Operation Snap and road captains
Discussion
Today I was behind someone who was happily driving at 45mph on a 60mph SC road, such is their prerogative. After a few miles I found a safe clear stretch, moved out and overtook them... they turned out to be one of those knobs who accelerate when someone overtakes them. Due to the differences in their car and mine it wasn't exactly a problem, but as they followed me at now 60mph it made me wonder.
In that situation, the legally-correct approach would be to brake and tuck in behind him rather than break the speed limit to complete the overtake. However, if you have the legs on them and plenty of clear road you can finish your overtake safely, even if not legally. There's also the uncertainty around whether someone bent on hanging you out to dry might also match your braking so I'd rather not be where they can subject me to further silliness.
The question is: if someone does what he did, then submits the video to Operation Snap or similar to say "look, this maniac reached the heady speed of 70mph when I tried to baulk their overtake" are they opening themselves up to charges too?
Just for clarity, I'm not talking about the situation recently on the forum where the Kia and Mercedes got their tweezers and magnifying glasses out for a willy measuring contest. I mean a straight "oh, he accelerated, how silly. Oh well, I'll get in with my day now" situation where no handbags are raised, no hand signals are exchanged, no brakes are tested.
In that situation, the legally-correct approach would be to brake and tuck in behind him rather than break the speed limit to complete the overtake. However, if you have the legs on them and plenty of clear road you can finish your overtake safely, even if not legally. There's also the uncertainty around whether someone bent on hanging you out to dry might also match your braking so I'd rather not be where they can subject me to further silliness.
The question is: if someone does what he did, then submits the video to Operation Snap or similar to say "look, this maniac reached the heady speed of 70mph when I tried to baulk their overtake" are they opening themselves up to charges too?
Just for clarity, I'm not talking about the situation recently on the forum where the Kia and Mercedes got their tweezers and magnifying glasses out for a willy measuring contest. I mean a straight "oh, he accelerated, how silly. Oh well, I'll get in with my day now" situation where no handbags are raised, no hand signals are exchanged, no brakes are tested.
It's a strange world, I passed the same woman at least a dozen times whilst driving along the M40 last week. The point being that I had my cruise set. Maybe she just couldn't find a speed that she liked.
Putting my Coppers head on. If I saw what you described, I would be having a word with the idiot trying to thwart your safe overtake.
Putting my Coppers head on. If I saw what you described, I would be having a word with the idiot trying to thwart your safe overtake.
LesXRN said:
It's a strange world, I passed the same woman at least a dozen times whilst driving along the M40 last week. The point being that I had my cruise set. Maybe she just couldn't find a speed that she liked.
I think this is an issue with radar cruise control. Many people get lazy with it, stick in the middle lane and their speed varies wildly but they never bother to change lane and overtake so if you are being proactive to change lanes as appropriate but have a lower cruise speed they'll be a royal pain. Correct response would be, brake, tuck in behind and give them plenty of space incase they decide to dick around.
Could be a due care offence by them. If I saw it at work I'd be stopping them and reporting them (funny enough someone had it on a driving course...three police officers on a course plus the civi instructor who used to be on traffic as witnesses...she decided to go to court...lost!).
For what it's worth...every op snap page I've seen says they can't look at speeding offences.
A colleague submitted one and it got rejected as a few minutes before he was above the speed limit according to the dashcam.
Could be a due care offence by them. If I saw it at work I'd be stopping them and reporting them (funny enough someone had it on a driving course...three police officers on a course plus the civi instructor who used to be on traffic as witnesses...she decided to go to court...lost!).
For what it's worth...every op snap page I've seen says they can't look at speeding offences.
A colleague submitted one and it got rejected as a few minutes before he was above the speed limit according to the dashcam.
Just for clarity, this was a single carriageway, NSL.
Also, being a PHer I was driving a mighty V8 saloon so the risk of being out-accelerated by a road captain in a Meriva was nigh-on zero. It simply meant that after I pulled back in he kept with me for a while and then dropped back again.
I'm just wondering if someone did what he did, then submitted a video to the police saying "look at this maniac!", would he be likely to get a NIP or pulled in front of the beak for driving like a knob?
Also, being a PHer I was driving a mighty V8 saloon so the risk of being out-accelerated by a road captain in a Meriva was nigh-on zero. It simply meant that after I pulled back in he kept with me for a while and then dropped back again.
I'm just wondering if someone did what he did, then submitted a video to the police saying "look at this maniac!", would he be likely to get a NIP or pulled in front of the beak for driving like a knob?
LosingGrip said:
Correct response would be, brake, tuck in behind and give them plenty of space incase they decide to dick around.
Could be a due care offence by them. If I saw it at work I'd be stopping them and reporting them (funny enough someone had it on a driving course...three police officers on a course plus the civi instructor who used to be on traffic as witnesses...she decided to go to court...lost!).
For what it's worth...every op snap page I've seen says they can't look at speeding offences.
A colleague submitted one and it got rejected as a few minutes before he was above the speed limit according to the dashcam.
Interesting stuff, thank you! Interesting that someone can submit something self-incriminating and have it rejected Could be a due care offence by them. If I saw it at work I'd be stopping them and reporting them (funny enough someone had it on a driving course...three police officers on a course plus the civi instructor who used to be on traffic as witnesses...she decided to go to court...lost!).
For what it's worth...every op snap page I've seen says they can't look at speeding offences.
A colleague submitted one and it got rejected as a few minutes before he was above the speed limit according to the dashcam.
Fastdruid said:
I think this is an issue with radar cruise control. Many people get lazy with it, stick in the middle lane and their speed varies wildly but they never bother to change lane and overtake so if you are being proactive to change lanes as appropriate but have a lower cruise speed they'll be a royal pain.
The other problem with this type of cruise control is when overtaking a pair of cars in the middle lane (for example) and the lead mioddle lane car moves into the left lane, you then make to pull into the middle lane and suddenly the second middle lane car, now unrestricted by the car in front of it now accelerates back up to it's set cruise speed in to the vacated space you were about to occupy yourself. Most annoying...Full power so they don't have a chance to block the overtake, they usually get annoyed and flash their lights but leave them to it. Massive annoyance of mine, they'll happily plod along at 37-45mph in a 60, same through a 30, but if you dare overtake them in a 60 they get offended. Gets worse in winter as these types will slow down in the dark as a car approaches, then speed up until the next car comes, then slow down again.
donkmeister said:
I'm just wondering if someone did what he did, then submitted a video to the police saying "look at this maniac!", would he be likely to get a NIP or pulled in front of the beak for driving like a knob?
Would the dashcam show that he had also accelerated at the same time as you were overtaking?In that scenario I think (hope) there's a greater chance of him being prosecuted for DWDCA / DD than you being prosecuted for speeding.
(has anybody ever been prosecuted for speeding solely on the evidence of a dashcam?)
These types of drivers are the worst. spouting irony from their teeny exhausts.
"I'm a safe driver and never speed" - apparantly the two go hand in hand nowadays. However, attempting to cause a monumental accident is absolutey fine to make a point about speeding (even though you weren't). Hideous behaviour! My approach is just to floor it past them, before they've realised I'm there I'm gone so they can f
k about in my rear view mirror if they wish but rather it be done there than in front!
"I'm a safe driver and never speed" - apparantly the two go hand in hand nowadays. However, attempting to cause a monumental accident is absolutey fine to make a point about speeding (even though you weren't). Hideous behaviour! My approach is just to floor it past them, before they've realised I'm there I'm gone so they can f
k about in my rear view mirror if they wish but rather it be done there than in front!98elise said:
I've never understood why people get wound up at being overtaken. If someone overtakes me I lift off, or even dab the brake so they get past as quickly as possible. If it's a bike I tuck in a bit so they don't have to cross the centre line.
Same. If it does happen to me I'm usually well past before they have time to react and then they either 1, don't catch up because they slow down again or 2, can't actually drive well in anything but a straight line so fall back again.
The bigger issue is when they move offside to fully block you. That's much more dangerous, especially if you are now travelling faster to ensure you complete the overtake quickly and safely. Those guys can crash into a tree as far as I am concerned.
Dashnine said:
Fastdruid said:
I think this is an issue with radar cruise control. Many people get lazy with it, stick in the middle lane and their speed varies wildly but they never bother to change lane and overtake so if you are being proactive to change lanes as appropriate but have a lower cruise speed they'll be a royal pain.
The other problem with this type of cruise control is when overtaking a pair of cars in the middle lane (for example) and the lead mioddle lane car moves into the left lane, you then make to pull into the middle lane and suddenly the second middle lane car, now unrestricted by the car in front of it now accelerates back up to it's set cruise speed in to the vacated space you were about to occupy yourself. Most annoying...BertBert said:
Dashnine said:
Fastdruid said:
I think this is an issue with radar cruise control. Many people get lazy with it, stick in the middle lane and their speed varies wildly but they never bother to change lane and overtake so if you are being proactive to change lanes as appropriate but have a lower cruise speed they'll be a royal pain.
The other problem with this type of cruise control is when overtaking a pair of cars in the middle lane (for example) and the lead mioddle lane car moves into the left lane, you then make to pull into the middle lane and suddenly the second middle lane car, now unrestricted by the car in front of it now accelerates back up to it's set cruise speed in to the vacated space you were about to occupy yourself. Most annoying...98elise said:
I've never understood why people get wound up at being overtaken. If someone overtakes me I lift off, or even dab the brake so they get past as quickly as possible. If it's a bike I tuck in a bit so they don't have to cross the centre line.
Road captains think driving is queuing and they are in front therefore ahead in the queue, it's a very strange mindset that tells them they are at the correct speed for the road/conditions so anyone overtaking is a queue jumping maniac 98elise said:
I've never understood why people get wound up at being overtaken. If someone overtakes me I lift off, or even dab the brake so they get past as quickly as possible. If it's a bike I tuck in a bit so they don't have to cross the centre line.
This.I have a reasonably powerful motorcycle & can dispatch pretty much anything on 4 wheels on a public road. I've had various white vans intentionally blocking me overtake, which is downright bloody dangerous & then there are the oncoming drivers who have no perception of speed/acceleration - they flash their headlights even though I've completed a safe overtake with plenty of space to spare.
The worst road captain I came across was a Swiss driver during gridlock on the M25. Filtering is apparently illegal in Switzerland, but not here. As I approached from behind, he clocked me in his mirrors & made it almost impossible to pass...
As to the OP: the main thing is to keep a cool head. No point in ruining your day (or worse) because of a complete stranger's knobbish behaviour. If you can safely complete the overtake then fine, but if the overtakee accelerates, you can run out of safety margin very quickly indeed.
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