An epidemic of insanely slow drivers

[G321]

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively. I just don't trust myself to drive faster. It would endanger me and others. 37 years driving without so much as a scrape.

Also, with the volume of traffic, cameras and other measures one hardly gains anything by 'pushing on'. I prefer to put the cruise control on at 55-60 in the left lane for 100 miles of the M40. If I tear away at 70-75, (increasing the probability of an accident each time I change lanes), I reach my destination stressed, poorer and about 20 mins sooner.

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 12th March 00:04

Out of interest, why are you here?

[scenario8]

G321 said:

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively. I just don't trust myself to drive faster. It would endanger me and others. 37 years driving without so much as a scrape.

Also, with the volume of traffic, cameras and other measures one hardly gains anything by 'pushing on'. I prefer to put the cruise control on at 55-60 in the left lane for 100 miles of the M40. If I tear away at 70-75, (increasing the probability of an accident each time I change lanes), I reach my destination stressed, poorer and about 20 mins sooner.

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 12th March 00:04

Out of interest, why are you here?

Other posts state the development of EVs sparked (sic) an interest in motoring.

Also seems to advocate speed limits overnight being raised to 100mph.

Takes all sorts.

Hope I only meet him at night.

[njw1]

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively. I just don't trust myself to drive faster. It would endanger me and others. 37 years driving without so much as a scrape.

Also, with the volume of traffic, cameras and other measures one hardly gains anything by 'pushing on'. I prefer to put the cruise control on at 55-60 in the left lane for 100 miles of the M40. If I tear away at 70-75, (increasing the probability of an accident each time I change lanes), I reach my destination stressed, poorer and about 20 mins sooner.

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 12th March 00:04

If you're not confident enough to drive at the speed limit when conditions allow then you shouldn't be on the road.
Or you're trolling?

[irc]

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively.

Do you live in the Glasgow area? I overtook a car doing 35mph on a 60mph rural road this morning.

[theplayingmantis]

njw1 said:

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively. I just don't trust myself to drive faster. It would endanger me and others. 37 years driving without so much as a scrape.

Also, with the volume of traffic, cameras and other measures one hardly gains anything by 'pushing on'. I prefer to put the cruise control on at 55-60 in the left lane for 100 miles of the M40. If I tear away at 70-75, (increasing the probability of an accident each time I change lanes), I reach my destination stressed, poorer and about 20 mins sooner.

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 12th March 00:04

If you're not confident enough to drive at the speed limit when conditions allow then you shouldn't be on the road.
Or you're trolling?

Of course it is!

Not yet at M4 cruisers level of subtle faux incompetent brilliance. C- must do better

[donkmeister]

littleredrooster said:

Exactly the same situation on the A19 north of York t'other day. Fast-Trac tractor on his limiter at 30mph heading a large convoy with numerous (easy, safe) overtaking opportunities; no-one bothered, I was about car 20 in the queue so I had no chance.

I heard a bloke got his Fast-Trac up to 135mph on a single lane stretch near York. Mind, it was a nice long straight, and wide enough that you could have overtaken if you really felt it necessary...

[Mr Tidy]

Quadratica said:

I'm a slow driver, always have been. I drive at 28-30, 35, 45 or 60 on roads with limits of 30, 40, 50 and 70 respectively. I just don't trust myself to drive faster. It would endanger me and others. 37 years driving without so much as a scrape.

Also, with the volume of traffic, cameras and other measures one hardly gains anything by 'pushing on'. I prefer to put the cruise control on at 55-60 in the left lane for 100 miles of the M40. If I tear away at 70-75, (increasing the probability of an accident each time I change lanes), I reach my destination stressed, poorer and about 20 mins sooner.

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 12th March 00:04

Are you sure you should actually be driving if you have that little confidence?

I drive way faster than 70/75 on most of the M40 so don't often need to change lanes either!

Last week coming into the village where I live there was someone in an SUV driving at 25 in a 40 limit, and braking at every corner. First chance I got I was past, even though I only lived a mile away.

[Acuity30]

Mr Tidy said:

Are you sure you should actually be driving if you have that little confidence?

I drive way faster than 70/75 on most of the M40 so don't often need to change lanes either!

Last week coming into the village where I live there was someone in an SUV driving at 25 in a 40 limit, and braking at every corner. First chance I got I was past, even though I only lived a mile away.

I'm the same. Anyone doing 10% less than the speed limit or slower should really be pulling over and letting speed limit drivers pass. Same way tractors or caravans do.

[popeyewhite]

Tonight Macclesfield to Chelford road the temporary lights stuck on red. I was the fourth car and no one budged. Seeing nothing coming and no waiting cars other than a council van with yellow lights flashing I pulled out and overtook the waiting cars, shot the red and the car behind me followed. 100 metres up the road there was no other traffic light, no waiting cars, and the council van was picking up bollards. The other cars still sat in my rearview. Pathetic. People deserve to be pushed around by councils/politicians if they behave as bovinely as this.

[Wheel Turned Out]

Acuity30 said:

I'm the same. Anyone doing 10% less than the speed limit or slower should really be pulling over and letting speed limit drivers pass. Same way tractors or caravans do.

Same way tractors or caravans *should* do - seems to be increasingly rare they actually do so.

[Mammasaid]

popeyewhite said:

Tonight Macclesfield to Chelford road the temporary lights stuck on red. I was the fourth car and no one budged. Seeing nothing coming and no waiting cars other than a council van with yellow lights flashing I pulled out and overtook the waiting cars, shot the red and the car behind me followed. 100 metres up the road there was no other traffic light, no waiting cars, and the council van was picking up bollards. The other cars still sat in my rearview. Pathetic. People deserve to be pushed around by councils/politicians if they behave as bovinely as this.

Probably set to 'All Red' running whilst removing the roadworks. But Mr PBCD can't wait for the lights to be removed.

[popeyewhite]

Mammasaid said:

Probably set to 'All Red' running whilst removing the roadworks. But Mr PBCD can't wait for the lights to be removed.

There was only one traffic light.

No one else had even bothered looking.

[Mr Tidy]

Wheel Turned Out said:

Same way tractors or caravans *should* do - seems to be increasingly rare they actually do so.

Very rare indeed based on my experience on the NC500 with mostly rented camper-vans in 2023.

[popeyewhite]

Mr Tidy said:

Wheel Turned Out said:

Same way tractors or caravans *should* do - seems to be increasingly rare they actually do so.

Very rare indeed based on my experience on the NC500 with mostly rented camper-vans in 2023.

Don't know about caravans we don't get many here in Cheshire, but tractors seem to be quite well-mannered.

[Julian Scott]

popeyewhite said:

Tonight Macclesfield to Chelford road the temporary lights stuck on red. I was the fourth car and no one budged. Seeing nothing coming and no waiting cars other than a council van with yellow lights flashing I pulled out and overtook the waiting cars, shot the red and the car behind me followed. 100 metres up the road there was no other traffic light, no waiting cars, and the council van was picking up bollards. The other cars still sat in my rearview. Pathetic. People deserve to be pushed around by councils/politicians if they behave as bovinely as this.

Cheshire East Council hate motorists and view us as nothing more than mobile cash machines.

Now it's been discovered we have more unfixed potholes than any other council in the country. CEC response is to 'not believe that' rather than get on and fix some.

[bolidemichael]

Acuity30 said:

Mr Tidy said:

Are you sure you should actually be driving if you have that little confidence?

I drive way faster than 70/75 on most of the M40 so don't often need to change lanes either!

Last week coming into the village where I live there was someone in an SUV driving at 25 in a 40 limit, and braking at every corner. First chance I got I was past, even though I only lived a mile away.

I'm the same. Anyone doing 10% less than the speed limit or slower should really be pulling over and letting speed limit drivers pass. Same way tractors or caravans do.

Overall, drivers are far more selfish than they used to be.

[popeyewhite]

bolidemichael said:

Acuity30 said:

Mr Tidy said:

Are you sure you should actually be driving if you have that little confidence?

I drive way faster than 70/75 on most of the M40 so don't often need to change lanes either!

Last week coming into the village where I live there was someone in an SUV driving at 25 in a 40 limit, and braking at every corner. First chance I got I was past, even though I only lived a mile away.

I'm the same. Anyone doing 10% less than the speed limit or slower should really be pulling over and letting speed limit drivers pass. Same way tractors or caravans do.

Overall, drivers are far more selfish than they used to be.

I think it's the consequence of poor roads, expensive motoring, and many, many more drivers. No one's going anywhere so you either give up or become frustrated.

[Quadratica]

Pit Pony said:

I'll add.

Maybe glasses.

And that 35: You THINK you are doing in a 40. In my car that would be a true 32 mph as the speedo over reads by just under 10%.
Can you imagine the frustration of a more confident driver. Knows that he won't get a ticket if he's doing 42 mph on a road that used to be 60 mph. And then he meets 10 cars all following you, with no safe opportunity to overtake. I bet his piss is boiling.

So yes training. Skid pan training. Practice swerving and hard braking. It occurs to me that people imagine that cars will fall off the road if we get any force of G on cornering. In the dry with wide grippy tyres. It's not like cars handle like a morris marina 1300 automatic with ditchfinder branded tyres. Most have more grip than you'd ever be comfortable using and yet people don't know they are only using 10% of the capability.

Edited to add.

There's a statement made. One hardly gains by pushing on.
And then you say that you'd get their 20 mins faster.

That sounds like a gain to me.

It is actually quicker to just be in the right lane at the right time. I used to comute weekly to the Midlands from Merseyside. Without any stress or speeding I knew that I could get there in the optimum time. I knew in advance which lane would be moving quickest at what point. Coming off the motorway, knowing that there were 2 lanes going left and the right one of 2 would be empty could save 4 mins.

Edited by Pit Pony on Wednesday 12th March 07:35

Gaining 20 mins on a 120 min journey is insignificant...that is what I meant. I accept that there are other confident drivers who like to get a move on but I will drive at the speed at which I feel safe. If my speedometer is 10% out then the same applies to all others and it balances out.

I have never been or seen an accident in all my driving life, some 350-400,000 miles. My long-distance sight is sound, I can read a car reg 30-40m away with ease. It is safer for me and others that I drive within my range of confidence, I consider myself to be a good and safe driver; I cannot recall being an inconvenience to others, not even to lorries on the M40 (I speed up to avoid them or slow down to let them pass). I drive an EV and my only regret is that it is dangerously fast from 0 to 50mph, that level of acceleration is unnecessary but it is sometimes fun when no pedestrian or vehicle is in sight.

[Quadratica]

scenario8 said:

Other posts state the development of EVs sparked (sic) an interest in motoring.

Also seems to advocate speed limits overnight being raised to 100mph.

Takes all sorts.

Hope I only meet him at night.

I'm here because I enjoy reading about the psychology surrounding cars, the language used, the mannerisms of people around cars. I am also replying to a topic on slow driving, I felt it might be useful to know why some folks drive slowly. I drive an EV and this has made me take an interest in the engineering of cars (I have a degree in electrical engineering). Why do you hope to meet me at night ?

[Quadratica]

njw1 said:

If you're not confident enough to drive at the speed limit when conditions allow then you shouldn't be on the road.
Or you're trolling?

Is that an opinion or something which the Highway code demands ?