Anyone Else Encountered This Strange Behaviour?
Discussion
Yesterday I was leaving our village with the wife, following a Range Rover in the NSL at about 55mph. As both cars approached the local garden centre, a BMW M5 exited in our paths and then took about 15 seconds to reach 35-40mph, forcing us both to slow. We followed the M5 for several miles, and the M5 driver maintained 35-40 throughout. There were no safe overtaking opportunities and at no time did the Range Rover driver or me tailgate the M5: we both kept a safe following distance throughout.
After several miles the M5 signalled to turn right. The RR went straight on, and I turned right to follow the M5. The driver turned at almost walking pace. I knew there was an overtaking opportunity coming up and felt, given the M5 driver's previous behaviour, it would be quite easy to pass legally and safely. So as the road opened up I moved out to overtake. The M5 then accelerated. I gave a short toot of the horn to make the driver aware of my presence. No reaction, so a longer note. He looked back at me, scowled and accelerated harder, so I aborted the overtake. He then slowed to 35-40 for the next corner. The road opened into a longer straight. As he was maintaining 35, I tried to overtake again. Again he sped up to 60 and thereafter maintained that speed until he turned right a mile further on, when he deliberately slowed the car to 5 mph and crawled through the turn. I drove straight on and his wife scowled at me from the passenger seat as I passed.
They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
After any incident I try and work out what I could have done differently, but I am stumped in this case. Maybe not go for the second overtake, although I aborted it immediately once it was clear that he was not going to let me pass. Anyway, I have now decided to fit a dash cam. I would have gladly sent footage to the police had I any.
Has anyone else encountered this sort of behaviour and if so, what have you learned as a result?
After several miles the M5 signalled to turn right. The RR went straight on, and I turned right to follow the M5. The driver turned at almost walking pace. I knew there was an overtaking opportunity coming up and felt, given the M5 driver's previous behaviour, it would be quite easy to pass legally and safely. So as the road opened up I moved out to overtake. The M5 then accelerated. I gave a short toot of the horn to make the driver aware of my presence. No reaction, so a longer note. He looked back at me, scowled and accelerated harder, so I aborted the overtake. He then slowed to 35-40 for the next corner. The road opened into a longer straight. As he was maintaining 35, I tried to overtake again. Again he sped up to 60 and thereafter maintained that speed until he turned right a mile further on, when he deliberately slowed the car to 5 mph and crawled through the turn. I drove straight on and his wife scowled at me from the passenger seat as I passed.
They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
After any incident I try and work out what I could have done differently, but I am stumped in this case. Maybe not go for the second overtake, although I aborted it immediately once it was clear that he was not going to let me pass. Anyway, I have now decided to fit a dash cam. I would have gladly sent footage to the police had I any.
Has anyone else encountered this sort of behaviour and if so, what have you learned as a result?
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff