An epidemic of insanely slow drivers

[Quadratica]

irc said:

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

That's slow, perhaps the car had a fault, leaky exhaust ?

[Quadratica]

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.

Agreed, I am aware and let others pass when it is safe to do so. I hate to hold up people in a rush, and often they pass me and I meet them at the lights 500m away.

[Julian Scott]

Quadratica said:

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.

To you it might be irreverent, but to plenty it might not be.

I would suggest you need some additional training though, not being inflammatory, if feeling safe is just down to driving slowly, you are missing the real safety issues of being present (or not) on our roads. Only 5% of accidents are in any way attributed to exceeding a speed limit. If you also feel your car is 'dangerously fast' from 0 to 50, it is likewise suggesting further training would be beneficial.

Much as I am sure a lot of slow drivers that have held other drivers up do not recall being an inconvenience to other road users, that doesn't mean that you are. Around a month ago, I was in a long line of traffic stuck behind a driver doping 25-30mph in a 60 limit. He ended up in the same supermarket car park I was heading to. I asked him if he was aware he'd been doing less than half the speed limit and had held up a dozen or 2 cars in the process. I looked blank and just muttered something about not breaking speed limits.


FWIW, I regularly drive right up to, and sometimes over the speed limit, and have done in excess of 500,000 miles in the 30 years I have been driving. I have also never had an accident with the exception of being rear-ended when stationary.

[bolidemichael]

Julian Scott said:

I have also never had an accident with the exception of being rear-ended when stationary.

Probably by the slow coach who eventually caught up with you

[carreauchompeur]

These people are staggering.

It should be perfectly possible to maintain a set speed on cruise control on a quiet motorway. But no. These utter weirdos creep up from behind and sit on your rear quarter for miles. What’s the plan?

One such weirdo in a Q4 was bugging me for miles on the M4 yesterday. Coming up to an HGV and this year was sat on my quarter, so quick blip of throttle, get out into L2 and then back to cruise speed after the HGV.

Biig old flash for that. They then sat in L3/4 of an empty motorway, at the same speed, for a good 30 miles.

Crush their cars, the only language they understand

[Quadratica]

Julian Scott said:

To you it might be irreverent, but to plenty it might not be.

I would suggest you need some additional training though, not being inflammatory, if feeling safe is just down to driving slowly, you are missing the real safety issues of being present (or not) on our roads. Only 5% of accidents are in any way attributed to exceeding a speed limit. If you also feel your car is 'dangerously fast' from 0 to 50, it is likewise suggesting further training would be beneficial.

Much as I am sure a lot of slow drivers that have held other drivers up do not recall being an inconvenience to other road users, that doesn't mean that you are. Around a month ago, I was in a long line of traffic stuck behind a driver doping 25-30mph in a 60 limit. He ended up in the same supermarket car park I was heading to. I asked him if he was aware he'd been doing less than half the speed limit and had held up a dozen or 2 cars in the process. I looked blank and just muttered something about not breaking speed limits.


FWIW, I regularly drive right up to, and sometimes over the speed limit, and have done in excess of 500,000 miles in the 30 years I have been driving. I have also never had an accident with the exception of being rear-ended when stationary.

20 mins is insignificant over a 120 min journey, certainly not worth rushing for, and I will never do it.

You are a much better driver than me, you have better judgement, faster reactions and quicker risk assessment. I don't posses those qualities so I made the decision that in order to lessen the risk to others and myself it would be prudent to drive only at speeds which I feel in control....roughly 10-15% below the max speed allowed.

I agree, the driver who held you up from getting to the shops was a tad slow, in a 60mph (dual road) I would feel safe at 40-50.

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode, I tried NORMAL/SPORT modes at 1am in Oxford and decided not to do it again. .

[Quadratica]

carreauchompeur said:

These people are staggering.

It should be perfectly possible to maintain a set speed on cruise control on a quiet motorway. But no. These utter weirdos creep up from behind and sit on your rear quarter for miles. What’s the plan?

One such weirdo in a Q4 was bugging me for miles on the M4 yesterday. Coming up to an HGV and this year was sat on my quarter, so quick blip of throttle, get out into L2 and then back to cruise speed after the HGV.

Biig old flash for that. They then sat in L3/4 of an empty motorway, at the same speed, for a good 30 miles.

Crush their cars, the only language they understand

Agreed, some folks want to start a fight on the motorway, goodness knows why !

[bolidemichael]

Quadratica said:

Julian Scott said:

To you it might be irreverent, but to plenty it might not be.

I would suggest you need some additional training though, not being inflammatory, if feeling safe is just down to driving slowly, you are missing the real safety issues of being present (or not) on our roads. Only 5% of accidents are in any way attributed to exceeding a speed limit. If you also feel your car is 'dangerously fast' from 0 to 50, it is likewise suggesting further training would be beneficial.

Much as I am sure a lot of slow drivers that have held other drivers up do not recall being an inconvenience to other road users, that doesn't mean that you are. Around a month ago, I was in a long line of traffic stuck behind a driver doping 25-30mph in a 60 limit. He ended up in the same supermarket car park I was heading to. I asked him if he was aware he'd been doing less than half the speed limit and had held up a dozen or 2 cars in the process. I looked blank and just muttered something about not breaking speed limits.


FWIW, I regularly drive right up to, and sometimes over the speed limit, and have done in excess of 500,000 miles in the 30 years I have been driving. I have also never had an accident with the exception of being rear-ended when stationary.

20 mins is insignificant over a 120 min journey, certainly not worth rushing for, and I will never do it.

You are a much better driver than me, you have better judgement, faster reactions and quicker risk assessment. I don't posses those qualities so I made the decision that in order to lessen the risk to others and myself it would be prudent to drive only at speeds which I feel in control....roughly 10-15% below the max speed allowed.

I agree, the driver who held you up from getting to the shops was a tad slow, in a 60mph (dual road) I would feel safe at 40-50.

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode, I tried NORMAL/SPORT modes at 1am in Oxford and decided not to do it again. .

Quality trolling

[njw1]

Quadratica said:

20 mins is insignificant over a 120 min journey, certainly not worth rushing for, and I will never do it.

You are a much better driver than me, you have better judgement, faster reactions and quicker risk assessment. I don't posses those qualities so I made the decision that in order to lessen the risk to others and myself it would be prudent to drive only at speeds which I feel in control....roughly 10-15% below the max speed allowed.

I agree, the driver who held you up from getting to the shops was a tad slow, in a 60mph (dual road) I would feel safe at 40-50.

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode, I tried NORMAL/SPORT modes at 1am in Oxford and decided not to do it again. .

Have you ever thought about catching the bus? Or a train....? It'd probably be safer for everyone if you have to drive at 20 below the limit to feel 'in control'...

Actually, I still think you're trolling.

[popeyewhite]

Quadratica said:

..drive only at speeds which I feel in control....roughly 10-15% below the max speed allowed.

I'm sure you pull over graciously to let any traffic you've been blocking overtake. 50 and 60 mph roads around here if you're doing 40/45 or less you'll be causing tailbacks.

[Quadratica]

njw1 said:

Have you ever thought about catching the bus? Or a train....? It'd probably be safer for everyone if you have to drive at 20 below the limit to feel 'in control'...

Actually, I still think you're trolling.

Bus, no, it doesn't really go where I need to be. However, I am a very keen cyclist and walker; less than 5 miles I will walk/cycle.

Saying that I drive at 20mph less than the limit is disingenuous because it suggests that I drive at 10 and 30 on roads with limits of 30 and 50, which is untrue. As I said earlier, 10-15% lower is a better way to describe my confidence margin.

I'm disappointed that you think I am trolling.

[Quadratica]

popeyewhite said:

I'm sure you pull over graciously to let any traffic you've been blocking overtake. 50 and 60 mph roads around here if you're doing 40/45 or less you'll be causing tailbacks.

If a tailback is what it takes for me not to have an accident then so be it. I am considerate and will allow those in a hurry to pass if safe. I should not be made to feel that I have to go outside of my safety/comfort zone, I tilt my rear view mirror out of sight, put the cruise on at 40-50 and focus on the road in front.

I derive great pleasure listening to Schubert in my car, why rush and get it over and done with.....to arrive home flustered and be made to do chores, no thank you.

Edited by Quadratica on Thursday 13th March 23:41

[Mr Tidy]

Quadratica said:

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.

Gaining 20 mins on a long journey probably won't bother an EV driver when 200+ miles probably means spending that long getting a recharge!

But if I'm going somewhere I just want to get there, not fanny about in services.

I'll admit I was admiring a very fit looking scantily-clad young lady on the pavement in the summer of 1987 when the car in front of me stopped to let a couple of pedestrians cross the road for some reason (there was no pedestrian crossing) and I didn't notice in time to stop before I hit it.

But you've just been lucky really. My luck ran out in May 2023 when I came up a slip-road from the M3 and stopped in a queue of cars at a red light. The lights turned green, but before the car in front of me moved the one behind hit me in the rear.

Incidents like that happen whatever speed you drive at.

[Wheel Turned Out]

Quadratica said:

popeyewhite said:

I'm sure you pull over graciously to let any traffic you've been blocking overtake. 50 and 60 mph roads around here if you're doing 40/45 or less you'll be causing tailbacks.

If a tailback is what it takes for me not to have an accident then so be it. I am considerate and will allow those in a hurry to pass if safe. I should not be made to feel that I have to go outside of my safety/comfort zone, I tilt my rear view mirror out of sight, put the cruise on at 40-50 and focus on the road in front.

I derive great pleasure listening to Schubert in my car, why rush and get it over and done with.....to arrive home flustered and be made to do chores, no thank you.

Edited by Quadratica on Thursday 13th March 23:41

Quality bit of Partridge going on, hats off.

[Acuity30]

Quadratica said:

Agreed, I am aware and let others pass when it is safe to do so. I hate to hold up people in a rush, and often they pass me and I meet them at the lights 500m away.

The meeting at the lights thing is irrelevant really, especially on more rural commutes where it's 30 miles of twisty B roads and everyone is going the same way. Passing the slower driver and meeting at the lights is perfect, because there are often no more lights for another 10-20 miles of 60mph B roads where the slower driver will be doing 45 the whole time. So once I pass that hurdle, they're gone and never seen again after those initial lights.
Think roads in Oxfordshire surrounding, but not on the M40.

[bigothunter]

Quadratica said:

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode, I tried NORMAL/SPORT modes at 1am in Oxford and decided not to do it again. .

Credibility has gone now but the illusion was good while it lasted. Thanks for the laugh

[croyde]

bigothunter said:

Quadratica said:

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode, I tried NORMAL/SPORT modes at 1am in Oxford and decided not to do it again. .

Credibility has gone now but the illusion was good while it lasted. Thanks for the laugh

Good lard! has he not heard about modulating the throttle. It's not an on/off switch.

That's how come I can drive really powerful cars and motorbikes and not come to any harm.

Drove an electric car once and after getting over the giggle of how quickly it took off, I then drove it sensibly in order to not get range anxiety

[spreadsheet monkey]

bolidemichael said:

Quadratica said:

in a 60mph (dual road) I would feel safe at 40-50.

I don't think further training to drive at faster speeds is a wise thing for me, more prudent would be to simply drive slowly and safely. If only I had some way to slow this EV down in ECO mode

Quality trolling

There is a valid point hidden amongst the trolling. EVs have made people more aware of their speed, as there is a very obvious impact on range if you drive at 60mph rather than 75mph, and that encourages people to back off a bit.

Motorways are definitely slower than they used to be, based on my experience of the M4 and M40. It's rare to see cars travelling much faster than 80mph these days, whereas 10-20 years ago that seemed to be the default motorway speed for most cars. I think speed cameras (and the associated fines and points) are having the intended effect.

[5s Alive]

Acuity30 said:

Quadratica said:

Agreed, I am aware and let others pass when it is safe to do so. I hate to hold up people in a rush, and often they pass me and I meet them at the lights 500m away.

The meeting at the lights thing is irrelevant really, especially on more rural commutes where it's 30 miles of twisty B roads and everyone is going the same way. Passing the slower driver and meeting at the lights is perfect, because there are often no more lights for another 10-20 miles of 60mph B roads where the slower driver will be doing 45 the whole time. So once I pass that hurdle, they're gone and never seen again after those initial lights.
Think roads in Oxfordshire surrounding, but not on the M40.

I find the main benefit of overtaking those who subsequently end up right behind you is in being able to drive in a smooth flowing consistent manner. More relaxing and enjoyable than enduring the constant braking and acceleration behind those who lack the confidence, anticipation or observation to go with the natural flow of the road.

Even if I were content to to follow said slower drivers, this just leads to presenting everyone else with two cars to overtake, increasing TED for everyone - and probably peppering your car with road debris in the process... no thanks!

[Pereldh]

These EV's clearly TELL their "drivers" (?) to slow down or they're not gettin where they going.

The most hilarious picturesque situation of this development (everything in the world getting faster except car driving) is when i'm out driving my 1985 Fiat Argenta 120ie - which I've been doing since 1993.

Being an old-school italian excecutive geared for the Autostrada in the 80's, I regularly pass the Tesla's on the highway at 140km/h (87miles) humming along at 3000rpm.

Progress?

Laughable