Why do you overtake?
Discussion
On my regular commute there are several sets of traffic lights where the road splits into two lanes then returns to one. People regularly use these to move a few spaces forward in the queue as you'd expect, but I often see people taking extraordinary risks just to gain an extra place in the queue (particularly if that place is occupied by a bus).
That doesn't bother me at all I'm happy to let them in, but the bit that puzzles me is that a couple of miles later, the road turns into a dual-carriageway and the same cars that were so desparate to gain places are often now trundling along at 55mph.
Further on, the road is so wide that people overtake regardless of oncoming traffic which is fine until somebody coming the other way is doing the same thing. The curious aspect of this is that it's inside a long stretch of average speed cameras so most traffic flows at the same speed.
I reckon I'm pretty patient and can sit behind somebody doing 90% of the speed limit, but less than that and I'll start having a look. I'm probably more inclined to pass old couples in small cars for some reason, or if I've spotted somebody who makes me nervous being around.
That's probably it but I suspect the car influences that too. If I drove something quicker I'd probably widen that criteria.
So surely there's more to overtaking than simply getting there quicker and it's got me wondering, what criteria must be met before you start looking for a place to pass?
That doesn't bother me at all I'm happy to let them in, but the bit that puzzles me is that a couple of miles later, the road turns into a dual-carriageway and the same cars that were so desparate to gain places are often now trundling along at 55mph.
Further on, the road is so wide that people overtake regardless of oncoming traffic which is fine until somebody coming the other way is doing the same thing. The curious aspect of this is that it's inside a long stretch of average speed cameras so most traffic flows at the same speed.
I reckon I'm pretty patient and can sit behind somebody doing 90% of the speed limit, but less than that and I'll start having a look. I'm probably more inclined to pass old couples in small cars for some reason, or if I've spotted somebody who makes me nervous being around.
That's probably it but I suspect the car influences that too. If I drove something quicker I'd probably widen that criteria.
So surely there's more to overtaking than simply getting there quicker and it's got me wondering, what criteria must be met before you start looking for a place to pass?
If someone is failing to make reasonable progress or driving at inconsistent speed...
If they're driving like a bell-end I leave them in-front of me. Would rather have them where I can see them, than suddenly in my boot.
I don't overtake too frequently, but it tends to be lorries, caravans and the Sunday brigade. Other than that I really don't care too much. I tend to rationalise that taking risks because I'm impatient is stupid, so just go with the flow unless it's beyond my threshold.
If they're driving like a bell-end I leave them in-front of me. Would rather have them where I can see them, than suddenly in my boot.
I don't overtake too frequently, but it tends to be lorries, caravans and the Sunday brigade. Other than that I really don't care too much. I tend to rationalise that taking risks because I'm impatient is stupid, so just go with the flow unless it's beyond my threshold.
'cos it's fun.
I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
I agree it depends what car you are driving, in my wife's Nissan I am happy to go with the flow, in my Lotus I'm more tempted to go for a gap... Overtaking isn't about getting there quicker for me, it's about not having to look at the back of some repmobile or shopping trolly being driven inconsistently. I don't race people and if someone faster comes up behind me I'm happy to help them get by. Tailgaters on the motorway drive me up the wall though!
s behind me the betterI simply see them as being obstacles to pass, especially when I'm on the bike. It almost becomes a game where I win by getting past everything in front of me. There's usually never a question of wondering about staying behind them, unless they're already doing outrageous speeds. 99% of the time they're simply going slower than I want to go.
Almost always, I overtake because it will make a quantifiable difference to my journey.
But occasionally, if I'm in the TVR (or something equally gratuitous) I'm more inclined to overtake in situations where I wouldn't usually bother; like the last clear stretch of B-road before I get back to the house - overtaking there only saves seconds in reality, and you're only going to get stuck in traffic half a mile later, but if the road's clear and you have a de-catted V8 ... why not?
But occasionally, if I'm in the TVR (or something equally gratuitous) I'm more inclined to overtake in situations where I wouldn't usually bother; like the last clear stretch of B-road before I get back to the house - overtaking there only saves seconds in reality, and you're only going to get stuck in traffic half a mile later, but if the road's clear and you have a de-catted V8 ... why not?
There are a lot of people who seem to want to drive below the speed limit. If I'm driving one of my cars with cruise control, I often set it at the speed limit, but find myself gaining on other cars. Therefore I have to accelerate to above the the speed limit to overtake them. Very annoying.
Chris71 said:
Almost always, I overtake because it will make a quantifiable difference to my journey.
But occasionally, if I'm in the TVR (or something equally gratuitous) I'm more inclined to overtake in situations where I wouldn't usually bother; like the last clear stretch of B-road before I get back to the house - overtaking there only saves seconds in reality, and you're only going to get stuck in traffic half a mile later, but if the road's clear and you have a de-catted V8 ... why not?
Pretty much this. For me, it's my mood and not the car that influences it, since I'm always in the same car but sometimes just fancy blasting someone because I can. Then it's purely for fun.But occasionally, if I'm in the TVR (or something equally gratuitous) I'm more inclined to overtake in situations where I wouldn't usually bother; like the last clear stretch of B-road before I get back to the house - overtaking there only saves seconds in reality, and you're only going to get stuck in traffic half a mile later, but if the road's clear and you have a de-catted V8 ... why not?
In commuting sort of traffic, I'll happily mess around with lanes and second-guess when lights are going to change to make sure I have to stop as rarely as possible, to save fuel; and to get ahead of as many cars as possible, for obvious time gain. People can say you'll only gain five seconds, but if those five seconds get you through a set of lights that would've otherwise stopped you for sixty, happy days.
I quite often find that cars I've passed, I don't see behind me again for the rest of my journey, so it seems to work fine. That or everyone turns off the roads I use
G0ldfysh said:
'cos it's fun.
I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
This. I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
durbster said:
where the road splits into two lanes then returns to one.
Or, often seen. They are at the front, no other traffic, they go for L2 as it branches out, instead of just staying in L1 I take L1, lights change, they don't make progress, and lose several spaces as everyone else passes in L1. And they repeat at every set of lights around the ring-road. Why dive for L2 in the first place?
durbster said:
I often see people taking extraordinary risks just to gain an extra place in the queue........the bit that puzzles me is that a couple of miles later, the road turns into a dual-carriageway and the same cars that were so desparate to gain places are often now trundling along at 55mph.
They're everywhere 
Don't fully understand why the situation you describe happens, but one thing I do know, is that I'm not as bothered about speed of progress on the public road since I no longer have to drive that often. When I was on the road for more than 5 hours a day, it was a huge issue, and a clever balancing act between making fast progress without causing problems for other users and keeping the licence from going overboard on points. when more than half your working day involves getting to places, the time savings start to add up in an important way which they don't really when you're only thinking about a few short journeys.
I feel for service engineers and people who must spend many hours on the road daily, and need to make fast progress to earn a living, because I think that they're often some of the best drivers, and have racked up the most experience in miles. I know my peak driving ability was definitely when I was on the road all day, every day. Like everything else, practice makes perfect. It's unfortunate that statistically, since you're on the road more miles/hours, you're far more likely to end up with points than the less experienced/less able/safe driver who goes out for a mad blat rarely.
I feel for service engineers and people who must spend many hours on the road daily, and need to make fast progress to earn a living, because I think that they're often some of the best drivers, and have racked up the most experience in miles. I know my peak driving ability was definitely when I was on the road all day, every day. Like everything else, practice makes perfect. It's unfortunate that statistically, since you're on the road more miles/hours, you're far more likely to end up with points than the less experienced/less able/safe driver who goes out for a mad blat rarely.
durbster said:
what criteria must be met before you start looking for a place to pass?
Usually, if the person in front is driving at a speed or in a way that I feel is hindering my progress, then I look for a passing opportunity; it all depends on the circumstances. Sometimes I am in no hurry and am happy to follow along. Sometimes I know that the road is such that I know I will not be any better off. Other times, I will be looking to pass just for the enjoyment of doing it well, regardless of benefit. There are even times when I deliberately look for people to pass just for practice. As I said, it all depends.denniswise9 said:
G0ldfysh said:
'cos it's fun.
I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
This. I am going to be sat in the office doing the usual stuff for 8 hours shortly why shouldn't I have a bit of a giggle on the way in. Don't want to get there sooner, and accept I wont but I will have more fun getting there than the other person staring at the boot lid of the same car all the way in.
I drive a black BMW 6 series and I overtake because, after dawdling along at 40-50MPH for a while on 60MPH roads and the empty M-way slip road, I get the hump when the bloke in the car behind me gets on the motorway ahead of me by merging sooner.
I speed up to 95 MPH (even though the traffic in front of me is stopped) and try and squeeze back ahead of him, even though he's signalling.
This is what I like to think BMW mean when they talk of "Ultimate Driving".
M
I speed up to 95 MPH (even though the traffic in front of me is stopped) and try and squeeze back ahead of him, even though he's signalling.
This is what I like to think BMW mean when they talk of "Ultimate Driving".
M
ewenm said:
Zod said:
If I'm on a B road on which I hope to enjoy the drive and I come across a dawdler, I overtake (assuming all conditions are met).
That's nice, and I'm sure everyone else here would too, but what about the OP's question?there must be at least some point to the overtake - if it's just moving one place up a queue of dawdlers with no prospect of ever getting past all then I won't bother. I may even turn off and try a different route;
after that, it's just the usual requirements; line of sight, enough space to complete the manoeuvre safely, no hazards like side roads, potholes, dips or crests (dips and crests should of course be treated as vertical bends).
I'll overtake if it makes a difference to my journey ie I will get there sooner by more than a few minutes, I will enjoy the journey more without a car in front of me, or the car in front is being driven totally inconsiderately. These days I never join in in a traffic light grand prix, diving in and out of lanes in traffic or overtake just to sit behind someone else 50m further down the road. There's just no point.
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