Drivers Reluctant to Overtake

[Ron240]

This is something that has puzzled me for a long time and it happens with surprising frequency.
I often find myself on the motorway driving medium distances and like to sit at a comfortable speed with my cruise control on.
Sometimes the road will be fairly quiet and I am sitting in the left lane and a car catches up to me then sits behind while making no attempt to overtake.
This car will sit behind me for mile after mile still making no attempt to overtake, but if I move to the left into a filter lane the car behind will speed up and overtake me.
The only thing I can think of is that they are using radar controlled cruise control, but if they are obviously wanting to drive faster than me then why not simply overtake at the first opportunity?
I know I shouldn't let this bother me, but it does!

[fourthpedal]

Not entirely the same, but I see people switch into lane 2, and then... stay there without overtaking. Sometimes it's people that I've just overtaken, who decided to speed up a little but not enough to overtake. Sometimes people who were going barely faster than me.

I'm as puzzled as you.

[John D.]

Had this loads of times when I was using cruise control on M4 Smart motorway sections. One lady would seemingly only overtake me using lane 2 or 3 (4 lanes total). If only lane 4 was available to pass me she would just follow.

Got to test this a few times as she would always slow down after passing me. Having caught up another car in lane 3 obviously!

Got fed up with it after a while and made some space between us.

[Jamescrs]

I’d be almost certain it’s radar cruise control in use.

Doesn’t bother me, but what does are those who just sit in lane 2 without making any progress and leaving lane 1 empty. I spend a lot of time on the roads, probably. 20 something thousand miles a year but hard to measure because I swap vehicles a lot.

[CaptainScarlet1967]

fourthpedal said:

Not entirely the same, but I see people switch into lane 2, and then... stay there without overtaking. Sometimes it's people that I've just overtaken, who decided to speed up a little but not enough to overtake. Sometimes people who were going barely faster than me.

I'm as puzzled as you.

I've encountered that as well.

Some drivers definitely forget where they are and lack self-awareness. Frightening, in the grand scheme of things.

On a number of occasions there have been drivers dawdling in the middle lane rather than accelerating or moving into the inside lane.

Meanwhile, I'm catching up on the inside lane whilst they are oblivious and away with the fairies.

I know I could safely pass them on the inside lane, but I find that whenever I bring my bonnet level with theirs and remain there, matching their speed, after a few seconds they'll finally notice, snap out of their daydreams and accelerate.

As I say, it's not a one-off and has happened multiple times.

As a child we had 'The Driven Man' by Rowan Atkinson on VHS. I remember learning from it that aside from people's tendencies to not think ahead, vehicles become psychological extensions of people, their mindsets and their private spaces. Well worth a watch as it's very much still relevant.

[Clad-Hach]

I think the problem is most drivers are unaware of the performance capabilities of their car and have never used it in that manner, plus they are unable to judge speed and distance very well, to me these are vital driving skills if you want to make progress not just bumble along all the time.

Its quite frustrating when you come upon a line of cars sitting behind a dawdler and none of them will make a move to pass, you would think if someone is holding you up and there is plenty of opportunities to make a clean safe overtake you would just do it but no they just sit there...the mind boggles at times it really does.

If only everyone had to pass a motorcycle test before a car test, they would have a very different mindset when driving on the road where making progress is the normal and also great bloody fun, bikes learn you the art of the perfectly judged overtake to the point it becomes second nature.

A planned and swiftly executed overtake is a glorious thing...you get to like it, if only more drivers would try it I'll bet they would get to enjoy doing it too.

[WilliamWoollard]

Unfortunately the act of driving is the last thing many, many people are thinking about when driving.

They just point the car down the road until something gets in their way, that's it.

[Alex_225]

fourthpedal said:

Not entirely the same, but I see people switch into lane 2, and then... stay there without overtaking. Sometimes it's people that I've just overtaken, who decided to speed up a little but not enough to overtake. Sometimes people who were going barely faster than me.

I'm as puzzled as you.

Yep, see this an awful lot. You can be in lane 1 doing 70, approach a vehicle so move to lane 2 and the car that's way back immediately moves to lane 3 despite not approaching or being close. Those people that do 70.0005mph while you're doing 70mph!

[irc]

I can't understand it on motorways when it is so easy. On normal A roads I put it down to most people doing most of their driving in places and at times where the roads are busy and the chances for overtakes are few. So they never get the practice and it is a skill to overtake safely.

Also if the roads are busy an overtake just gets you a short respite before being held up again so no huge incentive for drivers who only drive in busy areas to learn it.

Compared with rural areas like the Scottish highlands where you can lose or gain minutes if you don't get past that HGV or sightseeing caravanner.

[Hoofy]

Have you tried slowing down (NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING!!!) to see how slowly you can drive before they overtake?

[Ron240]

Hoofy said:

Have you tried slowing down (NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING!!!) to see how slowly you can drive before they overtake?

Funny you should mention it because I did actually try that once just out of curiosity.
I gradually knocked the cruise control down by a couple of mph at a time...and yes sure enough it forced them into changing lanes and overtaking then speeding away.

I like to sit at a constant speed using cruise control on the motorway and I am always looking ahead and planning overtakes so as not to be slowed down, and this will include bursts of speed to avoid impeding the progress of cars driving faster behind me where necessary, then moving back to the left and taking my foot off the gas to return to my set speed. I find this is a good way of keeping me alert while still driving in a relaxed fashion.

[kambites]

I think for many people there's a certain... comfort in following another car. I guess it lets them reduce the already minimal concentration they put into driving. Basically it lets someone else take the decide what speed to drive at" decision away from them.

One of my driving instructor's mantras was "let your speed dictate your lane, not your lane dictate your speed". Many people seem to have the opposite approach.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 16th August 11:25

[croyde]

I went for a spirited drive last night on namely quite roads.

Towards the end I was on a dead straight single carriageway and went to overtake the car in front.

I know the road, it's currently well surfaced and there's no side roads or houses, just woods.

As soon as I pulled into the on-coming lane, that car slammed on his brakes and hit the horn for the whole of my overtake and whilst I disappeared into the distance, along with flashing lights too.

We really do share the roads with utter morons

[Wills2]

The size of cars that we have now does make visibility an issue when overtaking, the councils have also put an awful lot of solid white lines in and traffic islands which further restricts your opportunity, plus there is always that nagging doubt you're just going to come up against another sloth round the corner, I came across a driver doing 23mph on a NSL section of the A59 near Skipton, incredible stuff but his road positioning, solid white lines and poor sightlines meant I had to follow along with his dangerously slow pace, for me he was DWDCAA.

[Sheepshanks]

Alex_225 said:

Yep, see this an awful lot. You can be in lane 1 doing 70, approach a vehicle so move to lane 2 and the car that's way back immediately moves to lane 3 despite not approaching or being close. Those people that do 70.0005mph while you're doing 70mph!

I used to do a lot of motorway driving during the day when they’re not usually so busy, and this was pre-radar cruise control being widely available - what was common was to be doing 70 ish in L1 and someone be gaining on me in L2, then, as I approached a truck, they’d get next to me then just sit there. Then we’d both slow down together to the truck speed!

On the M40 especially, this could happen multiple times per journey.

It got so that I’d just indicate and push out and usually they’d back off or go into L3 - they never sped up to get out of the way. Now and again a driver would get all irate about it - I’d probably be reluctant to do it now due to the prevalence of dash cams.

[Ranger 6]

kambites said:

.....One of my driving instructor's mantras was "let your speed dictate your lane, not your lane dictate your speed". Many people seem to have the opposite approach.

That quote makes me think that he meant slow lanes and fast lanes, rather than 'keep left unless overtaking' - thoughts?

[kambites]

Ranger 6 said:

kambites said:

.....One of my driving instructor's mantras was "let your speed dictate your lane, not your lane dictate your speed". Many people seem to have the opposite approach.

That quote makes me think that he meant slow lanes and fast lanes, rather than 'keep left unless overtaking' - thoughts?

No, he was also very hot on keeping left; in fact with the experience I have now I'd argue probably excessively so, telling me to drop into the left lane even for <5 seconds seconds before pulling out again to pass the next car... I guess maybe with the rationale that people tend to drift the other way over time and hence drilling in a tendency to keep left even when it doesn't make sense will result in a better driver in the long term.

I'm not sure the whole "pull into the middle lane or right then sit there until you want to exit" thing really existed back then anyway? It was certainly much rarer if it did.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 16th August 12:14

[Terminator X]

fourthpedal said:

Not entirely the same, but I see people switch into lane 2, and then... stay there without overtaking. Sometimes it's people that I've just overtaken, who decided to speed up a little but not enough to overtake. Sometimes people who were going barely faster than me.

I'm as puzzled as you.

O/T but the amount of people that I see join a motorway and immediately move to the middle lane even though the inside lane is clear for miles ...

TX.

[Terminator X]

Clad-Hach said:

I think the problem is most drivers are unaware of the performance capabilities of their car and have never used it in that manner, plus they are unable to judge speed and distance very well, to me these are vital driving skills if you want to make progress not just bumble along all the time.

Its quite frustrating when you come upon a line of cars sitting behind a dawdler and none of them will make a move to pass, you would think if someone is holding you up and there is plenty of opportunities to make a clean safe overtake you would just do it but no they just sit there...the mind boggles at times it really does.

If only everyone had to pass a motorcycle test before a car test, they would have a very different mindset when driving on the road where making progress is the normal and also great bloody fun, bikes learn you the art of the perfectly judged overtake to the point it becomes second nature.

A planned and swiftly executed overtake is a glorious thing...you get to like it, if only more drivers would try it I'll bet they would get to enjoy doing it too.

Worse imho are the people who try to block you by moving out slightly if you dare to overtake. This despite being sat behind them for miles just plodding along! Perish the thought that you overtake a dawdler and one other just sat behind them ...

TX.

[Hoofy]

Ron240 said:

Hoofy said:

Have you tried slowing down (NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING NOT BRAKE TESTING!!!) to see how slowly you can drive before they overtake?

Funny you should mention it because I did actually try that once just out of curiosity.
I gradually knocked the cruise control down by a couple of mph at a time...and yes sure enough it forced them into changing lanes and overtaking then speeding away.

I like to sit at a constant speed using cruise control on the motorway and I am always looking ahead and planning overtakes so as not to be slowed down, and this will include bursts of speed to avoid impeding the progress of cars driving faster behind me where necessary, then moving back to the left and taking my foot off the gas to return to my set speed. I find this is a good way of keeping me alert while still driving in a relaxed fashion.

Ah, haha, well, that probably woke them up. Be interesting to see if they just adopted the original speed you were doing.

Yes, that's how I generally drive on long motorway journeys. Mainly lane 1, overtake then back into 1, trying to maintain a constant speed.