite good fun as they get more and more confused and the face wears an even bigger WTF expression each time round.

I might leave the house early tomorrow just to play this, fantastic.

[Art0ir]

Echoing the above comments, I was in a Kia C'eed diesel a few weeks ago in Scotland and managed close to 500 miles over 2 days with plenty of overtakes. The thing was gutless so it was a case of drop a cog, foot to the floor and move out. Often I'd end up slightly over the limit to ensure a safe pass. No reaction at all.

Past two weeks in the Jeep doing similar around my local roads, but often staying under the limit and with much more room to complete the maneuver and lots of beeping and angry flashing. Either people don't like being overtaken by a 4x4 or the V8 at 6000rpm comes across as aggressive.

[Jayfish]

My main issue is the overtakee not turning off their full beam once I'm past
And as for the oncoming traffic flashers, a hand out the window with fingers counting down the seconds you've been safely tucked back in does wonders for the soul

[KingNothing]

No single carriageway roads on my commute, dual carriageway though, so consequently, I spend more time undertaking or wearing out my high beams bulbs than I do overtaking

[matthias73]

Gixer said:

Brake woman was on the radio a few weeks back and yep, that's what she said

The most dangerous manoeuvre a driver can ever do and should be avoided at all costs ...... Apparently

To be fair it probably is on average the most dangerous "manouvre" out of all of them. Certainly more dangerous than bay parking.

In the same way sleeping on a bunk bed is probably more dangerous.than a normal bed.

[Colonial]

I've only been flashed twice by oncoming cars. The first I realised was for the accident around a blind bend further up the road (after the second flash from cars)

The second was from someone who got very annoyed that I performed an overtake and then finally passed me. 25 seconds later. A very long straight section of road (long straight to the south of Putty village turnoff on the Putty Road for those local)

[GrumpyTwig]

It's weird as I've always found it's the people that are so far away that theres so little chance of collision as to make it impossible that flash their lights.

I've never had any kind of near miss overtaking because I plan ahead and only proceed when I can see enough road to complete the overtake yet still get the odd flasher, maybe it's the car that does it. Some people seem to think that you aren't allowed to overtake and that the road systems should be like quieing at the bank, slow shuffling tedium with an depressing ending.

[deltashad]

4key said:

I am rarely in a rush so dont need to overtake, i normally only do it because i can and following a slow car is boring.

Add to this the fact that i am quite a childish, easily amused wind up bd and the outcome is that when i am flashed for no reason i wait until i am just out of sight and then pull over off of the road. When they pass me i follow and then overtake again.

My record is with an old bloke in a fiesta that i managed to pass numerous times between harlow and brentwood

Thats fabulous. I wanna play that game!

[STW2010]

Birdster said:

Had a driver attempt to block my overtake today.

I had the same last night, but it was from a proper tt.

I was coming down a hill (in a 30mph zone, doing 30 mph), and this person pulls out without slowing or possibly even looking. Not a problem, as I just let off the accelerator and no problem caused. Just after that the road turns into a national speed limit, and they were going much slower than I am happy to drive, so at the first opportunity I tried to overtake, but they pulled over to the right and blocked me.

Then at the second opportunity (a long straight, wider road), I managed to get past them (though by this point they decided it was a race and had put their foot down ). When I pulled back in they kept their full beams on (not a problem, my mirrors auto-dim for night driving) and then tried in vain to keep up. At the end of the national speed limit, it is a t-junction into a 40 zone, then a roundabout. They were next to me at the roundabout (when I arrived there were a few cars coming around) and then tried to race me off of the line (I was in the right lane going right, they were in the left lane going straight on).

All very weird. It was like they couldn't accept it at all.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

JonnoMcJoncliffe said:

Is it banned or something?

No but worse than Rape, Pillage and Murder judging by the reaction of some drivers, and I'm talking perfectly safe, legal overtakes with plenty of room, then que flashing, sudden increase of speed and tailgating from the mong you've just passed that was doing 45 in a 60.

Driver training NEEDS to include making progress, I know making progress is taught to a small degree in the basic test, but much more emphasis needs to be put on maintaining a reasonable speed and overtaking.

Also Sliproads & trying to join dual carriageways & motorways at 35mph, but thats another topic for another thread...