Why can nobody overtake?

[havoc]

I'd never considered that perspective before - I always make a single, definite move left when I see a bike approaching for an overtake or filtering.

[benjipeg]

as a fairly new rider, it was a bit of a surprise to see how some car drivers change their driving when i pull up behind them on the bike, from small pulls over to the left hand side - which i have always done assuming im helping, to indicating left to signal me to pass, arm out the window signalling me to pass and even slowing down in order to assist my passing. all of which are done in a way to try and help but actually do make more thinking required.

[TVRBRZ]

I didn't think this thread was as old and unused as it seems. Perhaps I'm confusing it with similarly titled threads. Still, time for a revival.

Heading south on the A68 near Otterburn. A Kia Sportage and either a focus or hyundai estate are "on it". Estate is all over the back of the kia so I hang back and wait for him to over take. I've 5 miles to run to the A68 turn off from the A696 so I'm content to wait. And wait, and wait....

Junction for the A68 comes up and drat, they are both going my way. Mercifully the kia let's the estate past on the junction (bit dangerous IMHO) and the estate disappears off at 70 mph+. Kia still on it but is very good, indicates left and let's me past. I keep to NSL and catch the estate who has been slowed by a HGV.

Lovely long straight, nothing coming. Estate sits 2m from back of HGV and makes no attempt to overtake. So I pass both safety. Miles upon miles of long straights appear and as I'm still at NSL I'm waiting for the estate to overtake the HGV and catch me up. I've already decided to let him past as he's evidently on a mission.

Nothing, miles of straights go by, little to no opposing traffic. I stop at roadworks and in my rear view mirror I see the HGV still with the estate car glued to its backside. Lights turn green and I never see them again.

How, just how, can someone evidently capable of driving fast not overtake in the easiest circumstances possible????

[Gad-Westy]

TVRBRZ said:

I didn't think this thread was as old and unused as it seems. Perhaps I'm confusing it with similarly titled threads. Still, time for a revival.

Heading south on the A68 near Otterburn. A Kia Sportage and either a focus or hyundai estate are "on it". Estate is all over the back of the kia so I hang back and wait for him to over take. I've 5 miles to run to the A68 turn off from the A696 so I'm content to wait. And wait, and wait....

Junction for the A68 comes up and drat, they are both going my way. Mercifully the kia let's the estate past on the junction (bit dangerous IMHO) and the estate disappears off at 70 mph+. Kia still on it but is very good, indicates left and let's me past. I keep to NSL and catch the estate who has been slowed by a HGV.

Lovely long straight, nothing coming. Estate sits 2m from back of HGV and makes no attempt to overtake. So I pass both safety. Miles upon miles of long straights appear and as I'm still at NSL I'm waiting for the estate to overtake the HGV and catch me up. I've already decided to let him past as he's evidently on a mission.

Nothing, miles of straights go by, little to no opposing traffic. I stop at roadworks and in my rear view mirror I see the HGV still with the estate car glued to its backside. Lights turn green and I never see them again.

How, just how, can someone evidently capable of driving fast not overtake in the easiest circumstances possible????

I know that section well. It can be a welcome relief after taking that junction to stay on the A68. Some very long straight sections. But yes, your tale baffles me too and yet I've seen it a lot. I caught up with an Up GTi recently that was following a tractor. It was a road I know well and I knew we were coming up to a well sighted straight and I assumed the Up would use it and I'd go too if there was still enough straight left but otherwise I knew another was coming up soon. The up Gti just sat there, at 20 mph and by the time I'd established they really weren't going to pass, my opportunity was gone. So on the next straight I didn't bother with any of that curtesy and went for it as soon as I could see it was clear and that the Up in front wasn't interested. Except the Up front finally woke up just as I was coming alongside it and nearly put me in a ditch. What a tit! But I guess at least they did overtake something!

My mum visited us recently and on my recommendation took the shortcut from the A1 via Piercebridge to join the A68 North. She complained on arrival that it had added quite a lot of time as she'd been stuck behind a tractor. Most of that road is roman and arrow straight for sometimes miles at a time. I'd asked why she didn't just overtake and she said she hadn't even thought about it. Just follows a tractor at 15 mph for miles instead. Just baffles me. I've been in the car where she'll just follow a bus right up to a stop as well and just wait behind it for minutes with nothing at all coming the other way.

[wc98]

popeyewhite said:

There is a new bypass near me. As I live in a semi-rural area the road is sometimes used by agricultural vehicles, but rarely tractors. Sheep/cattletrucks etc. It's a NSL road, single carriageway with excellent visibility. It's almost arrow straight for 4 miles. Many times I've been stuck behind a row of cars following a farm truck at 35 mph. There is no gap large enough between the following cars to leapfrog past them, and the car behind the truck won't overtake. So we st there whilst the livestock glare at us. Cars do the dance - pull out a bit have a look, deem it far too risky (it isn't obvs) and pull l back in. This often goes on for the whole four miles with the queue moving like a snake along the road as people peep then bottle it.

Yesterday I followed, in fourth position, a chap in an old 540i. He popped his head out and looked several times, but couldn't quite summon the courage. I overtook the lot and glanced back to view the carnage I'd wrought only to see the 540i pulling out and following!

Yesssss!

You get what you accept in life. I have huge respect for drivers that never ever break speed limits or any form of traffic rule. I find it hard to concentrate on any A or B road sitting at 60 mph where it would be possible to travel 100mph faster in closed road conditions (no i don't want to be doing 160mph but i don't want to be doing 40mph either) so i have no idea how people can do it at 45mph.

As far as i am concerned if people are driving nose to tail behind a slow moving vehicle they are breaking the rules regarding leaving a gap to the vehicle in front therefore i will make one if i have to. I'm not sitting at 35mph in a NSL for 4 miles for anyone. Fortunately the vast majority of the time i will just pass them all in one move, it's a regular occurrence over the last twenty years or so as the roads have got busier around here and as you say it usually inspires one of the dawdlers to pull out and pass themselves.

[TVRBRZ]

GW - "she hadn't thought of overtaking..." that made me proper LOL!

[Slippydiff]

cerb4.5lee said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

RVB said:

havoc said:

RVB said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-rhzvKK-Oc

Video set to private.

How about now?

Works now. What a loon.

Agree. That certainly isn't the usual way of flying across a roundabout that is for sure!

Old post, I know ...

That's a poor effort, if you're going to try and impress someone with an overtake whilst unaware of the road layout in front of you, this is the benchmark :

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/mHUSrVzm-cA

[CoolHands]

That gtr sounded awesome

The thread the chap up there who revived this thread is thinking about is probably ‘An epidemic of insanely slow drivers’ https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[TVRBRZ]

I've contributed to the insanely slow drivers thread but this was a fast driver who couldn't overtake. Indeed my last contribution to the insanely slow drivers was a whinge about a Merc A35 that couldn't overtake.

Perhaps I should start a "people in insanely fast cars or people who drive insanely fast, who can't overtake" topic.

There. Fixed that for myself. Old man rants at clouds, Merc A35s and progressive Hyundais and everything. And the Porsche Cayenne that caught me on the A68 and then wouldn't overtake me even when I slowed down and indicated left....

I give up!

[Griffith4ever]

I've had a couple of "fun" ones recently. R8 V10 so makes some noise and attracts attention...

Followed a car along a very emty and big A road yesterday, he stuck religeouly to the limits - fair enough. Didn't tailgate him, followed happily behind enjoying having the roof down. Got to an empty straight - THE straightest straight imaginable. Overtook him, ful beans. Cue loads of angry light flashing. WTAF goes through their minds? Is it simply them saying "you are speeding!!!!!"? Happens quite often when I overtake in the R8. Sometimes they lean on the horn too.

Other one - well it made me laugh to be completely honest. Overtook a car , working my way through a convoy of cars where no one woudd overtake the 28mph tractor. Guy I overtook started waving at me and pointed to the back of my car giving a "wobbling" indication with his hand - i.e. something on the back of your car is loose mate - kind of thing - I even thanked him. Pulled into a layby to check, then thought, "nah" - he's talking nonsense , he drove past , wound down his window and screamed "Wan*ker!!!!" - lmao.

Fair play - although the best bit was I soon caught up with him, and he turned off into the same village road as me - he thought I was following him. He flew over three speed bumps in his Merc - I got the distinct impression he was "running" from me, he then swerved into a drive of a house I KNOW he doesn' tlive at - I know the home owner, and sat there staring forwards. I just drove past, ignoring him. I think he might of st his pants :-)

[Gad-Westy]

TVRBRZ said:

GW - "she hadn't thought of overtaking..." that made me proper LOL!

It’s bewildering. She gave me a look of ‘are you insane?’ for even asking it. I wasn’t there but I would imagine there was a good long queue of cars behind her wondering when she might consider overtaking. Does show an entirely different mindset to driving.

[donkmeister]

Griffith4ever said:

I've had a couple of "fun" ones recently. R8 V10 so makes some noise and attracts attention...

Followed a car along a very emty and big A road yesterday, he stuck religeouly to the limits - fair enough. Didn't tailgate him, followed happily behind enjoying having the roof down. Got to an empty straight - THE straightest straight imaginable. Overtook him, ful beans. Cue loads of angry light flashing. WTAF goes through their minds? Is it simply them saying "you are speeding!!!!!"? Happens quite often when I overtake in the R8. Sometimes they lean on the horn too.

Being in a full fat R8 you wouldn't have noticed if he'd tried to baulk your overtake, but I have noticed that often the order of events is:
1) you move out to overtake
2) they spot you and think "No way matey, just wait until you see what my beast is capable of"
3) they floor it
4) as you get close you hear the kick down, you might even see a little puff of soot
5) you continue your overtake because you left enough safety margin to account for this.
6) when you pull back in they either go mental with the flashing and gesticulating or they try to keep up until they st themselves on a corner or they realise that they are now going 20mph faster than they actually want to.

[Griffith4ever]

donkmeister said:

Griffith4ever said:

I've had a couple of "fun" ones recently. R8 V10 so makes some noise and attracts attention...

Followed a car along a very emty and big A road yesterday, he stuck religeouly to the limits - fair enough. Didn't tailgate him, followed happily behind enjoying having the roof down. Got to an empty straight - THE straightest straight imaginable. Overtook him, ful beans. Cue loads of angry light flashing. WTAF goes through their minds? Is it simply them saying "you are speeding!!!!!"? Happens quite often when I overtake in the R8. Sometimes they lean on the horn too.

Being in a full fat R8 you wouldn't have noticed if he'd tried to baulk your overtake, but I have noticed that often the order of events is:
1) you move out to overtake
2) they spot you and think "No way matey, just wait until you see what my beast is capable of"
3) they floor it
4) as you get close you hear the kick down, you might even see a little puff of soot
5) you continue your overtake because you left enough safety margin to account for this.
6) when you pull back in they either go mental with the flashing and gesticulating or they try to keep up until they st themselves on a corner or they realise that they are now going 20mph faster than they actually want to.

Oh, my friend, I have indeed seen this :-) - You can tell even in the R8. - and yes, you then watch them slow back down to the speed they were previously doing in your rear view mirror!

What more often happens is I approach a van or a basic golf (no idea why these two re-occurr) - and they floor it leaving me in a cloud of unburnt diesel soot from their boosted motor. When I've got the roof off its bloody horrible. When they do this, often I'll just ease back for a while because what was a simple safe overtake changes to one where I'd be way faster than planned once past them. Blasting past someone doing 45 in a 60 is one thing. Doing it when they floor it to 70 changes the whole dynamic into something I don't want to be part of.

[Sharp Bend]

Pan Pan Pan said:

James6112 said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

There is also the difference between a car `driver' and a car `user' the two are not the same.
Some, especially those who like and appreciate cars, tend to take pride in their vehicles `and' in the way they drive them.
To others cars (no matter how basic or expensive) are just another notch on their white goods list, and they apply little or no more interest in driving them properly, than they apply to using their washing machine, fridge freezer, tumble dryer etc. This type are just car `users'.

Quite a bit of snobbery on show there

Anyone behind the wheel is a driver

No, they are not, they really, really are not.

I have heard the term 'Steering Wheel Attendants'

[cayman-black]

Slippydiff said:

Old post, I know ...

That's a poor effort, if you're going to try and impress someone with an overtake whilst unaware of the road layout in front of you, this is the benchmark :

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/mHUSrVzm-cA

LOL i love that post.

[mac96]

In the last few years I have noticed an increasing number of 'drivers' who won't even overtake a tractor. This is partly because tractors are faster than they used to be (so what should have been a good thing is actually a bad one, as the faster tractor delays you more than a slower one), but really, it is still only going 30 - 35 in a 60mph limit, so it should be easy for anyone to find a passing spot.

[LunarOne]

Many people think overtaking is illegal. It hasn't ever occurred to them why some sections of road have solid lines in the middle while some have broken lines.

For those of us fond of an overtake, reduced speed limits and increased traffic density means that around London and the home counties, it's often impossible or pointless. Other drivers don't leave gaps between them and the car in front so you end up with a long tail of traffic snaking behind one slow-moving vehicle. And because of the slow driver epidemic, there are plenty of very slow drivers. If you do get the opportunity to overtake, you only get a few yards up the road before getting stunk behind another slow-moving line of cars.

[bigothunter]

donkmeister said:

Being in a full fat R8 you wouldn't have noticed if he'd tried to baulk your overtake, but I have noticed that often the order of events is:
1) you move out to overtake
2) they spot you and think "No way matey, just wait until you see what my beast is capable of"
3) they floor it
4) as you get close you hear the kick down, you might even see a little puff of soot
5) you continue your overtake because you left enough safety margin to account for this.
6) when you pull back in they either go mental with the flashing and gesticulating or they try to keep up until they st themselves on a corner or they realise that they are now going 20mph faster than they actually want to.

Late braking and accurate cornering lines can see them disappearing through the hedge behind you.

[havoc]

mac96 said:

but really, it is still only going 30 - 35 in a 60mph limit, so it should be easy for anyone to find a passing spot.

North Wales.

Outside of the Home Counties sheer volume of people, I've never encountered country roads where it's so difficult to overtake, due to:-
- Unnecessary double-white lines
- Badly sighted, often very twisty roads
- Queues of timid people afraid of speed / speed cameras sitting behind every tractor / caravan / tourist, and as mentioned above, sitting too close to each other because their myopia is mental not physical.
- Poor traffic management in towns leading to additional queues / bottlenecks which just makes this bunching-up worse.


Honestly, there are some absolutely cracking roads (and equally cracking mountains to hike up), but they're just not worth the grief of getting to anymore.

[Evil.soup]

havoc said:

mac96 said:

but really, it is still only going 30 - 35 in a 60mph limit, so it should be easy for anyone to find a passing spot.

North Wales.

Outside of the Home Counties sheer volume of people, I've never encountered country roads where it's so difficult to overtake, due to:-
- Unnecessary double-white lines
- Badly sighted, often very twisty roads
- Queues of timid people afraid of speed / speed cameras sitting behind every tractor / caravan / tourist, and as mentioned above, sitting too close to each other because their myopia is mental not physical.
- Poor traffic management in towns leading to additional queues / bottlenecks which just makes this bunching-up worse.


Honestly, there are some absolutely cracking roads (and equally cracking mountains to hike up), but they're just not worth the grief of getting to anymore.

The North does seem to be an issue these days in terms of your list, but the South, above the valleys at least, heading to mid-west Wales is still a pretty nice place to drive. Granted, there is certainly more traffic, more hesitation and more frightened drivers than there have been over the years I have been driving in this area, but the road in mid-Wales still see people making effort to make progress. White van man is still on fire generally, one van I was behind was moving with really impressive pace and executing well timed overtakes. I was in the Impreza and I was thinking, this guy can really drive!