Overtake haters
Discussion
B'stard Child said:
It's not the ones where the oncoming traffic flash you (when I did my advanced driver training that was viewed as a good overtake if they had time to flash you etc)
It's the thunder
s that get upset having been overtaken - You've "queue jumped" and in the UK that's such bad form
Drivers these days are becoming lemmings and follow each other like sheep
The art of making safe progress is dying and I'm going to continue to make sure it doesn't die completely.
Amen brother.It's the thunder
s that get upset having been overtaken - You've "queue jumped" and in the UK that's such bad formDrivers these days are becoming lemmings and follow each other like sheep
The art of making safe progress is dying and I'm going to continue to make sure it doesn't die completely.
I am consistently reminded by my otherwise very intelligent other half that overtaking is "illegal". It's the first thing she brings up at family get-togethers: "my other half drives dangerously".
I once read about a guy who swerved onto the opposite side of the road to block a driver trying to overtake him as he apparently believed the overtake was illegal. The car he blocked turned out to be an unmarked police car and he ended up being prosecuted for dangerous driving. He even had his 8 month pregnant wife in the back seat and he believed the police officer trying to overtake him was endangering her.
It would help a lot if more road users read this rule in the Highway Code
168
Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.
168
Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.
Blakewater said:
I once read about a guy who swerved onto the opposite side of the road to block a driver trying to overtake him as he apparently believed the overtake was illegal. The car he blocked turned out to be an unmarked police car and he ended up being prosecuted for dangerous driving. He even had his 8 month pregnant wife in the back seat and he believed the police officer trying to overtake him was endangering her.
Wouldn't you just love to have been observing his face and sniffing for bad air when the penny dropped...? 
Never been flashed when overtaking myself, but have had to ease off the gas on a bit of straight road when an oncoming underpowered boyracer Corsa was struggling to overtake his mate in a similar powered car. He did make it back in (but possibly not had I not slowed down). No need for heavy braking/headlamp flashing, I just slowed a bit to keep far enough away from him.
Regarding being overtaken, not sure what peoples problem is. If someone wants to go faster than me its their right to overtake if safe.
Regarding being overtaken, not sure what peoples problem is. If someone wants to go faster than me its their right to overtake if safe.
Edited by ch108 on Saturday 11th January 00:41
I get flashed pretty much every time I overtake in the BMW, with hooting and hand gestures at about 10-20% of overtakes. I'm very safety concious and only overtake if it's totally safe.. In the Lotus or my wife's Honda CTR: never. I guess it's just the usual Brit BMW hatred; I don't think I've ever had it in any other make of car.
GreatPretender said:
I am consistently reminded by my otherwise very intelligent other half that overtaking is "illegal". It's the first thing she brings up at family get-togethers: "my other half drives dangerously".
Good god, you must have done something really bad in a previous life...Here's what to do...
Don a wig, drive through a Gatso at 36, say she was driving, get her on an awareness course and tell her to ask the lecturer if overtaking is illegal. The ensuing argument and digging in of heels will get her chucked off the course.
When she gets the points for dissent, she will understand the error of her ways.
The only 'fault' accident I ever had on the open road was a stupid colleague trying to stop me from overtaking him on the way back from work... Dead straight road, closing speed a good 10-15 mph more, but equal powered cars... He thought it clever to accelerate to stop me getting past, then brake to stop me dropping behind when a car appeared coming the other way!!! Left me no choice but to hope he stayed on the brakes, while I accelerated in front (I was a bonnet ahead when I had to make this choice)...
.. he didn't
I will never ever forget seeing the headlight beams spinning round and round, in my mirror - then the impact with a tree
By some miracle he walked away, but his classic Alfa Guilietta was a write off...
Suspect he never did that again...
That was over 30 years ago, so this isn't entirely a new phenomenon - 'queue jumping' is a crime to most British drivers, it seems!
and the ones that really get on my tits are the 45 mph in an NSL, flash and gesticulate when you overtake, then they're right up your arse in the next 30 mph limit - still flashing their lights and giving the coffee-bean shake...!!!
.. he didn't
I will never ever forget seeing the headlight beams spinning round and round, in my mirror - then the impact with a tree
By some miracle he walked away, but his classic Alfa Guilietta was a write off...
Suspect he never did that again...
That was over 30 years ago, so this isn't entirely a new phenomenon - 'queue jumping' is a crime to most British drivers, it seems!
and the ones that really get on my tits are the 45 mph in an NSL, flash and gesticulate when you overtake, then they're right up your arse in the next 30 mph limit - still flashing their lights and giving the coffee-bean shake...!!!
RobM77 said:
I get flashed pretty much every time I overtake in the BMW, with hooting and hand gestures at about 10-20% of overtakes. I'm very safety concious and only overtake if it's totally safe.. In the Lotus or my wife's Honda CTR: never. I guess it's just the usual Brit BMW hatred; I don't think I've ever had it in any other make of car.
I've never driven a German car and it happens to me all the time, even in the Volvo. GreatPretender said:
B'stard Child said:
It's not the ones where the oncoming traffic flash you (when I did my advanced driver training that was viewed as a good overtake if they had time to flash you etc)
It's the thunders that get upset having been overtaken - You've "queue jumped" and in the UK that's such bad form
Drivers these days are becoming lemmings and follow each other like sheep
The art of making safe progress is dying and I'm going to continue to make sure it doesn't die completely.
Amen brother.It's the thunder
s that get upset having been overtaken - You've "queue jumped" and in the UK that's such bad formDrivers these days are becoming lemmings and follow each other like sheep
The art of making safe progress is dying and I'm going to continue to make sure it doesn't die completely.
I am consistently reminded by my otherwise very intelligent other half that overtaking is "illegal". It's the first thing she brings up at family get-togethers: "my other half drives dangerously".
Let's keep it up shall we?
I do love a bit of 'good progress'!
WaferThinHam said:
......... or see how many headlight flashes I can get back at them before they pass me. My PB is 5 flashes back.
Anyone else experienced this?
Ah, I think this might be your problem. It probably takes only 1 second to get in 5 flashes in....so I think you are saying you were 1 second away from a head on collision. That'll be why they are flashing you. Stupid overtake with minimal room.Anyone else experienced this?
I overtook a chap en route to Bristol airport once (cool story alert!) Old chap[, trundling along so I went out and past with miles to spare and to be fair, I think I hit about 62mph in the process. Anyways, pulled in again with about 20yds clear and he then flicked on full beams and speed up to sit a few feet from my bumper. This went on for about a mile until I got fed up and created a gap.
Few miles up the road, I pulled into get a juice (shell station, at the Ford dealer between sort of Bath / Bristol airport for those who know it) and the old giffer came in to the shop. Being the non-hot headed chap I am, i politely asked why he was flashing his lights and following me so close and the old bloke acted as if I wasn't even there. I didn't waste me time and went to the car where his missus was sat alongside in theirs, taking a great interest in the headlining.
Extreme example maybe but seems to sum up the attitude of many; "I'll bumble along at 45mph saving the planet, in no rush and OH MY GOD HOW DARE YOU PASS ME!!!!" Even in full 2.4 kids mode in the Volvo with the dog in tow, I still get the road captains flashing and suggesting I spank my monkey a lot... even the wee man has asked why that man's flashing his lights, 3 miles further up the road.
Few miles up the road, I pulled into get a juice (shell station, at the Ford dealer between sort of Bath / Bristol airport for those who know it) and the old giffer came in to the shop. Being the non-hot headed chap I am, i politely asked why he was flashing his lights and following me so close and the old bloke acted as if I wasn't even there. I didn't waste me time and went to the car where his missus was sat alongside in theirs, taking a great interest in the headlining.
Extreme example maybe but seems to sum up the attitude of many; "I'll bumble along at 45mph saving the planet, in no rush and OH MY GOD HOW DARE YOU PASS ME!!!!" Even in full 2.4 kids mode in the Volvo with the dog in tow, I still get the road captains flashing and suggesting I spank my monkey a lot... even the wee man has asked why that man's flashing his lights, 3 miles further up the road.
The way I see it:
1. If you overtake someone, and an oncoming vehicle flashes or otherwise indicates his presence, there's a high chance the gap between him and you was a bit close and you caused him alarm. Not always, but that's my experience - we've all done it once or twice in our driving careers I'm sure.
2. If you overtake someone swiftly, safely and leaving plenty of distance before pulling back in, and the person you overtook gets all butthurt about it, then they're an idiot and you should just not think more of it and carry on.
As someone above put it, people in the UK tend to hate people "queue-jumping"; I don't view it as that. I view it as safe progress and I'm going to continue to do this at every chance I get that doesn't cause someone to have to make some sort of evasive manoeuvre.
A similar situation arose when I was queueing to come off the M3 at the M25 junction, there's a huge two-lane sliproad onto the M25 which had stationary traffic, and it was ALL in the left lane, so I took the opportunity to nip up the outside lane and merge carefully in at the end. Of course a couple of cars took offense and fervently drove 2 inches from the car in front in order to block me from merging, but they're idiots.
1. If you overtake someone, and an oncoming vehicle flashes or otherwise indicates his presence, there's a high chance the gap between him and you was a bit close and you caused him alarm. Not always, but that's my experience - we've all done it once or twice in our driving careers I'm sure.
2. If you overtake someone swiftly, safely and leaving plenty of distance before pulling back in, and the person you overtook gets all butthurt about it, then they're an idiot and you should just not think more of it and carry on.
As someone above put it, people in the UK tend to hate people "queue-jumping"; I don't view it as that. I view it as safe progress and I'm going to continue to do this at every chance I get that doesn't cause someone to have to make some sort of evasive manoeuvre.
A similar situation arose when I was queueing to come off the M3 at the M25 junction, there's a huge two-lane sliproad onto the M25 which had stationary traffic, and it was ALL in the left lane, so I took the opportunity to nip up the outside lane and merge carefully in at the end. Of course a couple of cars took offense and fervently drove 2 inches from the car in front in order to block me from merging, but they're idiots.
Edited by Howard- on Saturday 11th January 08:57
I used to live in Yorkshire and the number of 40mph on NSL drivers who came over all irate when being overtaken was ridiculous.
I now live in Wales and while there still is plenty of 40 in NSL drivers they all seem more than happy to move over and even slow a bit to let you go by if you signal intent. Not once have I had coffee beans or flashes here. If definitely seems to be an "English" thing (I am English by the way).
I now live in Wales and while there still is plenty of 40 in NSL drivers they all seem more than happy to move over and even slow a bit to let you go by if you signal intent. Not once have I had coffee beans or flashes here. If definitely seems to be an "English" thing (I am English by the way).
Scottish too. I've had people close the gap purposely in front of me. Then when you try to pull back in they continue to accelerate dangerously close to your rear bumper and hit the full beam.
I had an instance of this a few months ago by a young guy in an e39 sport. I was livid. I slowed the car down, slowing him down. He made a completely safe manoeuvre into a dangerous one then continued with aggressive driving.
Without a lie if the guy had stopped I would have stopped an punched him in the nose, even if he would have beat me up. My misses was in the car at the time and she absolutely doesn't let me drive like a lunatic.
I had an instance of this a few months ago by a young guy in an e39 sport. I was livid. I slowed the car down, slowing him down. He made a completely safe manoeuvre into a dangerous one then continued with aggressive driving.
Without a lie if the guy had stopped I would have stopped an punched him in the nose, even if he would have beat me up. My misses was in the car at the time and she absolutely doesn't let me drive like a lunatic.
itz_baseline said:
WaferThinHam said:
......... or see how many headlight flashes I can get back at them before they pass me. My PB is 5 flashes back.
Anyone else experienced this?
Ah, I think this might be your problem. It probably takes only 1 second to get in 5 flashes in....so I think you are saying you were 1 second away from a head on collision. That'll be why they are flashing you. Stupid overtake with minimal room.Anyone else experienced this?
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