An epidemic of insanely slow drivers
Discussion
119 said:
Speed limits are a maximum, not a target.
A maximum what ?Certainly not the maximum safe speed
That's the problem everything has been so dumbed down, when the limits were set with the cars of the time they possibly were sensible
But instead of being increased due to better cars, tyres etc. They've been reduced !
I do sometimes wonder whether drink driving has gone through the roof or whether it's a meteoric rise in medicated drivers or just a large number of minds ceasing to function efficiently during Covid but meeting someone on the road who is displaying all the signs of being under the influence does seem a daily occurrence now And in broad daylight not just the Sunday lunchers and last orders punters. The late turn ins, the over responses, everything just being done 2-3 seconds later.
The chances of ever being stopped for drunk driving are pretty much non existent and it's a law that is only enforced by people's own morality, few people on medication will be paying any heed to avoiding using heavy machinery and vast numbers of people now seem to be consuming anti depressants (20% of adults using during a year!!) and a huge number are on other potentially impactful NHS medications. Less legal stuff may be becoming more popular among drivers but with next to no human road policing there aren't really any viable stats.
So maybe driving under the influence has quietly been making a big comeback in multiple parts of society?
The chances of ever being stopped for drunk driving are pretty much non existent and it's a law that is only enforced by people's own morality, few people on medication will be paying any heed to avoiding using heavy machinery and vast numbers of people now seem to be consuming anti depressants (20% of adults using during a year!!) and a huge number are on other potentially impactful NHS medications. Less legal stuff may be becoming more popular among drivers but with next to no human road policing there aren't really any viable stats.
So maybe driving under the influence has quietly been making a big comeback in multiple parts of society?
KTMsm said:
119 said:
Speed limits are a maximum, not a target.
A maximum what ?Certainly not the maximum safe speed
That's the problem everything has been so dumbed down, when the limits were set with the cars of the time they possibly were sensible
But instead of being increased due to better cars, tyres etc. They've been reduced !
It could even be argued that they have declined because of modern distractions and more vehicular isolation from the real world.
KTMsm said:
119 said:
Speed limits are a maximum, not a target.
A maximum what ?Certainly not the maximum safe speed
That's the problem everything has been so dumbed down, when the limits were set with the cars of the time they possibly were sensible
But instead of being increased due to better cars, tyres etc. They've been reduced !
Quite old, but would be an interesting read.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/c...
119 said:
The amount pf vehicles on the road, and everyone fighting for their space on it probably has a large reason, as inevitably the risks have increased a reasonable amount.
Quite old, but would be an interesting read.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/c...
I think another reason is people are living longer. The overwhelming majority of terrible driving I come across (in the countryside) is from old people. There was an old woman on a very busy, NSL A road between Hereford and Monmouth yesterday PARKED on a blind corner trying to text someone. Myself and luckily a disco 5 coming the other way stopped, put our hazards on and enquired whether she was ok obviously, and she replied “yes, all fine just replying to my daughters message”. Mental. If your also not competent or confident enough to overtake slow moving vehicles piloted by the “it’s a maximum not a target” crowd, you, along with them, should have your licenses revoked. Quite old, but would be an interesting read.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/c...
119 said:
The amount pf vehicles on the road, and everyone fighting for their space on it probably has a large reason, as inevitably the risks have increased a reasonable amount.
Quite old, but would be an interesting read.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/c...
But I'm generally driving and riding in the countryside at off peak hoursQuite old, but would be an interesting read.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/c...
There's certainly no fighting for space. Sometimes I don't even see another car for 5 / 10 miles yet I'm still subject to the same speed limits - which typically are 10-20 mph slower than they were 20 years ago
I used to try to avoid a ban now that's just pointless, 70/80mph on many country roads is just starting to get interesting in 3rd - there's a huge disconnect between the mumsnet speed limits and the cars / bikes that are being sold
I don't just mean high end - my wife's A6 diesel could comfortably cruise at 120mph 20 years ago - my Starion would in 1983 !
I used to do a lot of motorway driving but now it's pretty rare so it was interesting to do a few hundred miles recently and compare it to how it used to be.
I was surprised by the number of people adhering strictly to the limit. On the surface this would seem like a good thing but it leads to glacial overtakes and very frustrated faster drivers. I found this a complete contrast to my previous experience where the range of speeds was much wider. Impossible to tell if people are being antagonistic or just unaware but cooperation seemed in pretty short supply.
I was surprised by the number of people adhering strictly to the limit. On the surface this would seem like a good thing but it leads to glacial overtakes and very frustrated faster drivers. I found this a complete contrast to my previous experience where the range of speeds was much wider. Impossible to tell if people are being antagonistic or just unaware but cooperation seemed in pretty short supply.
740EVTORQUES said:
DonkeyApple said:
Going to depend on whether you were holding others up or not. If the road is empty feel free to drive at 5mph or hoon it into a deer on a blind corner but if there are fellow road users being impeded then you just help them pass. It's not the speed but the etiquette that matters.
As for whether to hand the license in, absolutely. No self respecting person goes to a Cornish rental off season. It's still hypermiling in the Cotswolds until late May!!!
As for whether to hand the license in, absolutely. No self respecting person goes to a Cornish rental off season. It's still hypermiling in the Cotswolds until late May!!!
No safe passing points for quite a while (Cornish lanes) so the options were me driving faster than I wanted to (being unfamiliar with the roads) or the locals driving slower than they normally do.
being a weekender/or longer at times, rather than a holidayer or indigenous, I'm curious where your holiday let was that you had to drive a long distance on lanes with no opportunity to pull in if you had a queue of traffic behind.119 said:
Speed limits are a maximum, not a target.
If it's safe to travel at the speed limit I will do just that, it's obviously not advisable to attempt hairpins driving on the speed limit on a 60 road but most people know that as its just common sense, drive to the conditions and layout accordingly.... that said many seem to be lacking in the common sense department 
If you only feel safe doing 30/40 in a 60 that's ok, just don't get arsey and start flashing and gesturing when you get safely overtook by somebody travelling a bit faster.
Its the 40mph everywhere crew that are annoying to me, I overtook you when you were dawdling on the 60 road but you seem to have caught me up in the 30 and are now glued to my bumper. I hope your washing gets blown off the line and lands in fox s
t.Rant over.
Unreal said:
I can count the number of times someone has pulled over to let traffic past on the fingers of one hand. I think it's one of those things only PHers do/don't do, like they're the only people who never tailgate, never cut corners or object to being overtaken.
Two separate farm vehicles yesterday with probably half mile tailbacks ignoring spots where they could pull in. These are locals so they know where they could stop but instead built up a wall of frustrated drivers behind them. People at intervals along the queue risking head on by trying multiple overtakes. Taycan driver if it was you that I had to help out by not getting driven into - get some bloody driving lessons.
Semi-fortunately I was going the the other way, but earlier in the day, no traffic about and I catch one of these people who drive in the right hand lane of a two lane road when there is virtually zero traffic. Just why? It just has to be some ghastly Audi suv thing doesn't it? So I arrive on the scene in the left lane, pull out behind, no tailgating. Does he pull over? Does he fk. Puts his foot down. Far, far more common occurrence than dawdlers. Like the farm vehicles, obstructive and provocative.
why not just calmly and quietly, quickly undertake, being extremely vigilant that hes not gonna suddnely wake up/'punish' you. it really is the calmest, and sadly, increasingly safest option (given the tirals oand tribulations of forming a queue, build up of other tailgaters behind etc)Two separate farm vehicles yesterday with probably half mile tailbacks ignoring spots where they could pull in. These are locals so they know where they could stop but instead built up a wall of frustrated drivers behind them. People at intervals along the queue risking head on by trying multiple overtakes. Taycan driver if it was you that I had to help out by not getting driven into - get some bloody driving lessons.
Semi-fortunately I was going the the other way, but earlier in the day, no traffic about and I catch one of these people who drive in the right hand lane of a two lane road when there is virtually zero traffic. Just why? It just has to be some ghastly Audi suv thing doesn't it? So I arrive on the scene in the left lane, pull out behind, no tailgating. Does he pull over? Does he f
k. Puts his foot down. Far, far more common occurrence than dawdlers. Like the farm vehicles, obstructive and provocative.740EVTORQUES said:
heebeegeetee said:
biggbn said:
Had a wonderful blat yesterday, almost 300 miles, average speed 63 mph door to door so was at the naughty end of the dial for a good few miles. Wee car averaged 58mpg, zero dawdlers, zero angst or problems. Best drive I've had in a while
What car would that be? That's a bloody good mpg figure for such a high average speed. I'm intrigued. ??Edited by 740EVTORQUES on Sunday 21st April 10:31
i like ev's but a 'performance' one is complete waste of time and nonsensical in most scenarios, whilst ICE is still available for those of us who enjoy driving.
I was overtaken in a residential road at 30 on Friday night (around midnight) dropping a friend off after dinner, a bald man with a long beard, in a lexus SUV EV. not sure why as i was doing an indicated 30, which in that car is a 28/29 depending on waze/google. possibly a poster on here!
theplayingmantis said:
I was overtaken in a residential road at 30 on Friday night (around midnight) dropping a friend off after dinner, a bald man with a long beard, in a lexus SUV EV. not sure why as i was doing an indicated 30, which in that car is a 28/29 depending on waze/google. possibly a poster on here!
As they said on my (court mandated) speed awareness course when someone enquired about being overtaken while doing the speed limit: "It's THEIR problem." Unless you're the traffic police just let them past as probably safer than tailgating you.
hey man, it does happen!! trumpton7291 said:
theplayingmantis said:
I was overtaken in a residential road at 30 on Friday night (around midnight) dropping a friend off after dinner, a bald man with a long beard, in a lexus SUV EV. not sure why as i was doing an indicated 30, which in that car is a 28/29 depending on waze/google. possibly a poster on here!
As they said on my (court mandated) speed awareness course when someone enquired about being overtaken while doing the speed limit: "It's THEIR problem." Unless you're the traffic police just let them past as probably safer than tailgating you.
earlier said chap had beaten no one else off in a race in his own mind at a set of lights. he then was in the wrong lane at a another set which was why i came to be ahead of him by chance. i think some cars provoke strange actions from some people.
theplayingmantis said:
I was overtaken in a residential road at 30 on Friday night (around midnight) dropping a friend off after dinner, a bald man with a long beard, in a lexus SUV EV. not sure why as i was doing an indicated 30, which in that car is a 28/29 depending on waze/google. possibly a poster on here!
Is that just an anecdote or a complaint? If the latter then I personally would not complain about it if not personally inconvenienced in any way - it’s up to them. If on the other hand they were also moaning about you as an insanely slow driver and claiming you shouldn’t be on the road, then I would take a less charitable view.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff