Guy tried to kill me...
Discussion
...which was nice!
Coming back from the coast on monday, we get to the road that runs between Otford and Eynesford in Kent, which begins at Otford as a 40mph road, then becomes NSL.
In front of me is a new passat, and in front of him, an old Merc. When the black andwhite signs come up, the Merc sticks to 39mph, and the passat doesn't seem interested in going any quicker, as he's leaving a big gap. At the first opportunity, I nip past the passat, but then I see a car approaching on the other carriageway, clearly motoring. I could have passed the Merc, but I decided it would not be a safe manouvre, and it's not right to scare the oncoming car, and my passenger. So I indicate left, to slot into the gap between the passat and merc. Now, no prizes for guessing what happens next - numpty in the passat floors it and closes up to the merc's backside, so I have to force my way in, for which I get flashed lights, and the finger from passat man...
so let's sit back and look at this - I am entitled to travel at the NSL, the whit lines are broken, so I am entitled to overtake - I try and do this as safely as possible, but because passat man doesn't like it, he feels he has the right to try to kill me, my passenger, and potentially the innocent driver of the approaching vehicle AND DESPITE THIS HE BELIEVES HE HAS THE MORAL HIGH-GROUND TO FLASH HIS LIGHTS AT ME!!!
This is why, despite owning 'quick' cars for the last 6 years, I rarely pass people - just too many idiots with a chip on their shoulders...
Coming back from the coast on monday, we get to the road that runs between Otford and Eynesford in Kent, which begins at Otford as a 40mph road, then becomes NSL.
In front of me is a new passat, and in front of him, an old Merc. When the black andwhite signs come up, the Merc sticks to 39mph, and the passat doesn't seem interested in going any quicker, as he's leaving a big gap. At the first opportunity, I nip past the passat, but then I see a car approaching on the other carriageway, clearly motoring. I could have passed the Merc, but I decided it would not be a safe manouvre, and it's not right to scare the oncoming car, and my passenger. So I indicate left, to slot into the gap between the passat and merc. Now, no prizes for guessing what happens next - numpty in the passat floors it and closes up to the merc's backside, so I have to force my way in, for which I get flashed lights, and the finger from passat man...
so let's sit back and look at this - I am entitled to travel at the NSL, the whit lines are broken, so I am entitled to overtake - I try and do this as safely as possible, but because passat man doesn't like it, he feels he has the right to try to kill me, my passenger, and potentially the innocent driver of the approaching vehicle AND DESPITE THIS HE BELIEVES HE HAS THE MORAL HIGH-GROUND TO FLASH HIS LIGHTS AT ME!!!
This is why, despite owning 'quick' cars for the last 6 years, I rarely pass people - just too many idiots with a chip on their shoulders...
Edited by TTwiggy on Tuesday 28th August 10:54
This happens more and more - and much worse in the south East for some reason. It is nearly always the middle aged, 40mph everywhere brigade that seem to do it.
Have I missed something or is overtaking illegal now?
Or do these muppets have such weak egos that they see it as a personal affront to be overtaken?
The other favourite is when you pull out to overtake a few slow vehicles, the guy in front of you does the same but a bit later, blocking your acceleration and potentially hanging you out to dry re the exposure to danger of the whole manouver.
Have I missed something or is overtaking illegal now?
Or do these muppets have such weak egos that they see it as a personal affront to be overtaken?
The other favourite is when you pull out to overtake a few slow vehicles, the guy in front of you does the same but a bit later, blocking your acceleration and potentially hanging you out to dry re the exposure to danger of the whole manouver.
Edited by aelord on Tuesday 28th August 11:15
I've posted this on 'speed, plod and the law' too, and much the same sentiment over there. I feel it's part and parcel of this government's focus on speed alone as the cause of all deaths on the road. The result is, that if you try to make progress (and I was ONLY trying to travel at the speed posted for the road) these idiots think that you are essentially a child-killer...
That's a fantastic bit of road but you would not believe the amount of times it gets filled with old codgers 
What really gets me is that they seem to think that it's too dangerous to go above 40 on an NSL road, yet it's fine to speed up and sit on your bumper after you've overtaken them...
What really gets me is that they seem to think that it's too dangerous to go above 40 on an NSL road, yet it's fine to speed up and sit on your bumper after you've overtaken them...
Usually I think this is a case of someone who wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his driving, completely on mental auto-pilot if you will, and you woke him up and scared the shit out of him. Obviously, it can't have been HIS fault because he thinks he's a great driver so it must be yours...
I gave up on overtaking queues a bit at a time for a while because of this kind of behaviour. Now I generally wont overtake someone and slot in front of them unless I've seen them look in the mirror since I've been following.
I gave up on overtaking queues a bit at a time for a while because of this kind of behaviour. Now I generally wont overtake someone and slot in front of them unless I've seen them look in the mirror since I've been following.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 28th August 11:32
I know I shouldn't but sometimes I feel like stopping my car and putting it all over these people
I don't flash them when they are driving at 45mph in a national speed limit road and not giving me any room to get passed them? or when they sit in the middle/outside lane of the motorway doing 55mph argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhWhat's wrong with these people? Followed a beetle this Sunday in my wife's 1.2 Corsa (Wife sitting beside me) she's all over the road taking up 2 lane's round the roundabout in the end decided to overtake when the road straighten out plenty of room etc, guess what she does?
Yep speed up and call me a prick? Just got to laugh otherwise you'd end up loosing your temper or getting into an argument Wan*er's the lot of them!
Boggy
TTwiggy said:
The road that runs between Otford and Eynesford in Kent, which begins at Otford as a 40mph road
Do be careful along there, mate. The limit is an (unreasonably low IMO) 30mph travelling north through Otford until the NSL begins 200 metres or so before Fackenden Lane comes up on the right. Its a well frequented speed trap for the BiB.The reality is, were Merc Man on his driving test, he would be failed for making insufficient progress.
As for Passat Man? The Highway Code says one should enable an overtaking car to pass easily, slowing down if necessary. His subsequent light flashing proves him to be a weapons grade c0ck.
I wasn't there, you were, but what you're describing doesn't add up to me. If the gap was adequate to pull in to without cutting the other car up then a couple of seconds of acceleration in a typical family car isn't going to close it so far that you have to 'force your way in'. I wonder if you were just finding that the gap was smaller than it had appeared, perhaps because the rear car had been closing up on the front one during your manoeuver. It happens, sometimes deliberately, sometimes not. The problem in that case IMO is you not having enough performance to overtake safely under those circumstances. If the driver that you overtook felt you cut him up then it's not surprising that he gave you a 'telling off' afterwards. From his point of view he may have felt that he was acting reasonably. Your viewpoint may well be different, but you have to recognise that other drivers will see things their own way.
GreenV8S said:
I wasn't there, you were, but what you're describing doesn't add up to me. If the gap was adequate to pull in to without cutting the other car up then a couple of seconds of acceleration in a typical family car isn't going to close it so far that you have to 'force your way in'. I wonder if you were just finding that the gap was smaller than it had appeared, perhaps because the rear car had been closing up on the front one during your manoeuver. It happens, sometimes deliberately, sometimes not. The problem in that case IMO is you not having enough performance to overtake safely under those circumstances. If the driver that you overtook felt you cut him up then it's not surprising that he gave you a 'telling off' afterwards. From his point of view he may have felt that he was acting reasonably. Your viewpoint may well be different, but you have to recognise that other drivers will see things their own way.
Sorry but in my experience people don't like being overtaken, I don't know why as it doesn't bother me when I'm driving? I see it all the time someone sees a Performance car and they either try to block you in or shout and scream at you when you decide or overtake/attempt to drive quickly.It's not our fault that other people don't like car's, I don't like smoking or people that drink to much or take drug's but I don't go around shouting and screaming at them.
Boggy
Edited by Boggy on Tuesday 28th August 13:57
Depends how you're overtaking. For example he may have been in fourth and not felt the need to change down, having judged the other drivers' speed as sufficiently slow. Numpty being overtaken take umbridge and drops to second (or could possibly have been shaping up to overtake but unlikely given the circumstances), right on cam so able to close the gap.
Remember that you shouldn't be overtaking at 80...
Remember that you shouldn't be overtaking at 80...
GreenV8S said:
I wasn't there, you were, but what you're describing doesn't add up to me. If the gap was adequate to pull in to without cutting the other car up then a couple of seconds of acceleration in a typical family car isn't going to close it so far that you have to 'force your way in'. I wonder if you were just finding that the gap was smaller than it had appeared, perhaps because the rear car had been closing up on the front one during your manoeuver. It happens, sometimes deliberately, sometimes not. The problem in that case IMO is you not having enough performance to overtake safely under those circumstances. If the driver that you overtook felt you cut him up then it's not surprising that he gave you a 'telling off' afterwards. From his point of view he may have felt that he was acting reasonably. Your viewpoint may well be different, but you have to recognise that other drivers will see things their own way.
sorry mate, but no... the gap was at least three-four car lengths when I started to overtake, he floored the passat (and a TDi has a lot of torque, so it's easy to 'spurt' forwards) - this was deliberate at worse, and a case of me 'waking him up' at best - the fact is, that while cars like the Elise are quicker than family wagons, there isn't the gap in performance that there would have been 20 years ago - so if someone wants to be a dick, it's not hard for them to do so...Edited by TTwiggy on Tuesday 28th August 14:23
Can I just say, that I've posted this over on 'speed plod and the law' as well, and there have been people over there dissecting everything I've said in some attempt to make it look like I was the 'bad guy' in this situation..
I was there, I know what happened, it's a shame that on these forums some people attempt to see both sides of a one-dimensional picture. The guy in the passat was a twit, we don't need people like him on the roads, and we certainly don't need 'enthusiasts' on sites like this trying to say 'ah, but, was it three or two car lengths? could you not have signalled your intentions more clearly? maybe if you'd fitted a supercharger, it would be safer? did you hold up a bloody great sign saying 'dear motorist in front of me - I intend to pass you, please signal your approval by three flashes of your hazard lights'...
I was there, I know what happened, it's a shame that on these forums some people attempt to see both sides of a one-dimensional picture. The guy in the passat was a twit, we don't need people like him on the roads, and we certainly don't need 'enthusiasts' on sites like this trying to say 'ah, but, was it three or two car lengths? could you not have signalled your intentions more clearly? maybe if you'd fitted a supercharger, it would be safer? did you hold up a bloody great sign saying 'dear motorist in front of me - I intend to pass you, please signal your approval by three flashes of your hazard lights'...
GreenV8S said:
TTwiggy said:
the gap was at least three-four car lengths when I started to overtake
What does that mean in meters, given that the typical car is around 5m long?If you literally mean a 20m gap, I'd consider that far too small to pull into comfortably.
I don't know how many metres it was - look around the room you're sat in for 1 second, then tell me its cubic capacity - It was a BIG GAP, which became a SMALL GAP due to the idiot in the passat - enough now, please!
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